The Chess Board.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVII, Issue 19, 8 May 1912, Page 12

The Chess Board.

All commuuie lions io be addressed io “< hess," Boj- 253, Auckland. The Auckland Chess Club meets on Monday Thursday. and Saturday evenings, at Xe. ?A, I! is Majesty’s Arcade, Queen street (2nd floor). The X.M.C.A. Chess Club meets on Friday evenings. The Hamilton Chess Club meets in the Public l.ibiaiy. Hamilton, every Friday evening. at 7.30. Hon. Secretaries of Chess Clubs aie invited to furnish items of Club netes. Unpublished games, containing special features, notes of critical positions occurring in actual play, and original problems (irilh diagram and analysis) are always acceptable. Answers to Correspondents. INFANT. Christchurch. —Your solutions of 144 and 145 are correct. NOTE TO SOLVERS. —A transposition occurred in setting up Problem No. 146. A vacant white square, and a white pawn on a black square were placed at QKt2 and QBJ respectively. They should be reversed. Al-o note’ that the King at the si le of the board is the White King. The Forsyth notation is correct. Publication of the solution will be deferred UE 22nd inst. Problem No. 147. By Gniseppe Liberalli. Black. 3 pieces.

White. 7 pieces. White to play and mate in two moves. $; IK6. Q 7; 2Ktlkt3; 3k4: RlktlKtS; S; 18283. Ray Loper. From a recent match between Birmingham and Hampstead Chess Club. " Score from the "Birmingham Post’ : — White. Black. P. < Griffith. A. J. Mackenzie. 1 F—K 4 P—K 4 2 Kt—K B 3 Kt—Q B 3 3 B—Kt 5 P—Q R 3 4 B—lt 4 Kt—B 3 5 Castles B—K 2 C Q—K 2 P —Q 3 7 B x Kt eh P x M S I’ O 4 P X 1’ 9 Kt x P B—Q 10 P—Q Kt 3 Gasties 11 B—Kt 2 P—B 4 12 Kt—K B 3 Kt—Kt 5 13 P—K R 3 B—B 3 14 P—B 3 Kt—K 4 15 Kt x Kt B x Kt Id P—K B 4 B— Kt 4 17 P—B 4 B x B 18 Q x B B—B 3 19 Kt -Q 2 (a, Q-R 5 20 K-R 2 Q—lt K 1 21 P—Kt 3 Q—R 4 22 Q R—K I P—B 4 23 P—K 5 <l»> PX 1* 24 It V p Q—K.7 ch 25 R x Q R x xR eh 26 R B 2 (11 R x R c i 27 K—Kt I R—Kt 7 eh 28 K—B 1 <t_) I ‘29 Q K 5 B— It 1 (e) 30 Q—K 6eh K—R 1 31 Q x B P . R (Kl 7 x Kt 32 V v P R x P 33 K—K 1. B—B 6 3» Resign*. (a) Mr. Mackenzie note* that Kt—B 3 would have been better. White, it seems, feared Q —B 3, but after 20 Q —Q 15 2, hi- position is quite satisfactory. (b) If P x P, 24 R —K 7, ch, wins

(c) Overlooking the queen sacrifice. The alternative, P x P. would, however, leave White open to deadly attack by It—K 3, etc. (d) The other rook must l>e given up, or Black wins knight and queen by R—Kt 7, ch, etc. (el A judicious retirement. The White knight cannot be saved.' The "British Chess Magazine" notes that Herr Alexander Wagner lays claim in the Schweizerische Sehachzeitung to the discovery of a new opening which he proposes to call the "Swiss Gambit. He considers it "the first really sound gambit presented to the chess public.” The following is a specimen of it, played in the Seventh International Swiss Correspondence Tournament: — White —A. Wagner. Black —V. Cost in. White. Black. 1 P—K B 4 P—K B 4 2 P—K 4 Px P 3 Kt—Q B 3 Kt—K B 3 4 P—K Kt 4 P—Q 4 (a) 5 P—Kt 5 B—K Kt 5 6 B—K 2 Bx B 7 Q x B Kt—Kt 1 (b) 8 Q—Kt seh Kt—Q 2 9 Qx Q P P—Q B 3 (c) 10 Qx K P Q—B 2 11 Kt—B 3 Castles Q 12 Kt—Q 4 Kt—B 4 13 Q—K 3 Q—Q 2 14 Q Kt—K 2 Q—Q 4 15 11—K Kt 1 B—Q 3 16 P—Q 3 Kt—K 3 17 Q—R 3 K—Kt I IS P—B 4 Resign-. Notes by Herr Wagner. (al P—K R 3 is safer, whereupon 5, P—Q 3, P—Q 4. (b) Black has no better move. If Kt—■ Q2; 8. P—K 85, P—K Kt 3; 9. Kt xP, Kt—B 4; 10. Kt—B 4. (cl Neither can the second pawn be saved. i(ti) 13. Q —B 5 ch is disadvantageous, because of P—K 3; 14. Kt x P, R—K 1. (e) Black’s game is lost by his inability to develop. 1-5. P—K Kt 3 would be followed bv 16. P—Q Kt 4, Kt —Q 2; 17. Kt—K 6. R—K 1; 18. B—Kt 2.

