Hamburg - Final Round

Today the tournament came to a close. Three games were drawn almost without a fight, as contenders for places on the prize list secured their position with an extra half point. But there was still first-class chess to be played, highlighted by Leonhardt's sparkling victory over Dr. Tarrasch, a masterpiece that deservedly won for its author the brilliancy prize.

John vs. Schlechter, a Ruy Lopez with the 3...Nf6 defense, reached a level Rook and opposite-colored Bishop endgame in only 19 moves, and was agreed drawn 11 moves later. Schlechter thereby assured himself of an undivided first place in the tournament, and we congratulate him on a signal, and well-deserved, success.

Duras once again played his favorite 6.c4 in the Ruy Lopez, on this occasion vs. Kohnlein. Black lost a pawn early on as a consequence of misplaying a central advance, after which Duras experienced little trouble in harvesting the full point. The Czech Master thus takes undivided second place, half a point behind Schlechter, whom he defeated in their individual game. Hearty plaudits to him as well.

Niemzowitsch vs. Speyer, a game with the unusual opening 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d3, was won by the former in handy fashion. In the diagrammed position Speyer played 18...Rae8, a move he soon had cause to regret, 18...Rfe8 having been preferable, as after White's reply 19.Qb2 the mounting pressure against Black's e-pawn, combined with threats of Bb4 by White, left the second player facing serious difficulties. Speyer opted for 19...Bh5, whereupon 20.Bb4 Qf6 21.Bxf8 Bxf3 22.Bb4 Qg5 23.Kh1 left White with an extra exchange, which advantage he converted to victory on the 35th move. Niemzowitsch takes third place, half a point behind Duras and one point behind Schlechter; had he but drawn rather than lost his games against those two rivals, something he might well have done, an undivided first place would have been his. Nevertheless, the young Master from Riga has given yet further evidence of his rightful place among the very best of the world's elite.

Spielmann, in a 5.Qe2 Ruy Lopez vs. Dus-Chotimirsky, assured himself of the fourth prize with a draw via repetition of position on the 28th move. For virtually any other Master such a result would be seen as a notable success; Spielmann, though, who has played so well over the past year, may perhaps be allowed to feel a tinge of disappointment at failing to secure an even higher place.

Alekhine and Salwe drew in 22 moves in a Queen's Gambit Declined. The irenic inclination of the two Masters may be inferred from the fact that the final moves of this game were 19...Kh8 20.Kh1 Kg8 21.Kg1 Kh8 22.Kh1 Kg8.

Yates, who had come to life in recent rounds, lost on the White side of a Petroff Defense to Marshall in only 20 moves. We append the final position, and note that our clubmate Herr Fritz believes that Yates, who saw no workable defense to the threat 21...Bf3, could well have played on by 21.f3 Bxf3 22.Rxf3 Rxf3 23.Nd7, with an admittedly definite but by no means yet decisive advantage for Black. We leave consideration of Herr Fritz's proposed variation to the keen eyes of our readers.


We feature two games today. The Forgacs vs. Tartakower contest, in which the young Master took his penchant for unusual openings to new levels with 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Bf4 Bg7 5.Qd2 c6, was, at 47 moves, the longest and most hard-fought battle of the day. Black undeniably stood better from at latest the 20th move until its close, and indeed may well have missed one or more winning chances. Still, Tartakower's continued efforts to achieve victory, although ultimately unsuccessful, deserve the highest praise, especially in view of the unusual circumstances under which the game was played. For, remarkably, the players knew at the outset that a draw would prove more profitable to Tartakower, in monetary terms, than would a win. The reason is as follows: Tartakower himself had no hope of reaching the prize list. Forgacs, by drawing, would do so, and his placement there would assure Tartakower of the special prize set aside for the non prize winner who had achieved the best results against the top of the field. A win by Tartakower, on the other hand, would deprive Forgacs of a place among the prize winners, and in consequence would at the same time cost Tartakower the aforementioned special award. It is to the enormous credit and honor of the young Master, therefore, that he fought on, valuing the interests of the game above his own. We salute him, and present the Forgacs vs. Tartakower contest, in which Herr Fritz believes that Black missed the excellent opportunity 22...Nac3+, when if 23.bxc3 Rxc4 24.Nxd6 Nxc3+ 25.K moves Nxd1, capturing the Rook, uncovers check by the Bishop, and thus leaves Black with a decisive material advantage.

Lastly, we come to Leonhardt vs. Dr. Tarrasch, a crisp and attractive victory by White in a Three Knights' Game. Leonhardt defeated his eminent opponent in the same lively style in which the Doctor himself has achieved so many fine wins over the years. Dr. Tarrasch's 7...h6 has come in for some criticism, 7...Nxd5 or 7...Be6 having been suggested in its place. The reader should note that after 14.Re1 Black cannot castle, as White would reply 15.Rxe7, when 15...Qxe7 allows 16.Qxa5. Black's 18...d5 was the decisive error, leading to the collapse of his position, which Leonhardt brought about with elan. Note finally that 22...g6 offers no hope of salvation, viz., 23.Rxh8+ Kxh8 24.Qf8+ Kh7 25.Nf5! and wins. We present the game, winner of the first brilliancy prize.

Teichmann had the bye.

Final scores:

Prizewinners
1 Schlechter 11 1/2
2 Duras 11
3 Niemzowitsch 10 1/2
4 Spielmann 10
5-6 Marshall 9 1/2
5-6 Teichmann 9 1/2
7-8 Alekhine 8 1/2
7-8 Dus-Chotimirsky 8 1/2
9-10 Forgacs 8
9-10 Dr. Tarrasch 8

Non prizewinners
11-14 Kohnlein 7
11-14 Leonhardt 7
11-14 Salwe 7
11-14 Tartakower 7
15 Speyer 5 1/2
16 John 5
17 Yates 2 1/2

Hamburg - Round 16

Today's penultimate round was quieter than that of the previous day, with only three decisive games, and some rather tame contests among the drawn encounters. Duras lost unexpectedly to Speyer; that result, in combination with Schlechter's draw vs. Teichmann, assures the Austrian Master of at least a share of first place in this tournament, most certainly a well-earned success. We turn to the games.

Dr. Tarrasch essayed the Four Knights' Game vs. Forgacs, choosing the little-played variation 4.a3. The game, despite its length, offered few features of interest, and the draw that always seemed the most likely outcome was duly agreed in a Rook endgame after 53 moves.

Dus-Chotimirsky, in a Queen's Gambit Declined, won a long and difficult endgame vs. Leonhardt. We join the game at the 37th move, where White, although having one pawn less in hand, may well stand for choice owing to the strength of his passed a-pawn. The game continued 37...Re8 38.a6 Ra8 39.a7 Nf6 40.Bb8 A sad position indeed for the Black Rook. But how is White to win? 40...Nd5 41.Rc1 Nb4 42.Rc4 Nd5 43.Rxc6 Kh7 44.Kf2 f6 45.Rc5 Nb4 46.Rxh5+ Kg6 47.Rb5 Nc6 48.Rb7 Kh5 49.Ke3 g6 50.Rb5+ Kg4 51.Rb7 g5 52.hxg5 fxg5 53.Kf2 Kh3 54.Kf3 Nd4+ 55.Ke3 Nc6 56.Kf2 Kg4 57.Kg2 Kf5 58.Kh3 g4+ 59.Kg2 Ke4 60.Kf1 Kf5 61.Ke2 Ke4 62.Kf2 Black has defended stoutly, and White is no nearer a win than he was 25 moves ago. But now comes a tragic finish. 62...Kd4 An incomprehensible error. It was obvious to all, and to Leonhardt above all, that the Black King could not go to a dark square. Dus-Chotimirsky seizes his chance. 63.Bc7 Ke4 Black of course cannot capture the a7-pawn, as 64.Bb6+ comes in reply. But now the White Bishop, no longer the captive of its captive, is free, and this decides the game. 64.Bb6 Rf8+ 65.Kg2 Rg8 66.Rc7 Kd5 67.Rg7 Re8 68.Rxg4 Re2+ 69.Kh3 Ra2 70.Rg7 1-0

Marshall and Alekhine played a quiet Queen's Gambit Declined, drawn in 23 moves.

