168 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[July 2, 1894. 



No. 2. 



Blace (.i). 



White (S). 



White mates in two moves. 



Knowledge Problem Tourney. 



Only seven took part in the prelimiuai-y adjudicatiou, 

 viz., J. H. Christie, A. C. Challenger, Semper, A Norse- 

 man, Chat, Guy, and the Chess-Editor. Marks, awarded 

 on the plan given last month, were divided among the 

 various problems as follows ; — 447^, 37it, 34a, 3Hs^,28, 271, 

 261, 25^—13^, 10, 8, 5, 0, 0, 0. " Total 294 = 7 x 42. A"s 

 the voting was very close, and the gap obviously comes 

 after the first eight, the Chess-Editor decided that these 

 eight problems ought to go before the judge. The eight 

 successful problems, named in the order of publication, are 

 — No. 2 (" T can't help ynur tnmhlcs "), No. 3 (" Sweetness 

 awl Fiiritij, dr."), No. 4 {"Stella"), No. 5 Q' Bonne 

 Bouche"), No. 10 {" iVulli Serundus"}, No. 11 {" Pearl of 

 the Garden "), No. 14 {" Enrirhetta "), and No. \Q{" Fortes 

 fortuna jurat.") 



C'hat and the Chess-Editor alone placed seven of these 

 on their lists, A. C. Challenger, Semper and Guy placing 

 six. The problem which obtained 37| marks was the only 

 problem on every list. One solver placed it first, while no 

 less than three placed it seventh. 



Mr. E. N. Frankenstein has kindly accepted the post of 

 judge. We expect to publish his award next month. 

 Criticisms. 



No. 1 {"Pro virtute"). — Spoilt by the weak key and 

 dual. The construction is a little clumsy, hut there are 

 some creditable variations. 



No. 8 (" Miinetdi "). — Neat and unpretentious. The 

 dual short mate is a drawback. 



No. II (" Liehlich sind, etr."). — In spite of the weak key 

 and crowded forces, the autlior's idea of meeting 1. . . P 

 to B") by 2. Q to Kt7, resulting in three absolutely pure 

 mates, is perhaps the finest in the whole tourney. Un- 

 fortunately, there is a dual in this the main variation. 



No. 12 (" Sietider"). — Pretty and elegant, with a fairly 

 good key, and one quiet second move. But like No. 8 it 

 is rather a light weight. 



No. 13 {" Invicta"). — Some nice variations; but the 

 symmetrical construction makes the key obvious, and not 

 only halves the variety but doubles the dual. 



No. 10 {"A Xorstiiian").~A fair key, but the duals 

 leave only two sound variations. 



No. 17 (" Posuit ultiniuin lapidem "). — Bather a crowded 

 position. The triple and dual completely spoil an other- 

 wise fairly good position. 



Of the unsound problems, " La Hetraite " was perhaps 

 the best ; " E((st Harliwj " had a fine strategical key ; 

 " The Cirrle," if sound, would probably have been the most 

 difticult problem in the tourney. 



CHESS INTELLIGENCE. 



The result of the Championship Match was received too 

 kte to report last mouth. Mr. Lasker won the last game 

 in fifty-two moves, and the match by ten games to five and 

 four draws, almost the identical score by which Steinitz 

 himself defeated Zukertort in their last match. It is stated 

 that the loser has issued a challenge for a return match to 

 be played under similar conditions next December. In 

 the meantime Mr. Lasker, who is expected in Europe 

 shortly, must be considered champion of the world. Till 

 quite recently it was the fashion to minimize in every 

 possible way the merit of Mr. Lasker's successes, though 

 exactly two years ago an opinion was expressed in 

 Knowledge that he had no equal in Europe except I)r. 

 Tarrasch. Now his reputation rests on a securer basis. 

