The Chess Board.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVIII, Issue 18, 30 October 1912, Page 11

The Chess Board.

'All communications io be addressed Io •“Chess,” Boss 253, Auckland. ' . !.■ Auckland. Chess Club meets on Jlonduu Thursday, and Saturday evenings, at No. 24, His Majesty's Arcade, Queen-street (2nd floor). The Y.M.C.A. Chess Club meets on Frida y evenings. The Hamilton Chess Club meets in 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 Unpublished games, containing special features, notes of critical positions occurring in actual play, and original problems (with diagram and analysis) arc always acceptable.

Answers to Correspondents.

Problem No. 172. By Dr. J. J. O'KEEFE, Kogarah, and Mr H. GADSEN, Newtown. Fire; prize in Alain C. White’s Third Australasian Problem Tourney. Black, 11 men.

8, qlblSlsl, pBR, 4klpl, lppß4, tipi, It,Hl, B2bSlKs. White to play and mate in two moves. Australasian Problems. /"IA R. ALAIN C. WHITE, the wellfl I ■ known problem enthusiast, has, for the third time, given / prizes for competition amongst Australian and New Zealand composers. 83 entries were received. South Australia led the way with 22 entries; then followed New South Wales, 13; Western Australia, 12; Victoria, 9; New' Zealand, 4; and Queensland, 3. The judge (Mr J. D. Williams), of Port Pirip, S.A.), says: —“I. am pleased to be able to report that there has ' been a gratifying increase in the number of entries, and that the general quality is of a high order. In fact, there are so many problems of high quality that it was only by careful comparison that 1 have been able to place the leaders. Every State, with the exception of Tasmania, is re-' presented, as is also New Zealand.’’ The awards were as follows:— First prize, Dr. J. J. O’Keefe and 11. • hulsen (New South Wales). Second prize, W. 11. Connelly (South Australia). First hon. mention, !•'. T. Hawes (New South Wales). Second hon. mention, Arthur Mosely i Queensland). Third hon. mention, B. G. Fegan (New South Wales). Fourth hon. mention, H. J. Tucker i South Australia), The first prize-winner appears above. Mr A. C. White again oilers prizes for the best original two movers by residents of Australia and New Zealand appearing m any chess column published in the above-mentioned countries. Problems to be eligible nnu-t be published under authoi is names, and during the year ending ■lune 31), |<)J3. Joint authorship will bn permitted Judge, Mr J. D. Williams.

The Richmond Congress.

It seems to bo generally coheeded that the best game played in the championship section was the one between Rev. F. E. Hammond and Mr R. P. Michel). We give the score with notes from the “Field.’’ ' ' '

'Queen’s Pawn Opening. White. Black. Hanioinl. Aliehelt

(a) 2. P—K3 generally shows the intention of building up the “Stonewall.’ Black could reply with P—K3. and if P—KB4, then also P—KB4—Stonewall against Stonewell. (One form of the Jovvitt Opening—well-known in N.Z.- - Ed.) (b) Hardly the best place for the Queen. To make room for castling QR he could have played Q —l\2, giving it more <scoiip. (c) With Black’s Q at K2 this move would have been useless, as Black could have casth’il QR, when the KKtl* coul I not havje been captured. (d) rhe alternative would be Kt —Q2: 15. P -R5, Q 82. followed if’feasible, by P—B4, Kt B 3 and Ko. (e) B—B2 might be considered, the Bishop being out of play at R 4. White would have to attend to the Bishop’i* move. (f) A powerful move, dillieult to meet. White’s attack begins to accentuate itself. 4g) Pxß. 33. Qxß, Kt (Q 4) —Kts might be suggested. Anyhow Black would have plenty of scope for defence and attack. (h) In spite of the risky capture of the Pawn on tin* preceding move, he might perhaps have saved the game with 42. R--K6. It was too dillieult a game to analyse at short notice as thoroughly an we should have wished. (i) The beginning of a beautiful final combination. (j) An end game of rare beaut v.

Notes and News.

Marshall attended the B.C.F. <‘ongress as an onlooker. He sent in an entry for the Major Open Tourney, but unfort mialely the entry was received too late, as the pairing had a’l been arranged and printed. Ile intended to stay in London till November, hut along came a challenge from Janowski to play a match of ten games al Biarritz. Naturally he could not resist ’this. Ihe match has commenced, and the score by last mail stood: Janowski I}. Marshall }. Immediately on the conclusion of this match he was to return Io Engl ami, as he had made engagements for exhibitions of simultaneous play. < (A. later report shows that Marshall won by 3'garner-to 2, with 3 draws.)

Tn connection with -the Congress a monster lightning tourney was held in which 68 players took part, it was completed in 2} hours. J , . “The Cheltenham Examiner” announces that the whole of the necessary funds having been guaranteed, it may now be considered certain it hat the next B.C.F. Congress'will be held at Cheltenham. “It is always interesting reading (say.' the ‘Canterbury Trines') when Leopold Hoffer gives his personal views of the great international chess tournaments. His presence at the event and his wide intimate acquaintance with the competing masters give him opportunities of hearing post mortem analyses and discussions that must be of incalculable value in the preparation of his instructive analytical notes. And there is no • Loubt that the English reading chess public owes its acquaintance with the characteristics, traits, and idiosyncrasies of the European chess masters largely to the entertaining comments of the celebrated London chess editor.’’

