The Chess Board.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVII, Issue 26, 26 June 1912, Page 11

The Chess Board.

All communications to be addressed to "Chess,” Box 283, Auckland. The Auckland Chess Club meets on Monday Thursday, avd Saturday evenings, at No. 24, His Majesty’s Arcade, Queen-street (2nd floor).

The Y.If.C.A. Chess Club meets on Friday evenings. The Hamilton Chess Club meets tn the Public Library, Hamilton, every Friday evening, at 7.30.

Hon. Secretaries of Chess Clubs are invited to furnish items of Club news. Unpublished games, containing special features, notes of critical positions occurring in actual play, and original problems (with diagram and analysis), ere always acceptable.

8 ....’ KKt —K2 9 I’ QK t3' Kt—B4 10 B—Kt2 B—Kts di 11 K—Bl If. he interposes a piece he loses the Ql’ (B). 11 B—K2 Anticipating P—KKt4, and intending Kt—Rs (P) (AV). 12 P—Kt3 P—QR 4 13 P—QR 4 QR—Bl 14 43—Kt5 Kt—Kt-5 Thus far this game resembles the partie played between L. Paulsen and Dr. Tarraseh at the Nuremberg tourney of 1888. Paulsen continued here 15 Bxß eh, and after 15 . . . Kxß ; 16 Kt —iB3, Kt— B 3; 17 Kt—QKtS, Kt—R2; 18 KtxKt, QxKt; 19 Q —<Q3, Q —R3, remained with the losing position.—(W.) 15 Kt—B3 Excellent plav, and far superior to Bxß eh (P). The position after White’s 15th move is: 2rlk2r, Iplbbppp. Iq2p3, pßlpPs2, PBIP4, IP.S2SPI, IB3PIP, R2QIKIR. 15 QKt—R3 Bxß would not improve matters. A possible continuation is 16 Ktxß, Kt— E 7; 17 R—Bl. Kt— K 6 ch; 18 PxKt, Ktx'P eh; 19 K—K2, KtxQ; 20 RxR ch. 16 Pxß is also playable.— (P.) 16 K—Kt2 Kt—B2 17 B—K2 B—Kts If 17....0—0; then 18 B—Q3, with a promising attack.— (P.) 18 Kt—tß2 Kt—R3 19 B—Q3 Kt—K2 20 QR— Bl Kt—B3 The struggle for position is very interesting. White has come to no harm by not having castled, whereas Black ineffectually massed his pieces on the Queen’s wing, thereby exposing his King’s side, which White attacks after lirst consolidating his own position.— QB.) 21 Ktxß QKtxKt 22 B— Ktl P—R3 \\ bite now has a. good game, whereas Black’s king’s wing Is beset with dangers. On iw-eount of Kt—Kts, Black may not eastle. —*(W.) 23 P—Kt4 P—R3 by Black was an error of judgment, as White’s immediate spirited response shows. — (B.) 23 Kt—K2 24 RxR eh BxR 25 Kt—Kl R—Bl If 25. . . .<>—O; then P—KR4, etc.— 11’) (W). 26 Kt—Q3 P—B3 27 KtxKt QxKt 28 PxP RxP 29 B— Bl Kt—B3 30 P— Kts PxP 31 BxP • R—Bl 32 B—K3 Q—K2 33 Q —Ktl Q—B3 34 R—Ktl R—Rl 35 K— Rl R—R5 Of no avail. Possibly Black miscalculated the full force of 36 Q —>Kt3.— (P.) 36 Q—Kt3 RxQP Black cannot stand the attack; he therefore tries to lesson the pressure by sacrificing the exchange.—<(B.) Black has nothing else for B—Kts and QxP are threatened.—(W) (P). 37 >BxR Ktxß 38 QxP Q—B6 ch 39 Q —Kt2 QxQ ch 40 RxQ KtxP 41 P —Rd Resigns The pawn vannot be stopped, for if Black now plays P—K4. then 42 R— Kt 8 eh. K—Q2, 43 B—Bs eh, wins the B.— (B.)

Answers to Correspondents.

FJ4..K. —Thanks for letter and slips. Position No. 154. By T. R. DAWSON. (From “Afove White Rooks.’’) Black, 7 pieces.

ol>). 5p2, 2KIpRPI, kP6, 2R3pl, 7s, 5p2,8. White to play and mate in three moves.

