CHESS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1354, 10 February 1898, Page 11

CHESS.

All communications for this department must be addressed to the Chess Editor, Mr C. W. Benbow. 10/2/98. *** The Wellington Chess Club meets everj Tuesday and Friday evening at 7.30 in Room No. 11, Exchange Buildings, Lambton Quay. Visitors are cordially welcomed. SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS. No. 1898 (P. F. Blake). 1 B to Q R 4 1 Any move 2 Mates accordingly Solved by H.B. and J N.H. (Wellington); M.R. (Taranaki); R.P. (Gisborne): “It is wonderful the number of fine conceptions this composer gets hold of, and works out almost to perfection (9);” A.B C. (Greytown); T.E (Ficton); Beginner (Woodville); and Felix (Auckland). Mr B. G. Laws’ criticism of the pieoß reads: —“A first-rate key, with olever after effects. The construction has bean ingeniously manipulated in several respects. There are eleven variations, but those by the Q R and K Kt are not pleasing, gaping they are severed som what from the cent al thought ” No. 1899 (Mrs W. J. Baird). 1 Kt to K B 8 IKxP 2 Kt to Q 7 eh 2 K moves 3 mates accord ngly. Solved by H.B. (Wellington); M.R. (Taranaki) ; R.P. (Gisborne) : “A be auriful combination with the minor pieces (9);’ 1 TK. (Picon); and Felix (~nd). The play of tin Kts and Bishops pleases us immensely (9). PROBLEM No. 1910. By A. F. Mackenzie (Jamaica), liffch Prize Problem in the Leeds Mercury Supplement Problem Tourney. Black.

White Whit® to play ags ||9|f S 4

PROBLEM To. 1911. By W. Meredith (Pennsylvania.) Black.

White. White to play and mate in three moves. CHESS IN BIRMINGHAM. The following game was contented on the occasion of Mr Blackburne’s last visit to Birmingham. Mr Hollins is probably the strongest player in that city. We are indebted for both game and notes to the Weekly Mercury. Danish Gambit. White Blaok. (Vlr J, H. Blackburne.) (Mr F. Hollins.) 1 P to K 4 1 P to K 4 2PtoQ4 2 P x P 3 B to Q B 3 3 P to Q 4 This looks like the Danish declined-with-thanks. 4QxP4 Q to K 2 5 Qx QP Here we have the curious circumstance of the Danish Gambit, which usually sacrifices multitudinous tawns, coming out a pawn ahead —if only for a moment. 5 Kt to K B 3 6 Q to Q 4 6 KtiP 7 B to K 3 7 Kt to Q B 3 8 B to Q Kt 5 8 B to Q 2 9BxKt 9 B x B 10 Kt to B 3 10 P to Q Kt 3 11 Castles 11 Q to Q 3 12 K to K sq 12 Castles 13 Q x Q 13 B x Q Black seems to have had a little the best of it from an early stage. Mr Blackburne almost seems to be bidding for a draw already. 14 P to Q R 4 14 K R to K sq 15 P to h 5 15 R to B 4 16 P x P 16 B x B 17 P x B 17 R P x P H Kt to R 3 18 Kt to Q 7 19 Kt to Q 4 19 K to Kt 2 20 R to K 2 20 Kt to K 5 21 Kt x B 21 K x Kt 22 Kt to B 2 22 P to Kt 3 23 P to K Kt 3 23 P to B 4 24 R to R 7 24 R to Q R sq 25 Kt to Q 4 ch 25KtoQ2 26 R x R 26 R x R 27 K to Kt 2 27 P to B 4 28 Kt to B 3 28 R to R 7 From this point Mr Hollins has a small, but yet decided advantage. White is put on hia defence He has an isolated pawn, and the QKt P requires constant care. Then he is hampered by the Black Kt, which is fixed at the fifth. And a hostile Kt at the fifth of any file is a painful embarras ment. 29 P to R 4 What is usually called a “debilitating move.” But a move must be made; that is the trouble. As the position stands Black cannot win. But moves must be made ; time is with Black, and White falls to pieces. 29 K to K 3 30 R to Q B 2 30 P to Q Kt 4 31 Kt to Q 2 Note the effect of a bad position. White wishes to rid himself of the terrible Kt at K 5. But before he can play Kt to Q 2 with this end in view, he has to provide for the safety of the threatened Kt P. Owing to the pressure of his necessities his last three moves amount to nothing, while Black has perceptibly advanced his game. The tendency of a bad position is to get worse; there is the moral. 31 Kt x B P A neat combination, which wins a pawn and the game. Whether it is, or is not, quite sound, we will not say. 32 R x Kt White might have tried some other move first. But we must always remember that he was playing a number of games concurrently, and had not time to examine the profundities of things. 32 RxP 33 R x P 33 R x Kt ch 34 K to B 3 84 R to Q 4 35 R to B 7 To exchange Rooks is to give in at once. Again he is compelled to allow the adversary to increase his advantage. 85 R to Q 2 36 R to B 5 35 R to Q Kt 2 Now White may ring the bell and call for the corpse-reviver. B t he dies hard, and Black must not waste a single move. 37 P to K 4 37 P to Kt 5 • 8 P x P 38 ! 1 x P 39 K to B i 39 P io Kt 6 40 Rto K sch He wi l nor, dio while lie has a kick left in him. 'i his however, is but the convulsion , that precedes dissolution. 40 K to Q 3 41 R to K sq 41 P to Kt 7 42 R to Q Kt sq When it comedo shifts liks this—nothing is left but expressive silence. ° 42 K to TC 3 43 K to Kt 5 43 Kto K 4 44 R to K sq ch 44 K to Q 4 45 It to Q Kt Eq 45 K to K 5 4J Ptoß 5 46 R to Kt 3 Cutting off the la3t faint Uo t e. 47 K to R 4 47 K to Q 6 48 K to Kt 5 48 K to B 7 49 R x P ch 49 K x R 50 K x P 50 R to Kt 4 ch 51 Resigns Because, if h© go forward, B xP, and if he retreat to Kt 4, then P to R 3, and the blockade is fatal at once. Black played the end-game with a mathematical precision, and deserved the win. This was undoubtedly the best, game of the recent Blackburne visit.