CHESS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3830, 9 August 1927, Page 60

CHESS.

Conducted by

F. W. CLAYTON.

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

PROBLEM No. 82. By C. R. B. Sumner. Black (Eight Pieces).

White (Seven Pieces). IBb2b2l4pß 1 Q | 1 K 6 | 3 Kt IKt2|4klpl ) 8 | B 2 p r 3 | 6 kt 1. White to play and mate in two moves.

PROBLEM No. 83,

Specially contributed to the Australasian by Dr J. J. O’Keefe, Sydney, New South Wales. *

Black (Five Pieces)

White (Seven Pieces). 4P.3|fiKtl|4K 3 | 1 p 6 | 4 k 3 | IKt3K2iR3P3 | 2 r 1 b 1 r 1. White to play and mate in three moves.

SOLUTIONS OF PROBLEMS. No. 78.—R to Q R 4. No. 79.—Q to Q 13 3. Dr Church is first ’in the field with solutions of problems 78 and 79. “ Neat, but not difficult," is his verdict. Mr far-away correspondent, Mr IL V. CunlifTe, of Sydney, a former resident of Dunedin, sends correct solutions of > Nos. 72 and 73. Mr E. A. Le Petit, of Invercargill has forwarded correct solutions of problems 78 and 79. He wonders how many solvers could explain why it is necessary for the black knight to be posted at Q Kt S, in problem 78. GAMES. OXFORD V. CAMBRIDGE. The fifty-first match between Oxford and Cambridge was played at the City of London Chess Club recently. At the close of play Oxford were leading by two and a-half games to one and a-half, and adjudication of the three unfinished games decided the match in their favour by four games to three. The score in the series of matches now is 24 to 23 in favour of Cambridge. Four matches have been drawn.

We give below the full score of the match. Oxford had the white pieces on the oddnumbered boards.

Oxford. Cambridge. K. H. Bancroft X* P. S. Milner-Barry J” G. Abrahams . . 1 V. Coates . . . . 0 G. R. Mitchell 1» J. A. Herrick .. 0* A. E. Smith . . X R. C. Weaver . . X G. Costigan . . X M. A. Vernon . . J R. W. Bonham O* .1. E. Pepper .. 1* H. F. Sutherland X R. L. Mitchell . . X Total . . . . 4 Total . . . . 3 * Adjudicated by Sir George Thomas, Bt. Game at Board I : Queen's Pawn Opening. White, K. 11. Bancroft (Oxford) ; Black, I’. S. Milner-Barry (Cambridge). 1. P to Q 4 P to Q 4 2. P to Q B 4 P to K 3 3. Kt to K B 3 Kt to K B 3 4. Kt to B 3 Q Kt to Q 2 5. P to K 3 (a) % P to B 4 G. B to Q 3 B p takes P 7. K P takes P P takes P 8. B takes B P Kt to Kt 3 9. B to Q 3 B to K 2 10. Castles Castles 11. Q to K 2 (B) B to Q 2 12. B to K Kt 5 B to B 3 13. Q R to Q sq Q Kt to Q 4 14. B to Kt sq P to K R 3 15. B to B sq Q to B 2 IG. Kt to K 5 Kt takes Kt 17. P takes Kt B to R 5 IS. R to Q 3 K R to Q sq (c) 19. R to Kt 3 K to B sq 20. R to K sq - OR to B sq 21. Q to K 3 in) Kt to Q 4 22. Q takes P (•!■:) p takes Q 23. B takes P, ch K to B sq 24. R to Kt 8, ch B to D sq 25. R takes B. ch (f) K to K 2 2d. R takes P. ch K to Q 3 27. R takes Q K takes R 28. P to Q B 4 (a) Kt to B G 29. Kt to B 3 (11) K to Kt sq 30. B to Q 3 B to B 3 31. Kt to K 5 R takes P 32. Kt takes B. ch R takes Kt 33. B to K B sq Kt takes p 34. P to Kt 3 Kt to Kt 5 35. P to R 4 Kt to B 7 3G. R to B sq Kt to R G 37. B to K 3 R to Q sq 38. P to B 5 p to R 3 39. B to Kt 2 R (B 3) to B sq 40. K to R 2 Kt to Kt 4 41. B to B 4. ch K to R 2 42. B to K 3 K to Kt sq 43. B to B 4, ch K to R ° 44. B to K 3 (1) (a) Quite good, but B to Kt 5 is more enterprising. (B) White has now slightly the freer game. (c) If 18...8 to Kt 4. then 19. P to Q B 4. B takes P; 20. Q to G 2, K R to B sq (if 20... P to Q Kt 4. then 21. R to K B 3 and wins, for, if 21... K R to B sq,

