Vienna Jubilee tournament, Round 1

An eight-man tournament is underway to celebrate the jubilee of the founding of the Vienna Chess Club, and featuring several Masters and strong amateurs resident in that metropolis: Schlechter, Tartakower, Spielmann, Perlis, Reti, Kaufmann, Schenkein, and Löwy.  The event will be a double-round affair, with prizes generously provided by the Trebitsch memorial fund.

First-round pairings were  Löwy vs. Spielmann, Schlechter vs. Kaufmann, Reti vs. Perlis, and Schenkein vs. Tartakower, with all games decisive, and those whose names appear in boldface above having registered victories.  Herewith we present three of the games, all that have come to hand; we shall of course continue our coverage of this event as it proceeds.

Our favorite game of the round was the following splendid victory by Dr. Perlis:

Alekhine-Levitsky match, Game 8: Alekhine wins, leads 5-3

Alexander Alekhine defeated Stepan Levitsky in the eighth game of their match at St. Petersburg to take a 5-3 lead in the contest and move within two wins of the seven required for overall victory.  The young Moscow Master recorded his latest success in a spirited, tactical affair typical of the fighting chess that has characterized this clash between two players of vivid imagination and uncompromising style.

Alekhine, as in the fourth and sixth games, chose the Vienna Opening, the players on this occasion entering the complex variation 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Qh5.  Levitsky with 10...Nxb3 and 11...f5 introduced a new plan into this much-analyzed line, to which Alekhine responded in fortissimo style, sacrificing the exchange and two pawns by the 18th move, and afterward regaining his material investment with a continuing attack.

We must confess to some uncertainty regarding the manner in which the game concluded, having received by cable from Russia two versions of the score.  In the first, given precedence below, White with 30.Nf7 brings about an endgame in which he enjoys the material advantage of an extra exchange, and duly achieves victory at the 50th move.  In the second version, which reached our offices two hours later, and which we have included in a note, White in the same position plays the stronger 29.Nxg4+! (variations and transpositions in the score accounting for the differing move number) and forces an immediate decision after 29...Bxg4 30.Qe5+.  We can offer no explanation for this discrepancy, unless perhaps the latter finish was intended by Alekhine to demonstrate an opportunity missed during the game, and discovered during subsequent analysis?  The notion that the winner, whose comments appear below, may have been attempting to "polish" the game score and provide a neater finish than that which in fact occurred seems to us altogether out of the question.       

Marshall in New Orleans

Following his victory in the recent Havana tournament, Frank J. Marshall traveled to New Orleans for a chess engagement.  During his stay in the Crescent City Marshall contested the following individual game with Judge Leon L. Labatt, long one of the strongest New Orleans players.  Judge Labatt succeeded in doing what only Janowski had accomplished in Havana; namely, inflicting a defeat on the United States Champion.  The game, which would merit attention by virtue of its result alone, is rendered even more noteworthy by the peregrinations of White's King, and by Marshall's ingenious attempts to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat via yet another "swindle":

Alekhine-Levitsky match, Game 7: Levitsky closes to within one point with convincing win; trails 4-3

St. Petersburg: Stepan Levitsky, continuing his recovery from a poor start, scored a relatively easy victory over Alexander Alekhine in the seventh game of their ongoing match, winning for the third time in the last four contests and narrowing the score to 4-3 in favor of his young opponent.  Overall victory in the contest will go to the first player to record seven won games.

Levitsky, with the first move, chose the Giuoco Piano, the game following the lines of the third contest between these same opponents until White varied at his 9th turn with 9.h3 in place of the earlier 9.Be3.  Alekhine, ever aggressive, attempted a quick strike on the King-side with 11...g5 and 12...g4, an advance that proved not only harmless for White but disadvantageous for Black, and which, in combination with 15...Bxe3? and 18...Bxf3?, left the first player in possession of a powerful Bishop and the open f-line as means of exploiting the weaknesses in the opposing position.  White soon gained two pawns, while simultaneously bringing about an endgame completely lacking in counterplay for Alekhine, who resigned at the 54th move, the result of the game having long been a foregone conclusion.  We append the game score, together with a few very brief comments by Alekhine, who appears understandably dissatisfied with his play in this latest encounter:

Alekhine-Levitsky match, Game 6: Alekhine wins protracted battle, leads 4-2

Alekhine Alekhine defeated Stepan Levitsky in the sixth game of their match at St. Petersburg, forcing him opponent's resignation after 90 moves in a contest marked by much maneuvering, broken on occasion by episodes of thrust-and-parry on various sectors of the board.  Alekhine now leads the race to seven victories by a score of 4-2; the two chess gladiators are yet to record a single draw.

