228 



KNOV/LEDGE ♦ 



[April 13, 1883. 



and then the Bmall ono. Similarly from Knavo, ton, and a small 

 one. 



Ono may sitjual, of course, as readily by a discard as when fol- 

 lowing suit. 



1m passing I may note that it may bo either unwise or unfair to 

 hesitate when the chance of signalling comes. Uepeatedly it 

 happens tliat second player shows — to liis loss, or it may be to his 

 gain, according to circumstances — that he is strong in trumps, but 

 not quite strong enough to signal, by hesitating before playing a 

 small card such as, but for doubts as to signalling, ho would have 

 been sure to play without licsitation. Thus I lead Ace ; the player 

 im my left after hesitating and perhaps drawing out another card, 

 plays Douce : I know, and every one else at the table knows, that 

 he had thought of signalling, but concluded to refrain. He is there- 

 fore certainly strong in trumps, but not (juite strong enough to 

 signal. It is unfair to show this to a partner who may be, perhaps, 

 himself so strong in trumps as to be sure it is safe to lead them 

 after what he has learned ; on the other hand, it is not wise to 

 show this strength to tho enemy, who may have good strength, too, 

 and take advantage of what they have learned to force you, or 

 otherwise .spoil your plans. The risk may compensiito the "advan- 

 tage ; but in any case it is not Whist to show anything about your 

 hand by a trick, either of design or of carelessness. 



In my next I shall consider the Echo of the Signal. 

 (To be continued.) 



©ur Cftesis Column. 



By Mephisto. 



We regret that this problem was misprinted in our last week's 

 number; we now giro a corrected diagram. 



KEPEIXT PiiOBLEM Xo. Si. 

 Black. 



1^ M "'"" 



m Bi 



-•'-•"'"I |W^ ^ mm mm 



White. 



White to play and mate in three moves. 



(A test of skill in solving.) 



GAME PLAYED IN A CORRESPONDENCE TOURNEY. 

 Scotch Gambit. 



White. 

 G. W. Stevens. 



1. P to K |. 



2. Kt to KI33 



3. P to Q I 



4. Kt takes P 



5. B to K.'i 



6. P to QH3 



7. Q to g:J (n) 



8. P to KHl 



9. Q to KB2 



10. Kt to Q2 



11. Castles 



12. P takes Kt 



13. P to Bo (rf) 



Black. 

 W. T. Piprce. 

 P to Kl. 

 Kt to QB3 

 P takes P 

 B to li-l 

 Q to B3 

 KKt to K2 

 P to QK3 

 P to Q3 

 Kt to Kt3 

 B to Q2 

 Kt tks Kt {h) 

 B to QKt5 (c) 

 Kt to K2 



White. 

 ff.W. Stevens. 



14. Kt to B3 



15. Kt to K5 



Black. 

 W. T. Pierce. 

 P to Q,4 (e) 

 B to Kt4. (/) 



1(5. B takes B (3) P takes B 



17. Q to K2 (/',) Q to QR3 



18. Q toK5 (0 P to KKtS 



19. P takes KtP BP takes P 



20. Q to Kt4 Castles KR 



21. P toKR4(0 Q takes P 



22. P to R5 Q to Kt6 



23. K to Kt sq Kt to B4 (A) 

 2I-. P takes Kt (OR to R8 (ch) 

 25. K takes It Q to B7 

 Resigns 



NOTES, 

 (o) Blackbumo's attack. 



!6) Tho exchange is in White's favour, 

 c) B to R2 is to be preferred. 

 (d) B to B4 would have boon etron^'or plav. 

 (c) Well calculated to break his centre. 



(/) Black prefers to keep his King in safety, especially as Whit© 

 cannot do much. 



(<j) Dangerous, as it opens the Rook's file. 



f/i) He ought to have played K to Kt stp 

 i) White cannot defend the Rook's Pawn, for if 18. P to QR3, 

 Black would take the Pawn vnth the Bishop, and speedily obtain a 

 winning advantage. 



(j) A forloni liope. 



