The Quiet Games

Southland Times, Issue 20633, 3 November 1928, Page 19 (Supplement)

The Quiet Games

This journal is the official organ of the Invercargill Chess and Draughts Club. The Club now occupies No. 1 upstairs room in the Arcade, which is open to members and visitors from 7.30 to 11 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings; from 2 to 5.30 on Wednesday and Saturday afternoon, and at other times by arrangement with C. C. Harris, Hon. Sec.

CHESS CONDUCTED BY J. K. CAMPBELL. All correspondence in connection with this column should be addressed to the Chess Editor, Southland Times, Invercargill. Attempt the end. and never stand !n doubt; Nothing’s so hard but search will find it out. —Herrick. PROBLEM No. 9. By W. E. Lester, England. BLACK. (Four Pieces).

WHITE. (Three Pieces). WTiite to play and mate in two moves. B|B|6pli6Bl|B|B|2QpklKl | 4 b 3. PROBLEM No. 10. Specially composed for the Southland Times. By J. K. Campbell, Invercargill. BLACK (Ten Pieces).

By

WHITE (Twelve Pieces). White to play and mate in two moves. rp4bKt|pß!P2pp|R7|BP2 kP2|lP2plPl|Ktp4Kl[3Q4 I b Problem No. 9 is a masterpiece in miniature. If White could only mark time he would have an easy win as Black would have to move his Bishop whereupon White would mate by Q x P. No. 10 is a local production and must speak for itself. You will notice, however, that the diagonal marches of the Black Queen and the two Black Bishops constitute the theme of the problem. END GAME No. 5. (from actual play)* BLACK. (Ten Pieces).

(WHITE (Ten Pieces). White to play and mate in four moves. rsrl|2p3qp|lkKtp3b|plp Q 4 | P7|2P3PI | 1 P 5 P | R 3 R 1 K 1. Answers to Correspondents. H.B.—Many thanks for your words of appreciation and encouragement. It is pleasant to learn that you look forward eagerly for Saturday’s Times.” P.H.—Better luck next time. H.H.—ln problem No. 1 (T. Taverner) White can mate all right if Black plays K x P or B xP. Here is the full solution: BLACK. WHITE. 1. K x P I. Q—Q6 K—K3 Q—K5 B x P Kt—B4 P—Q3 Q—B3 Any other Q x P. Problem Solutions: No. 5. Q—K5. No. 6. Q—KRB. Correct Solutions Received. For both problems:—Dr Church (Portobello) F.R. (Inv.) H. B. (Gore) J.L. (Inv.) A.E.J. (Inv), “Wave” (Ocean Beach) "Bralee” (Inv.), C. C. Harris (Inv), “Dottie” (Inv.) E. A. L. (Inv). For No. 5 only: —J. McMaster (Hokonui) L. R. Lewis (Limehills).

For No. 6 only:—C. H. Powell (Tisbury) H.H. (Limehills).

For No. 5 two solvers gave P—R7 but tihs is defeated by B—B4 as the Black Bishop can now interpose and frustrate the mate.

For No. 6 one solver gives Kt—Kß6ch but thie is defeated by...K—K4 for which there is no mate. Solvers may safely take it for granted that problems with checking keys will not be published in this column. Such keys are too aggressive to be artistic. Of course, it sometimes happens that, contrary to the composer’s intention, a checking will solve a problem, but in such case the problem would be “cooked,” which means that it has more than one keymove and is therefore worthless. As far as I remember, I have only seen one problem published within recent years which had a checking key, and in that case the key-move gave the Black King five flight squares which it did not previously possess —rather a remarkable feature—but even that did not quite atone for the sheer brutality of the Key. In the early stages of the problem art checking keys were quite common, but no eelf-respecting composer adopts them nowadays. For the same problem (No. 6) another solver gave Q —KKt-7 but this is defeated by...R—R4 0r...8—Q7 for now the White Q, which mates for these moves by Q x R and Q —Q4 respectively, is out of action.

Dr Church says of No. 6 that it is “a fine piece of chess architecture” and he is right. It is well worthy of the careful scrutiny of solvere.

I may here say that not a few of our solvers had no experience of problem solving until this column was started and when this is taken into account the results must be interpreted as highly creditable. Facility in solving comes only with experience and experience cannot be gained without an occasional failure.

