CHESS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3808, 8 March 1927, Page 61

CHESS.

Conducted by

F. W. CLAYTON.

Solutions ol problems, games, and Analyses invited for this column. All correspondence should be addressed to the Chess Editor, Otago Witness Office, Dunedin.

PROBLEM No. 37. By T. Taverner. Black (Six Pieces).

White (Ten Pieces). |3p4|lkt'plPp2|b2k4|4R 3|SK2|KtIPP 3 Q | 4 R 1 B B. White to play and mate in two moves. PROBLEM No. 38. By Sam Loyd. Black (Four Pieces).

■White (Two Pieces). B|2ps|2ps|klKs|S|3Q4| 8 | 3 b 4. White to play and mate in three moves. SOLUTIONS OF PROBLEMS. No. 33.—Q to Kt 7. No. 34. —Q to Kt 8. Correct solutions have been received from the following:—For Nos. 33 and 34, Mr B. W. Stenhouse, Gisborne ; Mr J. K. Campbell, Invercargill (No. 34 only, No. 33 being his own problem) ; Mr E. A. Le Petit, Invercargill. Mr S. Schofield sends the correct solution ot No. 34, but admits failure —notwithstanding a hard struggle—to find the secret of No. 33. Correct solutions have been received from Mr W. H. G. Habershon, of Portobello, for problems Nos. 28 and 29.

NOTES. Mr E. A. Le Petit.—Thanks for letter and notes and the suggested reconstruction of problem No. 34 (the joint proposal of Mr J. K. Campbell and yourself), whereby you eliminate the Q, R, B, and pawn, and still retain sufficient force to effect the same mates. Good work in the interests of economy and simplification. Mr J. K. Campbell.—Your new, unpublished, original problem received. I solved it after considerable effort, and consider it highly meritorious. Thanks for offer, which I shall avail myself of. Mr S. Schofield.—Thanks for invitation. I will take an early opportunity of visiting you.

GAMES. NIMZOWITSCH. Probably the most remarkable player ot the present day is Nimzowitsch, the winner of the tourney at Dresden last year. He finished with 8 J points. Alechine being second with 7. He has a style which is distinctly his own—many describe it as “ weird.” He repeatedly differs radically in his views from his fellowmasters. But, though they may condemn his plans when they meet him in cross-board play, his wonderful inventiveness generally carries him through all difficulties and secures him the win. The game below, played in the second round at Dresden, is characteristic. Opening: Indian Defence. White, Johner; Black, Nimzowitsch. 1. P to Q 4 Kt to K B 3 2. P to Q B 4 P to K 3 3. Kt to Q B 3 B to Kt 5 (a) 4. P to K 3 Castles 5. B to Q 3 P to B 4 C. Kt to B 3 Kt to B 3 7. Castles B takes Kt (n) 8. P takes B P to Q 3 (c) 9. Kt to Q 2 (n) P to Q Kt 3 (E) 16. Kt to Kt 3 (F) P to K 4 111 P to B 4 (G) P to K 5! 12. B to K 2 Q to Q 2 (h) J 3. P to K R 3 Kt to K 2 14. Q to K 1 (i) P to K R 4 1 15. B to Q 2 (j) Q to B 4 (K) 16. K to tt 2 Q to R 2 17. P to Q R 4 (L) Kt to B 4 (m) 18. P to K Kt 3 P to Q R 4 ! 19. RtoK Kt 1 (N) Kt to R 3 20. B to K B 1 B to Q 2 21. B to B 1 R to Q B 1 22. P to Q 5 (o) K to R 1 23. Kt to Q 2 R to K Kt 1 24. K B to Kt 2 P to K Kt 4 25. Kt to B 1 R to Kt 2 26. R to R 2 Kt to B 4 27. B to R 1 Q R to K Kt 1 28. Q to Q 1 P takes P 29. K P takes P B to B 1 30. Q to Kt 3 B to R 3 .31. R to K 2 (p) Kt to R 5 32. R to K 3 (Q) B to B 1 33'. Q to B 2 B takes P ! 34. B takes P (n) B to B 4 ! 35. B takes B Kt takes B 36. R to K 2 P to R 5 ! 37. R (Kt 1) to Kt 2 P takes P, ch 38. K to Kt 1 Q to R 6 39. Kt to K 3 Kt to R 5 40. K to B 1 R to K 1 (s) White resigns.

. (a) This idea of delaying the advance of the Q P in the Queen’s Gambit is due to Nimzowitsch. He employed it twice—against Bernstein and Janowski—in the Petrograd tourney, 1914. In both those games he played P to Q Kt 3 and B to Q Kt 2 first.

(B) Now Black forms the plan of leaving White with doubled pawns on the Q B file—i.e., he now plays so as to avoid having to move B P takes Q P, which would allow their undoubling. Black’s Q B P merely serves to keep White’s doubled pawns fixed. (c) With P to $ 4, freeing the B, to follow.

