CHESS.

New Zealand Mail, 21 February 1901, Page 33

CHESS.

Ail comrmiaicatione for this department MUST be addressed to the Chess Editor, Mr C. W. Benbow.

February 21, 1901. *** The Wellington Chess Club meets Tuesday and Friday evening, at 7.30, in the Industrial Association Hall, Victoria street. Visitors are cordially welcomed.

SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS. These are held over until next week. PROBLEM 2202. By Godfrey Heath cote (Manchester). Second Prize in “Hampstead- Express'* Tourney. Black.

White. White routes in two moves.

PROBLEM No. 2203. By George J. Slater (Bolton). From “British Chess Magazine.** Black.

White. ■ White mates in three moves.

CHESS IN ENGLAND

The following game \ was played? at Board 1, in the S.C.C.U. County Match between surrey and Hampshire. VIENNA GAME. White. Black. G. E. Wain wright J. H. Blake. ' (Surrey.) (Hants.) "-1 P to K 4 1 P to K 4 2 Kt to Q B 3 .2 Kt to K B 3 3 B to B 4 3 Kt to B 3 4 P to B 4 4 Kt takes P 5 Kt to B 3 5 B to K 2 S P takes P 6 Kt takes Kt 7 Kf P takes Kt 7 Castles 8 P to Q 4 8 P to Q 4 9 B to Q 3 9 P to B 3 10 P takes P 10 B takes P 11 Castles: 11 B to Kt 5 12 P to K E 3 12 B to R 4 IS B takes P ch l 13 K takes B 14 Kt to Kt 5 ch 14 B takes Kt 15 Q takes B ch 15 B to R 3 IS R takes R 16 Q takes R 17 B takes B 17 P takes B 18 R to K- B 1 18 Q takes R ch (a) 19 K. takes Q and wins (a) If . . Q to Q 3, then Q to B 7 ch followed by It to 86, etc. ' .

CHESS IN EUROPE

The following interesting game was played by correspondence from Novembev 7, 1397, to May, 1898, between Messrs K. Zambelly, of Vienna, Austria., and G- Maroczy, of Buda-Pesth, ; Hungary. We translate the score ana instructive notes from the "Deutsches Wochenschach/' of Berlin: FRENCH DEFENCE. White, Black. Mr K. Zambelly. Mr G. Maroczy. IPtoK 4 '• . ' 1 P to K 4 2Ktto KB 3 2Pto Q 4 , ’ > 3 P takes P 3 B to Q 3 (a) 4 Kt to B 3 - 4 Kt to K B 3 , f .~- 5 B to Q Kt 5, ch (b) 5 P to B 3. . SBto R 4 (c) 6Pto K 5 " ,T\ 7 P takes P 7 Castles (d) 8 Kt to Q 4 8 P tabes P 9 Kt takes Kt P 9 Q to Kt 3 1® Kt takes Kt 10 R takes 'Kt . 11 B to Kt 5 11 R to Q sq (e) 12 Castles 12 B takes R P, ch 13 K takes B 13 Kt to K Kt 5 14 K to Kt 3 (f> 14 Qto Q B 2, ch (g) 15 P to K B 4 15 P takes P 16 K takes P 16 R to Q 5 17 P to Q 3 17 B to Q Kt 2 18 Kt to K 4 18 B takes Kt, ch 19 K takes Kt 19 Q to R 7 20 P takes B- 20 Q takes P, cli • 21 E to Ed . 21 R takes B, (h) 22 Q takes;Pr. 22>Rto R 4,, ch 23 K takes R 23 Q to R 6, eh 24 K to Kt 5 24 P to R 3, ch

