The Fireside Book of Chess 0671212214, 978-0671212216

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The Fireside Book

of

*

»

& edited by Irving Chernev & Fred Reinfeld selected

Containing 400 pages of stories, games, articles, quizzes and anecdotes chosen to delight, dazzle, and entertain all devotees of the Royal Game

%

A Fireside Book

”

“That’s right

—you simply pick them up

move them about on

the

little

like this

squares

and

e/I\e

Book of

Fireside

gHESS By

IRVING CHERNEV

and

FRED REINFELD

A Fireside Book Published by Simon and Schuster

-

New

York

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INCLUDING THE RIGHT OF REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART IN ANY FORM COPYRIGHT I 949 BY IRVING CHERNEV AND FRED REINFELD A FIRESIDE BOOK PUBLISHED BY SIMON AND SCHUSTER ROCKEFELLER CENTER, 630 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10020

SEVENTH PAPERBACK PRINTING SBN 67I-2122I-4 MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

For Melvin

,

Don

and Judy

Table of Contents

Part One:

STORIES

Don't Quote Me, But ... by

AND Billy

ARTICLES

Rose

3

Chess Reclaims a Devotee by Alfred Kreymborg

Exchange

Check

The

.

.

Men

of .

by Joseph Cross

19

and Mate by Jay Wilson

31

Devil That Troubled the Chessboard by Gerald Kersh

Capsule History of the Telling Off the

Game

by Chielamangus

World Champion by Solomon Hecht

Part Two:

54 56

69

Remarkable Games and Their

—the Heart

Adventures in the

45

THE MAGIC OF CHESS

Odd, But True

Combinations

6

of

109

Stories

Chess

120

End Game

144

The Problem Corner

169

What's the Right Move?

181

Part Thru:

CHESS AS IT

Quickies

The Hand Blindfold

IS

PLAYED 189

Is

Quicker Than the

Games

Mind

207 211

Odds Games

217

Simultaneous Exhibitions

222

Beating a Grandmaster

227

Surprise Attack

236

*

Table of Contents

The

Brilliancy Prize

253

The Pawns Decide

277

Women in Chess

290

Decisive

Games

294

Attack

303

The Two-Rook

Sacrifice

The Two-Bishop

Sacrifice

Slugging Matches Exciting

Drawn Games

314 320 327

336

Correspondence Chess

341

Old

351

Favorites

Positional Masterpieces

364

Game

380

SOLUTIONS TO QUIZ

399

The

Perfect

Part

STORIES

One

AND ARTICLES

“I don’t see

how he

does

it.

My feet would

Cartoon by Barney Tobey, by permission of the New Yorker Magazine, Inc.

artist.

be killing

me”

Copyright 1948

The

I

talk

a pretty

good game of

play one. At least that’s

my

chess.

A lot of years ago

The

knights of old were so daffy about

on

finger or toe

how

a game.

to play, the stake

could even

story.

Except for foot-racing and wife-beating, chess sport.

I

it

is

they’d sometimes bet a

At the East Side coffeehouse where

was usually

a

cup

known

the oldest

of tea in a glass.

I

I

learned

could have

memorized the Five-Foot Shelf in the hours I spent learning how to think five moves ahead. I never won many games in this particular coffeehouse the chair-warmers thought ten moves ahead.

—

my

Yesterday afternoon the telephone in crazy.

The

twentieth time

spik Engleesh.”

On

Sixth

gals. I

I

got

Avenue

ducked into

my

office

4

it

rang

hollered into the mouthpiece, ‘No

I

hat and skedaddled via the back elevator.

a friendly breeze

was blowing

a side street, fished half a

back a hundred years ago when ten times out of ten.

ringing in I

my

this

walked up. Like

and

window

of the

time the telephone had stopped

my

on saw a — garage “Budnick’s Chess Club.”

over a

Street, I

coffeehouse on the East Side,

a set of high foreheads.

smoke which

remembered

come within an inch

ambled over toward Broadway. Near 50th

ceiling

fair. I

my

head.

a second-floor store I

By

could

I

kisses at the pretty

dozen pennies out of

pocket and started pitching them at a crack. Only

line,

kept ringing like

The

air

it

featured a low

was foggy with the tobacco

generally goes with masculine brainwork. 3

sign

Stories and Articles

At

dozen housemen were taking on

a couple of long tables, half a

comers.

you

If

lost a

game,

it

cost

you a quarter.

If

all

you won, you paid

nothing.

Budnick came over and introduced himself. "It’s about time/' he said, in a Lower Slobbovian accent. “Hays tells me you play.”

“What Hays?”

I

asked.

“Arthur Garfield Hays, your lawyer.

David

He comes

quite often. So does

newspaper publisher, and when he's in town, Harry

Stern, the

Warner, the movie fellow.” I

decided to

and

their empires it

stay. If these

my

wouldn't do

sides,

if I

book,

I

Over

sit

Joseph McGeniuses could step

around Budnick's

awa, *ium

for a couple of hours,

popcorn machines any harm

did likewise. Be-

if I

could remember some of the gambits out of the old

might beat the house out of twenty-five one of the pros was

in a corner

figured

I

Morphy

cents.

available.

I

dropped down in

the chair opposite him.

“Want

move

to

“Anything you

he

first?”

say,”

I

said, lighting a

brown-paper

answered.

