CHESS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3853, 17 January 1928, Page 61

CHESS.

Conducted by

F. W. CLAYTON.

Solutions oJ problems, games, and analyses inWed for thia column. Al) correspondence should be addressed to the Chess Editor, Otago Witness Office, Dunedin.

PROBLEM No. 128. ly J. K. Heydon, Sydney, New South Wales. Black (Four Pieces).

White (Seven Pieces).

!B|4kt2B|lß3Ktlb|Bl k 2 P 1 R [ 1 Kt 6 | 1 kt 1 K 4. White to play and mate in two moves,

PROBLEM No. 129. By P. F. Blake (First Prize, Aftonbladel

Black (Eleven Pieces).

White (Ten Pieces). lktQktr3|b3plPnlln.3P2l IKtPlKt2p|4 k B '2 I 1 B 3 p P 1 I 5' p 2 | 5 K 2. White to play and mate in three moves. SOLUTION OF PROBLEMS. No. 124.—R to K 2. No. 125.—K to R 1. Dr Church solves Nos. 124 and 125 He says: “I have greatly enjoyed working out the variations of No. 124, some of which are very beautiful. I could easily enthuse on the problems in this week's Otago Witness, but will spare your feelings.” Mr Le Petit not only solves the same two problems, but also the literary and geometrical puzzle, published January 4, and accompanies the solution with a correct quotation from Hamlet, and a neat diagram of the remarkable and beautiful geometrical result of joining up the central points of the squares in the sequence, in which the Knight proves ‘ en tour.” Much credit is due to Dr Church for propounding the really highclass puzzle of. the Knight’s Tour, but it would be an “ unknightly ” act not to share the honours with the first solver. Mr James Dewar, of North-East Valley, with the dauntless spirit of a determined solver, has succeeded in penetrating the mystery of problems 122 and 123. He admits having had a hard struggle with the last-mentioned—a somewhat unusual theme. Mr James Dewar, of North-East Valley solves problem 125. The try of R to B on King's Square, as a solution of 124, can be met by Black playing Queen takes Rook. Dr Church solves 126 and 127. He finds 25 variations in the former (by N. Easter, a fifst-prizer). He explains, with reference to E A Le Petit’s three-mover, 127 : “ This is a breath of sweet perfume.” What could be neater I The following is the solution of Dr Church's literary chess puzzle, as published January 4 in the Chess column of the Otago Witness :— “ HAMLET.” From act 1, scene iii: Polonius to Laertes. " The friends thou hast and their adoption .tried Grapple them to thy soul with hooks of steel. But do not dull thy palm with entertainment Of each new-hatch’d ill-fledged comradeBeware of entrance to a quarrel, but, being in, . ' b Bear t that th’ opposed may beware of thee.

GAMES. WORLD'S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH. The eighth game of the match: Queen’s Pawn Opening. White, Dr Alekhin; Black, Capablanca. 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 P to Q 4 4. B to Kt 5 Q Kt to Q 2 5. P to K 3 B to K 2 6. Kt to B 3 Castles 7. Q to B 2 P to B 4 8. B P takes P BP takes P (a) 9. Kt takes P Kt takes P 10. B takes B q takes B 11. Kt takes Kt p takes Kt *2- £ !° £ 3 Q t 0 Kt 5. 13. Qto Q 2 Kt.to K 4 14. BI to K 2 q takes Q, ch 15. K takes Q (n) B to Q 2 16. Q R to Q B sq K R to B sq 17. P to Q Kt 3 K to B sq IS. P to B 4 Kt to B 3 19. B to Kt 5 K to K 2 20. B takes Kt P takes B 21. R to B 5 (c) P to Q R 4 (p) 22. K R to Q B sq K to Q 3 23. R (B sq) to B 3 R to R 3 24. Kt to Kt 5, ch K to K 2 25. Kt to Q 4 K to Q 3 26. P to K 4 P takes P 27. K to K 3 R to Q Kt sq (e) 28. Kt to B 5, ch B takes Kt 29. R takes B P to B 3 30. R to B 4 R to Kt 4 31. R to Q 4, ch K to K 3 32. R takes R P takes R 33. R takes P, ch K to B 2 34. R to Q 4 R to B 3 35. R to Q 7, ch K to Kt 3 36. K to Q 2 (F) R to B 4 37. R to R 7 P to Kt 5 38. P to Kt 4 P to R 4 39. P to K R 3 P to K R 5 40. P to B 5, ch K to R 3 41. R to R 8 K to R 2 42. K to K 3 R to B 6, ch Drawn,

(A In the tenth game of the match the continuation was 8... Kt takes P; 9. Kt takes Kt, P takes Kt; 10. B takes B Q takes B; 11. B to Q 3, P to K Kt 3; 12. P takes P, Kt takes P; 13. R to Q B so Kt takes B, ch; 14. Q takes Kt, B to B 4; 15. Q to Q 4 (Q takes P would have been too dangerous), B to K 5; 16. Castles, B takes Kt; 17. P takes B, Q to Kt 4 ch • 18. K to R sq, Q to B 4 ; 19. K to Kt 2. Q to Kt 4, ch ; 20. K to R sq, Q To B 4, the game being drawn by repetition of moves. (b) White has now a slight advantage for the end-game. His King is nearer the centre, and he has a point of attack in Black’s isolated Queen’s pawn. (c) Now the point of attack is the Queen’s Bishop s pawn which by the text-move White fixes in its backward position. (D) To hinder the advance of White’s Queen’s Knight’s pawn and free Q R 3 for a Rook.