Schlechter and Teichmann played equally carefully, and divided the point in a Four Knights' Game on the 33 move. In the present case, this circumspection by the two players is most understandable, as Schlechter thereby assured himself of at least a share of top honors, while Teichmann, who will have the bye tomorrow and thus was playing his final game, could ill afford to finish with a loss and allow other prize contenders to overhaul him so near the finish.

Kohnlein vs. Spielmann, a Ruy Lopez, reached a heavy-piece endgame in which Black's passed a-pawn allowed him to maintain the balance despite White's two extra pawns on the other wing, and was drawn in 61 moves.

Tartakower, who seemingly plays all openings, chose the Vienna Game vs. Yates. The players agreed to a draw on move 39 in an endgame of Rook and Bishop vs. Rook and Knight, with Black possessing an extra, though doubled, pawn. Yates, after scoring but one-half of one point in the first 13 rounds, has now scored 2 points in the last three, and we have every confidence that in future events his results will well justify his inclusion among the Masters.

The contest between Speyer and Duras, a Four Knights' Game, was a tragedy for the Czech Master. We will present it in full for its sporting interest, as its artistic value would not otherwise merit a prominent place. Black seems to have taken his first step on the road to disaster with his 8th move, 8...d6 being safe and sure. It may well be that Duras miscalculated some variation, or perhaps overlooked a single move, in his attempt to attack White's King's position; note, for example, that 15...Qxf3 is shown to be poor after 16.Re3 and 17.Bxf6. Black's temporary sacrifice of a piece was ingenious, but doomed to failure: Speyer returned the piece a few moves later to extinguish any last glimmer of Black's attack, and White thereby remained with two pawns more. All of Duras's tenacious resistance could not alter the outcome, and the Czech Master's only hopes to share top honors now rest in a victory over Kohnlein tomorrow, along with a loss by Schlechter vs. John. We present the game.

The best game of the day was undoubtedly the win by Salwe over John. John's 16th move allowed White to develop strong pressure against the Black King's side (indeed, White might well have chosen 16.Bxc6 Bxc6 17.Ne5, followed by 18.Qh5+). Salwe broke through a few moves later with the pretty 23.d5! The White Bishop on b2 is then immune from capture, as 23...Bxb2 24.Ng5 Bg7 25.Qxh7+ Kf8 26.Nxe6+ wins. The finale was pretty and efficient; note that on 31...Qf6, the nonchalant reply 32.Rc8 wins instantly. To the game:

Niemzowitsch had the bye.

Scores after Round 16: Schlechter 11; Duras 10; Niemzowitsch, Spielmann, Teichmann* 9 1/2; Marshall 8 1/2; Dr. Tarrasch, Dus-Chotimirsky, Alekhine 8; Forgacs 7 1/2; Kohnlein 7; Tartakower, Salwe 6 1/2; Leonhardt 6; Speyer 5 1/2; John 4 1/2; Yates 2 1/2.

*Teichmann will have the bye in tomorrow's last round, and thus cannot add to his score.

Hamburg - Round 15

The Masters lavished us with a banquet of fighting and fascinating chess today. Seven of the eight games were decisive, and Schlechter, by defeating Niemzowitsch, reclaimed the lead from the idle Duras. As many as half a dozen of the contests are worthy to stand as feature games; we have chosen two, and provided, as our limited skill permits, commentary on the others.

Spielmann defeated Speyer in a Vienna Game, breaking through his opponent's position in a most efficient manner. Here White played 19.e5 fxe5 20.f6, intending, if 20...Rxf6, to continue 21.Rxf6 gxf6 22.Qg6+ Kf8 23.Rf1 Re6 24.Bf5 and wins, as, if the threatened Black Rook moves, 25.Qxh6+ leads to a winning attack, as the reader can easily verify for himself. Speyer chose 20...Re6, but after 21.f7+ Kh8 22.Qf5 e4 23.Qxe6 exd3 24.Rad1, Black resigned, further resistance being hopeless.

The game between Alekhine and Tartakower, a Dutch Defense, saw the first player cleverly win a pawn with 21.Nd5+ Ke8 22.Nxc7+ Ke7 23.Nd5+, the Knight remaining invulnerable owing to the threat of Rae1+. Later, in a Knight endgame, Alekhine sacrificed his Knight, as compensation for which he obtained three extra pawns. Tartakower ultimately found himself compelled to return the Knight to prevent one of Alekhine's pawns from becoming a Queen; the net result of these transactions was to leave White a pawn to the good in a winning pawn endgame, which he rapidly brought to a successful close.

Teichmann vs. Salwe, a Ruy Lopez with the Steinitz Defense, offered a most intriguing passage of play beginning with White's 22nd move. Teichmann played 22.e5 Qxf2+ 23.Kh1 d5 (23...Ra2 has been suggested as superior) 24.Rf1, when to many eyes it seemed that Black must resign. Salwe, however, replied 24...c4, a move underscoring the fact that at present the White Queen is committed to protecting both White Rooks. After 25.bxc4 dxc4 26.Qxc4 Salwe did not yield to the temptation of 26...Qxe3 27.Qxe6+ Kg7 28.Qe7+, when White regains the Rook with a winning attack, but rather played the best move available to him 26...Ra1. Still, after 27.Rxa1 Qxe3 28.Qxe6+, Teichmann had won a pawn, and all Salwe's efforts to offer resistance proved fruitless. The finish was of interest. Here Black played 37...Qxg3+ 38.Kxg3 Nh5+ 39.Kg4 Nxf6+ 40.exf6 Rd8, but resigned after 41.Re7+ Kh8 42.Kf4 Rd2 43.Ke3 Rd8 44.f7. 1-0





Marshall, on the Black side of a Petroff Defense, convincingly defeated John. The American surprised the onlookers with the piece sacrifice 16...Bxd4 17.Bxd4 Rxf4, seriously compromising the security of the White King's residence. After 18.Bc3 d4 19.Bd2 Ne5 20.Qg3 Nf3+ 21.Kg2 Rf6, John, facing the threat 22...Rg6, and seeing that 22.Kh1 would be met by 22...Qd5, chose to surrender his Queen via 22.Qxf3 Rxf3 23.Kxf3. He obtained three pieces in return, but the undeveloped state of White's forces, exacerbated by the cramping effect of the Black d-pawn, made White's defeat inevitable. The game concluded 23...Qd5+ 24.Kg3 Rf8 25.f3 Qe5+ 26.Kf2 Qh2+ 27.Ke1 Qxh3 28.f4 e5 29.Na3 exf4 30.Kf2 Qh2+ 31.Ke1 d3 0-1.