The Abbazia Gambit Tournament. The tournament just concluded cannot be compared -with the great Gambit Tournament held at Vienna, 1903. Among the ten competitors there were, first and foremost, the late masters, Tehigorin and Pillsbury; further, Marshall, Maroezy, Schleehter, and Teiehmami. Curiously enough, Mieses, who, it was supposed, would i»e in his element in a gainbit tournament, was not even placed ;nor was Pillsbury), while Marco, who at that time was credited with a prosaic style, took third prize with 11 points. Tehigorin, with 13 points, being first, nnd Marshall, with 111 points, second. The same conditions having prevailed in the present tournament, the capture of the Gambit Pawn being compulsory, the players followed the path of their distinguished predecessors, and so produced, necessarily, an inferior edition of the former tournanifn’t, and we stand now as we stood in 1903. Final Scores. —Spielmann 15, Duras 134, Cohn 111, Reta 111. Lowtzky 11, Flamlaerg 10|. Freyraann 10J, Szekely 9, I>eonhardt 8, Nyholm 71, Rosselli 71. The three prizes fall to: —Spielmann first, Duras second, and third divided between Cohn and Reti, the other players receiving the honorarium for the games won fixed in the programme. The first and second special prizes for the best result obtained in the second tourney were secured by Cohn and Duras. The third special prize went to Szekelv. and Reti gained the Tehigorin memorial prize. The other special prizes will be awarded on April 15 by Herren Stadtr-at. Tietz, and G. Marco.—The Field.” The San Sebastian Congress. Tne second congress began on February Is under favourable conditions. Nearly all the leading masters are competing. except the champion (Dr. K. Laeker) and Capablanca. Burn, Rotlevi are absentee*. Duras, Leon liardt. and Spielmann arrived after a journey of two days and two nights from Ablazia. The competitors am:—Dura*, Forgaca, Ix-onhardt. Marshall, Niemznwitch. Dr. Perlis, Rubinstein, Schlech-

ter, Spielmann, Dr. Tarrasch, and Teichmann. As matters stand, the tournament ought to be a good one. The players are all first-class, and they will play two games with each other with alternate first moves, the fairest test. Wellington Items. The annual general meeting of the Wellington Chess Club was held in the clubroom. 9, King's Chamber*, on Wednesday. April 24. Mr. W. E. Mason was voted to the chair. The annual report was presented by the acting hon. secretary (‘Mr, A. G. Fell). We extract the following items: The year started with 31 active and 16 honorary members; total 47; and ended with 30 active and 13 honorary mem bers; total 43. Finance.—The year has not been without anxiety, and the club is much indebetd to Mr. Gyles, sen., hon. treasurer, who has managed to wind up the year with a small credit balance. Petherick Trophy.—There were 20 entries for this highly valued prize. The. tourney was played in sections, and was finally won by Mr. Gyles, sen. (class V.). Messrs. W. -I. Carman (V.) and F. K. Kelling (I.) tied for second place and divided the second and third prizes. Matches. —Two matches were played during the year, both being won. The Wairarapa touring team were beaten by 71 to 44 in June last, and the Kilbirnie team by 4 to 3 last month, when the club's class I- players were barred. The ladder-match for rung 1 resulted in Mr. Barnes regaining the premier position from Mr. W. E. Mason. Playing Material. —A subscription list was opened to enable new material to be purchased. This has been supplemented by a generous gift from an anonymous donor, enabling the committee to order three Statuiiton sets, with baords to match. Summer Tourney.—A handsome 'handicap tourney for Classes IV. and under, for prizes presented by Messrs. Fell an I Kelling, attracted fourteen entries. The result is still in doubt, several members being in the runniirg for the prizes. Acknowledgments.—The thanks of the club are accorded to -Messrs. S. and W. Mackay, Fell, and Kelling for donations, and to Mr. F. C. Douglas (who was recently transferred to Sydney), for his conduct of the secretaryship. _ ■ The report and also the balance-sheet-, presented by Mr. Gyles, were unanimously adopted. The'election of officers resulted as follows: —President, (Mr, E. W. Petherick; vice-presidents, Messrs. P. Still and A. G. Fell; lion, secretary. Mr. J. D. Moodford; lion, treasurer, Mr. A. Gyles; hon. auditor, Mr. W. Mackay; committee, Messrs. Mason. Simm, Kelling, Kemsley, and Croxton. It was decided to close entries for the annual Petherick tournament on the Bth May, and to see what could be done to inaugurate an interclub tournament at an early date. The election of a Match Committee was deferred, also the discussion of the proposed bowlers v. non-bowlers and other matches. The annual general meeting of the chess and draughts section of the Wei lington Workingmen's C lub and Literary Institute was held on Monday, April 22, Mr. W. Lightfoot, chairman of the C. and D. sub-committee presiding. Mr. F. K. Kelling (lion, secretary for chess) submitted a report for the year just closed, from which we glean the following items:—The annual handicap tourney attracted a large number of entries and produced a close finish. Mr. R. J Barnes won the first prize with the fine score of 12 wins and 1 loss. The other prizes were won by Messrs. Mild, Burgess. Kelling, and Larking, in that order. Two matches were played—one ■with a visiting Wairarapa team, and one with the South Mellington C.C. The club won the former, but lost the latter. It is proposed to revive the “ladder” matches in the coming season. The report also showed that, through the kindness of the general committee and sundry donors, the club has now several valuable works on cites*. It i* hoped shortly to complete arrangement* whereby these will lie at the d:*]io-al of members who wish to study the game. Thanks were accorded to Mr. Dalrymple for donating a chess ladder, and to Mr. Kelling for a framed photo of the Napier Chess Congress group. The report was unanimously adopted. The election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as follows:—President, Mr. E. Mace; vice-presidents, Messrs. -1. McNee and W. Lightfoot;- hon. trea-