“Take the whites and move,” he shrugged. I

tried a fancy

the fourth

move

He moved

opening I

—tournament

stuff

“It's

your quarter.”

out of the book. Around

got the feeling the pro didn't recognize the gambit.

men

his

quickly, almost carelessly

—and

chess

where players have been known to wear out a two-pants moves.

The

the

minutes

pawns and

of his

came

first five

I

my

thought

I

was doing

a bishop. Suddenly, as

into play. Protected

left of

cigarette.

king.

by

if

fine. I

from

suit

between

knocked

off

left field, his

said the little pro.

two

queen

pawn

to

“Want

to

a knight, the lady dusted off the

“Check and mate,”

game

a

is

try another?” I

tried six others. It

was

like

Mortimer Snerd arguing

By game No. 7, I was so shattered the Fool's Mate in four moves.

Einstein. trap

—

that

got up from the table feeling pretty low. blanca,” I sighed. I

“That’s

five

“Seven,”

I

games you owe

for,” said the pro.

told him.

4

relativity

I fell

with

into the old

“Not my

day, Capa-

— Don’t Quote Me, But

He

took out a pencil stub and a

under

it

a

7.

He

put

tried again

down 25

.

pad.

.

He

put down 25 and

multiplied and got $1.25.

“You’re cheating yourself,”

He

little

.

and got

I

$2.25.

pointed out.

He

did a lot of crossing out.

seven times and added. This time

it

Then he

came out

right

$1.75. I

took out a five-dollar

bill.

He frowned and went

He wrote down $5.00 and put $1.75 The answer came out $4.85. He looked up wistfully and said, “I

under

it

back to the paper.

with a big minus sign.

don’t think that’s right. Haven’t

you got the even change?” I

laid the five

it,” I

on the chessboard where

I

had been humiliated. “Keep

told him. “I feel a lot better now.”

Cartoon by H. T. Webster, by permission of the York Herald Tribune, Inc.

New

artist.

Copyright 1937

Qhcss 'Reclaims a QDcvotcc

KREYMBORG

BY ALFRED

Recently, world,

I

after

an absence of nearly twenty years from the chess

returned to the

game

of

my

first

and may now be seen

love,

Manhattan Chess Club, along with many another ex-expert, college champion or duffer, puffing away at a pipe, stogie or cigarette,

at the

and shoving or banging white or black

figures

through a dreamy atmos-

comments

phere, the while onlookers or kibitzers indulge in gratuitous at the expense of the losing players.

No game encircled

had the

of chess in the old days

by spectators

infinitely wiser

least zest unless it

was

than the unhappy combatants;

some time after my retirement from action I sat with the kibitzers and vied with the ancient fraternity in showing a defeated

and

for

player,

much

fraternity his is

is

against his will,

won

a lost game.

impudence

requisite

The

for loosing

tongue in the face of the masters themselves; and the post-mortem

usually

opened with some expletive such

savagely reduced

number

difficult

I

my

me more

earned for

I

could have

open to any tyro with the

bich! Ultimately,

a

how he

drifted

away from the game

energies, lost

all,

intensity.

To

as

altogether. It

Ne-

had

nocturnal fascination and never

—my

combat had subjected

my game

its

than a few dollars a week

of years. All in

played

as Potzer! Pfuscher!

sole livelihood for

the mad, intricate, logical, ferociously

me

to too

many

most other men played

the ignorant outside world, two

6

heartbreaks. theirs:

men

with passionate

over a chessboard

—

a

Chess Reclaims a Devotee

look like a pair of dummies.

And

mos pound

is

incessantly.

Here

yet, inside the pale

nothing

less

automata, dyna-

than a silent duel between

two human engines using and abusing all the faculties of the mind the will, the imagination, logic, memory, caution, cunning, daring,

and courage

foresight, hindsight, perspective, detail, unity

and demolish the

fort to outwit, corner

I

its lighter,

wish to revert to

its

know

in tournaments will

Those eleven

behind

idol.

which

I

at

—

I

lost

broke

I

or

down

way

first

mean.

last

—

made my debut

I

tournament

—

I

at

a national

game

committed

in a

—then the Western champion and an East Side

near the close of a combination some seventeen or

two on each

has given

I

Marshall, with Jose Capablanca half a

eighteen moves deep with

pawn

once what

nine pounds over a simple oversight

against Chajes

ef-

character.

funny aspects; but

took part from boyhood on

won by Frank

an

and anyone who has ever participated

—were absolute nightmares. In my

contest

game

in

jocular, outrageously

tragedies;

in

not-less-than-hateful opponent.

most mysterious jungles of the human

It is warfare in the

Chess has also

—

side.

the pieces on the board, excepting a

all

— pawn which present-day chess — Chajes retorted

To my king's pawn

to the queen's in

opening

a

with the Sicilian defense: a delightfully risky game involving both players in counter-attacks

from the

outset. Counter-attack, the basis

of chess of the classical or romantic era, gave way, about twenty years ago, to the growing inroads of safety

first,

conservatism and science

—

movement ushered in by queen's pawn openings, a movement we'll come to later. At the moment, I must once more relieve myself of that everlasting bugaboo: the game with Chajes. Before I plunged into the mazes of the combination,

I

spent about

fifty

minutes working out

in advance all the possible ramifications involving

both

sides of the

board. I

have to explain to the layman that tournament games must be

conducted with time-clocks in order to force the combatants to move at reasonable intervals. Time-clocks

time players fleisch

—

or as

who won

my

their

had to be invented against

games through a preponderance of

old friend, Dr.

