CHESS & DRAUGHTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1905, 25 May 1888, Page 28

CHESS & DRAUGHTS.

[Conducted bt Mb David R. Hat.]

CHESS.-Problem 658. By J. Jhspkrsoit, Svendborg. (Deutsch Sohachzeitung.)

TBIAOK. I

A Girl Chess Genius. Mr W. W. Hall, of M'Gregor, Texas, recently forwarded to the chess editor of the Sunny South the score of the following game, in which he was beaten by his daughter Jennie, aged nine years :— King's Gambit Declined. White. Black. Mr Hall. Miss Hall. IPtoK4 PtoK4 2PtoKB4 PtoQ4 3 Xt to X B 3 P tks X P (a) 4 Xt tks X P B to X 4 5KttoQB3 PtoKßd 6QtoEsch PtoKKb3 7 Xt tks Xt P B to B 2 (6) 8 Q tks B P B tks Xt 9 Q to X 5 eh Q to X 2 10 Q tks R Xt to X B 3 11 P to X Xt 4 (c) Xt tks Xt P 12 Q to Q 4 Q to R 5 eh 13 X to X 2 P to Q B 4 14 Q to R 4 eh (rf) Xt to Q B 3 15QtoKt5(e) Qtoß7ch 16 X to Q eg Q to B 6 eh 17 Q to X 2 Q tks R 18PtoQ4 BtoKR4 19 X to Q 2 P to X 8 Ch 20 X to Q 3 Xt to B 7 Ch (/) And White resigns. NOTES. (a) Jennie has some knowledge of her chess books. (6) Also of some principles inculcated by the good tutor, her father. >> (c) Of course, to release the Queen. But the child player hai now gained some valuable time. (5) An error. The Queen ought to have gone to the Xt sq. Then if Black had answered B to R 4 the White Queen could have gone to X Xt 3, which would have given the young player the chance of capturing the EBF, with some lively play to follow. (c) The pupil has now the upper hand. ' If) Which wins the adverse Queen. There is a forced mate on the board, but of course the capture of the Queen is good enough to win the game.—Australasian.

Chess Hews. Blindfold Chess.— "Mars" in the Sporting and Dramatic News Las the following interesting remarks on this subject:— "Mr Blackburne was recently interviewed by a representative of the Birmingham Post, when he thus delivered himself respecting blindfold play : ' I cannot,' he said, ' explain how it is doric ; it is a peculiar kind of memory, and memory cannot be explained.' It was the example of Morphy that at first inspired Blackburne with a desire to practise blindfold chess. In 1858 the young American, then bat SI yearn of age. visited Birmingham, and astounded the chess world . by playing eight games blindfold in first-class style ' against eight of the strongest opponents then procurable, .several of them widely known, to fame. Cogitating over this performance Blackburne came to the' conclusion that' blindfold chess must be a , much be a much easier game than It .is supposed to be.' lmmediately:be-prdceeded'tO' practice it, and • in less than a, month .was able to, conduct .with ea»e -„; and success no less than 10 blindfold games simul«

