Janowski vs. Chajes: Janowski wins 2 1/2 - 1/2

As reported in an earlier entry, French representative David Janowski, shortly before sailing for Europe, contested a three-game series at the Progressive Chess Club against club Champion Oscar Chajes, which the Frenchman decided in his favor by the score of 2 1/2 - 1/2.  We understand that the Progressive Club had originally subscribed the purse with the intention of sponsoring a similar series between Chajes and Marshall, but the latter, only recently returned to New York from his lengthy tour following the Havana tourney, declined to play, finding himself not in the proper frame of mind for serious chess.  Janowski proved a most able replacement, and the two Masters produced much exciting chess, notwithstanding an accelerated schedule that saw one game played on the 8th inst., and two on the 9th, in order to complete the series before the departure of Janowski.  As evidence of the fighting spirit displayed by the combatants, we would point out the frequency of the sharp move with the King's Knight's pawn in the middlegame (P-KKt4, in descriptive notation), as essayed by Janowski in the first contest, by Chajes in the second, and by both players in the third.  We present the games below.

  

Ed. Lasker-Davidson match, Game 2: Lasker wins again, offering Rook sacrifice

Edward Lasker defeated Jacques Davidson in the second game of their four-game match at London's Metropolitan Chess Club to take a 2-0 lead in the contest.  Lasker, playing Black in a Queen's Pawn Game, took advantage of an early inaccuracy by Davidson to obtain a strong position out of the opening, and the German Master already stood a pawn to the good when, at the 22nd move, he startled the spectators with the offer of a Rook.  Mr. Davidson wisely declined the sacrifice, but in consequence found himself two pawns in arrears, a deficit that had increased to four by the time the Dutchman struck his colors after his opponent's 39th move.  Herr Lasker now requires but a single draw over the next two games to win the match, while Mr. Davidson faces the daunting task of winning both in order to make an even score.  The third game is scheduled for tomorrow, the 13th.

Herr Lasker has kindly provided few notes to the game, which the reader will find incorporated into the score.

Unusual gambit

Herr Alex Wagner of Stanislau has dedicated much analysis and many practical tests to upholding the unusual line 1.f4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 g4, which he calls the Swiss Gambit.  As part of his continuing researches, Herr Wagner recently contested a thematic correspondence match against the strong player A. Hauke, co-champion of Lemberg, in which the proponent of this rare opening emerged victorious by the score of three wins to one, with one game drawn.  In addition, Herr Wagner organized a correspondence tournament whose participants, playing pseudonymously, subjected the gambit to further examination.  We present two games below, one from each event:

A Janowski "swindle"

We present a lively game contested recently on even terms at the Aero Club between Mr. W.W. Young, a first-class player who represented Princeton in intercollegiate matches in 1896 and '97, and French Champion David Janowski.  Mr. Young had previously taken a game from Mr. Janowski during a simultaneous exhibition given by the latter at the Manhattan Chess Club, and was afforded the opportunity to test his mettle in single combat against the visiting Master.

The game proved a credit to both players, with Mr. Young essaying the King's Gambit against his formidable foe, and with Black and White in turn each sacrificing a piece in the interest of furthering his attack on the opposing King.  Mr. Young got somewhat the better of his powerful opponent in the ensuing complications, emerging with Queen and pawn against the Rook and Bishop of Janowski, an advantage that most observers present considered sufficient for victory.  But just here the old Master showed his wiles, laying a clever trap for his less-experienced adversary, into which Mr. Young unwittingly fell on his 37th turn.  Janowski thus scored the game in the style of his great rival Marshall - namely, by means of a "swindle".  The score of this most interesting encounter is appended below.

Janowski, who sails for Europe today, maintained a busy chess schedule in New York after his return from the Havana tourney, his activities including a three-game series vs. Chajes, which the the French Master carrried off by the score of 2 1/2 - 1/2.  We shall present the games of that encounter over the coming days. 

         

Ed. Lasker-Davidson match, Game 1

Herr Edward Lasker, the recent arrival on the London chess scene, is rapidly establishing a name for himself by virtue of his tireless chess activity.  Tourneys, matches, exhibitions, league contests - the amiable young Maestro is seemingly to be found everywhere.  His latest undertaking is a scheduled four-game match against Jacques Davidson, a strong Dutch player resident for several years in the British capital.