Siff,

wear down

his

7

Sitz-

“What you need for classical era, a man with

used to say:

chess isn't brains, but buttocks." During the a lost position could

old-

opponent by

sitting like

Buddha

Stories and Articles

—

and refusing to move except once every hour or two. Staunton, the old British champion, won many a lost game in that fashion. Time-clocks were the only means of keeping such devils within

gentlemanly bounds, and, in the course of events, ternational, national or local,

twenty: a

player’s turn

it

and the tournament

rate. I

now

was to move.

congenitally slow.

was run

in question

at the

I

was one of

twenty-move

look upon that oversight of mine as the luckiest break in

whole existence. But

Having spent

time

at the

minutes on the

fifty

would have only ten minutes however, was a safe matter:

I

was an overpowering tragedy.

it

first

move

of the combination,

Each time he made

from the table and

flitted

I

make my next nineteen moves. This, knew the combination by heart and, one to

by one, Chajes was making the anticipated moves. But excited.

double

of lesser importance at the rate of

fairly fast rate for players

these,

my

which

little

in-

international contests are run at the rate of

moves an hour; contests

fifteen

tournaments,

were conducted with the

clocks ticking in accordance with

World championships and

all

his next

move and

I

I

was deeply

made mine,

I

got

up

My state was intensified by

about the room.

game shown by the other contestants. Whenever they were free to leave their tables, they came over and followed the course of the combination Capa and Marshall no less than the oththe interest in our

—

ers.

No

one spoke to anybody

other and eye

The whole

me

else,

thing went to

my

to rise

by degrees to the finally,

—then held by Emanuel Lasker.

tied with

Capa

for the State

after a long, heartrending

me. Had I

it

lost:

been

his

the result,

nothing

A

year or

less

in

which

a

York State

than the world

two before,

championship and only

end game

New

I

swore, of defending the

Capa

I

had

lost the play-off

mere tempo defeated

move, we would have drawn, but since

opening. Here was young

damned

it

queen’s

was

pawn

again; ‘‘fools” were already predicting

he was destined to defeat Dr. Lasker. American champion and here was I,

—

battle,

could see experts nudge each

head. For years and years. I’d had a

championship, the American, and

mine

I

amazedly.

consuming chess ambition crown

but

And

here was Marshall, the

after

having drawn an uphill

with two pawns down, against Hodges, a former American

champion

—and having won

a

game 8

against the tantalizing Rice

Club

— Chess Reclaims a Devotee

champion, Tenenwurzel. horse of the tournament providing

how

five,

But

—

I

route to victory over Chajes

would

made my moves by

I

could

I

The

did.

I

En

round

Veteran that

heart.

I

in the lead

was at twenty-

possibly go wrong?

much for my nerves. My move. The silence, above all,

general excitement was too

hand began shaking with each was unendurable.

close the third

—the dark

If I

have spoken to

me

communication

as

could have spoken to someone or someone could

—but no.

if

successive

Chess contestants are pledged to non-

they were prisoners under sentence for commit-

ting egregious crimes. I

shoved

duced.

my

pieces mechanically.

time-clock dangers were re-

My opponent, beginning to detect the outcome of the combina-

moved with

tion,

The

pondered, he

still

entered the trap.

But no matter how he

increasing deliberation.

had

to

make

the moves

They were the

I

had figured on, once he'd

best at his disposal.

neared the close of the combination,

all

By the time we

the unengaged players were

seated about the table, surrounded by practically

the spectators in

all

Capa and Marshall had been forgotten. I was the world and I paced up and down outside the dark

the long, gray room. center of the chess

prey to frenzied emotions. After Chajes

ring, a

move,

would only have to make

I

teenth.

Then my

my

made

his sixteenth

seventeenth and he his seven-

eighteenth, the coup de grace,

would force him to

resign. I

kept looking at the ring for a sign that the East Side veteran had

made his sixteenth move. The sign came. A number of men looked my way and respectfully opened a path. Capa was one of the men who stepped aside. I could see him smile a little. I don't quite recall what followed.

Chajes had

made

it.

was in

I

I

made

clock:

then

the necessary move.

making

I

—

teenth, but

my

made

the

He

why

shook his I

didn’t

penultimate move.

had ample time. But

I

Exultantly,

And

haze and through the haze

haven't the slightest idea

erate before

my

a tingling

move

I

I

didn’t take

stoical

sit

I

saw that

head

down and

as

delib-

remember looking it.

Nor

did

I sit

he

at

down.

leaning over the table and then sat down.

my frozen horror— I saw I had made, not my sevenmy eighteenth move! I had transposed the moves and

to

blundered outright! 9

— %

Stories and Articles

A

few moves

later I resigned. Instead of

—

for chess history a tyro.

An

—

me later cost me the

Marshall assured

as

infinitesimal aberration

the tournament and

an immortal game, a game

had blundered

I

game,

in off hours

and again and again

pened, from the I

lost

my

first

another game

—

move I

lost

to the

game

had

I

game

after

But

I

I

finished next to

had already reached

petrified in a chair

it

had haptime

at night, each

rehearsed the cause of

I

head or near the head of the

last.

a

solemn determination. While

I

sitting

resolved to have done with chess tourna-

ments, chess clubs and chess forever

And

how

which should have been a throne, and accepting

Chajes' cordial condolence,

that oversight.