fcaneously. This proves clearly that he possessed an Intuitive faculty for this form of the game, which well deserves the term of genius. Blackburne says that his memory is not particularly good in other directions, but he acknowledges that he bad a capital memory for figures when he was at school, which did him good service in after life. Thus in his early days when he was a collector in a Manchester warehouse, one day he left his collecting book at the office, and instead of having to journey back a long way to get it, he was able to remember every account, where it was owing, and how much it amounted to." "Mars" promises to return to this subject in his next atticle, and will no doubt be able to lurnlsh other information of an interesting character on a performance which to the ordinary reader deems to border on the miraculous. The Growth of Chess.— The London Times states that during the present generation the growth and extension of chess practice has become enormous. Where there used to be one chess club we have now 20, and it is quite certain that the better it is understood the more highly it is appreciated. A Fine Chess Library. — T. yon Heydebrandundder Laaa, editor of Bilguer's Handbuoh dcs Schachspiels, has one of the largest collections of works and manuecripts on chess, for the catalogue of his chess library comprises over 33u0 numbers. MATED. The season wa3 spring, the month was May, The birds had been building and cooing all day ; And nature was clothed in her lovliest dress, When a youth and a maiden were playing at chess, young Cupid he happened to pass that way, And swore by his quiver he'd ruin their play ; Then twanging his bow, away sped the darb, Ah ; keen was the pleasure and pain to each heart 1 "Heigh ho J she plays well ; in the battle of life," Sighed the youth, " what a treasure she'd prove as a wife 1 " He heeds not the game, for the maiden was fair, Then Oupid, the rogue, touched the rose in her hair ; It fell on the board and scattered the men, They could not replace them in order again ; Their chess it was o'er, but, strange to relate, Though the game was ne'er finished they each found a mate, -H. S., in " B. C. Magazine." Yon Moltke, Bismarck, Grevy, and Freycinet, are all very good chess players. Delmar v. Lipschutz. — A match between these noted players, who are respectively champions of the New York and Manhattan clubs, was recently finished, with the score— Delmar 5, Lipschutz 3, drawn 3. A purse of £10 waß subscribed to be presented to the winner. Baron Yon der Lasa has been visiting the Manhattan club. Mr N. Macleod has the second time won the first prize in the Canadian Chess Association tournament, bo the trophy, valued at £30 becomes his own property. J'adoubp.— " A piece touched must be played," say our chess legislators. We have often thought of the rule while holding a piece between the index finger and thumb, and have mentally echoed the hardhearted dictum more than once before obeying the injunction. Play the piece, certainly ! but where ? Shade of Staunton, come and. nudge our elbows, or wink your eye, or tread on our toe under the table, avoiding the Dig one with the corn ; assist us in our hour of trouble, or rescind the fatal law. What is that you say? So you have. Speak! How? Oh, yes, " j'adoube." Thanks, a thousand times thanks. The piece doesn't need adjusting; but what does that matter? Thanks, gentle spirit, I am saved — j'adoube.— Dublin Mail. The New York Clipper has an article on the value of the first move in a game of cheas. Taking the recent I'rankfort Congress by way of illustration, it says :— " The late concourse of 21 masters, not all of the same degree of mastership to be sure, furnishes vi a notable field of collation, though absolute conclusions must not be drawn from one occasion. Here we have 210 games, of which 61 were drawn, leaving 149 to be won and lost. Of this number the first player won 90, the second only 59, or a little less than 2 to 3. Stating the whole tourney decimally, the first player won 42-9 per cent, very nicely ; the second player 28.1 , near enough, leaving 29 per cent, drawn. It seems to be now shown that the attack has some appreciable advantage in actual Mr Jesse Haworth has presented to the British Museum the chessboard and some of the chessmen of Hatßhepsu. daughter of Thothnixs I of Egypt. This carries us back to 1600 years before Christ. Hatshepsu was a lady of some character. She donned man's attire, assumed a male prefix or " handle " to her name, mouDted the throne in her brother's place, and ruled vigorously. It was rather through accident than any virtues of her own that she did not fill in Egyptian history some Buch place aa Kiohard 111 does in the history of England. Ohess Conundrums.— Why do chessplayers become immersed ? —Because they are continually overboard. When is a chessplayer well off ?— When he can give checks perpetually. Wheu is a chessplayer like a cook ?— When he draws the game. Why are pawns like Quakers? Because they are peacemakers. How do yon calculate the length and breadth of a chessboard?— You measure the square root of the figure.— Columbia Chess Chronical. When does a chess Queen's clothes need sewing?— When she is merely pinned. When is a chessplayer supposed to be disengaged ?— When he has a Knight off .—Chess editor Sport. Answers to Correspondents. Correct solutions of Problem 655 received from KM, Ashburton ;TW E, Waikouaiti ; JS, Puerua ; JD D, Waikaia; GN, Caversham ; W B and G F, Duuedin. Solution of Pboblkm 655. Key move— l Xt to 86. T J, Waimate. — " Cook' 6 Synopsis of the Chess Openings " is the best book in the English language for beginners and advanced students. We have just received a few copies of the 4f.h edition (just published), which we can send poat free for Gs.