In Leonhardt vs. Kohnlein, a Ruy Lopez, Open Defense, White temporarily sacrificed two pawns in the opening, and succeeded in regaining one. As compensation for his material deficit he obtained a passed pawn on a6, whose advance, however, was greatly hindered by the fact that the board remained full of pieces. Kohnlein, through judicious exchanges and the temporary return of his surplus pawn, surrounded and captured the advanced White foot soldier, thus re-establishing a material advantage for Black, and bringing about a Rook and Bishop endgame, which he ably conducted to victory on the 60th move.

Yates, as White in a Ruy Lopez, Steinitz Defense, vs. Forgacs, added to his score for the second day running, this time in the amount of half a point. The game was drawn after 38 moves in a Rook endgame in which White remained with two pawns to Black's one, a nominal advantage of no real value, all the pawns standing on the same side of the board.

We now come to the two feature games of the day. The veteran Tarrasch, playing his favorite defense on the Black side of a Queen's Gambit Declined vs. Dus-Chotimirsky, on this occasion proved himself more than a match for his fiery young antagonist in the handling of a complicated position. We would in particular call the reader's attention to the advance of the Black c- and d-pawns beginning with 18...c5, when 19.bxc5 would be answered by 19...Qe5, attacking two White pieces, the Rook on b2 and the Knight on g5. After a further 20.Rxb8 Rxb8, Black would threaten 21...Qa1+ with a winning attack. The possibility of ...Qe5 recurs over the succeeding moves, and indeed underlies the successful advance of Black's pawns. The consensus of opinion at this moment, so soon after the termination of the game, is that 27.f4 offered the last opportunity for White to mount a successful defense; we will leave the examination of that possibility to the more analytically inclined among our friend readers.

Niemzowitsch vs.Schlechter, a game destined to play a significant role in the allocation of the top prizes, was a closely-fought conflict with a sudden end. White essayed the English Opening, developing both his Bishops in fianchetto, a most rare sight indeed. He nevertheless obtained quite a good position out of the opening, so much so that Schlechter opted to sacrifice the exchange at his 15th turn with 15...c5. In return the Austrian Master could boast of a solid position and excellent play on the light squares near White's King. Niemzowitsch to our mind did well to consolidate his King's field, during which time Schlechter, through an advance on the other flank, began to create counter-chances for himself. White's 27.b4 has been indicated as an error, and indeed Black's operations could be seen to accelerate over the subsequent moves, leading to the creation of a dangerous passed pawn on c3. The end came abruptly when Niemzowitsch, in an attempt to blunt the long light-squared diagonal, advanced 42.e4? After 42...Qb6+, White's reply 43.Kg2 was forced, as the only legal alternative, 43.Ke1, is answered by the snap mate 43...Qg1. But after 43.Kg2 Qb2 Niemzowitsch resigned, there being no way to prevent the advance of the Black c-pawn. A tragic end for Niemzowitsch, who now stands a full point behind Schlechter and half a point behind Duras. Moreover, the Master from Riga has the bye tomorrow and so, with only one game left to play, cannot win the tournament outright, and has almost certainly lost all hope even of sharing the first prize. We present the game:

Duras had the bye.

Scores after Round 15: Schlechter 10 1/2; Duras 10; Niemzowitsch* 9 1/2; Spielmann, Teichmann* 9; Marshall 8; Dr. Tarrasch, Alekhine 7 1/2; Dus-Chotimirsky, Forgacs 7; Kohnlein 6 1/2; Tartakower, Leonhardt 6; Salwe 5 1/2; John, Speyer 4 1/2; Yates 2.

Those players whose names are marked with an asterisk (*) have not yet had the bye, and thus have played an extra game.

Hamburg - Round 14

Today, in the most dramatic round of the tourney to date, the Masters gave their all. Absent were the lassitude and oversights of the two previous rounds. Schlechter suffered his first loss, in a battle of more than 100 moves, to Duras, who thus assumed the leading position, as Niemzowitsch, too, went down to defeat at the hands of Salwe. At the other end of the score table, Yates recorded his first win, a most satisfying achievement indeed for the English Master, as his victim was none other than Dr. Tarrasch, who, it will be recalled, had so forcefully objected to Yates's participation in this event on the grounds of insufficient strength. Their game was thus the most eloquent rebuttal that could possibly be delivered by the representative of Albion.

Marshall essayed the Scotch Gambit vs. Teichmann, and saw his opponent develop strong pressure against the White King's position. In the diagrammed position Marshall found himself at a loss for a satisfactory continuation after Teichmann's 22...Rff7, a move supplying additional protection to the g7-pawn and so freeing Black's pieces to attack White's own pawn on e4, and, immediately thereafter, the pinned White Knight on c4. Marshall, for all his tactical ingenuity, could find nothing better than 23.Nxd6 cxd6 24.Qxc6 Bb7 25.Qxd6 Qxe4 26.h3 Rxf2 27.Rxf2 Bxf2+ 28.Kh2 Bxg3+ 29.Qxg3 Qxg2+ 30.Qxg2 Bxg2, at which point he resigned. 0-1

Forgacs defeated Alekhine in a Ruy Lopez in which the Russian, after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0, employed the unusual defense 5...Bc5. Alekhine obtained a satisfactory position, but later unnecessarily sacrificed a pawn for the faintest specter of an attack, and was forced to strike his colors on the 44th move.

In Kohnlein vs. Dus-Chotimirsky, the Russian defended against White's Ruy Lopez with the Schliemann variation, a choice well in keeping with his aggressive style. But Dus-Chotimirsky, after an early excursion by his Queen, soon found that piece in danger of being trapped on the Queen's side, a predicament from which he could extricate her only at the cost of the exchange and two pawns. Black resigned at move 24 in a hopeless position.

Tartakower played Bird's Opening vs. John. The two players reached an endgame of Bishop vs Knight in which White, although apparently standing better, proved unable to make use of an extra doubled pawn The draw was agreed through repetition of position on move 46.

Speyer defeated Leonhardt in 30 moves in a Four Knights' Game in which the second player, sadly, was virtually unrecognizable.

Today's developments were of such note that we present three feature games. First, Tarrasch vs. Yates, a Queen's Gambit Declined. The Englishman's 19...Nxe3, coming as it did like lightning from a clear sky, shocked both his opponent and the onlookers. We would point out that the defense 21.Bf1 fails to 21...Qxe3+ 22.Kh1 Qh6! (better than 22...Qh3 - see below) 23.Nf3 Bxf3 24.Be5 Bxe5, when 25.Qxe5 is impossible, owing to the position of White's Rook on c1. Had Black played 22...Qh3 instead, this defensive possibility would be available to White, who might then have been able to prolong the game for some time. In the event, after Tarrasch's 21.Kf2, the White King was driven to the center of the board, where Black's attack soon netted a decisive material advantage. We congratulate Master Yates on his first official victory (his game vs. Jacob having been stricken from the record after the latter's withdrawal) in an international tournament.

Salwe vs. Niemzowitsch saw the Polish Master outplay his young opponent in a game of probing and maneuver. Niemzowitsch's 33...Qc3 was an error that cost a pawn without lessening in the slightest the pressure on the Black position. The concluding attack with the heavy pieces was handled most skilfilly by White.

