Chess.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12405, 24 August 1918, Page 15

Chess.

(By W. S. KING.)

PROBLEM No. 289. By P. E. Burbury, Launccaton,

Black (six men)

White (eight men). 8, G r 1, Q 2 B 4, 1 Kt 2 Kt 1 r 1, 1 p 3 k p 1! 1, it 2 hj ‘in, 8, (i K 1, White to play unit mate in two moves. A BLACKBURNE BRILLIANT. Ouo of Blnckbnrno's glorious off-hand games, played at Tim Hague, 1871. Scutch Gambit.

T White, Black. J. 11. Blnokbunie. 11. W. B, Gifford, L P K 4 1. 1> K -1

2. Kt - K B 3 2. Kt - Q B 3 3- P " Q 4 «. V x V 4. KB-B4 (a) 4. B B 4 5, Kt Kt 5 (b) 5. Kt RSI «. Q H 5 li. Q~ K 2 (c) "• P li B 4 7. Castles (d) S. Castles 8. P Q 3 9. P - B 51 II.P-Q'ccliW .10. k - R , q io, p x p 11. Kt QB 3 U. lit -K 4 12. Kt - q 5 13. Q, - Q eq 13. P - B 61 13. lit - Kt 0 (0 14. P x P 14. K x P la. Q x Kt (E 3) ch 15. K s Q--16. Kt xBP oh IG. K R 4 (g)

B’hito announced mate in five moves (hj). (ii) At one time one of the most popular of openings, tho Scotch Gambit is now rarely played.

(b) Strictly speaking, this is ft premature attack, but there arc many ways for Black to go astray in defending against it. (c) 'This and Q B 3 are both playable, but if 6.. .Kt ,K 4; 7Kt to trouble for Black. (d) Blackburno states that Black should hero have played P Q3, followed by B Q 2 and Castles Q side. Another good line for Blaok seems 7 ... P Q4; 8 B x P, Kt - Q Kt 5; 0 B - Kt 8, P - Q 6.

(e) This discovered check is tot good; Jt enables White to bring his Q Kt into plav. (f) There is not time for 13 ... Kt * B; the following might then happen: 14 Kt -- K 7_cb, K-Rl; 15 P x P ch, K x P; 16 Kt K 6 ch, followed by Q x Kt, winning it ft few moves.

(g) Or 16 ... K-Kt2; 17 B R 6 oh, K Kt 1; 18 Kt xQ, with a hopeless game. (hj) As follows.;— 17. B K2 ch 17. B Kt B (1) 38. R - B 5 oh 18. Q - Kt * 19. Kt-B6ch 19. K - R 5 20. P - Kt 3 ch 20. K - R 6

21. B, D sq malo. (i) If K - R 6; 18 R - B 4 oh, Kt x R; 19 P Kt ch, eto. CHESS CHAT. The championship of the Imperial Chess Club, London, for 1917-1918, has ended in a victory for Captain R. W. Barnett, M.P., who scored 11 games out of n possible 12. “ The Times,” London, recently had the following referring to Australian problem competitions;—" Before leaving Australia for the fighting lines, Major J. J. O'Keefe handed tho judging of the Australian Columns Problem Tourney over to Mr P. T. Hawes, who will bo assisted by Mr W. J. M'Arthur. Presumably this choice was made after consulting those chess editors who were available, and it is hardly likely thol better judges were procurable. But wo confess a certain omount of regret that the choice will probably prevent some of the best problems m the tourney from gaining any honours, as it would be obviously impossible for the judges to award any marks to their own problems. We have given some specimens of ths work of these two composers in our columns, some of which we believe would have been eligible to compete in tho tourney, «nd there can bo. no question that they reach a very high standard of merit, whether wo consider idea construction, or difficulty.” In a match at the Imperial Chess Club, London, between the ladies and gentlemen of the club, the ladies were victorious by 64 games to 34. Five players on each side took part, playing two games with each other.