25 K to B 4 25 P bo Kt 4, ch 26 K toK 5 26 Q to K 3, mate NOTES. (a) Unusual; the Handbuch, at this point analyses only the moves 3 P to K 5 or Q takes l P. (b) At this junction, or even earlier in the play, P to Q 4 would have* been better (c) This move is already of doubtful worth, for the reason that Black could capture the'P at Q 5, with the best play through 6 P to Q Kb 4; 7 B to Q Kt 3, P to Kt 5. However, Black foresees a very fine combination. (d) In the interest of rapid piere-devel-opmeut, Black allows a second P to be captured. (e) Black lias now obtained a strong position. Nevertheless, there -would have been no immediate danger for Whit© if he had played here 12 B to K 2; White’s castling gives his opponent the opportunity for a. decisive combination. (f) If 14 Kto Kt sq., the 14 0 to KE 3 would naturally follow. (g) Not 14 Q to Q 3, ch., because he foresees his coming 16th move. (h) A charming conclusion. “Times Democrat.*’ The following interesting game was played by correspondence between Mr P. 'K. Traxler, the Prague problem composer 1 and Mr V. Racek:— (Giuoco Pianod Mr P. K. Traxler. Mr V. Racek. 1 P K 4 IP K 4 2 Kt K B 3 2 Kt Q B 3 3 B B 4 3 B i B 4 4P834 K Kt B 3 SPQ3 5 P Q 3 68K36 B Kt 3 7 Q Kt-Q 2 7 B K 3 8 Castles 8 Kt K Kt 5 9 B takes K B (a) 9 R P takes B 10 P Q 4 10 B takes B 11 Kt takes B 11 Q B 3 12 P K R 3 12 P K R 4 13 Kt K 3 (b) 13 Kt takes Kt 14 P takes Kt 14 Q R 3 15 Q K 2 15 P K Kt 4 16 P K Kt 3 16 P B 3 17 Kt Q 2 17 P Kt 5 18 PKR4 18 Castles 19R82 19RK82 20 P Kt 4 20 R R 6 21 Kt Kt 3 21 Q Kt 3 22 Q B 2 22 R R 1 23 E K l 23 K Kt 2 24 Q Kt 1 24 K R B 1 25 Kt B 1 25 Kt K 2 26 P B 4 26 P Q 4 27 B P takes P 2-7 Kt takes P (c) 28 Q B 2 28 Kt takes Kt P 29 Q takes P (ch) 29 R B 2 30 Q takes PonKt 3 30 Kt- B 3 31 Kt Q 3 31 R K 1 32 R B 5 32 P takes? 33 Kt B 4 33 Q R 2 34 Kt takes P (ch) 34 K Kt 3 35 P takes P 35 R takes P 36 R takes R 38 K takesß 37 Q Kt 1 (d) 37 K Kt 3 38 R takes P (dis. ch. 38 K R 3 (e) And in this position White announced a remarkably elegant mate in seven. (a) Here is a rook file opened ithout lossi to the; opponent. An uncommon case. (b) If P takes Kt. White would have to give up his own Kt to avoid immediate loss—to say the least of if. (c) Neat: there has been a spell of dullness, bub now we come to more chess. (d) A very elegant move, and at the same time decisive. Now comes the transformation scene. (e) If 38 K takes Kt; 39 Q Q 1 and Black plays Q Kt 3. Mate after the text move m seven: 39 QB 1 (ch), K takes Kt; 40 R Kt 5 (dble. ch), K R 3; 41 R Kt. 8 (dis. ch), K R 4: 42 Q Q 1 (ch), K R 3; Q Q 2 (ch), KR4; 44 P K Kt 4 (ch) K takes P; 45 Q K E- 2, mate. This finish is worth storing along with the best brilliancies.—“ Weekly Mercury.’*

THE CAREER OF STEINITZ

(Concluded.) Then came the long-negotiated match with Zukertort, which had been pending ever since the latter won the London Tourney of 1883. It took as much arrangement as the delimitation of a scientific frontier, and from first to last furnished pourparlers and protocols and palavers enough for the passing of a new Reform Bill, or the abolition of the House of Lords. It came off at last, though. 1886 —Match with Zukertort. Steinitz won by 10 to 5 and 5 draws. Zukertort returned to London quite broken down. He. was never the same man again. The match aged him by 10 years. 1889 —Match with Tcliigorin. Steinitz won by 10 to 6 and 1 draw. 1889—Match with Carvajal. Steinitz won by 4 to 1 and 0 draw. 1889—Match with Golmayo. This .was the second encounter. Steinitz won by 5 to 0 and 0 draw. 1889 —Match with Vasquez. Steinitz won, score as with Golmayo, 5 wins straight.1891— Match with Gunsberg for the . World-Championship., This was a harder fight than. Steinitz had.' been in for a long time. He worn by 6 to 4 and 9 ' draws. " ‘‘ ‘ r -1891—-Two -match games with Tchi- • gorin over 1 a , controversy concerning the .crotchets of Steinitz in the Evans and Two Knights Defence* conducted-by cable between St.. Petersburg and New York, were, bothlostby Steinitz. This led some people to believe that if Tcliigorin had a secbond chance, at Steinitz he would do better than before, and .might, in fact, bring v’back the World-Championship to Russia. So the Russian master went over from Harve in La Bourgogne, which was so sensationally wrecked a few years afterwards. He did better than before, but not well enough. 1892 Match' with Tcliigorin. Steinitz won by 10 to 8 and 5 draws. 1894—New York Tourney. First Prize. . Now commenced his decline. He was 58, a partial cripple, and a chronic sufferer from sleeplessness. And Lasker had come

