Saturday, February 22

Teichmann-Spielmann match, Game 2: Spielmann, with victory, levels score at 1-1

Rudolf Spielmann struck back in the second game of his Leipzig match vs. Richard Teichmann, scoring a victory with the White pieces to level the score of the six-game contest at 1-1. Spielmann opened with the Scotch Gambit 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4, a debut well-suited to his enterprising style, with the game following old and familiar paths until Teichmann at his ninth turn played 9...dxc3, a move that we cannot recall ever having seen before. Queens were exchanged at the 15th move, and the resulting endgame soon turned in favor of Spielmann owing to his greater command of space and to the weakness of the opposing c-pawn, whose defense required the attention of nearly all Black's pieces. By the 30th move Spielmann, with his Knight established at e6 and a Queen-side attack underway, appeared to enjoy every prospect of success, so that Teichmann, unwilling quietly to await the further deterioration of his position, opted to lash out with the Knight sacrifice 30...Nxf5, an offer that freed his game and left him with two mobile central pawns in return for the piece. Spielmann, however, was not to be denied, and soon brought his superior forces to bear against the Black King. White's 42.Nxd5 cleverly won a pawn, while the sequence 47.Nb4+ Kxb2 48.R3f2+ Ka3 49.Rb1 constructed a mating net from which Teichmann could escape only at the further cost of the exchange, thus leaving Spielmann a full Rook ahead in return for two harmless pawns. Black resigned at the 55th move. With this equalizing victory by Spielmann the contest in essence begins anew, and we eagerly look forward to more captivating chess from these two first-rate exponents of our noble game.

We present the score below. The third game is scheduled for tomorrow, 23 February.


        

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