Alexander Alekhine defeated Abraham Speijer to increase his lead over David Janowski to one and on-half points with two rounds remaining at the Scheveningen International Masters' Tournament. Alekhine, now with 10 1/2 points from 11 games, employed the Philidor Defense to score the win in 40 moves while Janowski, playing White in a Four Knights' Game against F.D. Yates of England, resigned after his 52nd turn in a hopeless Queen endgame, and remains on 9 points. Yates, with 7 1/2, shares third place with Gyula Breyer, who bested Willem Schelfhout. In other games Edward Lasker saw his chances for third prize seriously damaged by a loss to J.W. te Kolsté, Rudolf Loman topped Fritz Englund, and Jacques Mieses, whose last few games have provided high drama, recovered from a lost position a piece to the bad to secure a draw vs. Klaas Geus. Dr. A.G. Olland scored a win without play, having been slated to meet the withdrawn player A.E. van Foreest, and now stands alone in fifth place with 7 points to his credit.
Current scores: Alekhine 10 1/2; Janowski 9; Yates, Breyer 7 1/2; Olland 7; Ed. Lasker 6; te Kolsté, Englund 5 1/2; Geus 5; Mieses, Speijer 4; Loman 3 1/2; Schelfhout 2; van Foreest 0.
Alekhine, who seems to strive for the attack whether playing White or Black, wrested the initiative from Speijer with active play on the Queen-side. The move 34...Rb1 is most attractive.
Janowski gained no visible advantage vs. Yates in a Four Knights' Game. The French representative's later attempts to mount an attack against his opponent's King in a heavy-piece endgame led only to the loss of two pawns, and, consequently, the game.
Schelfhout-Breyer, another Four Knights' Game, saw White offer a pawn in the opening but fail to develop an attack in the subsequent play. Breyer conducted the contest with assurance, at last achieving victory in a pawn endgame where the extra pawn decided matters.
Yet another Four Knights' Game made its appearance in the struggle between te Kolsté and Ed. Lasker. Black seems to have overlooked the blow 18.Bh6, whereby White won a pawn. Lasker put up a dogged resistance afterward. but to no avail, as te Kolsté scored the win at the 71st move.
Englund, facing Loman, adopted Bird's Opening 1.f4 for the second time in the tourney. The contest remained in balance until White's 37.Nxf4??, which cost him the game.
Geus outplayed Mieses, who relied on his favorite Center Counter Defense to White's 1.e4. White enjoyed the advantage of a full piece at the 37th move, but allowed his wily opponent to escape into an endgame of Rook and four pawns against Queen and two, in which Geus could see no means of entering the Black position with his King, or of successfully attacking Black's pawns, or of otherwise making progress. A draw was agreed at the 48th move.
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