—

remaining

They buttonholed

to explain

And abed

last.

collapse. Instead of finishing at the

contestants,

chances in

my whole chess career. Throughout the

rounds, people reverted to that strange oversight.

me

my

like

after. I lost

nine pounds over

thanks to a constant devotion to poetry, side by

pound

side with chess, there wasn't another

could afford to

I

lose. I

was about thirty pounds underweight and poorer than a sparrow. So I

gave up chess for poetry. But that

is

another

story.

II

Ultimately,

won

I

caught the serene view of the Chajes tragedy.

the game,

defeats, only to

withal.

The

I

would have been lured on end

to further victories

in a chess master's grave

invincible Steinitz

had

Had

—

and

a dismal profession

fallen before the invincible Lasker,

and Lasker before the invincible Capablanca, and Capa before the vincible Alekhine. Chess mastery is

a thing to

I

—possibly

like

in-

any other mastery

The people who usually enjoy chess are experts who have resigned their ambitions and

keep away from.

the dubs and duffers,

now play for the pastime, and the fraternity of kibitzers. One uncertain day, rather bored with the self-centered world poetry and the self-centered world at large,

I

found myself

of

in the

neighborhood of the Manhattan Chess Club and, being able to “resist anything but temptation," I dropped in. I was greeted with a delight

I

could not have received anywhere else on earth.

scarcely a day older than

the friendly enemies of

when

I

my youth:

had

last

And

here,

beheld them, were some of

Rosen, Rosenthal, Meyer, Warburg, 10

Chess Reclaims a Devotee

Beihoff, Tenner. In chess, the

Rosens bloom on and on. In the old

on Second Avenue, the crack players numbered Rosen,

days, over

—

Rosenbaum, Rosenfeld, Rosenthal, Rosenzweig the last truly a twig compared with the others. Well, I was at home again, more at home than ever before. No time-clock was in evidence; no tourney in progress. Safe from the past, was I safe from the present? What was going on here? What had happened

to chess? 'Tots

"What are I

—

And who as

he was

is

”

Rosen ventured.

pots?”

was swiftly

Calladay

—

initiated. Pots

"Cal, he's called” this

A

Cal?

at the old

game invented by a by way of destroying a

is

—

third-class

goy who's

game. But pots are

now

fellow

serious chess.

poor at

just as

the rage

all

named

this

game

over the chess

world. I

watched the marvelous invention. Three players take turns playing

one another the while the odd or disengaged player calling time.

He

an hour, but

at ten

my

life

—

it

was

acts as the referee

time, not at the rate of fifteen or twenty

calls

seconds a move!

delightful.

And

I

never saw so

many

blunders in

the best of players blundered

No

wonder Cal had invented Pots. If a fellow move on time, "Forfeit!” the referee called and took the place

more

delightful.

offender,

who took

quarter a game.

what

a noise

the place of the referee.

They

—noise

are called

of

all

moves

"union

The

rates.”

—

still

didn't of the

stakes are always a

And

shades of Caissa,

things at a chess club! It was

all

most

al-

luring.

We had played

rapid-transit chess in the past,

but never with such

wholesale gusto. In the earlier days on the East Side, where chess could

be seen

game

at its best

and

grimiest, a

man named

Louis Hein invented a

dynamos engaged in a round-robin the while Hein bellowed "Move!” That was also ten-second chess, but Marathons used to drag on for hours, and long sessions of any sort were precisely the torture most old-timers had begun to revolt against. Before I knew where I was at, I was seated at one of these crazy tables "Try it and see, you old duffer,” I was challenged. Never a fast player, and long out of practice, I could barely see two moves ahead. called the

Marathon,

in

which twenty,

—

n

thirty or forty

Stories and Articles

Still

my

worse,

lack of ambition

often and didn’t

mind

in at the club again,

losing.

undermined the

What had happened

on—and

merely to look

the friendly greeting, "you old duffer!”

youngsters

who

Intercollegiate

derided me.

One

day,

I

my

won

champion and the old-timers

to

me?

I

lost

I

dropped

then to play, always to

The name

There were always old experts who recalled

will to win.

didn’t nettle me.

former exploits to the

a quick

chortled.

game from the

A

large, grave

gentleman, watching proceedings, remarked: "Das war wie Eisen ges-

The

pielt!”

speaker was Alexander Alekhine.

I

thanked him and

fled

the table.

No

one could rouse

champion.

I’d

my

ambition again,

least of all the

new

world’s

sought the old haunt in pursuit of that momentary

Nirvana which chess clubs afford to any profession: the law, medicine, music, commerce, religion or what not.

I

recalled a chess proverb:

You

can lose your wife one day and come here and forget her the next. Each of these

men came

would. Best of

all,

here for relaxation, had always done so and always these pots had buried the cut and dried queen’s

pawn opening. Chess was irregular again, adventurous, delirious, novel, absurd, human. The mummies who formerly shoved pieces about were flesh

my

and blood

world for

cal. It

And the laughter I heard had not been heard in The rude explosion was neither ironical nor cyni-

again.

years.

had nothing to do with modernity, psychology, reasoning.

It

was

And no one laughed louder than the dubs. Men who rarely won a game before won many a game now, and won

forthright.

it

from many a master. The master resigned with grace and then pro-

ceeded to trounce the potzer as the potzer had never been trounced before. fers.