Herr Lasker, playing White in a Four Knights' Game, scored the first contest to his credit in only 18 moves, taking quick and sure advantage of two ill-judged retreats by Mr. Loman's Knight.  We present the game score:

Double Rook sacrifice

We take great pleasure in presenting to our readers the following game, featuring that exceedingly rare specimen of chessboard derring-do, the double Rook sacrifice.  The game was contested in a tournament held at the Anderssen Chess Club of Munich, surely a most appropriate venue, as the sacrificial genius of that old Master, as exhibited in his Immortal Game, seems to have inspired the player of the White pieces here.

Some of the analytical wizards of our own club have subjected the game to enthusiastic and admiring examination.  Their conclusions are a) that Herr Steinbrecher's conception is sound, and the position after 14...Qxh1 is won for White; b) that 16.Ne2 lets slip that victory if Black adopts the best defense, 16.Kc1 instead being the winning coup; and c) that 16...Nd5? represents a losing error, while 16...Qg5+ could have turned the tables in Black's favor.  None of this, however, should detract from the courage and imagination displayed by Herr Steinbrecher in his winning effort.  We commend him and thank him for providing us with such dazzling entertainment and rich intellectual fodder.  The game score as given below includes a small sampling of the variations produced during the researches of our clubmates, and we urge all lovers of beauty in chess not to overlook the suggested continuation beginning with 16.Kc1 and concluding with 25.Nxg7 mate, a line that would do great credit to Anderssen himself.

Vienna Jubilee tournament, Final Round: Spielmann, with draw, takes first prize; Tartakower defeats Schlechter, claims 2nd; Reti 3rd

Rudolf Spielmann survived some difficult moments to achieve a draw in his final-round encounter with Richard Reti at the Vienna Jubilee chess tournament, the half-point thus obtained sufficing to secure for the Viennese native first place in the tourney with 11 points, along with a prize of 1000 crowns.  Second place and a prize of 700 crowns fell to Dr. S. Tartakower, who defeated Carl Schlechter to finish on 10 1/2.  Reti, with 9 1/2, and Schlechter, with 8, took the third and fourth prizes respectively, while Dr. J. Perlis (6 1/2), L. Löwy, Jr. (6), J. Schenkein (2 1/2) and Dr. Arthur Kaufmann (2) rounded out the field.

Spielmann's triumph is well-deserved, as he produced much excellent chess during the contest, winning several artistic games and dropping but a single encounter, to Reti.  Dr. Tartakower and Reti can also look with justifiable pride on their efforts, while for Vienna's Schlechter and his many admirers the tourney may well represent a bit of a disappointment, as he achieved only three victories - and those against the bottom markers - and drew 10 of his 14 games, by far the most of any competitor.  The others all had their moments, as no participant went without a victory, just as none escaped the sting of defeat.  We provide a crosstable of the event for the perusal of our readers:

                              S        T         R          S         P        L        S        K      Total
Spielmann       xx      1=      0=      ==      11      11      11      11      11
Tartakower     0=     xx      ==      =1       11      11      11      1=      10.5
Reti                    1=      ==      xx      ==      0=    =1      11      11      9.5
Schlechter       ==     =0     ==      xx      ==      ==    =1      11      8    
Perlis                 00      00     1=      ==      xx      1=     1=     01      6.5  
Löwy                 00      00     =0      ==      0=     xx     11      11      6
Schenkein       00      00     00      =0      0=     00     xx     1=*   2.5
Kaufmann       00      0=     00     00       01      00    0=*   xx      2

*The second game between Schenkein and Kaufmann, postponed from the ninth round, was ultimately agreed drawn without play.

The score of the Schlechter-Tartakower game has come to hand, and is presented below.  Our report of Spielmann's precarious position during his final game vs. Reti comes from a brief description of the play received from Vienna, but one lacking in particulars.  As so often in our world of chess, we find ourselves wishing for more, and more thorough, accounts of the games of the Masters, and we take this opportunity to urge all tournament organizers to make every reasonable effort to provide a full complement of game scores to the public.  To fail to do so is to fail to satisfy the chess appetite of aficionados not only of the present, but of the future, and we feel confident in asserting that one day - let us say, a century hence - there will exist those yet unborn who still thrill to the names of Spielmann and Reti, Schlechter and Tartakower, and who will long to examine those very games whose lack is so keenly felt by us in the present day.

