Chess Item.

Otago Witness, Issue 2323, 8 September 1898, Page 48

Chess Item.

The great International Tournament at Vienna discloses the fact that the masters make blunders and oversights more frequently than might bo expected. In a former issue some incidents of the contest were given : some more are now added. In the game between Burn and Tchigorm, played in the fourth round of the second part of the tourney, the latter defended a Queen's Gambit declined with one of his eccentric variations — namely, 1 kl-k b 15. Bum, who cEistlcd QR, mpde an advance witn the X side pawns, getting a formidable attack. Tcliigorin's game looked as if it would crumble to pieces every moment. Burn might have'prscipitated the x^osition, for at the time when his brilliant final combination commenced Tchigoim discarded, if not a winning move, anyhow a move that would have saved the game. Tchigorin saw the move well enough, having taken a long time to decide upon the final action, but he thought at the last moment he had time to delay it for one mo^-e, and this delay cost him the game. In the fifteenth round, Tarrasch v. Janowsky, the latter made a Sicilian defence. The game was of the highest importance to both players, for a loss might have pushed Tarrasch back from an equal position with Pillsbuiy to a second place, and have given Janowsky a chance of passing him. Tarrasch, feeling that ho was losing ground, sacrificed two minor pieces for r and p, and then the real struggle began. It was difficult to foresee to which side the balance would finally incline, when a second transformation occurred by Janowsky giving up one of his minor pieces for a dangerous passed pawn. It was a now ending, the result being more difficult than ever to foresee. Janowsky could apparently have drawn, but he played to win, and m lug excitement overlooked that his opponent had a, winning move, and although. Tarra&ch took an extraordinary time in considering it, everybody in the rooms knew of it. At last Tarrasch moved K-lt 1, and it was Janowsky' s turn to proceed. The game went on till 9 o'clock, and was then adjourned and finally won by Tarrasch. In the thiid round Maroczy v. Showalter a Centre Gambit was played. Showalter played in good style, and got a winning position at the adjournment. When x^lay was resumed

he selected, through some hallucination perhaps, the only losing variation, and thus threw j away a certain win. j Lipke v. Janowfcky (a Ruy Lopez). — Lipke ' played Janowsky's favourite variation. Janowsky thought this a bold venture, and ex- j peeled to have it all his own way upon such , familiar ground. He made a couple of indiffe- ' rent moves — enough to subject him to a violent attack — and his opponent forced matters ', by a bold sacrifice and won. In the twelfth round Tchigorin with characteristic obstinacy ventured once more upon the Evans Gambit, the same variation as was i used in the late Vienna v. St. Petersburg cor- i respondence match, but he made a deviation • by 13-Q5 instead of B-QKt5. The variation j was found no improvement, for not only had ' he no attack worth mentioning, but he lost | three pawns during the game, fightmg out a ' hopeless fight to the end, and resigning after the adjournment. Showalter v. Tarrasch. — A Suy Lopez, in which Tarrasch adopted a defence which should j have absolutely lost, but Showalter forgot the | right combination. He had played the varia- J tion with Kemdry. of Philadelplia, and won in 1G moves, but discarded it at the last moment in favour of tho book move and lost. i The Morning Post, in a. letter from Vienna, ' dated July 24, says: — "This has been a week I of hard work. The le^s experienced of the | players, oveitaken by fatigue, lost their games, j and the more experienced, such as Blackbume, I sought refuge in drawn games. The draw between him and Alapin was only arrived at ' after a long f,ame of 56 moves. This showed its effects next day in the game Walbiodfc v. ; Blackburne, where the latter missed a win- 1 ning continuation on the twenty-seventh move, ' the result being then a draw. The following day Blackburne again had an all-day sitting j against Bum, but the latter is fond of haid , play, and never tires. On Friday Trenchaid played Blackbume, and, much to the credit j of the former, succeeded in drawing. Tairasch j wins his games by sircar hard work, and by ' dmt of great patience iisually manages to ob- , tain some advantage in the ending.