New Zealand Chess Championship.

Otago Witness, Issue 1989, 10 April 1890, Page 37

New Zealand Chess Championship.

The following game was played between Messrs Hookham and Stenhouse in the late championship tourney. Buy Lopez. White. Blaok. (Hookham ) (Stenhouse.) IPtoK4 PtoK4 2Ktto KB 3 Xt to QB 3 3 D to Xt 5 P to Q 3 4 Ptoß3 ' Bto«2a SPtoQ4 KKttoK2 6 Xt to Q 2 P to X Xt 3 7 Xt to B sq B to Xt 2 8 Xt to X 3-6 Castles 9PtoQ R3 c Pto X B 3-rf 10 PtoK R 3 Qto B sq-e 11 Catties Ptoß4 12 P to Q 5 Xt to Xt sq-/ 13 B tks B Q tks B 14 P tks P Xt tks B P 15 Q to B 2 Q to B 2 16 P to X Xt ig Xt to X 2-A 17 Xt to R 4 Q to B 3 18 KKt to Xt 2 Xt to Q 2-t 10 Pto X B 4-; P tks P-A 20 Xt tks P Q to X 4-/ 21 Xt to B 4 Q to B 3 22 Qto X 2-m QRto X sq-n 238t0K3 Qtoß2 24 Xt to X 6 Xt to X B 3 25 Xt tkß R-p X Xt tks P 26 KKt tks P-g Q tks Xt 27 Q to B 3-r P to Xt 4 28 B tks QB P P tks Kb 29 QRto Qsq Qto X 5 30 Q tks Q II tks Q 31 H to B 2 P to B it 32BtoKt8 Btoßsq 33 X R tks Xt Xt tks R 34 B tks P B tks B 35 R tks B X to B 2 36 R to Xt 6 R to X 3 37RtoKt7ch KtoKt3 38 X to Xt 2 X to Xt l-t 39 RtoKt 7eh Kto B 5 40 R to Xt 6 X to X i-u 41 R tks P X to Q 4-u 42 Pto Xt 5-w Xt to X 5 43 R tks R X tks S 44 P to X R 4 X to 8 4 45 P to R 4 X to Xt 6 46 PtoQ R 5 Resigns. NOTES a Steinitz in his " Modern laetractor" gives 4...P to B 4, and

continues 6 P tks P, B tks P ; 6 P to Q 4, P tks P ; 7 P tks P, (or 7 Xt tks P, B to Q 2, even game) B toQ 2; 8 PtoQs,QKttoK 2; 9 B tks B eh, Q tks B ; 10 Xt to B 3, Xt to B 3 ; li BtoKt 5, castles (Q R), even game ; if 11 Xt to X KtSthen U..lPto X R 3; 12 Xt to K6,Q Xt tks P ; 13 Xt tks B, Q to X 2 eh I b This knight would perhaps be better posted at X Xt 3 ; the text move keeps the Q B confined. c Unn-cessary, and therefore a loss of time. It would be much better to castle or play 9 P to Q5. d This also loses time ; probably the beßt course is to simplify matters by 9...P tks P ; 10 Xt tks P (best), Xt tks Xt ; 11 B tks B, Q tks B ; 12 P tks Xt, Q to X 3 ; 13 Q to Q 3, P to X B 4 with a good game. c He should still have played 10 ...PtksP. Thetext move was made with the intention of sacrificing the queen's bishop for two pawns, when White should oaßt'.e; but Black afterwards changed hie intentions, for the sacrifice would not be sound. / This retreat is bad : he should have played 12...Ktt0Q 5; White's best reply would then be 13 B tks B as the following analysis will show i— 12 Xt to Q 5 13 B r.ka B-A Xt tks Xt oh 14 Q tks Xt Q tks B even game. (A) 13 Xt tks Kt-B P tks Xt 14 B tks B Q tks B 15 B P tks P P tks P and black has much the better game, for White has badly doub'ed pawns, which are at the same time Isolated and difficult to defend. (B) ISPtksKt-O Btksß 14 R to X sq B P tks P 15 Xt to Q 2 P tks P and Blaok has a manifest advantage. (O) 13 B to B 4 Xt tks Xt eh 14 Q tks Xt P tks P 15 Q tks P R to B 5 16 Q to B 2 R to R 5 and wins ; for Blaok now threatens 17.. .8 tks P, and if 18 P tks B then 18... Q tks P and mates next move g A very bad move. h For Black should now have played 16...Kt tks Xt ; 17 P f.k B Xt, Q tks P with a p*wn ahead and much the superior game. i Black had now a ohance of obtaining a great advantage by 18.. .Q to 86, for if White now play 19 Kto R 2 then 19.. .P to X 5 threatening 20... 8 to X 4 oh. j This move gives White a great advantage, and frees him from all his difficulties. k We think that 19...P to B 3 would be much better. I Black has got his queen into an awkward position, and has no satisfactory move at this point; however 20.. .Q to Xt 4 appears to ba the best. m Much stronger would have been 22 B to X 3, threatening the terrible move a3 Xt to Xt 2, after I which Blaok would have to sacrifice a knight to save the queen. n Very weak ; Black should now play 22.. .Q to 82. whioh would froe him from all his difficulties.

o Best, although it loses the exchange. p White here misses a chance of winning by 25 Xt tks BP. For If 25...R to B eg ; 26 Xt tks Q P winning the queen ; if 25...R to Q sq ; 26 Xt to K6 ; and if 25.. .X Xt tks P ; 26 Xt tks R, Qtks Xt ; 27 Qto Q2. q Bad ; 26 Rto B 3 was necessary. r And now again we should prefer 27 R to B 3 with the following probable continuation :— 27.. .P to Kt4; 28KttoQ2, Q Xt tks P; 29 P tks Xt, Q tks P oh : 30 Kto B sq, Xt tks B oh ; 31 R tks Xt, Q to B 5 oh ; 32 R to B 3, R tks Q ; 83 R fcks Q, R tks Xt ; and although Black is minus the exohange, yet he has two pawns more than his opponent. If 29 R to Kfc 3. then 29...R tks B ; 30 R tks Xt, R tks Q : 31 R tkß Q, R tks Xt with an obvious superiority. And if 30 X to 82, then 30.. .Q to R5 oh and draws by perpetual check. s Weak; 31. ..Kt to B 5 would give him a winning position. t A bad move; 38...Kt to X 5 was far referable.

v This also is bad ; 40...R to Xt 3 should win easily. v Again the correct play is 41...Rt0Kt3.

w After this move we do not think that Blaok could possibly save the game.