Criticisms.

Otago Witness, Issue 2429, 3 October 1900, Page 56

Criticisms.

PROBLEM 1888.

Last week's criticisms appeared to leave "Czar" in a somewhat precarious situation as regarded his main contention. But with wonderful buoyancy and remarkable precision, he thus retaliates : —

Critics small and great are now down c n my Black win, and as tar ?s I can see, it would take a whole Witness full of such criticism to make me turn to ths Boer side again. In last weok's column I have four opponents; I will now answer the whole ot them, and invite them to come again, using a little more care. Mi*' Brodie and "Sibeiia ' do l.ot upset my Black win ,as a mere transposition of White's moves brings up the same play at the tenth move. Several times in analysis I noticed the win they mention, and cannot account for putting it in when J was perfectly clear on the j iont that it was not White's best play. Uowavor, transpose White's first live moves m this order: 24 19, IB IC, 23 19, 1G 12, J9 15, and we nave risition in trunk, 'which cannot be affected by a thousand lounds of ammunition. This is an error m transposition, not in draughts playing.

The next on the list is a prisoner at St. Helena. "When he tues this he will recognise thvfc he has agt-.in fallen into a trap equal to the pits of the Tugela. In his critique on my var. 2, he plays three moves to correct me, and says, '"drawn." Pie has played up a problem which he has failed to solve, fov where Le ss^ys "drawn," I leave it a& Black to pjjy and wm. If "Cronje" admits that he cannot for the life cf him see the win, 1 shall, after this admission, show him how to win his "drawi 1 rcsit-aii Again, he says, 19 15 at fouith is a loser — admitted. The position is lost from the start ; but the answer to "Siberia" also clears up this. Again, ''Cronic" says : "In var. 5, at thirteenth move, 'Czar' plays 10 15; 'iistead \ Say 21 37, and White draws. 'Cronje' ct.ii't show a draw here that I can't upset. 1 have tried hard to get a draw by this same 21 17 at various stages, and had to give it ur>. When 21 17 was played, I used to reply with 23 26, 10 15, 26 30, 17 14, 13 9, 14 10, 9 14, B. wins. When the Bear bares his claw 3 the "silky" feeling will foisake "Cronje,'' as the Czar bears him to his bi-. a r.

I have been deceived by "Tommy Atkins." I took him for a friend ; but as he elects to oppose me whichever side I take, 1 suppose J u-ust give him his groats, too. In his attempt to narrow down the ijlay on my lines, he brought iip a position at the seventh move of ins trunk which was quite familiar to me. I did not include it m my play for a J3. win, for this reason : 1 have it jotted down in my note book like this: — 11 7, 2 11, 38, drawn. Here is the position, with play for a draw. Black men 4, 11, 14, Ks 6 25 ; "White men 21, 29, Ks 8, 5. Black to play and draw:

and Black cannot win. Mr Atkins s fouith move (13 9) ia wrong. Note (a) is what y_our

chief takes exception to. It might well be continued to show how the win comes m, as perhaps you mean a W. win, like this — 17 14, 13 17, 14 10, 17 14, 11 7, 2 11, 3 8, and W. wins.