Nothing pleased

me more than

Among my chess memories

—

the

momentary

rise of

or memories in general

the duf-

—none

cling

more tenaciously, or with more enduring affection, than those which shadow underdogs I have known. Here I have to revert again to the Second Avenue of my youth and young manhood. Ill

was then the queer little shaver who earned his livelihood by playing anyone and everyone at so much a game at all hours of the day and I

night.

One

thing that attracted

me 12

to the East Side was the fact that

— Chess Reclaims a Devotee

most men earned

most of the men were older than archs. Still another

over there.

And

no

words

abstract

talk,

—they were

we

or talking chess, I

same way. Another thing

their living in just the

much

I,

cultivated.

talked about music

older,

When we

and books:

for

what we

felt

and thought.

” there

I

remember

who

let

was always

proud

a potzer too

he died on one. Then we chipped

Field.

A

witty fellow he was;

patri-

went

it

such.

that.

off. I

to school

We had

wearied of

And no one

remember the

the addicts sleep on or under tables

stead of won, he’d sleep on park benches. till

them

When we

was so hard up that there wasn’t someone worse proprietor of a chess cafe

of

weren't playing

I

learned philosophy without calling

— “Let’s have another game

overnight.

some

none

for such beds. If

None

of us

in to save

he

found that out

him from

wittier over there

lost in-

Potter’s

where wit

is

an

weapon to losers. I remember a game I played with a rabbi old enough to be my father’s grandfather. He had a beard longer than the beard of Moses. He combed it with care and let it hang at ease over one corner of the board. It was too long to hang anywhere else. We were in the midst of an exciting game in the midst of an excited band of kibitzers. I noticed nothing at the time but the game itself. The old rascal had “swindled”

essential

me

out of the

first

game: a legitimate swindle,

a coffeehouse trap. I

vowed vengeance and dug myself into the table. The smoke was terrific I didn’t smoke in those days. The pieces we handled were heterogeneous: queens looked like bishops, bishops like pawns, and some of the knights had no heads. I was nearsighted, but I didn’t mind. I’d got the hang of the pieces. And I’d got the hang of the position. But I didn’t get the hang of the beard. I paid no attention to that. The game was going my way. The rabbi was attacking on all sides, but I revelled in such tactics. I was always at my best building up walls against attacks, and then forcing a hole with a pawn, another pawn and then the counter-attack. The counter-attack was at work; it was

—

working beautifully. The old fellow shook his head; so did the other old fellows.

They began poking fun

at

him, unmerciful fun. “Warte

nu r,” he said, but kept on retreating. “Warte nur yourself,” I retorted, and went on advancing. Suddenly, I detected a mate in three and cried, “Check!” He moved 2

3

Stories and Articles

Then

his king. I

my

grabbed

The

friend !”

I

shouted, ‘‘Check again !" and he

queen, banged her

rabbi shook his head calmly.

replied, lifting his magnificent

came

my

removed

a rook that

Then

down and

beard

“Not

yet,

my

let

them

in checkmates.

He

to

took a sadistic delight in

He

simply

He'd even make bad moves to keep them

resign.

going awhile longer, and chattered away in an effort to keep cheerful. His favorite

Out

named Ziegenschwarz who hated

encouraging his victims to struggle on to the very end.

wouldn't

he

friend/'

the corner of the board.

off

my

crowed, “Checkmate,

queen!

there was an old fellow

win games that didn't end

moved his king. Then

opponent was

a

them

melancholy soul named Lev-

kowitz.

Levkowitz was an ideal with a less

series of

move.

he not only

loser:

lost as a rule,

but he

lost

groans that deepened and lengthened with each hope-

One

evening

alone forlorn, but

ill,

I

very

watched the ill.

He

pair:

Levkowitz looked not

kept complaining about his Afagen:

he'd eaten some indigestible herring. “There's nothing the matter with herring," Ziegenschwarz argued; “it's

your game disagrees with you."

“I've got a lost

game!"

“No, you haven't, move, you Pfuscher/" Levkowitz made a lame move

—

game, got — “No, you don't " and Ziegenschwarz made a weak move.

Levkowitz brightened a

little,

“I've

a lost

I

resign."

but suddenly scowled and moaned:

“I feel sick."

—move, Dummkopf!” Levkowitz made heroic moved—and was “No, you don't

a

tried to get up,

made

a

effort,

but Ziegenschwarz wiped

move and grabbed

off

sick in earnest.

He

the board with his sleeve,

his victim's sleeve.

“I'm nearly mate."

“No you're not. Move, move!" Levkowitz moved and was violently sick again. His tormentor wiped and moved with mad acceleration. “I'm

lost, lost,"

Levkowitz moaned.

“Move once more, just once more." Levkowitz moved and staggered from *4

the table.

Chess Reclaims a Devotee

“Schachmatt!” howled Ziegenschwarz without wiping the table and

"Come, Y d

hustled after his friend:

better take you

home.”

IV The crown

prince of East Side chess was and

it

won him among

held court around a table, ing gypsy.

The moment he

was

If

and the

ever a

man

this very dark, slender, cigarette-smok-

arrived I

Jaffe. It is

to play

the cohorts along the avenue. it

other tables were deserted.