Finally we come to Schlechter vs. Duras, the game of the round, and perhaps the decisive game of the tournament. It was a long and dour struggle, a 109-move battle of giants. Schlechter appeared to gain the advantage through the creation of a protected passed pawn on c6, but Duras, by means of a fine pawn sacrifice, won the c6-pawn, then another, and then yet another, leaving himself two pawns to the good. The resulting blocked position, however, with one Knight each and Bishops of opposite color, allowed Schlechter to offer a long and not altogether hopeless resistance. The players fought on for hours and dozens of moves, and it was only after the fine Knight sacrifice by Duras on his 101st turn (!) that the result began to grow clear. Those spectators who remained for the duration of this epic tussle showered both contestants with warm applause after Schlechter at last resigned in a lost pawn endgame. Duras thus assumes the lead in the tourney, followed at a distance of one-half point by Niemzowitsch and Schlechter; one of these three will surely take the first prize. But let it be noted that among these leaders only Schlechter has three games yet to play. Duras will have the bye in the next (15th) round, and Niemzowitsch in the 16th. As is only proper for a great tournament, the tension mounts as we draw near the end.

Spielmann had the bye.

Scores after Round 14: Duras* 10; Schlechter, Niemzowitsch* 9 1/2; Spielmann, Teichmann* 8; Marshall, Dus-Chotimirsky 7; Dr. Tarrasch, Alekhine, Forgacs 6 1/2; Leonhardt, Tartakower 6; Salwe, Kohnlein 5 1/2; John, Speyer 4 1/2; Yates 1 1/2.

Those players whose names are marked with an asterisk (*) have not yet had the bye, and thus have played an extra game.

Hamburg - Round 13

Today's round saw a fine endgame win by young Alekhine, four draws, and three games marked by sudden blunders. We can only speculate that the prolonged strain of the tournament, combined with the summer heat, has begun to affect the Masters. We shall deal first with the startling errors.

Duras essayed the Ruy Lopez vs. Salwe, who chose the Steinitz Defense. In the diagrammed position White may perhaps stand somewhat better, but Salwe's move cost him the game at once: 27...Re3? 28.Qxe3 Taking the Queen allows mate. 28...Nxe6 30.Rxf5 Duras perhaps cannot believe his good fortune. 30.Nxf5 was even stronger. The text, of course, suffices. 30...gxf5 31.dxe6 and Black resigned.


In Dus-Chotimirsky vs. Speyer, a Dutch Defense, the end came equally quickly. Again White is for choice, and again Black dramatically lightens his opponent's task: 27...Ne4? 28.Bg1 (28.Bc1 was ever stronger, cf. the next note.) 28...b3+ 29.Kb1 (For here with 29...Nd2+ 30.Rxd2 Bb4 Black would lose two pieces for a Rook, rather than a clear piece. This possibility would not exist had White played 28.Bc1. Nevertheless, Black does not avail himself of it.) 29...Rad8 30.Rxe4 Bb4 31.Rxd8 Rxd8 32.Bxb3 and Speyer resigned. 1-0

Let us turn to Niemzowitsch vs. Marshall, a Queen's Gambit in which the situation at the critical moment was analogous to that of the games above: White stood rather well, and Black collapsed. Marshall sealed his own doom with 29...Kc8?, as after 30.Bd6 he loses a piece, e.g. 30...Rb3 31.Bxb4 Rxb4 32.Rxd5, when the pin by White's Bishop prevents the recapture 32...exd5. Seeing this, alas too late, Marshall resigned immediately at the 30th move.

We feel compelled to note that errors of this sort are far from typical for the Masters concerned, and that shortage of time played a role in each case.

John and Forgacs quietly shared the point after 27 moves of a Ruy Lopez, Steinitz Defense.

Dr. Tarrasch, as Black, again chose his preferred Open Defense to the Ruy Lopez vs. Kohnlein. The players entered an endgame with equal pawns, Kohnlein possessing Bishop and Knight; Tarrasch two Bishops. Neither player seemed close to a win at any point, and a draw was agreed at move 51.

Spielmann chose the Exchange Variation of the Ruy Lopez vs. Schlechter, and, in a rather blocked position, succeeded in maintaining the balance with two Knights against his opponent's two Bishops, Rooks also being present on the board. The draw was agreed at move 31.

Teichmann and Tartakower played a Three Knights' Game, agreed drawn in 34 moves in a position in which we cannot help but wonder whether Black, in possession of a sound extra pawn, might not have made further efforts to win. We offer the position for the consideration of our readers.




In our featured game, Alekhine in a Queen's Gambit Declined defeated Yates, who seems destined to occupy the bottom place in this event. The young Russian very much enjoyed demonstrating the possible variation 21...g6 22.Rxh7! Qxe6 (23...Kxh7 allows a winning attack) 23.Qh4 Qe4+ 24.Qxe4 Qxe4 25.Rdh1 and wins. Perhaps even more noteworthy is White's filigree play in the endgame. Alekhine's move 40.Re5 was judged by some of the onlookers to cost White the win, viz., 40...Rxe5 41.fxe5 Ke7, when 42.Kd4 is answered by 42...Ke6, and 42.Kb4 by 42...Ke6 43.Kxb5 Kxe5, with a likely draw after both sides queen their pawns. Nevertheless, White's 43.Kd3! put the situation a clear light. The subsequent dance of the two Kings is both beautiful and instructive, and we commend its study to our readers, who will perhaps better appreciate the delicacy of the position by noting that should White, on his 45th move, play the apparently natural 45.Kf3, he would in fact lose the game after 45...Kxe5. Only Alekhine's 45.Kf2! enabled the young Master to garner a very well-earned full point. To the game:

Leonhardt had the bye.

Scores after Round 13: Schlechter, Niemzowitsch* 9 1/2; Duras* 9; Spielmann* 8; Marshall, Dus-Chotimirsky, Teichmann* 7; Dr. Tarrasch, Alekhine 6 1/2; Leonhardt 6; Forgacs, Tartakower 5 1/2; Salwe, Kohnlein 4 1/2; John 4; Speyer 3 1/2; Yates 1/2.

Those players whose names are marked with an asterisk (*) have not yet had the bye, and thus have played an extra game.

Hamburg - Round 12

Today the Masters, perhaps fatigued from their exertions of yesterday, were not seen at their best. Two games were drawn practically without a fight, while a few others were marred by blunders. In the remainder, technique, rather than imagination, reigned as the watchword. The thrilling Rook endgame contested by Marshall and Duras stands as a happy exception to the foregoing critique.

Poor Yates suffered defeat again, this time as White in a French Defense vs. John. The English Master lost a pawn through an ill-supported King's side advance, and later blundered in the endgame, simplifying his opponent's task. Only a man of strong character can continue to fight, as Yates does, in the face of such a string of reverses.

Forgacs vs. Teichmann featured the Exchange Variation of the Ruy Lopez. The two players reached a completely lifeless endgame with Bishops of opposite colors in only 23 moves, and agreed to the draw at the end of the first session at move 30.

In Salwe vs. Spielmann, another Queen's Gambit Declined with Dr. Tarrasch's ...c5 defense, White stood satisfactorily before weakening his position through an unnecessary advance. Salwe played 37.h4, and after 37...Nc6, faced the prospect of 38.Qd2 Nxd4 39.exd4 Qf6 followed by 40...Re4, when Black is gaining ground. But the cure Salwe chose may well have been worse than the disease: 38.Rxc6 bxc6 39.Qb6 Rb7 40.Qxa6 Rxb3 41.Rxc6 Qe4, when Black was again gaining ground, and enjoyed a material advantage as well. The game concluded 42.h5 Rxe3 43.Bxe3 Qxe3+ 44.Kh2 Qxf4+ 45.g3 Qd2+ 46.Kh3 Re1 47.Rxh6+ Qxh6 0-1

Speyer rather badly misplayed the White side of an Open Ruy Lopez vs. Kohnlein and resigned on move 30 in a position in which he found himself two full exchanges to the bad.