(E) If 27... R to K sq, then 28. Kt to B 5, ch, B takes Kt; 29. R takes B, P to B 3; 30. Rto B 4. Black cannot then very well attempt to break up the Queen’s side pawns by 30... P to R 5 because of 31. P to Q Kt 4, P to R 6 ; 32. R to Q R 5, R takes R ; 33. P takes R. (f) If 37. R to R 7, then 37. . .P to R 5; 38. P takes P, R to B 6, ch ; 39. K to Q 2, R to Q R 6. CITY OF LONDON CHAMPIONSHIP. An instructive game played in the fifth round of the final of the City of London championship tournament : King’s Fianchetto. White, E. E. Middleton ; Black, E. G. Sergeant. 1. P to K Kt 3 (a) • P to K 4 2. B to Kt 2 P to Q 4 3. P to Q 3 P to K B 4 4. Kt to K B 3 B to Q 3 (b) а. Kt to Q B 3 P to B 3 б. P to K 4 P to Q 5 o' to 2 p takes P 8. P takes P Kt to K B 3 9. Castles P to B 4 (c) 10. Kt to K sq Kt to B 3 11. P to K B 4 Q to K 2 SV?, Q p to q Kt s (d) 13. P takes P q Kt takes P 14. Kt takes Kt B takes Kt 15. Kt to B 4 Castles 16. Kt to Q 3 B to Kt 2 V° “ QRto K sq 18. B to Kt 5 P to R 3 ' 19. B takes Kt B takes B o?' S. R . to „ Ksq BtoKt 4 oo Kt to B 4 B takes Kt no S ta , kes B R takes R 23. P takes R Q to R 5 24. Q to B 2 Q takes Q, ch 25. K takes Q K to B 2 26. P to K R 4 P to B 5 27. B to B 3 R to Q sq 28. R to Q sq B to R 3 29. B to K 2 K to Kt 3 30. P to R 4 P to Q 6 31. P takes P p takes P 32. P to R 5, ch K to B 3 33. B to B sq R to Q 5 34. K to K 3 R takes P 35. B takes P B to B sa 36. R to Q B sq B to Kt 5 37. P to K 5, ch K to K 3 38. R to B 6, ch K to K 2 39. R to B 7, ch K to K 3 (e) 40. R takes P B takes P 41. R to R 7 Resigns (f) (a) An opening very seldom played, / It is better than the Queen’s Fianchetto, and generally leads to very interesting positions. (b) Instead of defending the pawn Black might have played P to K 5, to which White’s best reply would probably have been K Kt to Q 2. The King’s Fianchetto has been much less analysed than most of the other openings. ;

(c) If 9... Kt takes P, then 10. Kt takes K P.

(n) This seems to be loss of time. It would have been better to castle. I£ 39... K to B sq, then 40. B to Kt 6, guarding the Rook's pawn and threatening R to B 7, ch. (f) Black might have prolonged the game, but recognising that he had a lost position and being unwilling to continue on the mere chance of his opponent making a slip, gracetV] 7 , resi gned. A game played by Mr Middleton with great judgment and accuracy.

A game in the ninth and last round of the final of the City of London championship tournament: Vienna Game. White E. Macdonald; Black, R. H. V. Scott. 1. P to K 4 P to K 4 2. Kt to Q B 3 B to B 4 3. Kt to B 3 P to Q 3 4. P to Q 4 (a) P takes P 5. Kt takes P Kt to K B 3 6. B to K 2 Q Kt to Q 2 (n) 7. Castles Kt to K 4 8. P. to K R 3 P to B 3 9. B to K 3 B to Q Kt 5 (c) 10. P to B 4 Kt (K 4) to Q 2 (n) 11. Bto Q 3 Kt to B 4 _ > 12. Q to B 3 B takes Kt 13. P takes B Q to K 2 14. P to K 5 Kt to Q 4 15. B to Q 2 P takes P 16. P takes P Castles 17. Q to Kt 3‘ Kt takes B 18. P takes Kt R to K sq 19. Q R to K sq B to K 3 20. B to R 6 Q to B sq 21. P to B 4 Kt to B 2 22. R to B 3 K to R sq 23. B to K 3 Q R to Q sq 24. R (K sq) to K B sq R to Q 2 25. Q| to B 2 K to Kt sq ( E ) 5 P to Q Kt 3 (f) 27. Kt takes P R (K sq) to Q sq (g) 28. Kt takes B Kt takes Kt 29. R to Kt 3, ch K to R sq 30. Q to B 6, ch Kt to Kt 2 31. P to K 6 (h) R to K 2 32. B to R 6 Resigns (i) (a) A rather doubtful move although recommended in the “ books.” B to B 4, followed by P to Q 3, resolving the opening into the Giuoco Piano, is probably stronger. (b) Too slow. Better would have been 6... Castles, followed by 7... R to K sq with an attack on White’s King’s Pawn. (c) Not good, as the Bishop 'cannot be exchanged for the Knight without disadvantage. A

(n) Black has now moved his King’s Bishop twice and his Queen’s Knight three times, and neither piece is well placed, which means serious loss of time in the opening. (b) White was threatening Kt takes B, followed by R takes P. T here was time for this. B takes Kt should have been played, but Black would still have had the inferior, game.

(g) Obviously the Knight could not be captured. Black has now a lost game. (h) B to R 6 at once would also have left Black without resource. (i) A well-played game by Mr Macdonald, but rather poorly by the British ex-cham-