Charles

game he used

impossible to convey the weird type of respect

still is

and

sat

down with some dub, most

venture to say that

Capa and Lasker had

if

fought out their battles on the avenue and Jaffe and his dubs sat

down

near by, the world warriors would have been deserted by the kibitzers.

kept up a running

Jaffe

ing odds to the potzers.

I

fire

this faculty.

He was a

in

which he was held was

genius against weaker players.

they measured the rest of the chess world accordingly.

than

amaz-

give

never saw any high-class player give such odds

and get away with them. The reverence mainly due to

and could

of caustic badinage

Jaffe (there were, of course,

none

And

If a better player

better!) failed to

win games at

the odds the prince gave, he was treated with comparative contempt.

The

ability to play coffeehouse chess

was one

in

which

Jaffe sur-

passed any master. Coffeehouse chess depends on an alert ingenuity in

waylaying the opponent through subtle the trap

and

baited with a sacrificial

seizing.

hesitate It is

is

Were

the

pawn

little

pawn no

traps or swindles. Usually

potzer can

resist

a consequential piece, the fellow

and look around. But the

little

pawns overwhelm

almost an axiom that most games have been lost and

hastily grabbing those innocent Jaffe

smelling

would

his appetite.

won through

pawns.

was a veritable devil in leaving them about and in keeping up an

undercurrent of teasing cajolery, mock-heroics, encouragement, quips

and puns.

No

wonder Second Avenue held him

in awe!

And no won-

der the avenue held the outside masters in comparative contempt!

Even

Lasker, king of the whole chess world, was held in doubt where

Jaffe

was concerned. As for Capa, he was a duffer by comparison.

"Jaffe

could beat Capa blindfolded!”

Unhappily, once the crown prince invulnerable. Invite

him

to a

left

the avenue he was not so

tournament among *5

his peers, take

away

— Stories and Articles

his

magic banter and force him to face sound,

his traps

proved of

What we

call

little avail.

Traps were often his own undoing.

playing for position

—

damnable modern invention

a

The

was something his valiant combinations couldn’t penetrate. treme caution of modern chess wore

He

tions.

romantic

and

scientific chess,

down

his

temperamental

ex-

inspira-

belonged to the school of Paul Morphy, giant meteor of the era.

should have been born

Jaffe, in truth,

among the Labourdonnais and

MacDonnells who never defended themselves, but went on attacking till the other fellow’s attacks demolished them. Even inferior players, by playing book openings and developing “according to Hoyle,” could defeat

him by

self in

tournaments.

how he

I recall

some

defeat himself. Jaffe seldom disgraced him-

He had

the habit of defeating superiors and losing

No

mat-

he was always defended by the cohorts.

fared,

the international tournament in Europe he embarked on

years ago.

He

didn’t have the fare abroad

through subscription it

him

which seems to be the outcome of taking chances.

to inferiors ter

letting

—

so

I

was told

and had

to raise

it

most

of

at the time. Doubtless,

was raised east of Third Avenue and south of Fourteenth

Street.

Over on Second Avenue, newspapers were scanned as they had never been scanned before, and there was only one daily event the readers turned

to.

gloom.

Jaffe

I’m not in the

went abroad

mood to

for rehearsing those long days of silent

show the Schachmeister what

duffers they

were and finished, not on top, nor anywhere near the top. returned, did the avenue upbraid

went if

him

town with that question

across

necessary.

I

didn’t have to say

it.

in

The I

mind, ready to say what

I

I

could

was surrounded by a ring of

him

sat a

time-honored potzer.

potzer was eying and trying not to eye a terribly tempting pawn.

prayed to

He

he

or drape itself in mourning?

Jaffe

laughing, gossiping kibitzers. Opposite

When

all

the gods that the fellow would nab

hesitated, circled the

but the

little

the kibitzers.

He

board with his eyes and looked

didn’t

It

silenced Jaffe himself. I

wanted

to shake

—

He

16

it.

It silenced

looked rather drawn after

hands with him, wring

hug him but I’d have to He was smoking away as usual. His side back,

nab

at everything

pawn. The suspense was growing quite awful.

the foreign debacle. off, slap his

it.

his

arm

wait.

of the board was strewn

—

”

Chess Reclaims a Devotee

with cigarette stubs, ashes and burnt matches. smile was absent.

Confound

that Pfuscher!

The famous

Why didn't he relieve

suspense? All he’d lose would be a dime, and that fortune to

us.

our

pawn was worth

a

His glance no longer circled, but concentrated on one

The

spot,

confound him, was

he smiled

slyly

and

spot.

lurking

far

removed from the pawn. Then

hand.

lifted his left

Why

did he

lift

hand

that

he always moved with the other?

Then,

praise

Elohim, the hand closed round

his

queen and quietly

clipped off the pawn. Jaffe smiled, lifted a knight and put

—forking the

so gently

rent the

down

queen and two rooks. — hand “Wait, him look!”

duffer’s king,

Jaffe raised his

air.

it

ever

Hysteria

let

“I have to lose the exchange,” sighed the duffer.

“Look

again.”

“I have to lose

“Look

one of

my

—wait— move my king—but wait— my queen —why didn’t you check?” I’ll

don’t want

I

say

“I didn’t have to say check, potzer!

me

you hear

The

—

again.”

“I’m in check to lose

rooks or the queen

are your ears? Didn’t

say mate?”

hysteria revived.

Dummkopf,

Nebbich,

Where

Pandemonium smote

the table. “Rinnsvieh,

Schlemiel!” the cohorts clamored.