Tarrasch defeated Alekhine, who used the old Master's defense to the Queen's Gambit Declined against its greatest proponent. White won a pawn in an endgame with Queens and Bishops of opposite color, and gradually guided his two passed Queen's side pawns to victory.

Tartakower and Niemzowitsch succeeded in exchanging all the pieces in 28 moves, and signed the treaty of peace in a symmetrical pawn endgame two moves later.

Schlechter, playing White, achieved a superior position against Leonhardt in a Four Knights' Game, and held the whip hand throughout. Leonhardt did not succeed in restoring material equality by capturing White's advanced e-pawn until it was already too late; the pawn endgame was lost for him by that point. Whether he might have defended better at an earlier stage has been the subject of discussion here. 27...Bd8 has been suggested as a drawing chance for Black; so, too, has 31...d5. The latter move would at the very least render White's task in the pawn endgame more difficult, as the pawn barrier created by Black's d- and e-pawns would hinder the advance of White's King. In that case White would be ill-advised simply to advance his King's side pawns, as the passed pawn thereby created would be captured by Black's King straightaway, White's own King in the interim being unable to make inroads into the Black position, viz., 31...d5 32.h4 Ke7 33.g4 Kxe6, when 34.h5 is simply bad. After 31...d5, then, White, in order to make progress, would find himself compelled to advance his King on the King's side, a procedure requiring some delicacy and precision, Black then being capable of producing a passed pawn of his own via ...e4. To give an illustrative variation, 31...d5 32.Kf3 Ke7 33.Kg4 Kxe6 34.Kg5 c5 35.h4. To our mind White still stands to win, but pawn endgames are often notoriously complex, and the result here, as so often in analogous situations, may well hinge on a single tempo. We present the game in full:

It is rare that we offer a drawn game as our feature battle of the day, but the Marshall vs. Duras encounter, we feel, deserves special recognition. We would highlight both the fine play by Marshall between moves 13 and 23, by which the American appeared to gain a large advantage, and the equally fine and resourceful defense by Duras, in particular the move 26...Rc2, when 27.Rxh6+ is answered by 27...Ke5, and the f2-pawn falls. The concluding portion of the game, which saw each player advancing his passed pawns in a Rook endgame, was most enthralling, and we commend it to the attention of all our readers, and most especially to the keen eye of those who delight in the analysis of the complex possibilities such a situation presents. Here now the game:

Dus-Chotimirsky had the bye.

Scores after Round 12: Schlechter 9; Niemzowitsch* 8 1/2; Duras* 8; Spielmann* 7 1/2; Marshall 7; Teichmann* 6 1/2; Dus-Chotimirsky, Dr. Tarrasch, Leonhardt* 6; Alekhine 5 1/2; Forgacs, Tartakower 5; Salwe 4 1/2; Kohnlein 4; Speyer, John 3 1/2; Yates 1/2.

Those players whose names are marked with an asterisk (*) have not yet had the bye, and thus have played an extra game.

Hamburg - Round 11

Today, for the first time in this tourney, all games finished decisively, without a single draw. The Masters are showing keen fighting spirit as they prepare to enter the final week's play.

Teichmann defeated Yates in a Ruy Lopez in which the Englishman opted for the Open Defense, 5...Nxe4. After 26 moves, Teichmann appeared to have rather the better of things, and when, after White's 27.Ba4, Yates in the diagrammed position played 27...Qc8, the incursion by White's Queen 28.Qf6 soon decided matters. (Some of the Masters felt that 28.Qe7, attacking Black's Bishop and threatening to advance the e-pawn, would have been even stronger. But Teichmann's choice served its purpose.) The game concluded 28...Qf8 29.Qe6+ Qf7 30.Qd6 Qe8 31.Qxd5+ cxd5 32.Bxe8 Ba6 33.Kf2 Kg7 34.h4 Bc4 35.Ke3 Kf8 36.Ba4 Kf7 37.Kf4 Kg7 38.g3 Kf7 39.Bc6 Kg7 40.e6 Kf6 41.e7 Kxe7 42.Ke5 and Yates resigned. 1-0

Niemzowitsch vs. Forgacs saw the opening moves 1.e4 e6 2.d3 c5, through which a French Defense became a Sicilian Defense, a rather unusual line in modern play. White gradually outplayed his opponent in a Rook and Knight endgame, as well as in the Rook endgame that followed, and scored the victory in 64 moves.

In Spielmann vs. Marshall the American essayed the Petroff Defense. Permit us a word of commendation for Marshall's choice, as a fighting defense such as the Petroff represents a welcome change from more usual and well-analyzed openings. We can only hope that more players will follow Marshall's combative example in the future. To return to the game, Spielmann's 19.Ne5 appears to be an error, allowing Black to regain his pawn and assume the attack, an aspect of the game at which Marshall of course excels. The continuation was 19...Bd5 20.Qe2 Nc6 21.Qd3 Nxe5 22.dxe5 Qxe5 23.Qg3 Qxb2 24.Qh4 Rxf5 25.gxf5 Qe5 26.Qg3 Qxf5 27.Qg4 Qe5 28.Rfe1 Qh2+ 29.Kf1 Rf8 30.Ke2 Qxf2+ 31.Kd3 b5 and White resigned. 0-1

Leonhardt and Salwe contested a Ruy Lopez with Steinitz's 3...d6. White won a long Rook endgame in 66 moves, the last dozen or so of which Salwe might well have spared himself.

Duras vs. Tartakower offered another Ruy Lopez, this time with the rare line 3...Nge7. We have noticed that young Tartakower seems to possess a predilection for unusual openings. Duras won one pawn in an endgame of Rooks and Bishops of opposite color, later won a second, and secured the victory in 51 moves.

Speyer vs. Tarrasch, yet one more Ruy Lopez, with Tarrasch's preferred Open Defense, saw White sacrifice the exchange on the 18th move. In return he obtained one pawn, but no other evident compensation. Speyer in fact never developed any further initiative, and Tarrasch, making full use of his two Rooks vs. Speyer's Rook and Knight, forced his opponent's resignation on move 46.

Schlechter, playing Black against Dus-Chotimirsky's Queen's Gambit, sacrificed a Knight for pawns and position with the game scarcely out of the opening. For a time, the Russian withstood his powerful opponent's onslaught, but then went astray on his 31st move. 17...Nxf2 18.Kxf2 Ng4+ 19.Ke2 Qh4 20.g3 Qh5 21.Ke1 Nxe3 22.Qb3 Qg5 23.Ne2 Be6 24.Bd4 Nf5 25.Kd1 Nxd4 26.Nxd4 Be5 27.Nxe6 fxe6 28.Be2 Bf6 29.Rf1 Qe5 30.Kc2 d4 31.Bh5 White's intention is to meet 31...Qxh5 with 32.Qxe6+ and 33.Qxe4, eliminating one of Black's dangerous pawns at a small material cost. 31...d3+ But this move upsets White's plans, as on 32.Kd1, 32...Qxh5 comes with check. Dus-Chotimirsky played 32.Kc1 Qa1+ 33.Qb1 (On 33.Nb1 Bg5+ wins) 33...Bb2+, and White resigned. 0-1

Alekhine, playing Black, defeated John in a hard-fought Queen's Pawn Game. We would call the reader's attention to three moments of interest, while acknowledging that the game offers many more besides. 1) Black's move 9...h5, leaving his Bishop to be taken. It seems that White, however, cannot capture that piece without disadvantage, whether on move 10 or on the succeeding moves. One recurring theme is that the retreat of White's Knight from f3 leads to a loss, e.g. 10.hxg4 hxg4 11.Ne1? Bh2+ 12.Kh1 Bg1+ and mates next move. 2) White's ingenious method of escape from his seemingly dire situation after 25...Qe1. 3) The position after 58...c1=Q 59.f8=Q. It is rare indeed to see each player in possession of a Queen and Rook alone, without so much as a single pawn on the board. When these situations do arise, the player having the move, and thus able to begin a series of checks, generally enjoys a winning advantage, in that he can either force mate or the win of material, e.g. Queen for Rook. Such was the case here, as Alekhine began a winning attack with 59...Qd2+. In the final position, Black stands one move from delivering mate. We give the game in full:

Kohnlein had the bye.

