Chess in America

Otago Witness, Issue 1905, 14 August 1890, Page 33

Chess in America

On the 19bh of May (says the Australasian) play began at the St. Louis Chess Club in the long-pro-jected match between Mr J. W. Showalter, champion of the United States Ohesa Association, and Mr Max Judd, the chess king of Su. Louis. The conditions were : — ( I) Stakes, 250d0l a side. (2) Time limit, 16 moves per hour. (3) Bate of play, five gameß per week. (4) Tne winner of (he match to be the first winner of seven games, draws not counting, with (6) a special agreement that, in place of the 50move rule, any game that should reach 125 moves should be held to be drawn unless either of the players could demonstrate a win In 10 additional moves. Ten games were played, not one of which ended in a draw, and the final saore was Judd 7 wins, and Showalter 3 wins. With the ex-c-ption of one solitary " French Defence," won by Mr Judd, every game was a " Buy Lopez " According to the New Orleans TimesDemocrat, this faot may be cited as evidence of the truth of Mr Potter's apophthegm " that that amiable opening has the game of chess by the throat." On two occasions Mr Showalter tried the defence of B to X 2 at his third move. This iadeßcribedaa original on hit part, but the novelty did not turn out to be an improvement on the ordinary book moves. The following is the score of the seventh game :—

Buy Lopez.

NOTES. a Better than 11 P to Q R 4, as given in Steinitz's " Modem Instructor." b Disagreeable, says the TimesDemoorat, but compulsory in order to stop the threatened advance of the adverse X B P. c Finely played. d Best. For if instead 20... 8 tks KP. then 21 Qtks P, B tks KB P ; 22 E tkn B, and White would have a virtually won game. c After the game, Mr ffudd expressed the opinion that he ought to have played the R to his Q B eg now, Instead of at his 26th move. / Obviously threatening to win the exohauge by 26 B tks Xt P and 27 P to B 7 eh. g The proper reply. h Mr Pollock suggests 27...Q to X so, with the view of posting her at X B 4. t A beautiful finish.

j Because if 32...X tks Q ; 33 R to B8 eh mating next move ; and if 32...otherwise, 33 Q tks B, win uing a clear rook.

White. JBlaoK. (Mr Showalter.) (Mr Judd.) 1 P to X 4 P to X 4 2Ktto KB 3 Kb to QB 3 3BtoKts PtoQR3 4 B to H 4 Xt to B 3 5 Castles Xt tks P 6PtoQ4 PtoQKt4 7 B to Xt 3 P to Q 4 8 P tks P Xt to X 2 9 Xt to Xt 5 Xt tks Kb 10 B tks Xt P to Q B 3 HKfctoßß-a BtoK3 12 X to X sq P to X H 3 13 B tkß Xt B tks B 14 P to B 4 Q to Q 2 15 Kb to X 2 Castles X B 16 Xt to Xt 3 P to Xt 3-6 17 P to B 3 B to X Xt 5 18QtoQ2 BtoK6 19 P to B 5 B tk« Xt 20 P to B 6-c X to R 2-d 21 P Iks B Q R to X sq-e 23 QHto Xsq BtoK Rsq 23 R to B 4 X to Xt «q 24 Q to Q 4 PtoKH4 25 B to B 'i-f B to X 3g 28 Q to X 3 R to Q B sq 27RtoKR4 PtoQB4-A 28 Q to Xt 5 X to B ag 29 B to Q »q X R to Xt sq 30 P to Xt 4 P tka P 31 Qtoß 6oh KtoK sq 32 Q to Xt 7-i and Mr Judd resigns-;.