then 22. R takes Kt. K B takes R ; 23. Q to R 7, ch, K to B sq ; 24. B to R 3 ch) ; 21. R to Q B 3, P to Q Kt 4 ; 22. Kt to Kt 4, with a very dangerous attack. Black’s best defence appears to be 22.. B to Kt 5, e.g., 22...8 to Kt 5; 23. Kt takes Kt, ch, K to B sq (if 23. . .P takes Kt, then 24. R to Kt 3, ch, K to B sq ; 25. B takes P, ch, with advantage to White) ; 24. P to Q 5 (suggested by Sir George Thomas), K B takes R ; 25. Q takes B, P takes Kt ; 26 Q takes P, B takes Q P (if 26... B takes K. then 27. P takes P with a winning attack). White has still an attack, but it is not certain that it can succeed. If, instead of 24. P to Q 5, White play 24. R takes B, then 24... Q takes R; 25. Kt to Q 7. ch, K to K sq ; 26. Q takes Q. R takes Q ; 27. Kt to K 5, R takes P ; 28. Kt to B 6, R to Q B 5, with about an even game. It appears that Black would have done better to play 18. . .13 to Kt 4 instead of the textmove after which he has probably a lost game. (D) Here, as pointed out by Mr Saunders, White should have played 21. Kt takes P, followed, if 21... K takes Kt. by 22. Q takes P, ch. K to B sq; 23. B takes P with three pawns for the piece and an overwhelming attack. If now 23. .. P takes B, then 24. B to R 7 and wins. (e) A fine move, and apparently quite sound. (f) Stronger than 25. B takes B (threatening B to R 3, mate), e.g., 25. B takes B, Q takes Kt (if 25... Kt to K 2 or B 3, then 26. R to R 8) ; 26. B to Q G, ch. K to Q 2 ; 27. Jt takes R, ch, K takes R ; 28. P takes Q, Kt takes P. White is a pawn ahead, but Black has drawing chances. (g) Here, however, Mr Bancroft, under pressure of time, fails to make the strongest move. B to Q 2 would have consolidated his position, and left him with three pawns for the exchange, a strongly posted Knight, and excellent winning prospects with the strong King's side pawns. The text-move weakens the position of his centre pawns and gives Black a chance. (h) Better would have been B to K 3. (i) Adjudicated a draw. A highly interesting game.

NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT.

Game in the fourteenth round : Queen’s Pawn Opening. White, Dr Vidmar; Black, Nicmzowitsch.

