March 1, 1888.] 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



119 



By " Mephisto." 



January 23, 1888 :- 



SI HE following game will be found interesting, as it 



records a somewhat novel defence to the Bishop's 

 Gambit. It has always been our belief that the 

 play in this interesting opening has been far 

 from exhausted, either for the attack or the 

 defence. 



One of fourteen games played simultaneously 

 by Captain Mackenzie against Mr. J. D. 

 Seguin — a strong player — at New Orleans, 



White. 

 Mackenzie. 



1. P to K4 



2. P to KB4 



3. B to Bl 



4. B X P 



5. K to Esq 

 B to B4 (S) 

 KKt to B3 (c) 

 Pto Q4 

 Kt to B3 

 P to KR4 (rf) 



11. Q to K2(f) 



12. B to Kt3 



6. 

 7. 

 8. 

 9. 

 10. 



Bishop's Gambit. 



White. 

 Mackeuzie. 

 13. P to Q5 

 14. 

 1.5. 

 IC. 

 17. 

 18. 

 l!l. 

 20. 

 21. 



Black. 



SeeulQ. 

 P to K4 

 PxP 

 P toQ4 

 QtoK.5(ch) 

 PtoQB3(«) 

 B to KKt.") 

 Q to IM 

 P to KKt4 

 Kt to Q2 

 Castles 

 Kt to Kt3 

 BtoKt2(/) 



P,xB 

 PxQP 

 P to B4 

 Q to Q3 

 B to Kt2 ((■) 

 K to B2 

 Q to Q4 

 RxKt 



22. Q X P(B3) (i) 



23. Kt to K5 



24. Q X KtP 



Bl.\ck. 



Sepniu. 

 B X QKt 

 PxQP 

 Kt to B3 

 QR to Ksq (.7) 

 Kt to K.5 ! (h) 

 Kt to KtG (oh) 

 R to K6 ! 

 Kt X R (ch) 

 Pto B3(y) 

 KR to K sq 

 Kt to Q2 : (/) 

 Kt X Kt 



And Black won. 



(a) The object of this move is to facilitate rapid castling on the 

 Queen's side. We have seen many fine games played in this opening 

 where this has been done. White will subsequently be compelled 

 to play P to Q4 to develop his game, and prevent the Black KB 

 harassing the White K by playing to B4. Under these conditions, 

 Black by castling QR besides bringing his K into safety for a time, 

 brings his Rook to Qsq, thereby establishing a kind of masked 

 battery on the Queen, which the latter is usually compelled to avoid 

 by moving on the King's file. Black will then direct his play on 

 the Queen's Pawn, and, under certain circumstances — for instance, 

 to be able to play R to QS (eh), and for other combinative purposes — 

 Black may sacrifice a piece effectively. These are some features of 

 the game if Black castles QR, but it he fails to do so, then P to B3 

 becomes a loss of time, as Black will probably have to play P to KKt4 

 to defend his KBP, which would give White two squares, namely 

 Q6 and KBG, where he threatens to place his Queen's Knight, which 

 often succeeds when the defence is indifferently conducted, result- 

 ing sometimes in the loss of the Black Queen ; this is brought about 

 by a series of moves whereof the following are the essential ones, 

 namely QKt to B3, P to Q4, P to Ko, Kt to K4, &c. Then, again, 

 we have often observed that tlie Black P on B3 makes an ultimate 

 advance of the White Q's P — if properly supported by the Kt on 

 QB3 — all the more effective, for if then Black takes. White, amongst 

 other things which he might do, may retake with his Knight, which 

 then would occupy a strong and menacing position on Q.5 ; in the 

 alternative of Black not taking the P on Q5, it leaves White the 

 option of weakening Black's Q's si<le by playing P x P, or play- 

 ing P to Q6, lice., if worth while. These are the main outlines of 

 this attack, and it may be said that he who develops most rapidly 

 will obtain an advantage ; but whether the defence adopted in the 

 text is good, experience alone must decide. 



(ft) We should prefer B to Kt3. 



(c) Here it may be observed that Q to Ksq might come in useful, 

 for if Black changes Queens, then — the fact of the White B on B4 

 threatening the Black KBP preventing Black for the moment from 

 castling QR; the position of Black's Pawns on the King's side 

 rendering an attack on them profitable ; the superior position of 

 White's Pawns on the Queen's side ; the fact of the Black P on B3 pre- 

 venting him from playing his QKt to B3 — all these, in themselves 

 very small items, would, combined, render White's game more 

 desirable. If Black does not change Queens, then the move of the 

 Queen will come into eft'ect later on, after Bl^ck has castled QR, by 

 avoiding the " masked battery." 



((i) P to Q.5 would not do now, because Black would reply with 

 Kt to K4 ; but it will be seen (in illustration of our note a) that 

 under circumstances (for instance when the White KKt is not 

 doubly pinned, or the White B had retired to Kt3) this may be a 

 strong move. In illustration of another point touched upon in our 

 note a, 10. P to Ko, with the intention of playing Kt to K4. is now 

 also inadmissible, because then Black castles, threatening Kt x KP ; 

 and if White, in order to forestall this move, continues with 

 11. Q to K2 (to avoid the masked battery, the necessity of doing 

 which we mentioned in note c), then Black, by playing Kt to Kt3, 



attacking the B (which, according to note h, ought to liave been 

 played to Kt3), will win the QP. 



((') The Times Democrat, New Orleans, here points out that if 

 White plays 11. K to Ktsq instead, then Black has at his disposal 

 the ingenious continuation B to Kt2, for if then 12. PxP, B x Kt I 

 and Black would win the QP with a good game. 



(/) If Black plays RxP, White would reply 13. Q to B2, com- 

 pelling the Rook to move, after which 15. Kt x P would gain some 

 advantage. 



(y) Why not the King's Rook ? 



(A) Black has developed his pieces rapidly and with precision. 

 The advance of the QP has, under the circumstances, turned out dan- 

 gerous for White. Black has now a winning game. 

 Black. 



White. 



(t) It would be but a very poor expedient to try and avoid the 

 loss of the exchaugc ; for instance, by 18. K to Ktsq, Kt to KtG ; 

 19. R to R2, B X Kt ; 20. P X B (best, for if 20. Q x B, Black mates 

 in two moves) ; 21. R to KS(ch) and wins. 



(j) Under the circumstances this move does no harm. 



(A) We should have preferred to utilise the time given bj- Black's 

 last move to play 22. Q to B4(ch), K to Ktsq ; 23. Kt to Q4. 



(Z) A winning move. White cannot take the Kt on account of 

 mate threatened b.v R to B7(ch), &c. 



Position after Black's 20th move in a game, being one of sixteen 

 games played simultaneously by Captain Mackenzie at New Orleans 

 on January 25 : — 



J. G. Blanchard. 

 Black. 



m m m m 



Bl ^ m 



Whttk. 

 Mackenzie. 

 The game continued — 



21. QR to KKtsq R to E2 



22. BxPI 



Fine play, .ind apparently quite sound. 



22. P :■ B 



If R X B, White would have the ingenious reply of 23. Q x R, as 

 the P could not retake, for that would be mate in two moves. But 

 now White misses a chance of .speedily determining the game. 

 Instead of 23. Q x P (ch) he ought to have played 23. R to KtS (ch), 

 K to B2 then 24. Q » P would win a Rook, as Black has no better 

 reply to this threatening move than R x R. 



23. Q X P (ch.) 1 K to Ksq 



24. K to KtS (ch) Kt to Esq 



25. R X Kt (ch) 



