CHESS ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2896, 15 September 1909, Page 65

CHESS ITEMS.

Ir&st year the Timaru Chess Club defeated the Otago CheE3 Clunb by the narrow majority of one game. j Pittsbnurg Leader says that Jose R. CapaI blancft, the youthful Cuban player, who rej cently vanquished F. J. Marshall, the ! American master, is not to be allowed to I rest long on his laurels. His managers have I received a. letter from Lodz, Russia, chal- | lenging him to a match with Herr A. Rubinstein. Meantime, Capablanca is said to be just starting a match of eight games with Hodges, New York State champion. Dr Lasker, world's chess champion, who has been on a short visit to New York, has returned to Germany. The champion has, it is said, taken with him a considerable part of the paraphernalia of Lasker's Magazine, with a view to resuming its publication in Berlin on account of the greater cheapness of production. He has stated that on the resumption of the magazine in January next he will present each subscriber with a copy of the bcok of the St. Petersburg international tournament. Tn the fifth gain-© between F. J. Marshall (White) and JoEe R. Capablanca (Black) the following position arose alter Black had played 47 ... B-R 7:— S; 8; 2Q4p; splk; P7; SPPI; b6K; q7. Marshall then played 48 ... Q-Kt 5. and had to resign after eight more moves. It has been pointed out by some German analysts in the Hamburg paper Schachheim that Marshall here had a simple, but pretty, win by 48 ... Q-K 8 eh. K-Kt 4; 49 P-B 4 eh, and White can administer a problem-like mate or win the Q as Black plays. An interesting point arose in connection with the recent championship tourney of the Rice Chess Club, New York, remarks the Chess Weekly: — Dr Keidanz, who was paired to play Mr Morris, did not arrive at the appointed time. Morris, who had the White forces, started the doctor's clock, and after two hours (the time limit being 30 moves in two hours), was about to score the game ,by default, when his opponent walked in. On being lold that he had lost the game on the time limit, the doctor, after a hasty glance at the board, ( replied: — "How can I have lost on the time limit when you had the White pieces, and the board shows that you have not made your first move? How can I move before you have moved? I claim the game on the time limit." However, afer much discussion, they agreed to play the game out. Suppose, however, the question had been submitted for decision, who would have won? Mr A. C. White, of New York, has some interesting reminiscences of Sam Loyd, the " Puzzle King." in his new book just published of Loyd's che%s problems. At the outset he says of tlie famous American chess wizard : — " Sam Loyd has now been a name to conjure with for well upwards of 50 years. To me, especially, it is fraught with associations. He was the first real composer I knew; he remains the greatest I have ever known, for the simple reason that his peer in skill of construction does not exist. In those early days as I became an omnivorous solver, and fancied myself an invincible one, he was the one composer whose problems could entirely stump me — and oh ; the pride when I unravelled one of his enignits more rapidly than I thought I could." No wonder the redoubtable Loyd earned the picturesque sobriquet of '" Slippery Sam " !