.

.

.

V Well, here

game

I

now

Fellows

I

am, here play

is

I

less

am

unashamed of his past. The than the shadow of the game I used to play. again, a ghost

formerly gave odds

pudence to if I

I

offer

now

to,

me odds. Worst of all,

leave a rook en prise in

one game,

I

play

me

even, or have the im-

I’m no longer a hard leave

my queen

loser;

and

in the next. Sic

transit etcetera!

Luckily, I’m in first-class company. Other old-timers

with

me

are not

much

sometimes they pay sions with a

to

sell life

nothing

all

better than

me

I.

Sometimes

—and we always play

few plausible

alibis.

One man

I

who

sit

down

pay them a quarter;

Pots.

We open

our

ses-

has a headache from trying

insurance policies; another looks weary from having done day,

and the third

—

I

mention actual

rotten review of his latest poems.

17

cases

—had read a

Stories and Articles

Somehow, on the evening

won

three pots in a row: an unheard of record for him.

ance salesman that

—who

and shrugged

is

third time

I

and

“Why you

let it

go at

vanquished

immortal post-mortem: "I had a

won game/'

—

Anonymous won game, but I won

sang the slogan,

I

have to

it.”

call

him

that

We started to sput-

and turned on Anonymous: chess? You've retired from business,

argue. Beihoff finally cut us short

shouldn't you beat us at

live

on your income and your

Without entered in

Throughout chess

—

life-insur-

history,

his shoulders.

—shot back: “You had a ter

The

none other than George Beihoff

players are entitled to the

The

weary gentleman had

in question, the

further ado,

my name

my application.

I

sex-life is over.”

rejoined the

Manhattan Club

for a life-membership. It

provides that

if

But

in earnest. I

there's a special clause

I'm ever caught starting anything

remotely resembling a serious game, I'm to be expelled without

by the board of governors.

trial

When the train pulled slowly out of Grand Central, Francis Baron took the miniature chessboard from his pocket and began to contemplate

it.

He

did not set out the pieces, but simply studied the sixty-four

black and white squares on which, you might say, he played not only chess but his whole

life as well.

Already as he watched the vacant

moved and combined

board, invisible pieces

in his mind’s eye, devel-

oping of themselves the studied complexities of his games.

he had once

moves the

“When

said,

one passes a certain

It

was

as

one no longer

stage,

but simply watches them move.” Francis Baron had

pieces,

passed that stage by the time he was twenty years old.

What

he was

doing now, and expected to be doing until the train reached Boston,

might be compared to the

five-finger exercises

performs faithfully every day.

knew that

discipline, a regimen,

that from these simple diversions might

would save

a

It

for the first

Francis Baron.

Now,

.

“The following

his

of the

way

brilliant line of play

was

time in any tournament by the American master,

.

at the age of forty,

ment,

the inspiration

had happened so before, and the books had mod-

themselves agreeably:

employed

come

and more: he

game, the subtle but definite variation that had never

appeared in books. ified

A

which a great virtuoso

on

his

way

to the International Tourna-

appearance certainly suggested nothing so as a chess master.

tinctively dressed,

and

He

artistic

and out

was a small man, neatly and not

his only peculiarity J

9

dis-

was a rather oversize round

Stories and Articles

head from which

large eyes peered

through silver-rimmed

glasses.

This

anonymity of appearance, coupled with his magnificent play, had caused someone to nickname him “the mighty pawn/' a title which, with that other more grandiose one of “master" he had retained since his early tournaments.

Conductors and people passing through the car glanced curiously

man who

at the little

though

nursed in his lap the unoccupied chessboard as

were a treasure or a secret sorrow; and a personable young

it

man, who

sat

“Would you

with a pretty

in

leaned over and asked,

aisle,

game?"

care to have a

Baron looked up

the

girl across

some annoyance. “Thank you, no," he

said

primly, and while he spoke he exchanged queens with his invisible

opponent, and came out with the advantage of a pawn. That was one thing about being a master: you could not play with anybody you hap-

pened to meet. Even a master dropped games such a loss to an

unknown opponent

barrassing, not to

in

tournament

soon would become have looked

Orimund

mund

in a railroad car

and

would be em-

mention the detriment to one's reputation. Also,

though Baron was a young

would meet

surprisingly often,

man compared play,

fear, for

like a naive

in the first of

to

most

he already had

of the masters

a strong respect,

the rising generation.

He

he

which

himself must

innocent when, at twenty-three, he defeated

many

games.

Now

he could not blame Ori-

for behaving so ungraciously afterward.

Fearing he might have been rude, he said now, “I'm terribly busy,

you

see,"

and

“Are you going to

man

must have sounded ridiculous. watch the tournament in Boston?" the young

realized that

it

asked.

Baron hesitated. “Yes," he

said finally. “Yes,

I

expect to be there."

Firmly his mind told him, rook takes rook, pawn takes rook, check .

.

.

the ending would be simplicity

itself.

between Orimund, Savard, and Baron," said the young man. “No one else has much chance against those three." “I guess

The

it's

really

mate, Baron thought, would be accomplished with a very small

force, because the

own “I

white king was blocked in three directions by his

pawns.

admire Orimund very much," the young 20

man

continued. “He's

Exchange of

the

He

the old grand masters.

last of

ever seen.

has the most intense attack I’ve

hope he becomes champion

rather

I

Men

would be a

again. It

victory not only for himself but for his style of play as well.”