The correspondence tournament instituted by “The British Chess Magazine” in November, 1908, has now concluded after a run of close on four years. Ninety-eight players entered. They competed in sections, the 16 winners of which took part in the ti-nal. Prizes, were awarded to 11 who-, completed their games. The chief prizes went to • Rev. E. Griffiths, Lewes, 13.}; the Hon. V. A. Parnell, Sittingbourne, 12}; ami Air W. 11. Gunston, Cambridge, 10}. The principal prizes were: First, chess materials to the value of £5: second, “In Statu Quo” chess board, value £2; third, set of Staunton chessmen, value 25/. The competition was so much appreciated that the editor intend-s to start another at an early date.

Auckland Chess Club.

The annual match, Smokers v. Nonsmokers, was played on Monday, 21st. instant. Twenty-four members took part. The hon. secretary A. E. Layland) made all the necessary arrange ments. Each pair played one game only. The Smokers won the toss, and had the move at the odd-numbered boards. After some two hours* 'play the match ended in a draw,- each side scoring six wins. Following are the detailed scores: — Board NonNo. Smokers. W ins. smokers. Wins. 1. F. (•. Ewen.. 0 J. (■. Grierson. 1 2. AAV. O. Davies 0 E. J. Aides .... 1 3. M. Freeman. . 1 Rev. A. Miller. 0 4. F. Harvey ... 1 F. W. Smith . . 0

5. H. Sachs .... 0 E. Priestley .. 1 fi. A. E. Layland 1 J. M. Lennox . 0 7. E. Harland I E. Morgan .... 0 8. H. Green O J. Sim 1 - 9. G. A. Wilson - I T. Coulthard .. 0 10. A. Wright .. . *1 J. Moir, jun. .. 1 11. A. Rose 0 M. Horneman . 1 12. R. Putman ..1 J. Al. Smith 0 0 B The score in the final rounds of the handicap tourney to 25th inst., stood thus:—Coulthard, 2 wins, no losses, 3 games to play; Moir, 2J—J —2; Davies and Sim, 1| -1J 2; Wilson, J—222;4 —2; Myers, 0 2— 3. The last round has to be played by 31st instant. We cannot see how the players are going to do it. Solution of Problem No. 170. (By R. G. Thomson.) 1. Kt Q 4. The judge in the “Chess Amateur’ Tourney Mr E. J. Winter-Wood says in his award: "In this problem each acceptance of the seven fold Knight sacrifice produces a different mate. The key gives one of the captures by King, which is a line point: and the ‘tout ensemble’ is, I believe, new. . . Murray Marble's first prize seven fold bishop’s sacrifice is a pretty companion to this line problem.” In his personal notes on the prizewinners, the problem editor (Mr Philip 11. Williams) says: "The hero of oiir first problem tourney avas born at Aberdeen in 18U1, and learned chess in 1884: he soon developed a keen -interest in problems, winning his first prize for solutions in 1880. His first problem was published just 20 years ago; he has produced upwards of 300, including selfmates. lie is a devotee of the English school of composition, and .tries to do without duals. He has a long list of. successes to his credit —not far off twenty, half of these being premier honours. . . . lie has a place in the 'Chess Bouquet,’ where his biography apd selected problems appear amongst other well-known British composers. lie finds the pursuit of chess to be an everfaithful resource to him after a hard day's work in a manufacturing linn in Aberdeen.” The problem by Murray Marble referred to in the judge’s award took first prize in La-Strategic three years ago. In ease any reader may eare to see for himself how apt and just the judge's comment is, we give the problem: Q 7, (IS), Kp4BI, 3pplsl, 3klr2, pI.R4R, 4rs2, BBq. Mate in two. The key move is B—KI.

1 P—Q4 P—Q4 2 PK3 .... Kt—KB3 (a) 3 B—Q3 P—B4 4 P—QB3 P—K3 5 Kt—Q2 Kt—B3 0 P KB4 B— Q3 7 Q—B3 B—Q2 8 kt—R3 Q—Kl3 (b> 9 Q Kt3 (e) KR—Kt sq 10 Q—B3 P—KR3 11 Kt—B2 Castles 12 B—B2 K—Kt sq 13 Kt—Q3 B—K sq 14 P—QR4 PxP (ll) 15 KPxP Kt —Q2 10 P—QKt4 Q— B2 17 R R2 . . P—B3 18 Kt—Kt3 Kt—K2 1!) Kt (Q3)- B5 . . . . BxKt 20 KtPxB . . P—K4 21 Castles P—K5 22 Q K2 .. P—Bl 23 B—Q2 Kt—QB3 24 R—Kt2 K—R sq 25 B—Kt tsq Kt—B3 20 B—R2 B—R4 27 Q —K sq K R —K sq 28 P B4 P KO (e) 09 B—R5 (f) P QKL3 30 PxKtP RPxP 31 PxP Kt (KB3)xP 32 Q—R4 P—K7 (g) 33 R— K sq P—Kt3 34 B—Q2 ... Kt (Q4) Kt.i 35 B —Kt sq Q --Q3 30 Q—B2 R—K3 37 P—R3 QR- K sq 38 P—Kt4 PxP 39 PxP BxP 40 Q—Kt2 P—R4 41 P—R5 PxP 42 K R2 Kt -Q4 <li) 43 KtxP (i) 44 Kt—B4 .... Bl 45 QxKt ill QxQ 40 B—K4 . K—R2 47 BxQ 48 BxKt BxB 49 B—K3 eh (j) . . . .