surer, Mr. Jas. Wilson. Also (in the chess section) —referee, Mr. A. O. Fell (of the Wellington C.C.); hon. secretary, Mr. F. K. Kelling; consulting member, Mr. K. J. Barnes; match committee, Messrs. Barnes, Burgess, and J. Reid; Ablegates to New Zealand Chess Association, Messrs, Dalrymple and Milesi. It was decided to accept the challenge of the Mellington East C.C. to play a match in the Hataitai Bowling Pavilion on April 30, and to consider the programme of further matches and tournaments at a meeting to be held at an early date. Auckland Chess Club. The opening night of the season takes place at the clubroom. His Majesty’s Arcade, next Saturday at 7.30 p.m., when visitors will lie welcome. A "lightning tournament” will be held, in which everyone present will be entitled to take part on payment of an entrance fee of one shilling. Two prizes will be awarded. The time limit is to be 15 seconds per move. M’e have been asked to make it known that the club members are always ready and willing to impart instruction to any new members, or even intending members, who desire it, so novices need not lie shy of putting in an appearaneeObituary. M’e regret to have to record the death of Mrs. cell, the wife of Mr. A. G. Fell, of Wellington, tiie well-known and widely-respected hou. secretary of the New Zealand Chess Association. The deceased lady passed away on the 36th ult., after a long and painful illness. Vniversal sympathy is felt for Mr. Fell. It is also our sad duty to chronicle the death, on Saturday last, of Mrs. Little, wife of Mr. Cornelius Little, of Auckland. Her eud, though peaceful, was tragic. It will be remembered that one afternoon, less than a fortnight ago, Mrs. Little, with her sister, Nirs. Nieolsou, paid a visit to some friends at Milford Beach. They afterwards went for a stroll. Within a short time both ladies were struck down by some mysterious illness, which proved to be cerebral hemorrhage. Mrs. Nieolson succumbed within a few hours, while Mrs. Little lingered for more- than a week. She was too ill to be moved, and only regained consciousness temporarily and at long intervals. We understand Mrs. Little leaves a large family to mourn her loss. The greatest sympathy is felt for Mr. Little in his very sad and sudden bereavement. Mr. Little was formerly president of t ie Auckland Chess Club, and he is one of its oldest members, and its most munificent benefactor. Though of late years debarred by his many engagements and charitable enterprises from taking an active part in club affairs, he has not lost bis love of the game, nor his interest in the club’s welfare. He is, and always has been, one of the club’s most popular members. As instances of his zeal, we may mention that on two occasions—in 1905 and 1909—he has given up a whole fortnight of his valuable time—and he is a very busy manto act as umpire at New Zealand championship tournament*. The umpire’s task is never easy, and often thankless. Mr. Little performed the duties with eminent fairness, firmness, and tact.

Solution of Problem No, 145. (Galitzky.) 1. B—Kt4. If 1. . . K—Kt4; 2. B—BB. etc. If 1. . . K—K6; 2. BxP. etc. The Bishop acts as sheep dog, rounding up tlie poor black sheep I banded K), and landing him safely in the pen.