(d) Freeing the K B P. If 9. P to K 4, P to K 4 ; 10. B to B 2, B to Kt Kt 5, and White’s doubled pawns remain. (e) In order to meet 10. P to Q 5, Kt to Q R 4; 11. Kt to Kt 3, with Kt to Kt 2. (f) Here White goes astray. He should play 10. P to B 4; then might follow P to K 4; 11. B P takes P, P takes P; 12. P to Q 5, and White has a passed pawn as compensation for the doubled pawns. (g) Too late. If 11. P«to Q 5, PtoK 4 ! 12. B to K 2, Kt to K 4. (h) A typical Nimzowitsch move. White’s Q side is blocked, and he must try for attack on the K side, for which purpose P to K Kt 4 is the natural move. This the text move prevents. A more natural line seems 12. ..Kt to K 1, but this possibly he rejects, because of 13. P to K Kt 4, P to B 4; 14. P takes P, Q P takes P; 15. Q to Q 5, ch, forcing the undoubling of the pawns. (I) If now P to Kt 4, P to K R 4. (J) If 15. Q to R 4, Kt to B 4; 16. Q to Kt 5, Kt to R 2; 17. Q takes R P, Kt to Kt 6, and wins the exchange. (it) With the intention of playing Q to R 2. Who but Nimzowitsch would have thought ot such a scheme? (l) This little soldier should have stopped at home. Later on his superior officers have to waste much energy on his protection. (m) Black now threatens 18... Kt to Kt 5, ch; 19. P takes Kt, P takes P, ch; 20. K to Kt 1, P to Kt 6, and mate to fellow. (n) Or R to R 1. (o) Black threatens to continue B to K 3, and try and force P to Q 5, but. to go willingly is suicide, for after P to Q 5 the queen side is blocked, and Black has a free hand to force his win on the K side. In the next few moves 'White mobilises for defence, Black for attack. (r) Nimzowitsch here gives the beautiful var’ation 31. B to Q 2, R to Kt 3; 32. B to K 1, Kt to Kt 5, ch; 33. P takes Kt, P taker: P, ch; 34. K to R 2, 13 takes F! 35. Q takes B, P to K 6 '. ! threatening mate, and winning. (Q) If 32. K to Q 2, Nimzowitsch gives the following beautiful win:—32...8 to B 1; 33. Kt takes P, Q to B 1 : 34. Kt Io B 2, Q takes P, ch I ! 35. Kt takes Q, Kt to Kt 5 mate. (r) If 34. K takes B, Q to B 4, ch; 35. K to R 2, Kt to Kt 5, and mate in two more moves. (s) To finish with a wonderful example of the depth of play of the masters. The average player would here play Kt to B 6, threatening Q to R 8 mate, with perfect satisfaction. White could then, however, escape, certainly with some loss of material, by R to Q 2. If after 40. ..R to K 1; 41. R tOr-Q 2, Kt takes R; 42. R takes Kt (if Kt’takes Kt, Q to R 8 mate), Q to R 8, ch; 43. R to Kt 1 (if K to K 2 ; Q takes R, ch, etc.), Q to B 6, ch ; 44. K to K 1, R takes Kt, ch; 45. B takes R, Q takes B, ch : 46. K to B 1, Q to B 6, ch ; 47. K to K 1, R to Kt 1, and White is helpless.

PIETZCKER TOURNEY. The following is the shortest game from the Christmas tourney of the Melbourne Chess Club. It was played in the last round. Opening: Four Knights Game. White, Mr G. Gundersen ; Black, Mr E. D. Stanes. 1. P to K 4 P to K 4 2. Kt to K B 3 Kt to K B 3 3. Kt to B 3 Kt to B 3 4. B to Kt 5 B to Kt 5 5. Castles Castles 6. P to Q 3 P to Q 3 7. B to Kt 5 B takes Kt 8. P takes B Kt to K 2 9. Kt to R 4 Kt to Kt 3 (a) 10. Kt takes Kt BP takes Kt (b) 11. B to B 4, ch K to R 1 12. P to B 4 Q to K 1 (c) 13. Q to Q 2 13 to Q 2 14. Q R to K 1 B to Kt' 4 15. B to Kt 3 B to R 5? 16. P takes P P takes P 17. Q to K 3 B takes B 18. R P takes B Q to B 3 19. P to Q 4 Kt to ’Q 2 (n) 20. P to Q 5 Q to B 4 (r.) 21. R takes R, ch R takes R (f) 22. Q takes Q Kt takes Q 23. B to K 7 Resigns. (a) An alternative line is. P to B 3, followed by P to Q 4, as successfully adopted by Yates in the Moscow tourney. (b) So played by Spielmann against Janowski, Nuremberg, 1906, but R P takes Kt seems to us preferable, being more in accord with Black defending. (c) Spielmann’s continuation, 12... P to K R 3; 13. P takes P, P takes P; 14. B to R 4, P to K Kt 4, is not satisfactory. (n) The alternative 19... P takes P; 20. P takes P, Q takes R P; 30. p to Q 5, would have been interesting. (E) Q to Kt 3 was better. (f) An oversight; Q takes R was necessary.