Alekhine, playing White, chose the Vienna Game, and an early exchange of several minor pieces brought about after a dozen moves a position in which each side remained with Queen, both Rooks, and a full complement of eight pawns, the first player possessing in addition a Bishop against his opponent's Knight.  There followed a long period of probing, with Alekhine, who held a slight initiative, seeking inroads on the opposing King-side, and directing his fire primarily against his opponent's weak pawn on f6 - an plan that fell short of the desired result.  The later appearance of a weak White pawn on g3, whose defense required the attention of four pieces, further complicated the first player's attempts to make progress, and the fact that no pieces, and only a handful of pawns, were exchanged between the 13th and 73rd moves provides telling evidence of the nature of the play.  At length, however, White succeeded in breaking through via an advance on the Queen-side, in which zone the Black King had taken shelter, and Alekhine with a concluding attack achieved an advantage sufficient for victory, though in the opinion of the winner both White's offense and Black's defense in this final phase might have been materially strengthened, an understandable circumstance given the duration of the contest.

We present the game, with commentary by Alekhine:

Ed. Lasker-Gunsberg match, Game 1: Lasker opens contest with victory

In London, Herr Edward Lasker has won the first game of his six-game match against Isidor Gunsberg, scoring the full point in a Queen's Pawn Game in which the White Rooks and Knights overran the undeveloped opposing position, as an examination of the situation after White's 25th move (see diagram) will make evident to the reader.  Herr Lasker, who thus leads the match by a score of 1-0, has kindly provided a few brief comments to the game:

City of London Chess Club Championship Final

We present two games played recently in the early rounds of this annual event, tantamount to the Championship of the metropolis itself.  In the first, Mr. Loman scores a fine victory over Herr Lasker in a game displaying the power of the two Bishops on an open board.  In the other, Mr. George A. Thomas, for several years one of the strongest London players, wins a difficult pawn endgame from Mr. Cole.  We urge our readers to consider this endgame carefully, as it offers much in the way of instruction.  Indeed, some of the strongest players in our local club, including the current club Champion, Herr Fritz, were mistaken in their initial evaluation of the position after 38.Kxc2, thinking that it must be drawn.  Closer examination, however, reveals it to be a win for White, and we have added a few apposite variations, fruit of the analytical work of our clubmates, as evidence thereof:

  

Ed. Lasker-Gunsberg match announced

Word has reached us of a match of six games' duration to be contested in London between Herr Edward Lasker, newcomer to the English chess scene, and veteran campaigner Isidor Gunsberg, an encounter promising a fascinating clash of youthful vigor versus seasoned experience.  A brilliant victory by Lasker recently appeared in our pages; the name of Gunsberg, we suspect, may be less familiar to some of our readers, in particular the younger ones, as in recent years the old Master has rather limited his active participation in chess events, devoting himself in the main to journalistic and literary efforts in the service of our royal game.  Let us recall, therefore, that Gunsberg in his day was capable of defeating any player in the world, and once mounted a campaign to wrest the title of Champion from Steinitz himself, an effort in which he suffered a narrow and honorable defeat.  We present a small selection of games won by Gunsberg against  Masters of world class; those against Tarrasch and Blackburne, taken from the Hamburg tourney of 1885, were played several months before Herr Lasker was born.

Alekhine-Levitsky match, Game 5: Levitsky wins 2nd consecutive game with sacrificial attack; score now 3-2 in favor of Alekhine

The Alekhine-Levitsky match, which a scant few days ago gave the appearance of a runaway affair, has transformed into a much more closely-fought contest after yesterday's fifth game, a slashing victory by Stepan Levitsky.  Levitsky, recording a success for the second consecutive game, defeated Alekhine with a violent attack and now trails his younger compatriot by a single point, 3-2, in this match of seven games up.

