Thursday, July 31

Mannheim tournament, Round 7: Alekhine again joins Spielmann in lead; Vidmar half-point behind

Alexander Alekhine recovered from his sixth-round loss vs. David Janowski to defeat Efim Bogoljubow and move once again to the top of the score table after seven rounds of the Mannheim international Masters' tournament. Alekhine, with 5 1/2 points, shares first place with Rudolf Spielmann, who drew his seventh-round encounter vs. Dr. Saviely Tartakower. Dr. Milan Vidmar holds third place with 5 points following a draw vs. Oldrich Duras, while U.S. Champion Frank J. Marshall assumed sole possession of fourth position with a win over Richard Reti. Three players who had scored well in recent rounds and seemed poised to join the leading group all suffered setbacks: David Janowski, conqueror of Tartakower and Alekhine in the previous two rounds, went down to defeat vs. Walter John, while Bogoljubow and Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch, each winner of three games running, also lost, the former as noted to Alekhine and the latter to Gyula Breyer. In other contests Ehrhardt Post topped Jacques Mieses, while the games Carl Carls-Alexander Flamberg and Paul Krüger-Hans Fahrni were drawn.

The White pieces scored heavily on the day with 5 victories and 4 draws, and now lead the Black by 29 victories to 12, with 22 games drawn.

Results:

Alekhine-Bogoljubow 1-0
Spielmann-Tartakower ½-½
Duras-Vidmar ½-½
Marshall-Reti 1-0
John-Janowski 1-0
Breyer-Tartakower 1-0
Post-Mieses 1-0
Carls-Flamberg ½-½
Krüger-Fahrni ½-½

Scores after Round 7: Alekhine, Spielmann 5 1/2; Vidmar 5; Marshall 4 1/2; Bogoljubow, John, Reti, Breyer 4; Tarrasch, Janowski, Duras 3 1/2; Krüger 3; Post, Tartakower, Carls 2 1/2; Fahrni, Mieses 2; Flamberg 1 1/2.

We have received all game scores but that of the draw between Krüger and Fahrni, and present them below.

Alekhine with 27.Nf5! took advantage of an oversight by Bogoljubow to win the exchange and, subsequently, the game.


Spielmann and Tartakower fought a lively battle for 31 moves in a Caro-Kann Defense before agreeing to a draw.


Duras as White in a Queen's Gambit Declined appeared to gain a substantial positional advantage on the Queen-side vs. Vidmar, but the latter defended stoutly, with a draw as the result.


Reti misplaced his Queen's Bishop vs. Marshall and paid the price in the form of an extra pawn and lasting attack for his opponent, who gained victory at the 32nd move.


Janowski mishandled a Sicilian Defense and went down under a crushing attack by John.


Breyer won a fine game from Tarrasch, sacrificing the exchange at the 21st move to inaugurate an enduring attack that at last brought victory 20 moves later.


Mieses with 11...Nxe4 played a combination that led only to the denuding of his own King. Post delivered checkmate at the 23rd move.


Carls essayed an enterprising endgame exchange sacrifice vs Flamberg that seemed to yield him sufficient compensation, but no more; the players agreed to a draw by repetition of position at the 49th move.

 



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