on the scene; another Steinitz, serene; better balanced, and —up He had assimilated the best of llfl and had eliminated the fantastics young, calm, resolute, brilliant found. Unlike the Bird and school, which picks up what it kHgm&Hfi happy-go-lucky methods without Lasker was systematic and scient(li!f£Kc9iP® the crown of his head to the sole of his boots. Having made But a mouthful of Blackburns, he succeeded in getting a match with Steinitz, who had beaten Dubois, Deacon, Mongredian, Blackburne, Green and Ancierssen, and had been first in three tourneys before Lasker was born; years before. Lasker won. 1894—Match with Lasker, who won by 10 to 5 and 4 draws. At. Hastings next year Steinitz, in conversation with ns, claimed to have had a majority of the games in his favour, and insisted that he had lost them through brain-fag resulting from ill-liealth and sleeplessness. 1894 Match with Ettlinger. Steinitz won by 10 to 0 and 0 draws. 1894r--Cable match with Liverpool. Steinitz won by 1 to 0 and 1 draw. 1895 Hastings Tourney. Sixth prize. Steinitz was full of life and hope. We spent a whole week with him. He was confident of winning his next match with Lasker. We plied him with all sorts of questions on chess subjects. He once said, “You ask very fine questions. Very fine, indeed. Unfortunately, nobody that I know can provide you with equally fine answers. You might try Tarrasch, though; he knows a lot. Or, better still, try Bird; lie’ll give you an opinion on anything. Bird is a man of great courage.” 1896 Four-master match at St. Petersburg. Second prize. . 1836—Match with Sehiffers. Steinitz won by 6 to 4 and 1 draw. Then came his Waterloo, his Sedan. He was sixty, and in a state of cerebral degeneration. 1896— Match with Lasker, who won by 10 to 2 and 5 draws. ALAfa. POOR YORICKI He struggled on; it was pathetic to see the old hero, for 30 years accustomed to admiration, plodding humbly in the rear. 1886—Nuremberg Tourney. Sixth prize. 1896—Vienna Tourney. Fourth prize. 1898— Cologne Tourney. Fourth Prize 1899 London Tourney. Unplaced for the first time in 40 years. He was eleventh. He was born, at Prague May 14, 1836, and died at Manhattan Asylum August 12, 1900. Take him for all in all, we shall not look upon his like again.

Mr Hairy Pillsbury, the chess player, offered the other day, in South Bethlehem, Penn., to "memorise thirty words, no matter how hard they might be, the selections to be read to him only once. Professor Merriman, of" Lehigh University, and DnThrelkeld-Edwards, of Bethlehem, picked out the following words:—‘‘Antiphologistinc, periosteum, takadiastase, plasmon, ambrosia, Threlkeld, streptococcus, staphelococcus, micrococcus, plasmodium, Mississippi, Freiheit, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, athletics, no war, Eiohenberg, American, Russia, philosophy, Pict-Porgieters-Rost, Salmagundi, Oomsillecoots, Bangmamvato, Schlochter’s .. nek, Manzinvama, theosophy catchism, Macljesoomslopa.” Mr Pillsbury immediately repeated these words in the order given, and in the reverse order.

When you commence a game of chess there 1 are twenty possible ways of making the first move. The number of possible ways of plaing - the first four moves only, on each side would be 318,897,564,009. If then, anyone were to play without cessation at the rate of one set a minute, it would take liim more than 600,000 years to go through them all. The number of ways of playing the first 10 moves on each side is 169,518.829,100,544,000.000,000,000,000. On this, however, and considering the population of the whole world to be : 1,843,000,000, more than 217 000,000,000 would be needed, to-go through them, all even if ever- man, woman and child on the race of the globe played without cessation tor that enormous period at the rate pt one set per minute, and no set was repeated. " "