(k) The cr>mbination that follows depends on this move, as it 

 prevents the Queen checking on K6 ; but Black had a simpler way 

 of effecting the mate bv R to R7, followed by Q to R3. 



(0 If 24. P takes KtP, then P to R3. 25. P to Kt7, R to B3, 

 threatening KR to R3, which is fatal. 



Dear Jlephisto, — In your remarks contesting tlie truth of Poe's 

 proposition that, " Tho best chess-player in Christendom may be 

 little more than the best player of chess," yon don't put the word 

 may in italics — an important point, as many persons have misunder- 

 stood Poe to mean that good chess-players are good jilayers of 

 chess and 'prohuhhj nothing else, and not, as I take it he clearly 

 desires to convey, possibly nothing else. 



You meet Poe's as.scrtion, that excellence in chess must not alone 

 be taken as a proof of general ability, by saying that, " Good 

 chess-]ilayers are to be fo^ud mostly among the higher professions 

 requiring great mental abilities, such as men of great learning and 

 letters, accountants, and clergymen." I cannot consider your 

 illustration good. It is news to hear that the profession of 

 accountant requires great mental abilities ; and what does Buckle 

 (eminent both as historian and chess-player) say of clergymen : — 

 " If, however, the inferiority of the boy is obvious, a suitable 

 remedy is at hand : he is made either a soldier or a clergyman — 

 he is sent into the army or hidden in the Church." 



It appears to me that all you have tried to prove is that many 

 men of known ability have been and are good chess-players. I 

 believe Poe would have been the first to agree to this. G. L. 



[Our correspondent has clearly misunderstood us. We did not 

 argue the question (we think mere argumentative philosophical 

 theories belong to a past era), but we proved it. It therefore 

 matters little whether Poe meant that good chess-players are 

 po^siblij or probably nothing else than good chess-players. We 

 positively assert that men Camateurs) who have attained excel- 

 fence in chess are men of culture, refinement, or otherwise distin- 

 guished in their professions. This we could easily prove by naming 

 the twelve best amateur chess-players in England. Such a cooise, 

 however, is not feasible in these columns. 



As to saying that accountants do not require mental abilities, or 

 Buckle's witticism about the clergy, we hardly think they require 

 special contradiction. That a person whose business ic is to master 

 stupendous and complex accounts possesses mental ability, goes 

 without saying. The time is also past when a dull boy can either 

 get on in the army or the Chnrch. We have frequently met clergy- 

 men who were strong chess-players, we invariably found them to 

 be men of mental abilities, culture, and refinement, and, if we may 

 judge by outward appearances, fairly successful in Ufe. " If there 

 are clergymen of a diiferent character, they cannot be strong chess- 

 players." — Mephisto.] 



[Does not Poe mean that a first-class chess-player may be little 

 but a first-class player of chess ? TTiis would be rather different 

 from saying that good chess-players may be worth little outside 

 chess. A first-rate mathematician may be worth nothing outside his 

 formula?; vet many mathematicians are men of excellent general 

 abilities.— R. P.] 



On Saturday, the 14th inst., Mr. Zukcrtort will jilay eight games 

 blindfold against the strongest members of the North London Club, 

 at the Morlcy Hall, Hackney. 



A third edition of " 100 Chess Problems," by the Rev. A. Cyril 

 Pearson, is in cotu-se of preparation by the Civil Service Publishing 

 Co., 8, Salisbury-court, Fleet-street, which will include a few 

 problems lately composed, and a "four-mover" which took the 

 double first prize in the Chess Monthly Pi'oblem Tournament. 

 2s. 9d. post-free. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 

 *,* Please address Chess Editor. 

 J. C. S. — Problems received with thanks. 



M. T. Hooton.— In Problem SI, if B takes Kt, B takes B (ch.) 

 Correct solutions received. — Problem No. 81, J. Evelyn. No. 

 82. W., Clarence. No. 83, W. 



C. H. Brockelbank v. O. C. Smith. 



-V few cepjes of KxowxBDoB, Nos. 1. S, 4, 8, and H, fnr ("ale. at 6d. each. — 

 Apply ur oililreas tho Publishers, 71 to 70, Great Queen-street, London, W.C. 



