Roy T. Black and Abraham Kupchik, current joint holders of second place, met in the tenth round of the Rice Chess Club Summer Masters' Tournament, adjourning after 49 moves of a Philidor Defense in a Rook endgame in which the former enjoyed the advantage of two extra pawns. Such a surplus generally suffices for victory, but the ability of Kupchik's Rook to attack the scattered White pawns led some experts to question whether Mr. Black will be able to score the victory when the game is adjourned. A drawn outcome would likely most benefit Oldrich Duras of Prague, who stands next on the score chart and who defeated Canada's F.P. Beynon in a fine Bishop endgame. Other winners on the day were Albert Marder, who overcame George F. Adair via a powerful King-side attack, and Oscar Chajes, who defeated Jacob Bernstein. Jacques Grommer and Harold M. Phillips were free, while the Tenenwurzel-Capablanca encounter, originally scheduled for this round, was in fact played more than two weeks ago and resulted in a victory for the Cuban Master, who has already made certain of first place with a perfect score.
We have three games to share today. Black got the better of Kupchik in the skirmish that began with 8...d5 and concluded, after 16.Bxd5, with the first player a pawn to the good. A second pawn fell at the 44th move, the adjournment coming five moves thereafter. Despite the doubts expressed by the experts, we suspect that Mr. Black will consider it a serious disappointment if he fails to score this game to his credit.
Beynon essayed the Exchange Variation of the Ruy Lopez against Duras, deriving no perceivable advantage therefrom. The Czech early on sacrificed a pawn, only to capture two in return over the subsequent ten moves. In the endgame that followed the two Black passed pawns on the King-side proved stronger than White's central pawn mass, and Beynon resigned at the 42nd move.
Marder, who also adopted the Ruy Lopez, soon developed an irresistible attack against the Open Defense of Adair, and scored the point with relative ease.
The score of the Chajes-Bernstein game, won by the former, has not come to hand.
Current standings:
13 points: Capablanca (13)
7 1/2 points: Black (9), Kupchik (10)
7 points: Duras (8)
6 1/2 points: Marder (10)
6 points: Tenenwurzel (10), Chajes (10)
5 points: Adair (10)
4 1/2 points: Bernstein (11)
3 1/2 points: Beynon (10)
2 1/2 points: Phillips (8)
2 points: Grommer (9)
Withdrawn: Stapfer, Beihoff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 Grommer-Phillips, Phillips-Chajes, and Black-Kupchik are not included in the above table.
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