GAMES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 67

GAMES.

Following is an example of the great chess skill of that rising- star in the chess firmament, Anton Rubinstein, of Lodz, Russia, who carried -off first prize at the Masters' International Tournament at Carlsbad, and just previously tied with, Dr Bernstein for top place in the Ostend international tourney. In this instance A. Rubinstein plays White and R. Teichmann Black: —

Notej in Brooklyn Daily Eagle. (a) P-Q B 3 nere is an important omission, for he does not recover from the effects of th« fioiiftaefi of the, yttiite knight »i £t jf.

(b) As an instance of what might happen, the following is a case in point: — 16 . . . P-B 3; 17 B-B 4, P-Q R 3; 18 Kt-Q 4, and White wins the exchange at least, for if 18 . R-B, then Kt-K 6, capturing the queen. { (c) A neat termination, for after 23 ... Px Q ; 24 -Xt x R eh, K-B ; 25 R x Xt, and the preponderance- of material forces the situation quickly, as White' threatens both' X R-Q and X R x P. . In reference to 1 this game Mr W. E. Napier, in the Pittsburg Dispatch, says-,— "The above very just criticism of Mr H. Helms, in the Brooklyn Eagle, might be supplemented by the general observation that in this game the newly risen champion, Rubinstein, displays the first quality of greatness at :hess— that is, a comprehensive view of the board. It matters very little whether the moves made were good or bad ; the real point of the game is that Rubinstein wins all over the board, pressing his advantage on king's side, queen's side, and in the middle." A brevity played at the Melbourne Chess Club between G. Gundersen (White) and A. Burr (Black), the score being from the Weekly Times: —

THE EXPERT AND THE PBOBLEMIST. A good story ia told of a chess expert who was in the habit of giving any player the odds of all the moves he- could make, in- five minutes. ' One- day a stranger undertook io play the master with the- five minutes odda. The stranger made sixteen moves in less than the time given, and used up the rest of his time by moving his king back and forth. When -the five minutes were up the expert looked at the position, but did not attempt to pjay. "What do you want?" he said. " I 'am mated in two, whatever move I make." The stranger was a distinguished problemist, and the moves he made were as follow: — 1 P-Q B 4 9 Q K-R 3 2 Kt.QR3 10 Kt-K4 3 PR 4 11 Q-Q2 4, Kt-B3 12 KR-KB3 - 5 E-Q 4 13 PKKt3 6 Kt-Q 2 14 B-R3 7 KB-R3 16 Q-B4 8 QKt-B4 16 QR-K3 — Lasker's Chess Magazine. ! CHESS ITEMS. It is stated that F. Hollins (Huirangi), E. Rutherford (Auckland), and B. .Mason (Lower Hutt), are certain -to be competitors at Eastertide for the chess championship of New Zealand. Mr F. Baud claims to have discovered 91 •ways of varying the solution to the Strand ; Magazine's old but interesting problem quoted in this column last week. | The third annual contest for "the chess championship of New South Wales has com- ] menced at the School of Arts, Sydney. The competitors include T. M. Bradshaw, G. Brown, E. L. Cummings, L. S. Crakanthorp, i S. Crakarithorp, W. H. Jonas, J. Lambert, B. Parker-, and H. Taylour. The first com- | petition was won by' Mr J. L. Jacofosen and! the second by Mr Spencer Crakanthorp. A. Niemzowitch, the young Russian; chess master, recently played forty-five games simultaneously at the Munich Chess Club, and' in about five hours he disposed "of the large number of Opponents by winning thirty games, losing only five, and effecting ten draws — a fine performance. The following "Vienna" has a curious ' ending:— l P-K 4,' P-K 4; 2 Kt-Q B 3, XtQ B 3; 3 P-K B 4, P x P; 4 Kt-K B 3. P-<3 3; 5 P-K 5, B-K Xt 6; 6 Q-K 2, Xt x P: 7 Kt-K 4, Xt x Xt eh; & K-Q 1, Xt x R P; 9 Kt-K B 6, mate. The score is from LasI ker's Chess Magazine. ' ! In the Wolverhampton Journal Herbert £J. Fellows writes:— "ln an age when corruption is so prevalent, it is a pleasure to find I that all branches of chess are left untainted: with its evil-influence. We know of no other game where merit; and merit only, is so highly esteemed. Chess is a democratic game, inasmuch as wealth and position have to make way for -talent. A composer of good chess problems will be respected and bear an honoured name be he as poor as a church mouse. A rich man, anxious to achieve fame in the chess world, will find himself in a novel position, for here he cannot buy renown; his wealth is of no consequence ; he must pit his talent against that of other competitors. All must toe the line together. ! Influence— such an important factor in most I affairs— counts for little ox nothing in. chess, ! and it is owing to this fact that such great ! progress has been made in problem construction. Had 1 this been left entirely in the hands of the wealthy, the present standard of excellence would 'have been long delayed— indeed, probably never reached. When a chess editor receives a problem from a composer, he makes no inquiries as ,to the author a position or rank; lie simply examines the problem, and if it reaches » certain standard it is passed for publication. The writing which accompanies it may be poor, -the grammar very bad, but if the problem is good, well— it. gets published." Dr Tarrasch considers that the customary practice by which * player scores a win owing to his opponent exceeding the time limit is not a fair one. He suggests instead that «t various fairly lengthy periods the time taken should be noted, and that if a player has exceeded his limit he would be fined half a point, Jie game continued and played to a conclusion.. The slow player might eventually win his game, but if at four different -time takings (apparently the maximum.) he had been behind: his clock he would have been fined a total of two points, the net result being minus one. The points or half points fined are not to be given to his opponent. The present method may sometimes work unduly favourably for the slow player's' opponent, but (says the chess editor of the Hampstead and Highgate Express) we consider thai Dr Tarrasch' s scheme errs on the other aide. If a man spends more than his proper time allowance in concocting some deep combination, it seems unjust Io the opponent who may be overthrown by it that he should receive no compensation whatever. The v«ry slow player also by unduly prolonging the length of the game tires Ms opponent, «aid very possibly causes his play to deteriorate. For this also Dr Tarrasch'a scheme gives no compensation. __