Solution of End Game No. 3. WHITE. BLACK. 1. R—QR 4 1. R x R 2. R—R3ch 2. K moves 3. Rx R and wins If 1. K moves 2. Rx R and wins GAME No. 8. A pretty game from Moscow. WHITE. BLACK. Rabinovich. Romanovsky. 1. P—Q4 Kt—Kß3 2. P—QB4 P—K3 3. Kt—Qß3 B—Kts(a) 4. Q—Kt3 P—B4 5. P x P Kt—B3! 6. B—Q2 B x P 7. P—K3 P—Q4 8. Kt—B3 P x P 9. Q x BP Q—K2 10. Castles (b) Castles 11. B—Q3 P—QKt.3 12. Q—KR4 Kt—QKts 13. B—Ktl B—R3 14. P—K4(c) Kt—Q6ch 15. B x Kt B x B 16. B—Kts KR—Ql(d) 17. P—K5 B—R6! 18. P x Kt(e) Q—B4 19. B—Q2 B—Kt3! 20. Q—R4(f) P—Kt4l 21. Q x B(g) Q—B4 22. Resigns (h) (a) Unorthodox, but Black is truly inspired in this game. (b) A big risk with the open QB file against him. (c) He underrates the Black attack; Kt —KS should be played. (d) Black must have forseen practically the whole combination, with its double sacrifice. (e) If P x B, Q x Pch, 19. K—Q2, Q Kt7ch, 20. K—K3 Q x Kt, 21. P x Kt B —BBch, and there must be other ways as well. (f) If Q —Kts, also Q —Kts, winning outright ; or Q —kß4, QR —81, threatening Q x Ktch. (g) Losing at once, but if Q —Kt3, P Kts, 22. Pxß P x Kt, 23. B—K3 Q—B2, and R—QKtl will follow; or 23. B x P KR —Ktl, 24. Q—R4 R—KtBch, 25. K—Q2 Q x BP mate. (h) Q —Kt3, QR —81. and mate by Q KtB cannot be stopped. Worthy of Morphy, this magnificent finish. GAME No. 9. from Prague. WHITE. BLACK. Tereba. Formanek. 1. P—Q4 Kt—Kß3 2. P—QB4 P—KKt3 3. Kt—Qß3 P—Q4 4. P—K3 P—B3(a) 5. B-Q3(b) B—Kt2 6. P—B4 B-B4 7. B x B P x B. .8 P x P Kt x P 9. Kt—B3 P—K3 10. B—Q2 Kt—Q2 11. Kt x Kt KP x Kt (c) 12. Castles Q—K2 .13. Kt—Ks Kt —B 3 14. P—KKt3 Castles Q(d) 15. Q--R4! P—QR3(e) 16. QR—Bl Kt—Kl(f) 17. Kt x QBP P x Kt 18. R x Pch Kt—B2(g) 19. Q x Pch K—Q2 20. R x Ktch (h) Kx R 21. Q —R7ch Resigns (a) Quite illogical, the idea of the K’s fianchetio defence being to attack White’s centre by P —QB4 eventually. (b) Q—Kt3 is more promising, keeping in Black's QB. (c) If BP x Kt 12. QR —81, preventing Q side Castling, but the text renders Black's P's hopeless for the end-game. (d) An error as White proves, cleverly enough. (e) If K—Ktl, 16. Q x BP! (f) No good move appears to exist; of course, if R—Q3 17. B—Kt4. (g) K—Ktl, 19. R—Kt6ch, etc. (h) Neat and decisive, winning the Q; i.e. K x R. 22 Q—R7ch K—Q3, 23. B—Kt4ch. Brevities. The great problemist is as much inspired as the great poet. Kolisch once asked a spirit through a medium: “What i« the best defence to Morphy’s ninth move in the Evans Gambit (Kt—B3) ?” Evidently spiritualism has its limitations for the spirit was dumb. The composition of English and the composition of Chess Problems have much in common; the principles underlying both are the same.

A sentence, in many respects, is like a Chess problem. It has its variations and its mates, its cross-checks and its double-checks, its pins and it unpins, yes, and sometimes its cooks and its duals too.

If you would improve your literary style take a course in problem construction; it will give you an insight into your subject from a new angle. The book of Psalms is full of echo mates. If you do not understand this you are not in a position to appreciate the structural beauties of these hymns of the ancient Hebrew people. Only a Pawn in the game of life—• An insignificant Pawn— Buffetted here and there in the strife As the heedless world moves on. Only a Pawn in the scheme of things— An apparently soulless PawnWith never the power to mount on wings To catch the distant dawn. But ah! by a stroke of the Master Mind Who played the game unseen, The Pawn outstripped the rest of its kind And became a glorious Queen. News and Notes. Dr Alekhin, the present champion of the world, was asked why he became a chess master and this was his reply: “I have become a chess master, firstly, in the search for truth; secondly, because of the war. Already as a small boy I showed a talent for the game; and when I was sixteen years old (in 1909) while still at school, I became a master. At the age of seven I played the game, but serious play did not commence till I was twelve. Even at that period I felt a need, an irresistible attraction for the game. Chess has served to mould my character. Chess teaches one to be objective. One can only become a master at the game after having learnt to recognize one’s own errors. It is even )SO in life. The purpose of life is to achieve the maximum we are capable of. Now, as I, so to speak, unconsciously felt that my greatest performances lay in chess, I became a chess master. I must, however, add and emphasise, that I only took up chess as a profession owing to the results of the war, and that I intend to continue in the legal profession.”

Our problem solving tourney will commence this month. Particulars and conditions will be published in this column next Saturday.