Chess and Draughts

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7847, 8 July 1911, Page 16

Chess and Draughts

(Column Conducted by "W.F.C.”)

Problem No. 81. Black—King and Pawn.

White—6 Pieces,

White to Play and Mate in 3,

Freeborough publishes this clever problem, which appeared in "Design and Work" under tho quaint motto—“ Sic transit gloria Tuesday.” It is an elaboration ot the theme (published in last issue) by H. Dallior. Position of 81 White—Pawns on K Kt 3 and Q R 3; Q on K B sq; knights on K 8 and Q B sq; K on Q 8. Black —K on Q 5; P on Q B C,

New Zealand Chess Congress. The following is a game extracted from the recently-issued “Book of the Twentythird Congress": ZUKEETOHT OPENING. White, J. Mason; Black, Grierson. 1 Kt-KB 3 (a)—P-KKt 21 Pxß—E-Kt 5

3 (b) 2 P-K 4 (c)—B-KT 2 22 B-B 4—Exß (n) u i-.y 4—l'-K 3 (d) 23 PxK—Castles QE 4 (,Kt-B 3—P-Q 4 24 (,)-« 2—K-Kt Ich 5 P-K 5 (e)-—P-Qlt 25 K-ll 2-Q-Q 1

3 (D „ , 6 Kt-K 2-P-QB 4 25 P.-KKt I—E-E 1 7 P-Ql’. 3—PxP 27 K-Kt 2—QxP 8 PxP—Kt-QB 3 28 K-B I—K-Kt 1 9 Kt-Kt 3—KKt-K 22a P-QE 4-P-E 4 10 P-KE 4—P-KE 3 30 P-Kt 3—Kt-Kt o 11 B-Q 3—Q-Kt 3 31 QE-B I—B-B 1 12 Kt-K 2—J3-CJ 2 32 Q-B 3—K-R 1 13 Castles —Kt-B 4 33 Q-B 7—P-Kt 3 (o) 14 B-Kt I—Q-Q 1 (g) 54 tJxKtP—B-E 3 ch 15 P-KKt 3—B-KB 1 35 K-K I—Kt-Q 6 ch (ID , „ 16 Kt-B 4-E-KKt (i) 36 K-Q 2—KtxE 17 BxKt—KtPxß . 37-Qxß ch—K-Kt 1 IS Kt-B s—B-K 2 (k) • 33 ExKt-Q-Q 1 'p) 19 BxP—Q-Kt 3 (m) 39 Kt-K s—Resigns 20 Kt-B 6 ch—BxKt ‘

(a) The Gospel—yea, also, tho Law and tho Predicts —according to John. . (b) This flanchetto Is entirely unscientific; and, though tried by Marncssy against Owen in th“ junior tourney at Hastings in 1B», and by Mieses against Blackburne at Breslau in 1889, is never used by any experienced masters —not even, in their maturor time —by either of the two named. I’-Q 4 is the approved move here. , (c) Blackburne and Owen both played bt (dj in principle as his first move After P-KKt 3 the KP should remain unmoved in tho opening, and the QBP and OP be mobilised at B 4 and Q 3 respectively —tbc pawn arrangement of tho bicilian i>e(cj This early advance is justified by Black’s very defective mobilisation. (f) To prevent the arrival of the hostile Kt at White’s Q 6. This enforced waste of time is directly due to Black s very unscientific third move. , T , (g) As he intends to castle OR. better do so now, and begin zSt once ic lung 9 side attack by P-B 3—B-K 1 and R-KB 1. (h) An admission of tho futility of his flanchetto. . .. , . (i) Immediate and vigorous attack by P-KKt 4 is now in .order, for tho objective plane and the hostile centre are both weak, and White Q side urunobilised. It. is, in fact, the enemy’s “moment of lassitude, as Napoleon I. expressed it. (k) A vain struggle with difficulties of bis Own making, for White's policy has so far been but Fabian and unenterprising. (m) Which proves the folly of his fourteenth move. (n) This sacrifice, had as it is, is perhaps as good as anything else now; for the captured B threatened to be very troublesome. But if any advantage was hoped from tho opened file .the hope was Illusory, for Black cannot hold the flic. (o) An ingenious suicide, avoiding a more lingering end. (p) Three times this ill-fated queen has hesitatingly left home, three times she has anxiously returned and all in vain! Black’s two bishops have been even less daring; each has ventured out one step, and each has hastily got back again. Such inactivity, combined witli the faulty opening mobilisation, were sufficient to ruin a Lasker. Mr Grierson has played greatly below his real strength. .

In the Working Men’s Club handicap chess tourney the following games_ have been played: Larking i v. Wild i, Gandy 0 v. Burgess 1, Bryant 0 v. Bett 1, Felling 1 v. J. Reid 0. The gomes outstanding are C. Ecid v. J. Wilson, Koster v. Coulter, and Elton v. Dalrymple.

In the notice last week an error was made by stating that 110 games were played in the New Zealand chess congress. It should have been 55.

New Zealand Chess Association. Thero was a splendid attendance of delegates at last Monday’s quarterly council meeting of tho Now Zealand Chess Association, when it was decided to grant the Napier Chess Club’s application to have the nest New Zealand championship congress played in that town during the Christmas and New Year holidays. In anticipation of this congress chess is just now booming iu Napier, as it has never boomed before. and tho membership of the club has been more than trebled in the past eighteen mouths. Tho club’s delegate, Mr W. Simm, assured the meeting that they will have no difficulty- in raising ,£2O for the purposes of this congress,— which will be the first occasion that the championship has been fought out in Napier.

The meeting, after allotting the congress to Napier, applied itself to the report of tho Rules Revision Committee, an outline of which was published on Tuesday last. Alternative proposals for keeping “second raters" from competing are to be submitted to the affiliated clubs; also a recommendation that the rate of play be reduced from 18 to 15 moves per hour. It is proposed to require 15 moves to bo made in the first hour,—instead of only requiring the minimum of 30 moves at the eud of tho second hour, i.e., to do away with the present practice of allowing a shortage of moves in the first hour to be made good, by quicker play in the second hour. At 11 p.m. it was found necessary to adjourn the meeting for a week. As Mr Barnes pointed out, rules which had taken about three years to arrive at could not be recast in a couple of hours. Neat Monday, therefore, tho delegates continue consideration of the rules revision report, commencing with the interesting question of of whether the drawings ’ should be simply by lot, or whether, as at present, brothers or members from the same centre. should be compelled to play each other in the opening rounds,—i.e., before there is any indication as to how the cat is going to jump. The following vice-presidents sent derations: F. Rrummer (Mauriceville). O. C. Pleasants (Rangitikei), Thornhili Cooper (Christchurch), F. J. Mount (Dunedin), and Mr C. Janion (Wellington) lias promised an article on the early chess history of New Zealand, which should prove very valuable.