The New Australian Opening.

Otago Witness, Issue 2299, 24 March 1898, Page 48

The New Australian Opening.

The two following games were »laye.i by corres- j pondence between Messrs G. B Hill, of Sydney, and H. Charlick, of Adelaide, to test the reply to P-Q A, which the latter player introduced to the notice of the chess world in IS.<l. The Queen's opening vies with the Ruy Lopez in popularity in congresses and tournanv-nts, for the important reason that each of theze two openings yields a greater majority of wins for White than any other debut. The inventor claims for bi.s counter-gam-bit that, although he sacrifices a pawn, be at oace obtains the attack, and ia able speedily to develop his game. The manoeuvring that ensues is much livelier than that produced by the ordinary Queen's Gambit Declined, which is one of the dullest of openings. Black has considerable scope for counter attack. For instance, instead of playing 2 Kt-Q B 3he can play 2 P-Q 3, 2 P-K B 3, or 2 i'-Q 4, all of which are worthy of analysis. The position of Mr frail in Au?tral ! an chess circles, rauking as he does in Sydney in the same j class as Messrs Crane, Jacobsen, and Wallace, en- j titles eacb of the following games to special attention. The inventor is quite satisfied with the re- I suit, and considers that his counter-attack has fully answered its purpose if it enables him to draw a Queen's opening against a first-class player. He hopes that the publicity the new counter-gambit has received will elicit an opinion from competent judges. No. I.— Begun September 28, 1896 ; ended March 1, 1898.

No. 2.— Begun September 28. 1896 ; ended March 1, 1898. The Charlick Counter-Gambit.

We thank Mr Charlick for the score of these two games. No doubt they will appear in many other chess columns, and we shall have ths benefit of seeing tbeir criticisms and analyses. As thfe games have been played by correspondence between players of the standing of Messrs I'harlick and Hall it would ba i-asli to ciiticise them without veiy careful consideration Much of the play, however, seems at a first glance to st»nd in need of further evidence in its support. White's third move in each game and some of his pawn play in both does not seem convincing at a first glance. At tbe change of a single move directs all the rest of tbe play in a different course, the varUtions become practicably inexhaustable. It is only after many years' trial in actual play by many j thousands of players that the validity of a new I variation has a chance of being e-tablished. What I these games show is, that White suffers, as iv the ordinary Queen's Gambit, a disadvantage by trying to retain the pawn.

White. Black. (Hall.) (Charliek.) 1 P-Q 4 P-K 4 2VxPKt Q B 3 3 B-B 4 PQ 3 4PxP Q B 3 SQ-B1 B x P (5 B x B Q x B 7 Kt-K B 3 B B 4 8 Kt-B 3 O O O 9 P-K3 Kt-B 3 10 Kt-QKt5 Q-K 2 LI P-B3 P-Kt4(!) 12 Kt(Kls) QJKt x Xt 13 BP x Xt X R-K 1 L 4 Q-B 5 Q x Q 15 1' x Q P-Kt 5 16 Kt-Q 2 Kt-K 5 17 Xt xKt Bx Xt [8 B-K 2 P-B 4 19 R-KKtl P-KR4 10 R-Q 1 P-B 5 (!) ilßxßch X x B 22 K-Q 2 P x P cb. « P x P R-K 4 White. Black. (Hall.) (Chailick.) 23 KKl.liestK.-K2 26 B-B 4 X B 3 27 P-Kt 3 l'-R 4 2S PQ R 3 Px P 29 P x P K-K 4 (!) 30R-KBI B-B 6 ■ 31 K-Q2 P-K RSU: 32 P x P RK R 4 33 B-K 2,best R x P 34 B x B P x B 35RxP RxQKtl 36 R-B 7 R Xt 7 cb 37 K-B 3 R x P 38 R x P K-Q 4 (!) 39 K-Q 3 R-K R B(!J 40 Rx I.best KxP 4J R-Q 7 KB 3 42 11- Q 8 K-B 2 43 R-Qs,best R-Q R5 44 P-K 4 R-Q R 3 45 P-tv s,bestß-QRS(!: 43 K-K 3 R-K 5 47 K-B 3 R-R 5 Drawn Game.

White. Black. (Hall.) (Oharlick.) 1 P-Q 4 P-K 4 (I) 2 P x P Kt-Q B 3 3 B-K B 4 P-Q 3 4 P x f Q-B 3 (!) 5 QB 1 BxP 6 Bxß Qxß 7 Kt-K B 3 B-B 4 8 Kt-B 3 O-O-O 9 P-K 3 Kt-B 3 10 B-K 2 P-K R 3 LI Kt-Q Xt 5 Q-K 2 L 2 P-B 3 V-Kt 4 13 Kt(KtS) Q4Kfc x Kfc L 4 B P x Xt Kt-K 5 15 Kt-Q 2 P-KR4 L(i Xt xKt Bx Xt 17 Q-B 5 Q x Q IS P x Q P-Kt 5 19 P-B 3 P x P 20 P x P B-B 3 11 R-Q 1 Q K-K 1 22 K-B 2 K-K 4 23 H-Kt 4 X RK 1 24 R-Q 3 P-B 4 25 R-K Xt 1 B-Q Xt 4 Drawn ;ounter-Gambit. White. Black. (Hall.) (Charlick.) 26 R-Q R-3 Bxß 27 X x B P-R 4 (!) 28 P-B 6 (!) PxQ B P 29 P x P K-Kt, 2 30 P-B 4 R-Kt 4 31 KB 3 R-Q R 1 32 P-R 6ch X x P 33 X x R X x R 34 R-Kt 5 P-R 5 35R-Rfi R-Kt 7 36 ExKBPRxQRP 37 P-K 4 li x P 38 P-K 5 R-RGch 3:1 K-Kt 4 R-K 6 (!) 40 R-R 5 P-B 4 41 Rx R P P-B 5 42 K-B 5 P-B 6 43 K-K 6 P-K 7 U R-R 1 K-Kt 4 (!) 45 P-B 5 K-B 5 4(5 K-QBI K-Q6,best 47 K-Q5 K-B6,toest 48 P-B 6 K-Q 7 49 R x Pch Xx R 50 K-B 6, be&t li-B 4 Game.