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.