1. P to Q 4 Kt to K B 3 2. Kt to K B 3 P to K 3 3 Pto K Kt 3 (a) Pto Q 4 (u) 4. B to Kt 2 Q Kt to Q 2 5. Castles B to Q 3 (c) G. P to Kt 3 P to B 3 7. Q Kt to Q 2 Castles 8. B to Kt 2 Q to K 2 9. P to B 4 P to Q Kt 4 (d) 10. Kt to K 5 B takes Kt 11. P takes 13 Kt to Kt 5 12. P to K 4 (E) K Kt takes K P 13. K P takes P K P takes *P 14. P takes Q P P takes P 15. B takes I* R to Kt sq 16. R to K sq Q to Q 3 17. Kt to B 3 Kt takes Kt, ch 18. Q takes Kt K to R sq (f) 19. Q R to B sq R to Kt 3 20. R takes B (g) It takes R 21. Q takes P Q to Kt 3 (H) 22. Q takes Kt Resigns (I) (a) This move was introduced by Grunfeld in the Teplitz-Schonau tournament (1922). (b) In a game between Grunfekl and Reti in the Vienna tournament (1922) the continuation was 3. . ,P to B 4, 4. P to B 3, Kt to B 3; 5. B to Kt 2. B to K 2; 6. Castles, Castles ; 7. P to B 4. P to Q 4 ; S. B P takes P. K Kt takes P ; 9. P takes P, B takes P, with about an even game. (c) P to B 4 would have been more enterprising. Nicmzowitsch, however, prefers a close game. (D) A bizarre move which seriously weakens Black's position by facilitating the opening by White of the long diagonal commanded by his King's Bishop. (e) This strong move gives White a very fine game (F) Black had no satisfactory continuation. If IS. ~Rto Kt 3, then 19. B to Q 4. R to R 3 ; 20. Q R to B sq (threatening 21. R tak-es B followed, if 21... R takes R, by 22. Q takes P, ch, and mate next move), Kt to B 3 ; 21. B to 13 5, winning the exchange. (G) Forcible and correct.

(it) If 21... Kt to B 3, then 22. B takes P takes B ; 23. R to K 7 and wins, or, it 21... Q to B sq, then 22. I) takes Kt lollowed, if 22... R to Qsqor Q 3 bv 23 B takes P. ch. (I) If 22. . . R to B sq. then 23. B to R 3 followed, if 23... R (B sq) to QKt sq. by 24. B to B u, R to K. B. 3 ; 25. B to Q 4 R (B 3) to B sq; 26. R to K 7. It (Kt sq) to Q sq ; 2<. R takes P, and wins.

Game in the fifteenth round : Queen's Pawn Opening. White, Marshall ; Black, Dr Vidmar. 1. P to Q 4 Kt to K B 3 2. Kt to K B 3 P to Q 4 3. P to B 4 P to B 3 4. P takes P p takes P 5. Kt to B 3 Kt to B 3 6. B to B 4 p to K 3 7. P to K 3 B to Q 3 (a) 8. R takes B (u) Q takes B 9. B to Q 3 Castles 10. Castles p t o t 11. Kt to Q Kt 5 Q to K 2 12. P takes,P Kt !• 13. R to B sq B to Kt 5 14. R to B 7 (c) Q to Q sq la. R takes Kt P Kt takes Kt ch 16. P takes Kt B to R 6 17. R to K sq Kt to K 5 (n) 15. P to B 4 Q to R 5 19. B takes Kt (e) P takes B 20. Kt to Q 4 Q R to B s-. 21. R to Kt 5 (F) R to B S 22. R to Kt 5 (a) R takes O 23. R takes R B to Kt 5 24. R to Q B sq P to K R 3 Resigns. (a) More chances of a complicated game would have been afforded by 13 to K 2 (n) Better would have been B to Kt 3. V.g.. 8. B to Kt 3, Castles: 9. B to Q 3 Q ’ I®' ® to R 4, threatening 11. p (c) Not good. Better would have been B to K 2. (d) A pretty move which wins by force (E) If 19. Q to B 3, then 19. . Kt to B 4 (F) If 21. Kt to K2, then 21. Bto Kt o „tG) The Queen could not be saved. If 2_. Q to _K 2 or R to K R 5, then 22. Q to Kt 5, ch, and mate next move. final result. Total Won. ■T. R. Capablanca . . . . . . 14 Dr A. Alechin ’ jji A. Nicmzowitsch .. .. qox Dr M. Vidmar jo~ R. Spiclmaun . . . . ’ ’ g F. J. Marshall . . , . . . G GO