CHESS NOTES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 45, Issue 13877, 10 July 1919, Page 3

CHESS NOTES.

(By "Pawn.")

THE CAPABLANCA v. KOSTICH MATCH. Briefest of chess contests, of the sort that arouse international interest and for which the stage is set with more than customary elaborateness, the match at Havana between Jose R. Capablanca and Boris Kostich, intended to bo one

of eight games up,.draws not counting, came to what must be regarded as an untimely cud after only five games had been played, tho result being:—Capablanca s,*Kostich 0, drawn 0. While making all possible allowances for the capital showing of Kostich in earlier encounters with his famous young adversary, it was of course quite in accordance with general expectations that Capablanca should win this match, ! but hardly with the record of five straight wins. Tho consensus of opinion had been to tho effect that Kostich, inevitably a loser in the end, would make Capablanca work hard from start to finish, occasionally finding a weak spot .in his armour, enabling him to notch a victory or two, with an indefinite number of drawn games. Tho actual outcomo upset all calculations. Capablanca emerged with added lustre to a. crown that well becomes a conquering hero, who is in line for world's championship honours. j The showing of the loser, even though ho was admittedly outclassed, cannot bo satisfactorily explained, except on tho scoro of tho excuses advanced, for him by the people of Havana —that climate and change of diet proved an intricate combination ho was quite unable to master. Kostich left New York the picture of robust health and the least Likely of the chess masters to succumb to any indisposition at so inopportune a time. Report has it also that he gave a successful blindfold exhibition against twelve opponents, and conducted the games with his customary skill. Wo append the scoro of the fifth game, with notes by the New York Evening Post:— Fifth Game —French Defence. Capablanca. Kostich. White. Black. 1 P-JK4 . P—K3 _ P—Q4 P-^Q4 a Kt—Qß3 Kt—Kß3 (a) ! 4 B—Kts PxP < 5 KtxP QKt—Q2 6 Kt—Kß3 B—K2 7 KtxKtch KtxKt •8 B—Q3 P—QKt 3 (b) 9 Castles (c) B—Kt2 10 Q—K2 Castles (d) 11 JR—Q P—KR3(e) 12 B—KB4 Q—Q4(f) 13 P—.B4 Q—Q 14 Kt—Ks Kt--Q2 15 B—Kt Resigns(g) Position after 15 B—Kt. Black—Kostich.

White —Capabalnca. (a) Or, following tho lead of Dr. Lasker, Black might continue with 3 .. PxP; 4 KtxP, Kt—Kß3; 5 KtxKtch, QxKt, etc. (b) All of this is recognised as quite in accordance with the best play in tho books. (c) Hero White might play 9 Q—K2 at once, for it would) threaten BxKt, followed by Q—K4, in case Black were to civstlo prematurely in his ninth turn, as actually happened in one of the An-glo-American cable matches. Another good line of play is 9 Kt—Ks, B—Kt2; 10 B—Ktsch, P—B3; 11 BxPch, BxB; 12 Ktxß, Q—Q4; 13 Kt—Ks, QxKtP; 14 Q—B3, QxQ; 15 KtxQ, R— QB, with a fairly even position. (d) Now is tho time <for Black to make a bid for freer action by means of Kl-—Q4. (c) Now Xt —Q4 would hardly do, on account of 12 Q—K4, P—Kt3; 13 Bxß, Qxß; 14 P—-84, P—KB4; 15 Q—Ks_ with the better game. - _ (f) This results in the loss of two moves, without any compensation, and it does not require higher mathematics to determine tho penalty when this is done against Black's present opponent. 12 .. R—K would bo met by Kt—Ks, preventing Kt—R2. Black's best, probably, is R—QB. (g) Although Whito has much the better of it at this early stage, the game should not have been abandoned without a struggle. It might have continued: 15 .. KtxKt; 16 PxKt, Q—K; 17 Q—B2, P—Kt3; 18 BxP, Q—B3; 19 P—B3, QR —Q, and although a pawn down, Black still has something to Bay.