After the obligatory 1.e4 e5, as prescribed by the match conditions, Levitsky employed the Center Game, against which Alekhine reacted vigorously.  At his 13th turn Levitsky, facing a situation in which routine play would cede the initiative to  Black, chose instead to launch a sacrificial attack, shattering the opposing King's defensive position at the cost of a piece.  The soundness of this approach may be open to question, but the dangers it presented for the defending side were without doubt, and Alekhine, by his own estimation, committed a serious error at the 16th move.  Thereupon Levitsky, making excellent use of a pin on the d-file, combined with threats of a mating attack, applied continuous pressure until his opponent, short of time, opted, as in the fourth game, to yield his Queen for Rook and minor piece in the hope of mounting a defense with his remaining forces, a hope that soon proved vain when, at his 25th turn, and facing further loss of material, the young Muscovite resigned.  We present the game, along with commentary by Alekhine:

Thoughts on the Havana tournament

The Havana tournament has concluded, and, after a few days' reflection, we venture to offer our thoughts on the contest and the participants therein.

Cuba is well-known in the chess world for the respect and hospitality it affords its guests, and the present tourney was certainly no exception to this deserved reputation.  The competitors were welcomed, feasted, and attended to in fine style, worthy of the city Steinitz once called "the El Dorado of chess."  If the organizers and public had, as is understandable, expected to celebrate another triumph for Capablanca, their native son, they were no less effusive in their praise and applause for the victory of Marshall.  Only an unfortunate undercurrent of suspicion, alluded to in one of our earlier reports, dulled the brilliance of this worthy event.  Our sympathies in the above affair lie with Jaffe, who found himself faced with the impossible task of proving a negative: namely, that he did not blunder intentionally as a means to aid the cause of Marshall.

As for Marshall, he demonstrated that not only is he capable of scoring many victories - defeating each of the other seven participants in succession in rounds 5 through 11 - but also that he is a most difficult man to defeat, and often at his most wily and dangerous when in an inferior position, as was discovered by Chajes, Capablanca, and Kupchik in consecutive rounds.  The United States Champion's reputation for "swindles" will only increase after this tourney, as will, certainly, his standing in the chess world.

That Capablanca's second place finish is viewed by many as a blow to his reputation is evidence of the lofty standards to which he is held, by himself no less than by his admirers.  He played much excellent chess, with his first-round game against Corzo being awarded the brilliancy prize.  We believe that, with the possible exception of Dr. Lasker, against whom he has not yet contested a serious game, Capablanca is a match for any Master in the world, and more than a match for most.  But if at times the chess gods choose to smile on another participant in a tournament, as it seems they directed their beneficent gaze toward Marshall in Havana, then the young Cuban maestro should not begrudge his rival their attention.  Many more successes await Capablanca, perhaps even the greatest of all.

Janowski gave an excellent account of himself, his victory over Chajes being notable for fighting spirit, and that vs. Capablanca standing as a fine example of overall mastery.  The latter game must have afforded great satisfaction to Janowski, who let slip a similar chance against the same opponent at San Sebastian two years ago.  His Havana result demonstrates that the veteran of so many chessboard struggles possesses life and sparkle within him yet, for which we can all be grateful.

The first three finishers were the only competitors to end the event with a plus score, all the others having more games lost than won on their balance sheet, and with Chajes and Kupchik, the next nearest to Janowski in the rankings, trailing the Frenchman by the large margin of two and one-half points.  We can think of no more striking example of the difference between an average Master and a player of world class.  To discuss the others briefly:  Kupchik was up when Chajes was down, and vice versa, the former beginning well with 6 points from 10 games, only to lose three of his last four; while the latter, after recording only 2 1/2 points through nine rounds, tallied four wins from 5 games at the close.  It is perhaps fitting that, after such variable swings to and fro, they should have finished the event on the same score.  Jaffe never displayed the same form he had recently shown in New York, and, for the reason mentioned above, was quite content to see the tourney draw to a close.  Blanco lost all six games played against the top three finishers, but achieved a score of 5-3 against the other four, defeating each once, and can with justification claim to be the equal of any of them.  And, finally, Corzo, despite finishing in the bottom place, produced much lively chess, and can take solace in the fact that his lone win, scored against Jaffe in the sixth round, was brought about by a pretty Queen sacrifice.  Such bright moments keep all of us returning to chess again and again, even in our darker days.

Alekhine-Levitsky match, Game 4: Levitsky records first victory, trails 3-1

Stepan Levitsky scored his first victory in the fourth game of his match against Alexander Alekhine, defeating his young opponent in a hard-fought battle lasting 56 moves.  Alekhine now leads the match, whose victor will be the first to win seven games, by the score of three victories to one.