<n r N interesting game played in the y | recent San Sebastian tournif— l inent between Niemzowitsell (White) and Tarraseh (Black). In the middle game the struggle for a long time centres round White’s QP, which is supposed to be weakened by his premature (?) advance of P—K.>. “ The score ami the notes marked “B” are from the “Yorkshire Observer Budget.” The notes marked "VV” are in substance from “Deutsches Woehensi dwell,” per the “Canterbury Tinies,” and those labelled “P” from “The People,” via the “Otago Witness.” SICILIAN DEFENCE. White Black. 1 I’—Kl P—QB4 2 P—QB3 Niemzowitseh is fond of irregular play. This move turns the game into a kind of Queen’s' side opening (B). 2 ............. .. . ............. P— K.l Or P—Q4; always a good reply to P—QB3 (P). 3 P—Q4 P—Q4 4 P—-K5 In the French and Sicilian openings Illis move is considered bad. and is, besides, condemned by Dr. Tarraseh. But that it is not so easy to defeat in practical play this game plainly demonstrates. Moreover, in recent tournaments Niemzowitseh has often successfully used this discredited variation.— (W.) By a transposition of moves an oldfashioned variation of the French Defence is reached. Theoretically Black has b.y far the superior game, but practice finds this difficult of proof; witness the present game.—(P.) 4 QKt—B3 5 Kt—'B3 Q—Kt3 ti B—Q3 ........................ PxP Nienizowitseh recommends here t)B— Q2. whereupon White’s best reply is 71’ nBP, in order to forestall the threat at 05.—(W.) B—Q2 seems decidedly preferable, Io aliieh White’s best reply appears to be I’xl* in order to relieve the pressure on 04.-(l>.) < P*P B—Q2 8 B—K2 If 8 B—B2, then Kt—Kt.», compelling the exchange rtf White's most’ attack-- ' n K piece for if 9 B-Kt3, B—Kt4 would follow.— (I’.) (W>.

Notes and News.

Chess players of the present day. remarks a contemporary, are either "grubbers’ or “faculty men.” The grubbers grub ’ after pawns, and have always in view the value of an extra pawn in an end game. The faculty men are on the qui vive for brilliancy, and their chief delight is in the sacrifice of chess material.

Lancashire beat Yorkshire in the annual contest for the Northern Counties Championship on April 27. The match had been postponed on account of the coal strike. The delay had caused the interest of the Yorkshire players to wane, for scarcely a dozen of the thirty originally selected responded to the call.

Lancashire, on the other hand, was at full strength. Under the circumstances the substantial victory (20 to 10) is not surprising. Yorkshire seems likely to have its revenge in a correspondence match now proceeding between the two counties, in which the score so far is 16 to 6, with 7 draws.

Wellington Items.—. James has won the first game in his ladder match against Kelling for ring 5 in the Wellington C.C. There are 16 entries for the handicap tourney in the Workingmen’s Club. The same club's match v. Wellington East has been postponed, and its proposed telegraphic match with the Westport C.C- has been perforce abandoned, as the latter club cannot secure the wire. Wellington East v. Wellington South has been postponed. Napier v. Gisborne. —The telegraphic match ended in a tie, each side scoring 4 points. Messrs. Blake, Mason, ami Jourdain (Napier) and Sainsbury (Gisborne) were absent. The game at No. 1 board between Messrs. G. Hicks (Napier) and J. W. Whitty (Gisborne) was drawn. It is remarkable- that Mr. Witty and'Mr. R. Riddell (No. 2 board) should be leading an onslaught on a club of which they were two of the founders forty years ago! The "Natal Mercury” says, in reference to the Lasker-t'apablanca. match:

“There is, in our opinion, no gainsaying the fact that Lasker absolutely funks the match, or he would never want to hedge it round with such preposterously unfair and ridiculous conditions. Something ought to be done to prevent the possibility of such a fiasco, ami it is difficult to understand why the. various chess associations and federations of the world do not confer, with a view to framing rules and regulations to govern such an important contest. This last ‘effort’ of Lasker’s ought surely to start negotiations to that end.” We quite agree with this. Without hazarding any opinion as to whether Lasker would win against Uapablanea, or Teichmann, or Rubinstein —not to mention tSehlechter, who has already drawn one match with him—the settlement of the conditions of such an important thing as the championship of the world, ought not to lie with the holder. The matter should be in the hands of a representative body. The present position puts one in mind of the small boys’ game —"I’m the King of the eastle! Get down you dirty ras cal I ’’

The Students’ Corner.

(For inexperienced players.) Exercise No. 18. Try this pretty little problem by Dr. C. Planck, of London. You cannot fail to be pleased when you have solved it. The composer was one of the joint authors of a book entitled. “The Chess Problem,” published twenty or thirty years ago. White (four pieces) — K at Q Kt 2. Q at KB sq., B at QB2, B at KBS. Black (4 pieces) Kat K 4, Pawns at K 3, Q2, Q 4. Forsyth notation —5 82, 3 p 4, 4 p 3, 3 p k 3,8, 8, I Klis, 5 Q2. White to play and mate in two (2) moves.

Solution of Problem No. 152.

(Wurzburg.) 1. P R 8 (R), R—Ktl; 2. R—R7, R—QBI ; 3. K--K4, R moves; 4. R —B7, mate. If I . . . R—R2: 2. R—QKtB, R Kt2; 3. R—QBB ch, R—B2; 4. RxP mate.