February 1, 1888.] 



♦ KNOV/LEDGE ♦ 



95 



POSITJOX AFTER WHITE'S 



2 1 ST Move. 

 Black. 



XOTES. 

 (a) Not favourable for the defence ; K Kt to B3 is better. 

 (*) Black is delaying the development of his forces too long, and 

 this move weakens his King"s side. 



(o) White has his pieces in good play, and although he does not 

 threaten B x KP immediately, that move may soon become possible, 

 ((i) Weakening his position still more : he should have played 

 B X B. " 



(e) \\'hite follows up his advantage in development in the best 

 possible way, giving Black no breathing time. 



(/") If Black had played P x P, then R x P and QR to KB sq would 

 have given White an advantage. 



(g) B to Q2 was preferable. 

 (A) To prevent Kt to E5, but it 

 was not good, although it would 

 be diflBcult to suggest a better 

 move. P to Bl might have been 

 tried here. 



(i) A very fine move, for if 

 Black replies with P x Kt then 

 •>-2. PxP (disc ch), K to K sq. 

 23. P X Kt to be followed by R to 

 K7 or K6 winning {see diagram'). 



(j) The Queen is badly placed 

 on Kt7. 



(A) Black cannot take the Rook, 

 for after Kt x R. 26. R x- Kt(ch), 

 K to R2. 27. P to B6 (ch) wins. 

 (I) White threatens to take this 

 Knight as the Kt on B3 dare not 

 move, and if Kt to B sq then 

 Q to Kt8 or R to K7 or K8 wins. 

 This game shows plainly the great disadvantage wliich arises by 

 proper play through losing time in the opening. 



" t 



# -!^ % 

 t i) 



i^j-M 





A CHAITER OF ACCIDEXTS. 



Nobody is infallible, and the player who makes the least number 

 of mistakes is the strongest player. In Tournament play every mis- 

 take counts, whereas in match-play it does not to that extent, for if 

 a player loses a game in a match, he can always recover himself if 

 he is the stronger player. The following incredible series of mis- 

 takes occurred in the game, Gunsberg r. Burn, played in the Tourna- 

 ment of the B.C.A. 



Bubs. 



Black. 





■S M. mm. -mm 

 i ^ A ^ mm. a? m 



It was ^Miite's move, and he plaj'ed — 



Q to B6 (ch) 

 Q X Kt, P X Q, Kt to R2 would have won easily. 



B to K3 

 QxKt 

 Still right, but White might have defended simply bj' Kt to Q sq, 

 winning again easilv. 



PxKt 

 Kt to R2 

 Fatal. If, instead of this. White plays simply P to R8 (Q), he 

 still wins. 



White has made three successive weak moves, and under certain 

 awkward circumstances such play might give rise to grave conjec- 

 tures. The result of the loss of this game was that Gunsberg was 

 not absolute first, but tied with Burn. 



Experience has proved that luck sometimes equalises itself. 

 Having had bad luck in the above game, Gunsberg had a piece of 

 good luck in his game with Bird, which, although it did not fully 

 counterbalance the loss of the previous game, yet it enabled him to 

 remain in front. The position was as follows : — 



GUXSBERG. 

 Black. 



Whitf. 

 Eir.D. 



Black had been lighting an up-hill game for a long time, and had 

 no chance by correct play. He played 



Kt to Q3, 

 which gave White the opportunity of mating in two moves by 

 Q X P (ch), K X Q, and B to Kt2 mate. White, however, did not see 

 this pretty but by no means so verj' obvious move, but played 



BxP, 

 an inferior move, to which Slack replied with 



KtxB 

 P X Kt Q to R7 (ch) and wing. 



Even on his last move White would have done much better by playing 

 Q X Kt, when the win would not by any means be assured b3" Black 

 exchanging Queens, as White would remain with too many Pawns. 



Yet another mistake occurred in the following game played in 

 the tie. Black might have won here by Q to B? (ch) ; K to R3 ; 



GtlSSBEEG. 

 Black. 



Whtte. 



Burn. 



Q to KG (ch) ; K to R4 : Kt to Kt3 (ch), and Black wins ; for if 

 PxKt Black wins the Queen bv Q to K8 (ch)— K to R3, Q to 

 R8 (ch) ; but if R x Kt, then Q to K8 (ch)— K to R3, R x R wins. 

 Instead of this, the game proceeded in the following manner : — 



Rx R 

 QxR(ch) QxQ 



K X Q I' to R4 



K to B6 ! r to R5 



KloK7! K to Kt2 



B to B3 P to R6 



BtoQ.5 PtoKlo 



K to Q6 K to R3 



K to B.-; 

 And the game was drawn after a few moves. 



