David Janowski and Alexander Alekhine continue to run shoulder-to-shoulder at the head of the pack after five rounds of the International Masters' Tournament at Scheveningen. Each won his fifth game in succession to maintain a perfect 5-0 score, although each also faced a few uneasy moments along the road to victory. Janowski defeated Willem Schelfhout in a Caro-Kann Defense despite overlooking a winning stroke following a strong Knight sacrifice at the 16th move. The French Master thereafter was obliged to fight on for nearly 30 more moves with three pawns as compensation for his missing piece, and secured the victory only when his opponent began to falter near the end of the contest. For his part Alekhine, whose dashing and complicated style has made him quite popular among the spectators, played a head-spinning combination vs. Rudolf Loman, offering a Knight and Bishop on consecutive moves. This sudden shock proved too much for the Dutchman, who seems to have missed an opportunity to turn the tables on his young Russian opponent, choosing 34.Qe1? in preference to the drawing 34.Qg1 or the likely winning 34.Ba3!, a possibility pointed out by our friend Herr Fritz. It should be noted that with the time limit set at 34 moves in two hours (followed by one hour for the next 17 moves), Loman may well have found himself in time pressure and thus been compelled to make his fateful choice quickly. At all events, Alekhine received his opponent's resignation a few moves later.
Other winners on the day included F.D. Yates, who maintained his hold on third place by topping Dr. A.G. Olland in a hard-fought French Defense, and Edward Lasker, who now stands alone in fourth position after besting Mieses and his Center Counter Defense in a mere 18 moves. Abraham Speijer recorded his second victory, at the expense of Gyula Breyer, and J.W. te Kolsté defeated Arnold van Foreest, who has yet to score. Finally, Fritz Englund, on the verge of victory with three extra pawns in an endgame of Queen and Bishop against Queen and Knight, allowed Klaas Geus to escape with perpetual check, this game standing as the lone draw of the round and only the fourth peaceful conclusion from 34 games played to date. We are hard-pressed to recall another modern tourney with such a gratifyingly high percentage of decisive results.
Scores after 5 rounds: Janowski, Alekhine 5; F.D. Yates 4; Ed. Lasker 3 1/2; Olland, Breyer, te Kolsté, Geus 2 1/2; Englund, Speijer 2; Mieses 1 1/2; Loman, Schelfhout 1; van Foreest 0.
We present the games:
Janowski could have spared himself several hours' effort had he spotted 19.Bc4!, against which there is no good response.
Alekhine with his fiery imagination seems capable of launching combinations from virtually any position. Here he somewhat overreaches himself, and might have paid the price had Loman played 34.Ba3.
Yates played energetic chess vs. Olland and at last saw his efforts crowned with success at the 44th move.
Edward Lasker won a neat miniature contest vs. Mieses. The move 6...Ne4, which we do not recall ever having seen before, appears premature, and is likely the source of Black's later woes.
Speijer and Breyer contested an interesting endgame, each with his Bishop lying in ambush, taking aim at the opposing King. Yet when Breyer's Bishop joined the attack via 31...Bxf3+, it proved an error that cost the game.
We present the score of te Kolsté's victory over van Foreest as it has come to us. The final position does not appear to warrant Black's resignation.
Englund outplayed Geus in a Queen's Pawn Game but let victory slip his grasp, first overlooking the winning 51.e6+! and then allowing perpetual check with 56.Qf3?
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