      

Yorkshire vs. Cheshire match: Atkins, Yates lead Yorkshire to victory

Yesterday, in a county match held at Stockport, in Cheshire, a team from Yorkshire defeated the home side 13 1/2 - 11 1/2 in a contest over 25 boards.  The Yorkshire team was most ably led by Mr. H.E. Atkins, several times British Champion, and by the rapidly rising Mr. F. D. Yates, both of whom registered victories.  Yorkshire thus qualifies to represent the North in a match to decide the champion English county for 1913, which contest will be held later this year against a Southern representative yet to be determined.

We present the victories by Messrs. Atkins and Yates, played on Boards 1 and 2 respectively:

 

Vienna Jubilee tournament, Rounds 12 and 13: Spielmann, with 2 victories, takes one-point lead entering final round

Rudolf Spielmann used the Vienna Gambit to defeat Joachim Schenkein in the twelfth round of the Vienna Jubilee chess tournament, scoring the day's only victory and so increasing his lead in the tourney to a full point over Dr. S. Tartakower, who was held to a draw by Dr. A. Kaufmann.  The games Löwy-Dr. Perlis and Schlechter-Reti were likewise drawn, the latter after a most interesting Rook endgame.  We have received from Vienna the score of the Spielmann-Schenkein clash, as well as the concluding moves of the Schlechter-Reti encounter, and the reader will find them appended at the conclusion of this column.

Scores after 12 rounds: Spielmann 9 1/2; Tartakower 8 1/2; Reti 8; Schlechter 7 1/2; Perlis 5 1/2;  Löwy 5; Schenkein* Kaufmann* 1 1/2.   *With one game yet unplayed.

From the 13th round we have received no game scores, only the results, as follows:  Kaufmann 0-1 Spielmann; Tartakower  1-0 Löwy; Reti 1-0 Schenkein; and Perlis 1/2-1/2 Schlechter.  

These yield the following standings entering the 14th and final round:  Spielmann 10 1/2; Tartakower 9 1/2; Reti 9; Schlechter 8; Perlis 6; Löwy 5; Schenkein 2*; Kaufmann 1 1/2*.     *With one game still unplayed.

Spielmann has thus assured himself of at least a share of first place.  To our knowledge the postponed ninth-round encounter between Schenkein and Kaufmann has yet to be played, a matter of rather less consequence in this instance than might otherwise be the case, as its result can only affect the tournament standing of the two players involved, the others all being well out of reach.

The final round's pairings will be Spielmann-Reti; Schenkein-Perlis, Schlechter-Dr. Tartakower; and Löwy-Kaufmann, fate having ordained that those in the top and bottom halves of the score table should only meet their fellows.

Herewith the scores we have received from the 12th round:

 

City of London Chess Club Championship Final, continued

We present a further selection of games from this annual event, widely considered in Albion to rank second only to the British Championship in terms of prestige and strength.  Our understanding is that some games have been scheduled at the mutual convenience of the players involved, so that not all competitors have completed the same number of rounds, a circumstance which renders determining the current standings a difficult affair.  We shall of course inform our readers of the final results of this tourney as soon as they come to hand.

Here Mr. Cole defeats Mr. Ward in a game featuring a most hotly-contested finish.  White's 37th and 38th moves required steady nerves indeed, as the Black attack appeared most threatening:

Next, Herr Edward Lasker employs a slow but powerful central advance to take the full point from Mr. O.C. Müller:

In the following contest Mr. Cole conducts a spirited attack against Mr. Walker.  (Our own Herr Fritz discovered the pretty resource 25.Ng5 for White, which, while perhaps not fully sufficient, might still have offered the first player better chances to resist.  See the notes for a few apposite variations):