Scores after Round 11: Schlechter, Niemzowitsch* 8; Duras* 7 1/2; Marshall, Spielmann* 6 1/2; Dus-Chotimirsky*, Teichmann*, Leonhardt* 6; Alekhine 5 1/2; Dr. Tarrasch 5; Salwe, Tartakower, Forgacs 4 1/2; Speyer 3 1/2; Kohnlein 3; John 2 1/2; Yates 1/2.

Those players whose names are marked with an asterisk (*) have not yet had the bye, and thus have played an extra game.

Tomorrow is a free day; Round 12 takes place on August 1.

Hamburg - Round 10

Today's theme was resumption. As the tournament resumed, so too did Schlechter resume both his winning ways and the leading position, thanks to his excellent victory over Kohnlein and Duras's defeat by Forgacs in an equally fine game. Niemzowitsch, too, moved to the top of the table, equal on points with Schlechter, by virtue of his win over Yates. The Austrian, however, still holds a game in hand over all his nearest rivals.

Alekhine played the 5.Qe2 variation of the Ruy Lopez vs. Teichmann, and the game was agreed drawn in 30 moves.

Marshall won the exchange vs. Leonhardt, but saw his King compelled to remain in the center of the board, unable to castle. In the diagrammed position the American elected to return his surplus material with 31.Qxg6 Qxg6 (of course not 30...hxg6 31.Rh3 mate) 32.Rxg6 hxg6, in order to press for the win in a Rook endgame after 33.Rc5. But White's slight advantage proved insufficient for victory, and the game was agreed drawn on the 51st move.

Salwe and Dus-Chotimirsky, in a Queen's Pawn Game, reached a level Rook and Bishop endgame after 32 moves, and agreed to share the point.

Schlechter defeated Kohnlein in a Ruy Lopez in only 26 moves. White's attack, featuring the sacrifice of two pieces, was as convincing as it was swift. Schlechter played 20.Nh4, and after 20...Nxd5 21.Nhf5 Bxf5 22.Nxf5 Nf6 23.Re3 Kh7 24.Rh3 Ng8, one might be excused for thinking Black's King's side momentarily secure. The Austrian Master proved otherwise. 25.Nxh6 gxh6 26.Bxh6 and Black resigned. 26...Nxh6 is met by 27.Qh5, while 26...Rd8 loses to 27.Bf8+

Yates vs. Niemzowitsch saw a Caro-Kann Defense in which Black, after having neutralized White's play on the King's side, slowly built up an attack against White's castled position on the other flank. Niemzowitsch won two pawns through continued pressure, and soon thereafter scored the game.

Dr. Tarrasch, who seems to be coming into form, turned in another vintage performance vs. John. The two players had been manuevering in this Rook and Bishop endgame for the last 20 moves, during which time the Doctor had induced his opponent into placing all his pawns on dark squares, thereby limiting the mobility of the Black Bishop. Such positions were meat and drink to Tarrasch in his heyday. Still, whether White could have achieved a decisive breakthrough had Black now adopted a waiting policy remains an open question. Instead, John sought to obtain play for his pieces via 45...a4 46.Rd3 e4 47.fxe4 axb3 48.Rxb3 Re8 49.Kc2 Rxe4 50.Kd3 Re8, but after 51.a4, the passed White a-pawn was to cause him no end of grief. The game continued 51...Ra8 52.Ra3 Bc7 53.Ke4 Be5 54.a5 Re8 55.Kf3 Bc7 56.a6 Bb6 57.Bd2 Rd8 58.Ke2 Re8+ 59.Re3 Rf8 60.Re6+ Kc7 61.Kf3 Ra8 62.Be3 (To meet 62...Rxa6 with 63.Bxc5. Note, too, the variation 62...Rf8 63.Bg1 Ba7 64.Re7+ Kb6 65.Rxa7 Kxa7 66.Bxc5+) 62...Ba7 63.Rxf6 The first fruits. 63...Rg8 64.Rf5 Rg6 65.Bxg5 Rxa6 66.Bxh4 Ra3+ 67.Kg2 and John resigned. 1-0

We again present two feature games today. The witty Tartakower attempted to turn the tables on Spielmann by playing the Evans Gambit, the same opening the Austrian had adopted in the previous round. Black chose a well-known method of returning the pawn; indeed, after 14.Qxd3 Bilguer's Handbuch evaluates the position as favorable for White, an assessment with which Spielmann does not concur. A further pawn sacrifice by Black led to an extraordinarily lively endgame. For a while, beginning at approximately the thirtieth move, both opponents appeared to be playing for mate simultaneously. Spielmann ultimately won a piece, but the resulting position, owing to a number of factors, e.g. the presence of Bishops of opposite color on the board, the two extra White pawns, one of those a passed a-pawn, and the fact that but a single Black pawn remained, was by no means an easy win. Spielmann nevertheless succeeded in realizing his advantage; in the final position, White's g-pawn will soon fall. Here now the game in full:

Finally, we come to Forgacs vs. Duras, in which the Hungarian defeated the Czech Master in excellent style. The game has been suggested as a candidate for the brilliancy prize, although the analysts have already found in it a few minor flaws. To cite but two examples, Black's 34...Kg7 could well have been replaced by 34...Kg8, as the King's position on the long diagonal facilitates White's 36.Rge3. White, in turn, might better have chosen 41.g6 in preference to 41.h8=Q. In that case, the White passed pawns would soon have cost Black both his Rooks rather than "merely" one. But these are cavils, and we are certain that all true lovers of our game will take delight in this masterpiece, and most especially in White's 37th, 38th, and 39th moves, when Forgacs leaves first his Rook, and then, for two moves running, his Queen to be taken, all with the object of prosecuting the attack through the advance of his pawns on the King's side.

Speyer had the bye.

Scores after Round 10: Schlechter, Niemzowitsch* 7; Duras*, Spielmann* 6 1/2; Dus-Chotimirsky* 6; Marshall 5 1/2; Teichmann*, Leonhardt* 5; Tartakower, Salwe, Alekhine, Forgacs 4 1/2; Dr. Tarrasch 4; Speyer 3 1/2; Kohnlein* 3; John 2 1/2; Yates 1/2.

Those players whose names are marked with an asterisk (*) have not yet had the bye, and thus have played an extra game.

Hamburg - Round 9

The tournament today passed the half-way mark, and for the first time Schlechter fell out of the lead. Duras assumed the top position at 6 1/2 points with a victory over Yates, while Schlechter, by drawing with Speyer, reached 6 points, a total now also matched by Niemzowitsch. It should be noted, however, that the Austrian Master has a game in hand over his two nearest rivals. With three such able contenders at the head of the pack, and Dus-Chotimirsky, Spielmann, and Marshall close behind, the race for the finish promises to be most dramatic.