Having replied to the toiid criticisms, l must now turn to Air Mulvey. In the first place, 1 recognised that the position was a x^aiticulaily tough one beioie Mr Mulvey published it at all. When 1 saw such experts as Boreham, Biodie, Gai diner, Muivey, M'llwrick, and sevelal otliers oi the wrnie calibre tailing to solve it, I expiesssd an opinion that the position was too deep lor me to say positively what it was : but I now say it is a ±slack win, because 1 have mastered it. Allow me here to say that I set up the position to Mr Muivey, and he failed to solve it. I am the first m the field to demonstrate a B. win on the 16 20, '24 19, 22 26, 19 16, 26 31, 16 12 line — the btro^igest lme of defence for White; therefore I am not "too previous" in claiming <i shaie cv the spoils. The expressions m Mr ilulvey's letter show as much confidence in the draw as mine do for the B. win, the difference being that my confidence in the win, is supported by published play, whilst his is supported by a promised review of that play. Wheri his d'nw is published, the fun. will all be on my side n I wipe it out. — CZAK. " Tommy Atkins, with characteristic British dogmatism, sends his ultimatum m terms that leave no loom tor letraction. This, in view of ""Czai's ' criticism above, is burning his ships behind him. ' However, we give his play and notes m lull : — As my play has got very disconnected, to establish my win 1 submit the following as my full play, and will stand or tali by it. — li J 16 It 22 17 8 3 31 £6 v:*- i 931 26 io 11 VI 31 1 5-2 ■JZ ..6 *3 19 20 24 A-U 6-1 2o 22-u 19 10 -i-i S>2 12 S 17 13 3 7 2d 31 1\) 15 B4 27 5 1 14 iS-C H nllld (1) 3 8 31 2G 10 M £6 23 1 0 ]7 IS J- S3 ilb" 15 10 18 15 9 5 2ti 22 la ad 2i IS 6 2 Vi y Id 19 26 ;; 3U 3 U 10 7-F 15 10 5 3-D 14 IS -Jt J9 4 S 4 8 9 5 19 1(5 10 U5 ]i 4 8 3 6 1:J 18 I'H 19 15-j: 21l 610 B wins (2) 3 S 15 3b ,4 12 S 5 1 i.b' i.i-u ]8 2.j 13 9 IV iti 16 10 b ia i 5 -J2 14 10 7 6 7 3 2i 19 M it) l) 14 tifi ?.i 19 1(5 l 9 25 2a io' ]0 7 .i 7 1> wins U 16 -0 iO }\i 15 z3 19 (a) White must crown man on 9 now, or var. 1, which nairows down White's play consideiably. (B) Best here, as it nearly closes all play for Unite by 7 3, although the alternatives, 14 18 or 26 '23, vould win also. (c) For turther play on this, see last week's play, var. 1. Ip) Ii White does not play 5 1, leave king on 9 and play on same as v<ir. (E) 19 16, 9 14, 26 23, 1 5, 16 12, S- 9, 23 19, 12 16. (f) Forced ; if 10 15, 48. (,G) Cannot go 26 22 when 3 S is played before 5 1. In submitting this -play I do so confidently, and at the same time realising how liable one is to overlook just one point. It may assist the critics to come to a just conclusion to note that the whole aim of Black is to crown man on 14 without allowing either White man on 21 or 29 co crown in a drawing position, which ot course White aims at. "Czai's'' last play is partly original, but mostly ''Tommy Atkins's.'' His original pl.iy proves nothing. At var. 1, ninth move, instep d of playing 9 13, play 3 8, 8 3 alternately, and the Czar will yet have to prove his win. His var. 1, srjiter his seventh move, is the same as "Tommy's" cuink where it ends at (c) — and what he called my worst of aII.— TOMMY ATKINS. Mr J. Mulvey wiites: — I have examined the position carefully, and I have conic to the conclusion at last that Black can just win. Although "Czar's " play was corrected^ at an eaily stage la.st week, still, "'Czar" could have avoided this we?k line foi While. His play luns back on to the best lines for White, but it is a bit bewildering to follow, owing to his vprymg with both Black and White. He ateo gives a lot of unnecessary play. ' Tommy Atkins, en the other hand, gives too little play, although he is on the right track. In last week's issue he leaves the position as a Black win at the most cutical point. In var. 4of "Czar's" play, note (m), at the following position : B. on 2, 4, Ks 34, 15, IS; W. on 29, I], Ivs 5, 7, &— Black to play. "Czar" says >]5 10, 83, IS 15, 5 9 drays; but Black can play back 10 15 instead of 18 15 and still hold the win in hand. Again at the last move of var. 5, "Czar" leaves the following -position as a E. win: — B. on 2, 4, Kb 16, U; T\\ on 11, 10, Ks 1, 7. Instead ol this being a jJ. win it is a White -win by 10 6, 2 9, 7 3. ''Croiije" in list week's i^-uc at the following position- — B. on ?., 4. 23, Ks 22, 13; W. o-i 29, 21, 11, Ks 5, 10 -plays 21 17, and leaves it as a cu-aw. .Let •' Cronje" try 22 26, 17 14, 26 22, and 1 think He will iincl that Black has not much trouble in winning. My play for a win fiom the ouginal position is slightly diffeicnt from that already published.— J. M.

14 IS 8 ]5 18 23 5 1 6 9 1 5 9 (J 5 1 6 2 15 10 . 26 W 1 5 26 30 5 9 30 £6 91 3 26 23 10 14 4 8 21 17 8 12 14 9 23 18 17 14 18 15 9 b 2 7 14 9 15 10 5 1