Alekhine, playing White, selected the Vienna Game as his weapon of choice, advancing steadily with his pawns on the Queen-side while his opponent sought counterplay on the King's wing.  White's attack initially appeared the faster, but ultimately proved inadequate to break through the Black defenses.  Alekhine, whose notes are included in the game score below, feels that his move 28.Qa2 was an error, and cites 28.f3 as a superior option.  Then, as so often occurs in chess, an opportunity missed by one side leads to the tipping of the balance in favor of the other, and the next several moves saw Levitsky in the ascendancy, with Alekhine at last feeling himself compelled to yield Queen for Rook, Knight, and pawn at his 36th turn.  The second player handled the remainder of the game with assurance, invading White's position with his heavy pieces and rendering harmless the White b-pawn, which stood dangerously close to the Queening square, until at last forcing resignation at the 56th move.  Herewith the game score:

Havana tournament, Round 14: Marshall wins tourney despite last-round loss; Capablanca 2nd after draw with Kupchik

United States Champion Frank J. Marshall survived a final-round defeat at the hands of David Janowski to capture first prize in the Havana international chess Masters' tournament.  Marshall, scoring 10 1/2 points from 14 games played, finished one half-point ahead of José R. Capablanca, who drew his final game against Abraham Kupchik.  The result represents an exact reversal of the positions occupied by the two players at the recent New York tourney, where Capablanca claimed victory over his American rival by a similar narrow margin.  Third prize in Havana fell to Janowski, with 9 points, while the fourth and fifth prizes were shared by Kupchik and Oscar Chajes, each with 6 1/2, the latter capping a splendid finish by defeating Juan Corzo to record his fourth victory over the last five rounds.  In the day's final game Rafael Blanco defeated Charles Jaffe in a game marked by a matched set of nearly incomprehensible blunders.

Marshall, who led Capablanca by a full point entering the final day's play, stood alone through 13 rounds as the only competitor not to have tasted defeat, a distinction the American Champion had likewise achieved in New York.  His overall success in the tourney thus appeared secure, as only a loss for Marshall, combined with a Capablanca victory, would allow the Cuban to claim a share of first prize.  Yet Janowski accomplished what others had not, gradually gaining the advantage in a Queen's Gambit Declined, and then, owing to the strength of a passed d-pawn in a Rook endgame, forcing the tournament leader to strike his colors at the 47th move.  Though analysts on the scene feel that Marshall may have missed a drawing chance with 29...Re6, Janowski's technique was of a high standard, and with this victory he adds a fine finish to a commendable third place performance.  As for Marshall, today's defeat can do but little to tarnish a most shining achievement, one worthy of being added to his already long list of similar successes: 

 

Capablanca, in need of a win at all costs as Black against Kupchik, saw a promising position turn sour, and narrowly escaped defeat himself.  After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 the Cuban chose the uncommon 3...g6, reckoning that the intricacies of that line would prove unfamiliar to his young opponent.  Indeed, by his 30th turn Capablanca had seized the initiative, and seemed to enjoy fair prospects for a successful attack on the King-side, yet over the next several moves Black's own King came under such heavy assault that he soon found it necessary to bring about a perpetual check by means of a Rook sacrifice.  (Even this drastic measure may not have sufficed with best play: our Herr Fritz asks whether Kupchik at the 48th move might not have tried 48.Bg2, avoiding the perpetual check and winning for White - see the game score below.)  In the players' defense it should be mentioned that the many spectators at the Ateneo not only created a sweltering atmosphere, but, carried away by the excitement of the final round, raised a genuine din in the hall, conditions hardly conducive to faultless play, and perhaps responsible for the large number of oversights and outright blunders in this final round.  His second place finish here in the place of his birth is undoubtedly a disappointment to Capablanca, though we are certain not only that other successes await him, but that, given the level of support he enjoys from his countrymen, the opportunity will one day once again present itself for him to demonstrate his full chess prowess on his native soil:

   

Corzo, fighting to the last, opened with the King's pawn and directed his attack against the castled position of Chajes, who chose the Sicilian Defense.  The game stood in balance when the Cuban Champion, with 34.b4, initiated a mistaken combination involving the sacrifice of the exchange, having overlooked the simple rejoinder 36...Qd6, which extinguished the nascent attack almost before it began and left Black with an easily won game.  Thus did Chajes equal the 6 1/2 point score of Kupchik to share the 4th and 5th prizes:

Finally we come to Blanco vs. Jaffe, which is perhaps best looked upon as evidence that playing conditions during the final round were rather less than ideal.  We can think of no other reasonable explanation for a Master game in which each player in turn blunders away a full Rook, Jaffe losing his Rook to a pair of obvious checks and Blanco, even more remarkably, simply leaving his own Rook en prise one more thereafter.  These instances of chess blindness left Blanco in possession of an extra pawn in an endgame, which, it must be admitted, he conducted well.  And there the tourney ended:

Final scores:  Marshall 10 1/2; Capablanca 10; Janowski 9; Kupchik, Chajes 6 1/2; Jaffe 5 1/2; Blanco 5; Corzo 3.

We expect to share some further thoughts on the tournament in the coming days.

 

Alekhine-Levitsky match, Game 3: Levitsky blunders in favorable endgame; Alekhine now leads 3-0

Alexander Alekhine took a 3-0 lead in his match against Stepan Levitsky when the latter, perhaps fatigued after a complicated struggle, miscalculated in a favorable position, voluntarily returning his material advantage and allowing a forcible transition into a pawn endgame clearly winning for his opponent.  The loss by Levitsky comes as a blow to his supporters, who, only minutes before the end, entertained high hopes that their favorite would record his first victory in the match, which will go to the first contestant to win seven games outright.

Levitsky, playing White, chose the Giuoco Piano for this encounter, concentrating his forces on the Queen-side and leaving the King's wing to its fate, as an examination of the position after Black's 20th move will instantly make clear.  Alekhine, never hesitant to attack, advanced his forces toward the enemy monarch, to whose aid Levitsky hurried his own troops, thereby maintaining the balance.  At his 33rd turn Alekhine blundered, overlooking a clever riposte by his opponent, as a direct result of which White won the exchange,  with, as Alekhine himself admits, strong prospects of winning the game.  Yet Levitsky returned the "favor" almost immediately, his 37.Rd4?? converting a likely won endgame into a clearly lost one.  The loser remarked afterward that he had foreseen the resultant pawn endgame in his calculations, but had simply misevaluated it, the sort of unfortunate occurrence experienced at some point by all chess players, here rendered all the more tragic by the high level of this contest and the state of the match.  Whether Levitsky will prove able to recover from this self-inflicted blow, only the future will tell.

We present the game, with notes by :the winner:

 

        

Havana tournament, Round 13: Marshall wins, leads by point entering final round; Capablanca defeats Janowski

Frank J. Marshall and José R. Capablanca, current first- and second-place contenders at the Havana international chess Masters' tournament, both registered victories in the thirteenth round, with Marshall defeating Rafael Blanco and Capablanca besting third-place contender David Janowski.  Entering the fourteenth and final round Marshall, with a score of 10 1/2, leads his Cuban rival by a full point, and thus has assured himself of at least a share of top honors in the event, while Capablanca, who at 9 1/2 enjoys a margin of one and one-half points over Janowski, is likewise certain of second place.  In other games, Oscar Chajes defeated Abraham Kupchik, while Charles Jaffe and Juan Corzo played to a draw.

Marshall vs. Blanco, a Queen's Gambit Declined, soon reached an endgame with two Rooks and six pawns per side, with the United States Champion possessing in addition a Knight against Blanco's Bishop.  The first player gradually made inroads into Black's game, obtaining a passed d-pawn and securing a fine position for his Knight.  At the 40th move Marshall won a pawn, and thereafter steered the game victoriously into port with the steady hand of a Master:

   

Capablanca and Janowski contested a rich and difficult game in a Ruy Lopez, following the lines of the Cuban's victory over Chajes in the previous round until Janowski chose to deviate from that earlier path, preferring 7...Nd7 to Chajes's 7...exd4.  The veteran Parisian Master, who has played much of this event with youthful vigor, offered a sacrifice of the exchange, securing as compensation excellent posts for his other pieces, in particular his Knight, which stood most powerfully on the d4-square.  Capablanca, in turn, worked steadily to alleviate Black's pressure, first exchanging the well-placed Knight and then preparing a counter-sacrifice of the exchange, a transaction that yielded him an extra pawn in the endgame.  Still, the tense struggle continued, with Janowski skillfully laying clever snares for his youthful antagonist (see, for example, Black's 37...d3), and Capablanca equally skillfully making slow but steady progress toward victory, a goal he at last achieved at the 52nd move.  This was Master chess, no less on the part of the vanquished than that of the victor.  Capablanca thus avenges the defeat suffered at the hands of the same opponent in the first half of the tourney, and, as noted above, assures himself, at the minimum, of second prize; as for Janowski, third prize, notwithstanding this loss, is already his, as Kupchik, the next nearest pursuer, lags two full points behind.