Duras, as noted, scored the full point vs. Yates in a Closed Ruy Lopez featuring Anderssen's old move 5.d3. White developed strong pressure on the Queen's side which led first to a passed a-pawn, later to the win of the exchange, and finally to victory in an endgame with Queen and Rook vs. the Englishman's Queen and Knight. It must be said that Yates has shown exceptional tenacity and sportsmanship despite his run of poor results; he is a credit to the chess scene, and certainly a stronger player than his current score would indicate. We fully expect better, and richly well-deserved, results from him in the future.

Kohnlein and Salwe contested another Ruy Lopez for 71 moves, the last half of which featured a Bishop vs. Knight endgame with level pawns, ultimately drawn.

Tartakower essayed the Scandinavian Defense against Leonhardt, and chose the unusual gambit variation 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.Bb5+ c6. Black never seemed to possess quite enough compensation for his missing pawn, nor for the two pieces Tartakower later exchanged for one of Leonhardt's Rooks. In the diagrammed position Black erred with 18...Rae8, overlooking 19.Qc4+, when 19...Kh8 would be answered by 20.Nf7+, winning the exchange, as 20...Kg8 allows the so-called "smothered" mate after 21.Nh6++ Kh8 22.Qg8+ Rxg8 23.Nf7 mate. Tartakower elected to cede the exchange via a different route, 19...Ne6 20.Nd7 Qc7 21.Nxf8 Kxf8, remaining a full piece to the bad. All Black's subsequent desperate attempts to attack White's King proved fruitless, and Leonhardt scored the point on the 39th move.

Niemzowitsch and Alekhine played a Dutch Defense that resulted in a quiet draw after 30 moves.

Speyer and Schlechter likewise split the point on the 46th move in a Berlin Defense to the Ruy Lopez, with Schlechter ultimately giving perpetual check in a Queen endgame.

John, playing Black in a French Defense vs. Teichmann, achieved an excellent position with Queen and two Bishops against his opponent's Queen and two Knights. But Black mistimed the exchange of Queens and in the resulting endgame soon lost one pawn, and later a second, upon which he resigned at the 57th move.

We present two feature games today, finding ourselves unable to choose between them. First, Spielmann-Forgacs, an Evans Gambit Declined handled by White with brisk efficiency. We would point out one alternative line that arose in analysis after the game: on 21...f6 22.Rac1 Qxa3 23.Qf7+ Kh7 24.Rxc7 Qf8 25.Qh5+ Kg8 26.Rf7 (even stronger, it seems, than 26.e7) wins, the threat being 27.Qg6.

When two such tactical adepts as Dus-Chotimirsky and Marshall cross swords, sparks are sure to fly. This indeed was the case here today, beginning as early as the second move, when Marshall essayed the Albin Counter Gambit against his Russian opponent. (Let us note in passing our delight in seeing a wide variety of openings employed in today's round, which offered a Dutch Defense, a Scandinavian Defense, an Evans Gambit, and an Albin Counter Gambit. Such lines provide a welcome change from the usual run of Queen's Gambits and Four Knights' Games, and we applaud the Masters who have the courage to play them.) To return to the game in question, Marshall's 17...Ke6 represented an ingenious attempt to trap the White Queen after 18.fxe4 c6 19.Qb6 Ra6. But Dus-Chotimirsky had remarkably foreseen this possibility in advance, and trumped the American with 20.h4!, a move which threatens to win Black's Queen in turn, and in fact leaves Black, who stands at a terrible material deficit, entirely without resource. Two noteworthy lines are 20...f5 21.exf6 e.p. Kxf6 22.Qd8+! Qxd8 23.Bg5+, and 20...g6 21.Bh3+ f5, when White captures the f5-pawn not with his own pawn on e4, but rather en passant with its fellow on e5, viz., 22.exf6 e.p.+, clearing the diagonal and allowing 23.Bxc8 next move.

Dr. Tarrasch had the bye.

Scores after Round 9: Duras* 6 1/2; Schlechter, Niemzowitsch* 6; Dus-Chotimirsky*, Spielmann* 5 1/2; Marshall 5; Tartakower, Teichmann*, Leonhardt* 4 1/2; Salwe, Alekhine 4; Forgacs, Speyer* 3 1/2; Dr. Tarrasch, Kohnlein* 3; John 2 1/2; Yates 1/2. Tomorrow is another free day. Our next report will appear when the tournament resumes on the 29th inst.

Hamburg - Round 8

The excitement mounts in Hamburg. Seven of today's eight games brought victory to one of the contestants. Moreover, Niemzowitsch and Duras took advantage of Schlechter's having the bye to join the last-named at the top of the tournament table, a position the Austrian Master had occupied alone since the second round.

Forgacs and Leonhardt played the day's only draw, a Four Knights' Opening that concluded in perpetual check by Black after 35 moves.

John vs. Niemzowitsch, a Queen's Pawn Game, saw Black win the exchange on the 23rd move, and bring home the full point on the 82nd.

Marshall displayed his famed endgame skill in a Queen's Gambit Declined vs. Kohnlein. The position after Marshall's 29th move would hardly allow one to expect a White victory, but the American ace succeded in capturing Black's a-pawn in exchange for his own f-pawn, after which the advance of White's resultant passed pawn seriously threatened Black's game. 29...h6 30.Ra6 Bd5 31.Nc3 Bc4 32.Ra4 Be6 33.Rxa7 Rxf2 34.Rc7 Rc2 35.a4 Bf5 36.Nd5 Rxc7? The consensus among the Masters is that Black should have played 36...Kf8 immediately. 37.Nxc7 Kf8 38.a5 Ke7 39.a6 Kd7 40.a7 Be4 41.a8=Q Bxa8 42.Nxa8 Kc6 A noteworthy position. Black will capture White's Knight and will, momentarily at least, possess an extra pawn in the endgame, but the activity of White's King decides matters. 43.Kg3 Kb7 44.Kf4 Kxa8 45.Ke5 Kb7 46.Kd6 h5 47.Ke7 f5 48.Kf7 Kc6 49.Kxg7 Kd5 50.Kg6 Ke4 51.Kxh5 Kf4 52.Kg6 1-0

In Salwe vs. Speyer, White won a pawn early on, but later allowed Black's counterplay on the King's side to grow too threatening. The finish was pretty. 31...Bd7 32.Kh1 Qh3 33.Nf1 h6 34.Qd5 Ne1! Threatening mate next move on both g2 and f1. 35.Rxe1 Qf3+ 36.Kg1 Bh3 37.Qxe4 Qxe4 38.f3 Qxf3 and Black soon won.



Tartakower, in a Four Knights' Game vs. Dus-Chotimirsky, won 2 pawns by the 25th move, and experienced no trouble scoring the victory in the endgame.

Yates showed once again that he is a match for the established Masters - but only up to a point. As White vs. Spielmann in another Four Knights' Game, the English player reached this position, only to blunder with 28.Rf1?, whereupon 28...Rd8 cost him a piece, and, three moves later, the game.