A PRETTY MATE. The following brevity occurred at the Barmen congress, 1905. White, F. Englund ; Black, E. Cohn. Opening: Vienna Game. 1. P to K 4 P to K 4 2. Kt to Q B 3 Kt to K B 3 3. P to B 4 P to Q 4 ! 4. P takes K P Kt takes P 5. Q to B 3 (A) Kt to Q B 3 (b) 6. Kt takes Kt (c) Kt to Q 5 ! 7. Q to Q 3 (d) P takes Kt 8. Q to B 4 (E) B to K 3 9. Q to R 4, ch P to B 3 10. Kt to K 2 B to Q B 4 11. P to B 3 P to Q Kt 4 12. Q to Q 1 Q to R 5, ch 13. P to Kt 3? Kt to B 6 mate (a) One ot Paulsen's many innovations. (b) The critics are at issue as to whether the text or P to K B 4 is Black’s best reply. (c) A terrible blunder for a tourney game, B to Q Kt 5 is necessary. Curiously enough, the same oversight was made by Fritz against Alapin at the Breslau tourney, 1889. (d) Here Fritz played 7. Q to Q B 3, P takes Kt; 8. Kt to K 2, P to Q B 4; 9. Kt to Kt 3, and escaped with the loss of a pawn onlv. Later on he won the game. (f.) If 8. Q takes P, B to K B 4. THE BELGIAN CHAMPION. Among the most prominent of the rising juniors of the masters is E. Colle, who first won the Belgian championship in 1922. Below we give his win from Grunfeld in the last Meran tourney, where he won second prize, being beaten for first place right at the finish of the tourney. Opening: Indian Defence. White, E. Colle; Black, E. Grunfeld. ' 1. P to Q 4 Kt to K B 3 2. Kt to K B 3 P to K 3 3. P to K 3 P to Q Kt 3 4. B to Q 3 B to Kt 2 5. Q Kt to Q 2 P to B 4 6. Castles ' B to K 2 7. P to Q Kt 3 P takes P 8. P takes P P to Q 3 9. B to Kt 2 Q Kt to Q 2 10. P to B 4 Castles 11. R to B 1 R to K 1 12. R to K 1 Q to B 2 (a) 13. Q to K 2 Q R to B 1 14. Kt to B 1 Q to Kt 1 15. Kt to Kt 3 Q to R 1 (B) 16. Kt to Kt 5 P to Kt 3 (c)

(a) The opening calls for no particular comment, and from the subsequent, at least Black is not quite sure of what is going to happen, otherwise he would have saved some moves by R to B 1, R to B 2, and then Q to R 1. (b) The Q is too much out of play here. (c) Unnecessarily weakening the king’s position—underrating the opponent, B to B 1 was quite good; but 16...8 takes Kt P was unplayable, as shown by the beautiful variation 17. P to Q 5, P takes P; 18. Kt to B 5, B to K B 1 ; 19. Q to R 5, Kt takes Q ; 20. Kt to R 6, ch, and mate next move. (d) K to B 1 was better; he has to go there two moves later. (e) The Black queen is kept well out of it. (f) The winning move, made possible by Black’s 18. . . K to Kt 2. (G) It 20... P takes Kt; 21. Q takes B P, Kt takes B ; 22. R takes B, ch, R takes R; 23. Q takes Kt, ch, followed by Q takes R, and R to Q B 3 wins. (H) If 21. . .Kt to Kt 1 ; 22. B to Kt 7, ch, K to B 2 ; 23. Q to K 6, ch, and mate next move—another pretty queen sacrifice. (i) A desperate attempt to remedy a hopeless position. White threatened R takes B, ch, as well as B takes R P. (j) If B takes Q B P or B to K 6, White plays B checks, and wins the Q. But if Black moves his B on the long diagonal there follows mate by Q to Kt 7, ch, followed by Q to Kt 8.

THE GAME OF CHESS. An address on chess and its relation to literature was given by Sir John Simon at a recent dinner of the Authors’ Club. He was not able to show any close relation between them, for his conclusion was that “ it is very remarkable how comparatively small is the part which chess appears to play in the literature of our country.” Speaking of the game itself he said : “ What is the relation between strategy and tactics in chess? What are the qualities of mind and temperament most necessary for the game? I do not know, but in chess playing I have a suspicion that there is more of psychology than some people suppose. There are people who beat you before the game begins by the way they arrange the pieces, the authority with which they make a move, almost by the way they look out of the window. In nearly all games there is always an element of judgment and an element of execution. But chess has the very odd quality that the executive element consists in nothing more than picking up a little wooden image and moving it, consistently with the rules of the game, to some other square. Chess, therefore, is a game in which the element of judgment is the overwhelming element from the first moment to the last.”

17. Kt takes B P 18. Q takes P, ch K takes Kt K to Kt 2 (d) 19. P to Q 5 (e) Kt to B 4 20. Kt to B 5, ch (y) K to B 1 (g) 21. Q to K 3 P takes Kt (H) 22. Q to R 6, ch K to B 2 23. B takes P B takes P (i) 24. R takes B, ch R takes R 25. Q takes Kt, ch K to K 1 26. Q to R 8, ch K to B 2 27. B takes R Resigns, (j).