Otago Chess Club Championship Tourney.

Otago Witness, Issue 2210, 9 July 1896, Page 40

Otago Chess Club Championship Tourney.

Game between Messrs A. Macdonald and R. A. Gleland.

Queen's Gambit Declined.

(a) This move is not considered good. Steinitz, however, played it in his match with Lasker and drew. (&) A weak move. (c) This leaves the X P weak. Probably 22 Q-B 4 is better. (d) White has been gradually losing position. This move was no doubt intended to prevent q-b 3, but if there is nothing bettor hia game is lose at this point. • (c) This would have been good but for Black's passed pawn, and 37 B x Q is better than R x R, or at any rate no worse.

Duals in Two-moVe Problems.

I am torry Mr Sexton has taken such umbrage at my remarks on his article concerning dual* iv two-movers. Kvevyone is entitled to hia own opinions, and to take such vindictive objection because those of others do not happen to agree with one's own. w both foolish and unwarrautable. First, as regards straw-splitting, I fail to tee where it comeß in. Mr Sexton himself says that Black must, in guarding oue point, expose or leave unguarded some other. Exactly, and therefore the move is nei'her d fansive nor purposeful. I only gave my example to illustrate the one kind of move which I thougtt might be termed defensive, not as an example of a defensive move. Concerning criticism of problems, I am sure that the editors to whom I send solutions and criticisms will agree with me when I say that Mr Sexton's insinuation as regards fault-finding is quite \injust, and con6equ-ntly unworthy of further notice. He would indeed be a btrange solver who would sit down to a problem merely to look for duals.

An end-game, I take it, is a position arrived at in the ordinary and natural course of play, and one which could be of actual, and possibly frequent, occurrence,, all the pieces on the board not necessarily entering into tin combination; whereas a problem is an aitiucial, though not impossible, position scarcely attainable in actual play, all the pieces in thy position being absolutely essential to the complete working out of the theme. X

To Mr Sexton's question as to whether a problem containing such strategy as is exhibited in his example " PeePrßeneath " should be relegated to the tomb, I answer, " Yes, decidedly." In the fmt place the ksy, though it gives a flight to the King, removed the Queen from capture. Then besides the dual noticed-by Mr fcexton, there is another dual if Q-Kt 8, while if the Queen goestoeither Q 8o r B 8, White can discover mate in five places. If two duals, two quintettes, and an inartistic key, to say nothing of the lack of economy, are to be designated as a trivial fault, then a composer's licenße is indeed almost unlimited. Why, the very art and difficulty of problem-compising is to render the finished work as pure and clean as possible : were duals and men blemishes to ba allowed, composing would became an easy matter. As regards L>r Gold's problem, I can only say that the best composer is guilty of inferior work sometimes, but because such is the case is no reason whatever why any such work should be taken as a standard or us an excuse for faults similar to thoie it contains; besides, to admit duals merely because a master did so is simply to acknowledge one's self to be an imitator, when the truest test of a good composer is his originality. I was not aware of the existence of the dual in my problem which appeared in " Al " ; had I detected it I should not have submitted it for publication, for I certainly would not go again3t my own principles intentionally. Mr Ssxton refers to Bomo of my problems, which may have contained duals. Out of all I have had published so far.there ate only three in which I know duals to exist, and, these I was unaware of till they were pointed out, one' by the editor, one by a Christchurch friend, and one by Mr Sexton in the " Al" problem in question If Mr Sexton knows of more I should be only too glad to have th?m pointed out, and unless they were remediable I would destroy the problems as impurities. As earnest of my statement in this respect, I submit the following position :—

[Black ]

1K6,4p3,3p 4, 3Jc4, 7 Xt, Xt IP I p3, 6 8 1, 4QIBB. White to Mate in two. JEey-Q-K B. After the key Black has five flights and two free pawns: but it is spoilt by K-K 5, when either Q mates or R discovers mate. This dual was sufficient to prevent my sending the problem for publication. Mr Saxton admits that hid position eliminating the duals was put up purposely t» emphasise what he had to cay. This, to say the least of it, was decidedly unfair to his readers, who might be led to suppose .that this was the only, or best, way of preventing the duals when there was a way which did not mar the problem in the least. To present a subject in its worst light for the purpose of furthering an argument is » proceeding the equity of which is exceedingly, doubtful. It Mr Sexton says the remedy is worse than the disease, he admits that a problem with duals is diseased, and surely that 1b sufficient to condemn it. I am very grateful for Mr Sexton's sympathy as regards the spiolation of my pleamre in solving a dual-contai&fne two-mover, but somehow I hava my suspicions as to its sincerity and bo accept it 2L Y. Zt

cm gmno salU.

White. Black. (Macdonald.) (Cleland.) 1 P.Q 4 P-Q 4 2PQ B 4 P-K 3 3KKt-B3 QKt-B3 4 P-B 5-a Kt-B 3 5 P-Q R 3 P-QR4 ti Kt-B 3 B-K 2 7P-K3 0-0 8 B-Q 3 P-Q Xt 3 9 PxP Px P 10 00 B-Q 3 11 QKt-Ktsß-Kt2 12 B-Q 2 R-B 1 I3Ktxß QxKt 14 B-B3 ' Kt-K5 15QU-B1 Kt-BL2 16Bxl£t Pxß 17Kt-Q2 Kt-B 4 18 Q-Kt 4 QQ 4 19 RB 2 b Kt-JR 3 29 Q-Kt 3 B-R 3 21K-K1 P-B4 22P-84-C K-KB3 23 Kt-B 1 R-Kfc 3 White. Black. (Macdonald.) (Cleland.) 24 QB 2 Kt-Kt s 25 QQ 2 Q-Q 1 26 P-R 3 Kt-B 3 27Q82 Kt-Q4 28 X R-B 1 B-Q 6 29 R-Q 2 QB 1 30Q-R4-d BxKt 31 R x B Xt x X P 32 R-K 1 HtQ 4 33 R-Q B 2 P-K6 34 KK-QBI P-KR3 35 Q-K 1 Q-Q 3 33 B-Kt4-a RxR 37 R x R Pxß 38Q-R4 KtxßP 39K-8,1 QxP 40 R-BBch K-R2 41QQ8 P-K7cb 42 K-K 1 QKt B ch 43 K-Q 2 Q-Q^ eh ii K-K3 K-Q 4 Resigns.