CHESS SEASON

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 95, 8 May 1937, Page 19

CHESS SEASON

"Fianchetto,")

Better Success with Last Problem HASTINGS CLUB GAMES

[a]

As there is no block for printing the problem chart, the following method is used for showing the position of the pieces:— White pieces are shown in capitals, arid Black pieces in small letters. Etnpty squfires are denoted by a 'number showing the number of consecutive empty squares. Each line is separated by a semi-colon. The count starts from tho top left-hand eornor (Black QuCen Book square), t PBOBLEM No. Oa (B. J. Tuoker). 2 queen 1 BOOK 1 bishop 1; BISHOP 1 pawn 1 KNIGHT 3; 2 PAWN 3 PAWN pawn; 7 QUEEN; BOOK 1 pawn 2 king 1 PA'WN; 3 PAWN 2 pawn 1; KING 2 biahop 2 PAWN -1; 8. White to move and inate in two moves. Solution to last week's problem -is Q — KB5. Solvers had much better success with the last problem, correet sOlutions be ing received from Messrs. J* Haines, A. JStevenson, G. Mitchell, J. Heenan, W. J. Hay, O. J. Crook, M. iMason, and L. Cook. A solver asks whether under any circumstances the key move of a probicni could be a eheck, x>r a move taking a piece. The fir3t move certainly * miist not give check, and it also should not. be a move capturing a piece, although in a few problems (occasionally those in which the capturing move is a selfpinning move) the first move does capture a piece. It is quite permissible, ^however, for castling to be a move, and foi a pawn, when roaching the oighth rank to be promoted to a knight or any other piece. The Hastings Club was glad to welcome two new members last Tuesday, but otherwise the attendance was dssappointing. Begular attendance by members is most important, and is necessary if the club is to progress. Mitchell defeated Stevenson in the deciding game for fourth position 011 the ladder. Stevenson at one stage was a piece up, and certainly shoiild have won, even allowing for fine uphill play d y Mitchell. How often players witk morally won games drift, and eventiially lose! The knowledge that one has a won game — if oue does not determine to play on aS alertly aiid accuratelv as before — :often causes one to ease up and to gradually lose hold on the position. A few handicap games were played. The game this week is between two Bussians, played at the Moscow tonrnameut of 1935. The wiuner, Botvinnik, is champion of Bussia (the strongest chess country in the world; ;iand is eSpecially renowned for his ability to fathom the deepest combinations. In this game he sacrifices two knights for.a mate that does not materialise until twenty moves later, White h&S a forced mate in sight after. his 32nd move. Can you see it? The opening is called Eeti 's opening. Eeti's object in this, his favourite opening, was to attack his opponent's strong points in the centre, r^ther than to concentrate on the weak ones. AfteT P—QB4 this attack on the centre was furthered by developing each bishop in fianchetto at Kt2, directing pressure on the centre. Botvinnik deviates from the Eeti system proper in this game by developing his King's bishop at K2, instead of -jbhc.t2. Tchekover plays the opening poorly, and the weakness oi his cramped position is grandly ahown up by Botvinnik.

WHITE ' BLACK (Botvinnik) (Tchekover) 1. N— KB3 B— Q4 2. P— B4 P— K3 3. P— QN3 N— KB3 4. B— N2 B — K2 5. P — K3 v Castles 6. B— K2 P— -B3 7. Castles QN — Q2 8. N— B3 P— QB3 9. N— Q4 P x P 10. P x P N — B4 11. P— B4 Q— B2 12. N — B3 B— Q1 13. Q— B2 QN— Q2 14. P— Q4 P— B4 .15. N — K5 P— QN3 16. B — Q3 P x P 17. P x P B— N2 18. Q— K2 N— B1 19. N— Q1 E — E2 20. N — B2 Q — N1 21. N— B3 P — KE3 22. N — N5 P x N 23. P x P N (Bl) — Q2 24. N x P K x N 25. P— N6 ch K— N1 26. Q x P ch K— Bl 27. Q— E3 ch K— N1 28. B — B5 N— Bl 29. B — -K6 ch N x B 30. Q x N ch K— Bl 31. Q— B3 ch K— N1 32. B x N . BsB 33. Q— E7 Ch K— Bl 34. B — -K1 B— K4 35. Q — B8 ch' • K—K2 36. Q x P ch K— Q3 37. Q x B ch K-4-Q2 38. Q — B5 ch K— B3 39. P— Q5 ch K-— B4 40. B— E3 ch " KxP 41. Q— K4'ch K— B6 42. B— N4 ch K— N7 .43. . Q— N1 Mate