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.