Rice Chess Club tournament, Round 5: Marder, Tenenwurzel, Capablanca score victories; two games adjourned

On the evening of the 16th inst. Albert Marder defeated Jacques Grommer and Edward Tenenwurzel bested Jacob Bernstein in fifth-round encounters at the Rice Chess Club Summer Masters' Tournament.  Tourney leader José Capablanca also added a full point to his total at the expense of Canada's F.P. Beynon in a game moved forward from the sixth round, the two players both finding themselves otherwise without an opponent for the evening's play. The games Philips-Kupchik and Black-Chajes were adjourned, while the contest Duras-Adair, the former having barely stepped off the steamer from Europe, was postponed until a later date.

The fifth round took place following a meeting of the players, held to discuss the withdrawal of Messrs. Stapfer and Beihoff.  It was decided that each of the remaining competitors will be credited with victories against the departed players, and that the unplayed game between the two drop-outs will be recorded as a double-forfeit.  In addition, each of the twelve contestants still entered in the competition has pledged not to withdraw before the conclusion of the event, but rather to complete his playing schedule.

We present the revised current standings in tournament, the chart below reflecting both the results of all completed games as well as the two points now credited to each player's account in consequence of the departure of Stapfer and Beihoff.

Scores after 5 rounds:

7 points: Capablanca (7)

5 1/2 points: Marder (6)

5 points: Kupchik (5), Tenenwurzel (6)

4 points: Bernstein (7)

3 1/2 points: Black (4)

3 points: Chajes (5), Adair (6)

2 points: Duras (2), Phillips (4), Beynon, Grommer (6)

Withdrawn: Stapfer, Beihoff

The number in parentheses following a player's surname indicates the number of games he has played to date, including two forfeit victories over Stapfer and Beihoff.  The adjourned games Phillips-Black, Black-Chajes, and Phillips-Kupchik are not included in the above table.

To the games:

Marder opened with the King's pawn against Grommer, who chose the Center Counter Defense in reply.  The first player soon developed an attack against the opposing King, which had taken refuge on the Queen-side.  With the blow 21.Bxb7+ Marder weakened the enemy redoubt; the subsequent 24.Bc6 initiated a maneuver to win the exchange, after which White concluded matters with a sure hand.

In Tenenwurzel-Bernstein, a Queen's Gambit Declined, White succeeded in weakening Black's King-side and strove to develop an attack on that flank.  Matters came to a head shortly after the 30th move; Tenenwurzel's 37.Rc6-c8!, diagrammed below, decided the contest in a particularly attractive fashion:

In Capablanca-Beynon the Cuban once again demonstrated his endgame prowess, sacrificing a Bishop in order to secure for himself a dangerous pair of connected passed pawns, whose advance soon decided the game.