CHESS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3829, 2 August 1927, Page 61

CHESS.

Conducted by

F. W. CLAYTON.

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

By

PROBLEM No. 80.

A. Sunay molnar

(First Prize, Ghem-

nitz Tageblatt). Black (Eight Pieces).

White (Ten Pieces)

BlKtlb|lpsP|rpk2PlQ IRpqIKt2IP7 I 8 I p 7 I K 6 B. White to play and mate in two moves.

PROBLEM No. 81. By J. A. Erskine, Invercargill Black (Nine Pieces).

White (Eight Pieces). B]lplQlp2|bß2pP2|4p3| Klks|p3Prp 1 | P 5 Kt 1 | 1 Kt 6. White to play and mate in two moves. ! SOLUTIONS OF PROBLEMS. No. 76.—R to Q 7. No. 77.—P to Q 3. Mr Janies Dewar, of North-East Valley, sends, in one letter, correct answers to problems 74, 75, 76, and 77. Of the lastnamed (77) he says: "This is a great problem, and I hope I have managed to solve It." Mr E. A. Le Petit, of Invercargill, solves No. 76 and No. 77. He was privileged to witness the gradual construction of No. 77. •' This fellow," he familiarly remarks, leaves me absolutely speechless.” I have seen it grow, bit by bit, and only the composer (Mr J. K. Campbell) and myself know the tremendous amount of thought expended in its construction. Dr Church sends solutions of 76 and 77. He finds in the former 15 main and 10 subsidiary variations—that is, 25 mates in all, well deserving the first prize awarded to it. He says that No. 77, by J. K. Campbell, is simply a wonderful problem. Ho thinks it quite unique, and knows of none other that has employed the whole maximum force available (32 pieces). He thinks that this successful effort of Mr Campbell should be brought under the notice of the British and American chess authorities. Mr W. H. G. Habershon, of Portobello, solves Nos. 76 and 77 correctly. Mr H. V. Cunliffe is successful in his solution of problem No. 69. which he considers a splendid piece of construction. GAMES.

NEW SOUTH WALES CHAMPIONSHIP. . Below’ we give the second of the games in the play-off between Messrs C. J. S. Purdy and S. Crakanthorp for the championship of New South Wales. Opening: Caro Kann Defence. White. Mr C. J. S. Purdy ; Black, Mr S. Crakanthorp.

1. P to K 4 2. P to Q 4 3. P takes P 4. B to Q 3 5. P to Q B 3 6. B to K B 4 7. Q to Kt 3 (B) 8. Q Kt to Q 2 9. K Kt to B 3 10. Castles K (n) 11. Kt to K 5 12. P takes Kt 13. Q to B 2 14. P takes P i.p. 15. B to K 5 16. B takes B 17. B to Q 4 (F) 18. P to K B 4 19. B takes Kt. 20. Q R to K 1 21. R takes R 22. Q to Q 3 23. Kt to Kt 3? 24. R to Q 1 25. R takes Q 26. R takes P 27. P to Kt 3 28. R takes R 29. K to B 2 30. K to B 3 31. Kt to Q 4 32. Kt to B 6 33. P to Q R 4 34. P to Q Kt 4 35. K to Kt 2 36. P takes P 37. P to B 4 38. P to R 5 39. Kt takes P 40. P to Kt 5 41. P takes P 42. P to Kt 6 43. K takes B (j) 44. P to Kt 7 45. K to R 3 46. P queens

P to Q B 3 P to Q 4 P takes P Kt to Q B 3 Kt to B 3 B to Kt 5 (a) Q to Q 2 (c) P to K 3 B to K 2 Castles K Kt takes Kt Kt to K 1 P to B 4 Kt takes P B to K B 4 P takes B (k) B to Q 3 P to Q Kt 3 R takes B R to K 1 Q’ takes R Q to K 3 Q to K 5 ! Q takes Q I ! B takes P P to Kt 3 R to Q 3 ! B takes R (g) K to B 2 K to B 3 P to K Kt 4 P io Q R 3 P to K R 4 P to Kt 5, ch P to B 5 B takes P K to B 4 (n) P takes P K to K 5 P takes P K to K 6 B takes P? (i) K to B 7 P to Kt 6, ch P to Kt 7 P queens Drawn.

(a) If now 6... P to K 3: Kt to B 3, we have a position that arises in the Queen’s Pawn game by 1. P to Q 4, P to Q 4; 2. Kt to K B 3, Kt to K B 3 ; 3. B to B 4, P to K 3; 4. Fto K 3, P to B 4 ; 5. P to B 3, Kt to B 3 ; 6. B to Q 3, P takes P? 7. K P takes P. At Mahrisch-Ostrau Tartakover tried to mix matters with G...P to K Kt 3, but the result was not satisfactory.