Chajes defeated Kupchik in a Four Knights' Game, with White's pair of Bishops dominating the play throughout much of the encounter.  The fortunes of the two combatants have shifted dramatically in recent days: Chajes, who had recorded but one victory through the first ten rounds, has now scored the full point in three of the last four; Kupchik, by contrast, has lost three games running, and, with a margin of a mere one-half point over both Chajes and Jaffe, and paired tomorrow against Capablanca, he risks losing the fourth prize, which had seemed assuredly his for quite some time.

Jaffe and Corzo faced off in a Queen's Pawn Game, producing a long and hard-fought struggle, fascinating in all its phases.  The fighting spirit of the two players, far removed from the battle for top honors, is to be commended, and we urge our readers - some of whom, we know, are prone to leave unexamined contests with a drawn result - not to overlook this colorful battle:

 

Scores after 13 rounds:  Marshall 10 1/2; Capablanca 9 1/2; Janowski 8; Kupchik 6; Chajes, Jaffe 5 1/2; Blanco 4; Corzo 3.

The fourteenth and final round will be played tomorrow, March 6, the pairings being Janowski-Marshall, Kupchik-Capablanca, Blanco-Jaffe, and Corzo-Chajes.  

Havana tournament, Round 12: Marshall draws with Corzo, maintains lead; Capablanca, Janowski narrow gap with victories

United States Champion Frank J. Marshall saw his lead reduced to one point after the twelfth round of the Havana international chess Masters' tournament, the tourney leader playing an exciting draw against Juan Corzo while his closest pursuer, José R. Capablanca, native of the Cuban capital, registered a victory over Oscar Chajes.  France's David Janowski, currently in third place, also narrowed the distance between himself and Marshall, defeating Rafael Blanco in masterful style to  move within one and one-half points of the leader with two rounds remaining.  As Capablanca and Janowski will be pitted against one another in the thirteenth round, and Janowski and Marshall will clash in the fourteenth, a dramatic finish remains well within the realm of possibility.

Corzo and Marshall contested a fluctuating and far from faultless game in a Petroff Defense, with sharp tactics in abundance and each player overlooking opportunities to claim a distinct advantage, two examples of which are cited in the game score below.  The drawn result, most unexpected given the recent form of the combatants, ends a run of seven consecutive wins for the American Champion and five consecutive losses for his Cuban counterpart, and leaves the ultimate issue of the tournament very much an open question:

Capablanca dispatched Chajes with surprising ease in a Ruy Lopez, first weakening and then eliminating his opponent's pawns without allowing the slightest glimmer of counterplay.  A glance at the position after White's 20th and 30th moves will suffice to demonstrate the results of the Cuban's briskly efficient style:

Janowski crafted a fine effort against Blanco in a Dutch Defense, sacrificing the exchange and demonstrating yet again the power of his cherished pair of Bishops.  The Frenchman, who complained of the climate during the recent tourney in New York, seemingly finds the warmth of Havana more to his liking, and has produced a passel of fine games in the current event:

The day's final pairing, Kupchik vs. Jaffe, a Ruy Lopez, proved a tragedy for the first player, who obtained an excellent position only to overlook an obvious bit of tactics at the 24th move, an error costing two pawns.    Yet the game nevertheless remained in approximate balance, White's position having been so strong before his oversight, and many spectators were predicting a drawn outcome when Kupchik committed a second, and this time fatal, oversight with 36.Qf3??, after which the rejoinder 36...Rf5, forcing the win of Queen for Rook, compelled resignation.  With 36.Qe5 White in all likelihood would have held the game:

Scores after 12 rounds:  Marshall 9 1/2; Capablanca 8 1/2; Janowski 8; Kupchik 6; Jaffe 5; Chajes 4 1/2; Blanco 4; Corzo 2 1/2.

The thirteenth round will be played today.