is in Eketahuna, the local ''paper says, a lady who, though over 80 years of age, has never yej; travelled in a railway train. Many school children suffer from constipation, which is often the cauee of seemintf stupidity at lessons. Chamberlain V Tablets are an ideal medicine to give a. ohild. for they are mild and gentle in their etteott and will cure even chronic- cdnstip«Uont Fer gale itesxßfcatfc

JLVAN3 V7A.XBIT. White. Bl»ck. White BUck. 1 P-K 4 T> X 4 8 0-0 Kt-R 3 2 Kt-K B 3 Kt-Q B 3 9 B-K Xt 5 Q Kt-E 2 3B B 4 B-B-4 10 Q-Q « • O-O 4 I'-QKt4 .BxKtP HBxKt Piß 5 P-B 3 B-R 4 12 Q x P P Q 4 6 P-Q 4 KtlC B 3 13 Kt-KKt5 R-K 1 7 P x P Kt-Kt"l ,14 Q mates in two.

White. Black, IP-Q4 PQ4 2P-QB4 fl3 31WJ83 Kt-KB3 48-Kts B-Kfl tMS Q Kt-Q 2 6Kt-B3 0-0 7Q-52 P-QKt3 B PxP PxP SB-Q3 BKt2 0-0-Q f -B 4 P-K. X 4 EB K.-K.t K-tt. White. " Black 13 P x P R x_P 14 Kt-64 Kt-K 5-A 15 B xKt P x ß 16 KKt-Kts B-QB3-B 17 Q-B 4 B X Xt 18 Ktxß Bxß 19 P x B E-K 2 |iy-QKt4 ill 82 Kt-Q8 P-Kt4 S3 Xt x R-C Resigns.