(b) Following Loman v. Reti at Scheveningen. 1923. P to B 3 or Kt to B 3 are good alternatives. (c) Decidedly inferior to Q to B 1, as played by Reti. (1>) Here White misses his chance. Kt to K 5 was the move. Black cannot reply 10... Kt takes Kt, for then 11. P takes Kt, threatening B to Q Kt 5. (e) The isolated Q P is a serious handicap to Black. (f) White should immediately attack the weak point by Q R to Q 1. (G) Black has skilfully brought it down to an end game, in which the bishop is superior to the knight. (h) Bent on trying to force a win. The alternative 36...8 to Q 3; 37. P to R 5, P takes P ; 38. P to B 5 ! B to B 2 was the natural play, and gave chances. (I) Black has a safe draw by 42... P to R 5, followed by P to R 6, and P to Kt 6. (J) Too hurried. Kt to B 4, ch, first, and he wins by K to K 7 ; 44. K takes B, K to B 7 ; 45. P to Kt 7, P to Kt 6, ch ; 46. K to R 3, P to Kt 7 ; 47. P queens, P queens; 48. Q to R 7, ch, K to B 8; 49. Kt to Q 2, ch, and wins the Q, the game, and the championship ! THE GREAT RIVALS. The feature of last year's master play was the continued success of Nimzowitsch, and at the Dresden Congress, where he won first prize with 81 points against Alechine’s 7, he showed his undoubted claim to be considered with Alechine as a worthy competitor for the world’s championship. Below we give the game between these two experts at Dresden. Opening: Alechine's Defence. White, A. Nimzowitsch ; Black, Dr Alechine.

1. P to K 4 Kt to K B 3 2. P to Q 3 (a) P to B 4 3. P to Q B 4 Kt to B 3 4. Kt to QB 3 (B) P to K 3 5. P to B 4 P to Q 4 6. P to K 5 (C) P to Q 5 ! 7. Kt to K 4 Kt takes Kt 8. P takes Kt P to K Kt 4 (n) 9. Kt to B 3 P takes P 10. B takes P Q to B 2 11. B to Q 3 B to Q 2 (e) 12. Castles Castles 13. P to Q R 3 (F) B to K U 14. Q to K 1 R to Kt 1 15. Q to R 4 P to K R 3 16. B to Kt 3 Q to Kt 3 17. R to B 2 Q to Kt 6 IS. R to Q 2 Kt to R 4 19. R to Q B 1 Q to -Kt 3 20. R to K B 1 Kt to Kt 6 21. R to K 2 P to Q R 4 22. B to B 4 P to R 5 23. P to R 3 Kt to R 4 24. B to Q 2 Kt to B 3 25. Q to K 1 Q to Kt 6 26. Q to Kt 1 B to Kt 2 (g) 27. B to B 4 Kt to K 2 28. B to Q 2 Kt to B 3 (h) 29. B to B 4 Kt to R 4 30. Kt to Q 2 Q to Kt 3 (I) 31. Q to B 2 Q to B 2 32. Kt to B 3 K to Kt 1 (J) 33. Q to B 1 P to Kt 4 34. P takes P (k) P to B 5 35. B to Q 2 ! R to Q B 1 (i.) 36. B takes Kt Q takes B 37. Rto Q B 2 (M) B takes P 38. B takes P P to Q t; 39. R to B 3 ' P to Q 7 40. Q to B 2 (N) B takes B 41. R takes B R takes R 42. Q takes R R to Q B 1 43. Q to K 2 Q to Kt 3. ch 44. Q to K B 2 Q takes Q, ch 45. K takes Q R to B 7 46. K to K 2 R takes P 47. Kt takes P B takes P (o) 48. R to Q Kt 1 R takes R .49. Kt takes R K to B 2 50. Kt to Q 2 K to B 3 51. K to Q 3 K to B 4 52. P to Kt 4 K to B 5 53. Kt to Kt 1 B to K 4 Drawn.

(a) This tacitly admits the correctness of 1. . .Kt to K B 3. At Semmering earlier in the year Nimzowitsch played Kt to Q B 3 and won. (b) P to K B 4 should come first; Black dare not then reply P to K 3. (c) This has no sting now, and we prefer B to K 2. (p) Making a constant source rtf worry for White, as he cannot play B takes P without being left with two isolated centre pawns. (E) Black can win a pawn by 11. . ,B to Kt 2; 12. Castles. Kt takes K P; 13. K to R 1 ; but does not like the resulting position. (F) To threaten P to Q Kt 4. but the move seems unnecessary. Now follows a lot of fine sparring in order to try and get an opening, but both are too skilful to give the opponent a chance. (G) A long-expected move. (H) Why not 28... Kt to Kt 3. and if 29. B to Kt 4, Kt takes P (not P takes B, because 30. Kt to Q 2 would then win the Q) ; 30. Kt takes Kt, P takes B. (i) White here offered a draw. (j) Black intends to play P to Q Kt 4, and after P takes P, P to Q B 5, and does not want to be hampered by a threat of R to Q B 1. pinning the Q in front of the king. (K) Kt to Q 2 is safer, but White considers the position of Black’s king likely to give him chances. (I.) If 35... P takes P: 36. Q takes Q, ch. K takes Q ; 37. B takes Kt. ch ; and White is safe. But 35. .. B takes Kt P might have caused more trouble. (M) Now the utility of 33. Q to B 1 is evident. (n) Not 40. Kt takes P, for then B takes K P, and Black gets his K side pieces into play. (o) A long-expected death. ITEMS. The many friends of Mr J. A. Erskine, who learnt with regret that his absence in the last interstate match was due to his having been called to New Zealand on account of the serious illness of his father, will hear with sorrow that Mr Erskine, sen., died on June 16 at his home at Invercargill, New Zealand. Coming to New Zealand from Glasgow in 1862, at the age of 16, he steadily built up a circle of friends who learnt to love and respect him. Men of his type are all too few, and, in spite of his advanced years, the country that he has served so long and faithfully can ill afford to lose him.