Alekhine-Levitsky match, Game 2: Alekhine wins again, leads 2-0

Alexander Alekhine defeated Stepan Levitsky in the second game of their match at St. Petersburg, achieving victory in a struggle lasting 28 moves.  Alekhine, who likewise prevailed in the first contest, now leads the race to seven wins by the score of 2-0.

Alekhine, playing White, chose the Bishop's Gambit, the same opening adopted by his opponent in their first encounter, with Levitsky on this occasion leaving the path of the earlier game at the third move, preferring 3...Nf6 to 3...d5.  Alekhine's selection of the rare 5.Nge2 in place of the more usual 5.Nf3 prompted his opponent to set in motion a vigorous counter-attack via the sacrifice of two pawns, a stratagem whose correctness will surely be subject to much analytical examination.  In the present contest, White successfully warded off Black's early aggression and soon seized the initiative himself, breaking through Black's defenses with the sacrifice of a Knight at his 18th turn, and forcing resignation 10 moves later.  The reader will find several attractive variations in the notes to the game, which have been graciously supplied by the winner:

The third game is scheduled for today.

Havana tournament, Round 11: Marshall wins again, defeating Kupchik; Capablanca held to draw by Jaffe; Janowski falls to Chajes

Tourney leader and United States Champion Frank J. Marshall scored yet another victory in the eleventh round of the Havana international chess Masters' tournament, defeating Abraham Kupchik in 31 moves and increasing his margin over second-place competitor José R. Capablanca to one and one-half points after the latter was held to a draw by Charles Jaffe of New York.  David Janowski of Paris, who had stood equal with Capablanca entering the round, dropped to third position, two full points behind Marshall, following his defeat at the hands of Oscar Chajes.  In the day's other game, Rafael Blanco defeated Cuban compatriot Juan Corzo, throwing caution to the winds and scoring the point in a complex sacrificial attacking game.

Marshall, eschewing safe play in his new role as sole leader of the event, chose the Danish Gambit against Kupchik, but could derive no advantage therefrom.  Indeed, the second player, in possession of an extra pawn in a double Rook endgame, appeared at first glance to hold whatever winning chances there existed in the position.  Yet after Black's 28...Raa5? (28...Rga5 and 28...Rxd4+ were afterward suggested as sufficient to hold the game) Marshall produced another of his famous "swindles," his 29.Rdd8! creating a sudden mating attack from which Black could not escape unscathed.  Kupchik resigned at the 31st move; the final mating variation, incorporated into the game score below, is as pretty as it was unexpected.  With this victory Marshall has now won seven games running; i.e., one against each of the other competitors in the field, a singular achievement of which he can justifiably be proud:

Jaffe, in what had been anticipated as a "needle" match after certain comments made by Capablanca regarding the American's loss to Marshall, opened with the Queen's Gambit Declined and allowed his opponent to make no headway, deploying his forces soundly and exchanging pieces as opportunity arose.  The two combatants reached an equal Rook endgame at the 34th move and agreed to halve the point shortly thereafter, thus concluding a rather quiet encounter whose influence on the score table may well prove more significant than its inherent content:

 

Chajes, who scored a fine victory over Jaffe in the previous round, produced another masterful effort today against Janowski, who defended the Queen's Gambit Declined in rather risky fashion, creating a number of weak points in his position in the interest of gaining active play, a hope destined to go unfulfilled.  White's skillful and patient maneuvering deserves careful study, and reached fruition at last with the move 40.g4!, winning the Black Knight, and, very soon afterward, the game:

  

Blanco essayed the Center Game against Corzo, and the two countrymen produced a thrilling encounter, with White sacrificing piece after piece in the effort to checkmate the enemy King and Black defending coolly  in the face of ever-changing threats.  Corzo at last erred at the 31st move, his 31...Bg6 allowing the winning stroke 32.Nh7!, whereas 31...Qe1, preparing to offer Queen for Rook in reply to a discovered check by White's Knight, appears to have been the correct reply.  Beyond those brief remarks we dare not venture, the complexity of the game, the pressure of time, and, above all, our knowledge of our own analytical limitations all militating against further commentary on our part, except to commend this spirited battle to the attention of our readers:

  

Scores after 11 rounds: Marshall 9; Capablanca 7 1/2; Janowski 7; Kupchik 6; Chajes 4 1/2; Blanco, Jaffe 4; Corzo 2.