Finally, we must present a correction, yet one which creates a bit of a mystery.  We are informed by Mr. G.A. Thomas that the score of the pawn endgame won by him from Mr Cole, which we took verbatim from sources in Britain, was incorrect.  Mr. Thomas further states that the move 49.Kc4, as given in the incorrect version of the score, would not have led to a win, owing to the reply 49...Ka5, and that 49.Kb4, as played, represented the path to victory.  So it did, and yet, as was demonstrated by the analysis of members of our club presented in our original publication of this fine endgame, the move 49.Kc4 does indeed win for White, and quite nicely.  We reproduce the game below, having now included the conclusion as supplied by Mr. Thomas, while also leaving intact the analysis of our clubmates, which, though now rendered moot in terms of the actual play, nevertheless possesses much interest and beauty:

  

 

Vienna Jubilee tournament, Round 11: Spielmann, Tartakower play quiet draw; Reti, Schlechter win miniatures

Tourney leaders Rudolf Spielmann and Saviely Tartakower drew their eleventh-round encounter at the Vienna Jubilee chess tournament, the two Masters opting to avoid risk through a policy of exchanges followed by an accord of peace.  Spielmann, who handled the Black pieces in a Vienna Game, thus maintained his leading position in the tourney, one half-point ahead of Tartakower, who, enjoying the advantage of the first move, might have been expected to strive more forcefully to overtake his rival.  In other games, Perlis defeated Kaufmann, while Reti and Schlechter won their respective games with remarkable celerity, the former defeating Löwy in 16 moves and the latter requiring only 10 to dispatch Schenkein.  It need hardly be added that these lightning victories were only made possible by serious oversights on the part of the vanquished, as the reader may confirm by examining the game scores.  We regret that we have received by cable from Vienna only the opening moves of the Tartakower-Reti contest, along with the comment that the drawn result came about after a general clearing of the board; those moves in our possession we have given below.

Scores after 11 rounds:  Spielmann 8 1/2; Tartakower 8; Reti 7 1/2; Schlechter 7; Perlis 5; Löwy 4 1/2; Schenkein 1 1/2*; Kaufmann 1*     *With one game unplayed.

Vienna Jubilee tournament, Round 10: Tartakower, Reti, Löwy are winners; Spielmann draws with Schlechter

Dr. Saviely Tartakower defeated Dr. Julius Perlis in artistic style in the tenth round of the Vienna Jubilee tournament, sacrificing a Bishop at the 14th move to inaugurate a powerful attack against his opponent's King.  With this victory Tartakower again moves to within one half-point of tourney leader Rudolf Spielmann, who drew his game with Carl Schlechter.  In the day's other contests, Richard Reti defeated Dr. Arthur Kaufmann, while Leopold Löwy, Jr. registered a victory at the expense of Joachim Schenkein.  All eyes now turn to the next, eleventh, round, when the two leaders will again meet, with Spielmann looking to repeat, and Tartakower to reverse, the result of their earlier fourth-round clash, which ended in favor of the former, placing him alone atop the score table, a position he has yet to relinquish.

Scores after 10 rounds:  Spielmann 8; Tartakower 7 1/2; Reti 6 1/2; Schlechter 6; Löwy 4 1/2; Perlis 4; Schenkein 1 1/2*; Kaufmann 1*.   *With one game still unplayed.

As has been our custom throughout this event, we present all that we have received from Vienna, in this case the score of the Tartakower-Perlis encounter.

  

  

Vienna Jubilee tournament, Round 9: Spielmann increases lead with victory

Rudolf Spielmann scored yet another victory in the ninth round of the Vienna Jubilee chess tournament, employing the French Defense to take the full point from Dr. Julius Perlis.  Spielmann's 24...Bxg2 secured the win of a pawn and brought about a Rook endgame which the Viennese Master conducted surely to a successful conclusion.  Spielmann has now won seven of nine games played, alongside one loss and one draw, and leads the tourney by a full point over Tartakower, who drew his game with Reti.  The Schlechter-Löwy encounter was also drawn.  The round's fourth scheduled game, Schenkein-Kaufmann, was not played, and will be made up at a later date.  We append the score of the Perlis-Spielmann contest below.

Scores after 9 rounds:  Spielmann 7 1/2; Tartakower 6 1/2; Reti, Schlechter 5 1/2; Perlis 4; Löwy 3 1/2; Schenkein 1 1/2*, Kaufmann 1*.    *Plus one game as yet unplayed.