Duras, on the Black side of a Queen's Gambit Declined, defeated Alekhine in a delicate Bishop endgame. We consider ourselves unfit to gloss fully such a masterly piece of work, and so present the endgame here with but a brief comment or two, confident that our readers will derive much profit and enjoyment from the study of its numerous subtleties. 65...Kd5 66.Kb2 b4 Without this move, the Black King will find no entry route. 67.cxb4 Kd4 68.Ka3 c3 69.Ba4 Ke3 70.Bb3 (On 70.Bxe8 c2 71.d7 c1=Q comes with check) 70...Kd2 71.b5 Bxb5 72.Kb4 Be8 73.Kc5 Ke3 74.Kc4 Kxf4 75.Kd4 Bd7 76.Bd1 Bc6 77.Kc5 Be8 78.Kd4 Bd7 79.Bb3 g5 80.hxg5 Kxg5 81.Kxc3 Kf4 82.Kd4 h4 83.Bc4 h3 84.Bf1 Kg3 85.Ba6 f4 0-1 An excellent achievement by Duras.

Dr. Tarrasch at last resembled the Tarrasch of old, and defeated Teichmann in fine positional style in a Three Knights' Game. White's 15.e5! forced the shattering of Black's Queen's side pawns (15...Nxe5 16.Qxe5), after which the rest of the game - though perhaps only for a Tarrasch - appeared very much a matter of technique. We are happy to present this game in full, and hope to see the good Doctor produce more such first-class efforts in the coming rounds.

Scores after Round 8: Schlechter, Niemzowitsch*, Duras* 5 1/2; Marshall 5; Tartakower, Dus-Chotimirsky*, Spielmann*, 4 1/2; Salwe, Forgacs, Alekhine, Teichmann*, Leonhardt* 3 1/2; Speyer*, Dr. Tarrasch* 3; John, Kohnlein* 2 1/2; Yates 1/2.

Those players whose names are marked with an asterisk (*) have not yet had the bye, and thus have played an extra game.

Hamburg - Round 7

The chessboard battles have resumed here in Hamburg, with four decisive games among today’s offerings. Several of the Masters saw their promising positions slip away and their expectations of victory come to naught, a powerful reminder that chess at the highest level is a fight until the very last move.

Niemzowitsch and Teichmann contested a Scotch Four Knights' Game, reaching a level double Rook endgame in 23 moves, and agreeing to the draw seven moves later.

Kohnlein vs. Tartakower saw the second player win White's e-pawn early in a French Defense, and ultimately reap the full point deep into a Rook endgame, notwithstanding the prolonged and tenacious resistance of his opponent.

Duras vs. John was another French Defense, in which Duras steadily outplayed his opponent to establish a two-pawn advantage. John, to his credit, fought on manfully for several hours, and in the end secured the draw through perpetual check, still two pawns in arrears, in an endgame with Queen and Bishop vs. his opponent's Queen and Knight.

Spielmann played the 5.Qe2 variation of the Ruy Lopez against Alekhine (i.e., after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6) and looked to enjoy excellent winning prospects in the middlegame, especially in light of his opponent's time shortage. But Alekhine just managed to keep his head above water, conjuring tactical resource after tactical resource, and the game was agreed drawn on the 37th move. We give the concluding portion of this stirring contest 27...Nxe5 28.Qd5 Bxe3 29.Rxe3 Re6 30.Qa5 Rb6 31.Rae1 Rbb8 32.Qd5 Rd8 33.Qe4 Re8 34.Ba4 Re6 35.Qf4 f6 36.Qe4 Qc5 37.Kh1 Reb6 1/2-1/2 Spielmann could on more than one occasion have won a pawn, for example 32.Bxf7+ or 33.Qxe5 followed by 34.Bxf7+ and only then 35.Rxe5, but it is unlikely that the advantage to be gained thereby would have sufficed for victory, all the remaining pawns standing on the same side of the board. We would point out as well Alekhine's ingenious planned reply to the apparently strong 36.Bb3, viz., 36...Rxb3 37.Rxb3 Nf3+, and it will be seen that Black has extricated himself from his difficulties.

Schlechter and Dr. Tarrasch contested a closely-fought Three Knights' Game in which the Austrian sacrificed his Queen for Rook and Bishop, saddling his opponent with tripled pawns in the process. Schlechter played 24.Nxg6+ hxg6 (not 24...Bxg6? 25.Qxg5!) 25.Qxg5 fxg5 26.Rxf7. So difficult was the resulting position that there was disagreement among the Masters whether Schlechter's sacrifice was intended as a winning or drawing attempt. In the end, the players agreed the game drawn on the 49th move, Schlechter then holding Rook, Bishop, and pawn as compensation for his missing Queen.


Leonhardt dispatched Yates in 23 moves in a Ruy Lopez. Here Yates, already under pressure, erred with 19...Ne6?. Leonhardt might have concluded the game at one with 20.Bxe6, as on 20.Bc5+ 21.Be3 Bxe3+ 22.Qxe3 fxe6 23.Qh3, the e6-square, and with it Black's game, collapses. White chose another promising path, 20.Nhxf7 Nd4 21.Qh3 (Threatening 22.Qh6+ and 23.Rxf6) 21...Nh5? (Losing at once. 21...h5, frightful as it appears, offered the only slim hope.) 22.Ne6+ Nxe6 23.Bh6+ and Black resigned. After 23...Kg8 24.Bxe6 his situation is sorry indeed.

Speyer suffered perhaps the biggest disappointment of the round. The Dutch representative won a pawn in the opening of a Ruy Lopez vs. Marshall through some clever play, only to see his advantage dissipate move by move in the endgame. 11.Nd5 Rb8 (if 11...axb5? 12.Qxa8!) 12.Bxa6 Ra8 (12...bxa6 is mer by 13.Nxe7) 13.Nxe7 Bxe7 14.Qxc6+ bxc6 15.Bxc8 Rxc8. Here 16.a4 has been suggested, in order to make use as soon as possible of the extra passed pawn. Speyer instead chose to play on the King's side, but without success. 16.Rhg1 Ra8 17.a3 O-O 18.Bd4 g6 19.f4 Ra4 20.Rge1 Bh4 21.Re2 Re8 22.e5 c5 23.Be3 White is steadily giving ground. 23...dxe5 24.fxe5 Rxe5 25.Rd7 f5 26.Kd1 Rae4 27.Rdd2 g5 28.f4 gxf4 29.Bxf4 A blunder, though any player who has ever watched a good position gradually turn sour will understand Speyer's frame of mind by this point. 29.Bf2 had to be played, to answer 29...Bxf2 with 30.Rd8+ Kf7 31.Rxf2. 29...Rxf4 30.Rxe5 Rf1+ 31.Ke2 Re1+ 32.Kf3 Rxe5 and wins. Speyer in fact played on for several moves a piece behind before resigning, perhaps to accomodate himself to the thought of the promised point gone lost.

Dus-Chotimirsky won an excellent Queen's Gambit Declined vs. Forgacs, in which White sacrificed a Knight for an attack on the King's side. The Black monarch found himself compelled to flee across the entire board in search of shelter, but in vain. We would call the reader's attention to White's further sacrifices on moves 33 and 37; the latter, offering a full Rook, forces mate, Black's King then standing on a6.

Salwe had the bye.

Scores after Round 7: Schlechter* 5 1/2; Dus-Chotimirsky*, Niemzowitsch*, Duras* 4 1/2; Marshall 4; Salwe 3 1/2; Tartakower, Alekhine, Teichmann* Spielmann* 3 1/2; Forgacs, Leonhardt* 3; John, Kohnlein* 2 1/2; Speyer*, Dr. Tarrasch* 2; Yates 1/2.

Those players whose names are marked with an asterisk (*) have not yet had the bye, and thus have played an extra game.