The 12th round will be played on March 3. 

Alekhine-Levitsky match, Game 1: Alekhine lands first blow, wins with Black in Bishop's Gambit

St. Petersburg:  Alexander Alekhine scored a victory in the first game of his match against Stepan Levitsky when the latter, at the 25th move, committed an oversight, losing his Queen for Rook and Knight and incurring a disadvantage that proved insuperable in the subsequent play.  Alekhine thus leads the match, whose victor will be the first to win seven games outright, by the score of 1-0.

As we reported previously, certain specific conditions have been agreed governing the openings to be allowed in the current contest, and Levitsky selected the Bishop's Gambit as his weapon of choice for the initial encounter, following, with 6.Qf3, the path chosen by Duras on several occasions at last year's gambit tournament in Abbazia.  The game, a lively affair, seemed in balance through the first 20 moves, before beginning to turn in favor of Black, a process substantially accelerated by the unfortunate 25.Qe5?  Readers will find the score of the game subjoined, along with a few comments by the winner, Alekhine, translated from the Russian for exclusive publication here.  The second game is scheduled for today; we expect to present it forthwith.

Havana tournament, Round 10: Marshall defeats Capablanca, claims lead; Cuban misplays superior position, falls to tie for 2nd-3rd with Janowski

Yesterday's tenth-round battle between the leaders of the Havana international chess Masters' tournament resulted in a dramatic victory for United States Champion Frank J. Marshall when Cuban national hero José R. Capablanca misplayed an advantageous position, overlooking first an excellent winning chance, and later committing a fatal error in an ill-advised attempt to force matters in a drawn endgame.  With this victory, his sixth in succession, Marshall assumes the lead in the tourney with 8 points, a full point ahead of both Capablanca and French maestro David Janowski, who equaled Capablanca's total of 7 by defeating Cuban Champion Juan Corzo.  In other games Abraham Kupchik maintained his fourth place standing with a victory over Rafael Blanco, while in a battle between American representatives Oscar Chajes defeated Charles Jaffe, gaining revenge for the defeat inflicted on him by the same opponent in the tourney's first tour.

Capablanca opened with his King's pawn vs. Marshall, who chose the Petroff Defense in reply.  Playing in his usual clear and powerful style, the Cuban obtained an excellent position, and by the 30th move it was obvious to all that White stood much better.  With 33.Re7, as pointed out afterward by Capablanca, White could have taken large strides toward victory; instead, the move 33.Be7 allowed Marshall the surprise rejoinder 33...Qd7!, retreating the Queen, which had only just emerged into play, and holding the position.  A subsequent exchange of major pieces brought about an equal Bishop endgame, with a draw widely expected, until Capablanca at his 45th turn erred with 45.d5+, allowing the Black King to enter his position, after which White's game soon became untenable.  Marshall's victory, while undoubtedly a disappointment to many in attendance, was sportingly greeted with warm applause by the Cuban spectators, and Sr. Capablanca has demonstrated equal sportsmanship in providing a few comments to the game:

 

Janowski, who is enjoying an excellent tournament, defeated Corzo in a French Defense, choosing as White the rare gambit line 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Be3 dxe4 4.Nd2 f5 5.f3.  The Frenchman later recovered his sacrificed pawn, and with 31.Re8 initiated a most powerful attack, notwithstanding the absence of Queens.  Aficionados familiar with the style of Janowski will note that, as so often in the past, his pair of Bishops once again did yeoman's work, as a glance at the final position will suffice to demonstrate:

Kupchik, playing White, experienced little difficulty in defeating Blanco in a Dutch Defense, surprising his opponent with the move 2.Bg5 and soon gaining the advantage.  With two pawns in hand by the 25th move, the endgame proved easy enough to win for the New York Master:

Chajes and Jaffe produced a fascinating struggle in a Ruy Lopez, the final phase in particular being of gripping interest, with each player in possession of a Rook and two Knights and White doing his all to prepare, and Black to prevent, the construction of a mating net.  We urge our readers not to deny themselves the pleasure of examining the score of this game, won by Chajes, Jaffe at last succumbing to the difficulties of the defense:

 

Scores after 10 rounds: Marshall 8; Capablanca, Janowski 7; Kupchik 6; Chajes, Jaffe 3 1/2; Blanco 3; Corzo 2.

The eleventh round will be played later today.