 To what extent Mr. Steinitz's defeat is due to increasing 

 years and ill-health cannot be accurately determined ; but, 

 as is well known, his victories during the last few years 

 have not been marked by those crushing majorities to 

 which we were accustomed fifteen years ago. He defeated 

 Gunsberg and Tschigorin by a very small margin of games, 

 and subsequently lost both games in his match by 

 correspondence with the latter player. It is extremely 

 improbable, therefore, that he was quite at his best this 

 year. The internal evidence of the games shows inequality 

 of play and a certain lack of patience, though at times 

 there was much of the old brilliancy. 



The Championship of the Southern Counties' Chess 

 Union has fallen to Surrey. After their victory in the 

 south-eastern division the result was practically decided, 

 though they still had to play matches with Northampton- 

 shire and Gloucestershire, both of which counties they 

 defeated without much difiiculty. 



Mr. Teiehmann has considerably added to his reputation 

 by two consecutive victories in tournaments at Simpson's 

 Divan. Messrs. Bird, Miiller and RoUand were among 

 the competitors. 



On May 26th the City of London Club defeated a strong 

 team of the St. George's Chess Club by the decisive 

 majority of eleven and a half to three and a half. Mr. 

 Wayte was the only prominent absentee on the defeated side. 



Contents of No. 104, 



Insect Seei-etions. — II. By E. A. 

 Butler. B.A., B.Sc 121 



The Luminiferous Ether. By J. J. 

 Sfewart.B.A. Cantab., B.Sc.Lon. 123 



Tiie Genesis of Flowers, by the 

 Rev. Alex. S. Wilson, M.A., 

 B.Sc. 125 



Is Bet.i Lyrje a Double Star? By 

 Miss A. M. Gierke 123 



The Fatif^ue of Metals, and Mus- 

 cular Fati^e. By D. S. Smart 130 



Star Clusters in the tj Arjus 

 Reirion of the Milky Way. By 

 A. C. Ranyarii 131 



Liquid Chlorine. ByA.G.Bloxam 133 



PAOP 

 13i 



Notices of Books. Science Notes 

 Letters :— A. Collis.on ; William 



Noble ; W. F. Denning ; Edwin 



Holmes ; J. Muuro : F. 



Montagrue James : J. T. Denham 135 

 The Venom of the Cobra. By 



C. A. MitnheU, B.A.Oxon 137 



"Rib-Walkers." 3y R. Lydekker, 



B.A.Cantab 138 



The Wood-Pieeon. By Harry F. 



Witherby Ul 



The Face of the Sky for June. 



By Herbert Sadler, F.R.A.S. ... 14J 

 Chess Column. By C. X>. Locock, 



B.A.Oxon. 14:; 



NOTICES. 



The numbers of Knowleikje for January and Febniary of this year can now 

 be had, price One Shilling each. 



Complete sets of Knowledge, 16 vols., bound, inchidiug- Old and New Series, 

 can he hiid. 



Bound volumes of Knowledge, New Series, can be supplied as follows : — 

 Vols. I.. II.. and III., 12s. fid. each ; Vol. IV., 16s. ; Vol. V., 12s. 6d. ; Vols. VI. 

 and VII., 10s. each ; Vol, VIII. (189.3), 8s. tid. 



Binding Cases, Is. 6d. each ; post free, Is. 9d. 



Subscribers' numbers bound (including case and Index), 2s. 6d. each volume. 



ludex of Articles and Illustrations for 1891, 1892, and 1893 can be supplied 

 for 3d. each. ^ 



TEEMS OF SUBSCRIPTION. 



Annual Subscription, Ss., Post Free. 



•* Knowledge " as a Monthly Magazine cannot be registered as a Newspaper 

 for transmission abroad. The Terms of Subscription per annum are therefore 

 as follows : — To any address in the United Kingdom, the Continent, Canada, 

 United States, Egypt, India, and other places in the Postal Union, the 

 Subscription is 8 shillings, including postage; or 2 dollars; or S marks ; 

 or 10 francs. 

 For all places outside the Postal Union, fi shillinpa in addition to the postage. 



Communications for the Editor and Books for Review should be addressed 

 Editor, " Knowledge " Otfice, 326, High Holborn, Loudon. W.C. 



