CHESS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18283, 29 December 1933, Page 3

CHESS

DOMINION TOURNEY THIRD ROUND DECIDED PIIIL STILL LEADING (Per Pross Association.) DUNEDIN, last night. Play was resumed in the third round of the chess championship this morning, and the afternoon was devoted to un•iinished games, the fourth round being started at the evening session. It was announced that two special prizes had been given by competitors, Killing having made a donation of £2 2s for a brilliancy prize, and Pihl a similar amount for the best recovery prize. The first throe rounds are now completed, results being as follows: ROUND 1 Gyles beat Hicks : Gyles, who had the move, chose the Ruy Lopez opening, and Hicks defended with the Steinitz defence. Opportunities were missed by both players, and Hicks eventualy forked a bishop and rook with a knight. Gyles withdrew the rook, leaving the bishop unsupported. Hicks took the bishop, which resulted in a lost position. ROUND 2 Jones v. Gyles: Queen’s pawn opening. Jones bad the move, and Gyles defended with the Indian defence. Although not a spectacular game, it was followed by the onlookers with keen interest. It became very complicated, and. finally, a draw was agreed upon on I he sixty-seventh move. Watt v. Kelling: French defence. Ktiling, who bad the move, missed a chance of gaining two minor pieces for a rook in the middle game. Several exchanges followed, and the resulting end game looked like a draw, when Kelling made an unsound sacrifice, losing a rook for a pawn, which entailed his resigna tion at move 37 ROUND 3.

Dunlop v. Jones : The Alekhine defence was transposed into the Vienna opening. Dunlop had the move. A couple of moves after an exchange of pawns and knights, queens were exchanged, leaving Dunlop with a strong centre position, and on the fifteenth move he captured an isolated pawn. Dunlop developed his attack, and Jones* resigned on the fortysixth move.

T.o Petit v. Severne: Queen’s pawn game. Lo Petit had the move and Severne defended the opening with the Cambridge Springs defence, but omitted one of the attacking moves in opening. This allowed Iris opponent to break up the attack and obtain rather a better game. After exchanges each player was left with two rooks and six pawns, and a draw was agreed upon on the thirtyeighth move. (Ivies v. Scott.: Scott had the move and played the slow variation of the Ruy Lopez. He sacrificed a pawn for a strong attack, during which he lost a* further pawn. Gyles set up a blockade and weathered Scott’s attack with extra pawns, and won on the fifty-second move after a very complicated game, in which Gyles’ strategy undoubtedly gave him the advantage.

Hicks v. Pihl: Zukertort opening. Hicks had this move after an exchange of knights ami pawns on the nineteenth move. Pihl, through a careless move, lost his other knight. Eventually Hicks threatened to queen a pawn, and as Pihl was unable to stop it, he resigned on the sixtv-fonrth move.

Rolling v. Didsbnrv: Opening, Queen’s Gambit declined. Didsbnry had the move, and the game was level until the thirty-seventh move, when Didsburv, who was pushed for time, lost an exchange. Playing with good judgment, he secured* compensation in position, and a long battle ensued. Kelling found the right move in several difficult and intricate positions, and just managed to land a win at move 67. ROUND 4. The following is the draw for the fourth round: Smith v. Didsburv, Jones v. Watt, Gyles v. Dunlop, Kelling v. Lo Petit, Severne v. Hicks, Pihl v. Scott. Jones v. Watt,: Queen’s Gambit declined. Jones had the move and the game proceeded on regular lines, and after a normal number of exchanges Watt had, if anything, the better position. He made a had mistake in taking the. queen’s pawn, the result being that, in order to avoid mate, he would have to sacrifice his queen, so he resigned on the twenty-fifth move. The position to date is as follows:

Pihl Games Wins Dr’n Lost Score ... 4 3 — 1 3 Jones ... 4 2 l . 1 2J Gyles ... 3 a 1 - 2* Dunlop ... 3 2 — ] 2 Watt ... 5 2 — 3 2 Severne ... 3 1 2 2 K oiling 3 a — 1 2 .Scott K> i 1 1 U flicks ... 3 i 1 1 Li Le Petit 3 — 1 2 i Didsbury ... 3 ~~ 1 2 i Sir|ith ... 3 — — 3 ■—