“You don’t care for the modern way?” asked Baron. “Too much subtlety, too much caution,” said the young man. “Modern chess isn’t playing, it’s waiting.” “It wins.”

“Look,” the young whatever you

like

—

man

I

feel I

“How

about a game?

I’ll

spot you

a rook, even.”

Baron smiled slowly. “Well,

offered.

“I don’t think that will

should

tell

suppose you’ve heard of me.

be necessary.”

you; I’m Richard James, that I

won

is

—

I

don’t

the intercollegiate championship

last year.”

So

was Richard James. Baron remembered

this

a piece in the papers,

not about the intercollegiate tournament, but about another, a small affair in

Chicago, in which a young

badly to

lost rather

Max Tames

man named

but carried

Richard James had

off the brilliancy prize all

Goldman.

the same for a rather exciting combination against Jacob

He

could see the familiar old pattern as

year, or

two

years, or three,

it

began to repeat

he would be facing the

master, Richard James, across the tournament board,

would be

at stake.

He began

to set

“I’d

still

“Now

But nothing need be given away

up the

itself.

brilliant

In a

young

and everything

at this

moment.

pieces.

prefer to play even,” he said.

are

you

satisfied?”

asked the pretty

girl.

“You’ve trapped the

innocent bystander into a game. That’s what’s such fun about being married to Dick,” she explained to Baron, “you meet such a lot of teresting people.

But by

The young man Sally, Mr.—?” Baron looked the

was not in the

must be slip,

a strange coincidence, they all play chess.”

laughed.

“I

want you

at the board. “Springer,

German name

in-

for knight. His use of

he had

moment. Suppose

an accident, the distraction of being aboard a

disturbingly informal conditions generally 21

meet

my

wife,

John Springer,” he said, using a pseudonym, he told himself,

least disreputable. After all,

jealously guarded at every

to

—he

a standing

which

there should be a rattling train, the

did not intend that

Stories and Articles

such an accident should affect the reputation or the tournament play of Francis Baron during the next week.

But not,

in trying, temporarily, at least, to conceal his identity,

once reveal both his

at

own style of name and his

he knew, employ his

which to an expert would

play,

quality.

He must

the disadvantage of meeting Richard James on the latter's

which would probably be the ground of a violent

and use

whole development

his

and slow exploiting

From

Then,

ground,

attack, initiated as

for defense, for subtle probing

more and more space opponent's critical mistake, which must come the complexion of the match would change.

rapidly,

the reticence of his beginnings and his control of strategic area,

Baron would open out the penetrating, tack.

own

of weaknesses, occupying

in the long wait for his in time.

accept, then,

Baron would withdraw before such an

rapidly as possible. Ordinarily

attack

he must

That was the way, the modern

master. But

now he must

Young James drew tack, quick

and

fight

incisive,

style,

if

riskier

methods.

the white and opened with the

straight

down

fatal counterat-

which had made Baron a

by older and

Max Lange

at-

the center of the board. It was evident

that he was trying for immediate victory,

tageous position

and

and accepting a disadvan-

the attempt failed.

Baron countered along conventional

lines, vigorously fighting for

the center, for the points from which well-masked and defended powers

could extend their grasp on positions within the enemy's

men

Both

were slightly nervous. There was a quality of chess, thought

Baron, which trary, as

made

it

absurd to

say, “It's

only a game."

you could judge from the way people played

and representative struggle self,

lines.

for mastery. It

with the illusion of power over

thinking people laugh to hear of out, overstrained

it,

life,

it, it

On

the con-

was a warlike

was a conspectus of

which

is

life it-

why, though un-

the chess master often dies worn

from an incredible depth and complexity of concen-

tration prolonged over a period of years.

As they entered the end game with an exchange of queens, James was a pawn behind, but occupied better immediate attacking position.

“You play extremely well, sir," he said deferentially to Baron, who nodded and smiled. The position, he saw, was critical. If Richard James possessed perfect

book knowledge, he had what amounted 22

to a win-

”

Exchange of

On

ning game.

the other hand, he was nervous, just about trembling

with eagerness for success. erly, or

Men

If

that nervousness could be exploited prop-

somehow

improperly, for that matter, but exploited

—Francis

Baron regretted exceedingly having been drawn into the match. This

young man would be present

at the

tournament, he would recognize

be some publicity.

his

opponent of the

He

could imagine Savard’s wry, crooked grin; and not alone Savard.

railroad car, there

would

surely

Baron was not so well liked among the masters; they resented

his

youth and perhaps his manner as well. There would be a good deal of laughter over

this.

Abruptly he

‘Tm

said,

afraid

I

didn’t

‘Tm

smiled in apology, held out his hand.

On

the surface

it

was

all right. It

tell

to take the

much

acknowledgment

He was no

at stake.

my

a

identity,

in that spirit.

seemed

with a chance to win, against Francis Baron himself.

mean.

I

“Of course play mine.

me

not.” Francis Baron smiled.

It’s

Two moves

He

to

be

ac-

tried desperately

But there was now too

longer playing a chess game.

— had no idea

name.”

compliment to the

And Richard James

stammered, “I hope you didn’t think

real

Francis Baron.”

was even

younger man. The master, by revealing his

knowledging a worthy opponent.

you

rude

He was playing, He blushed and

—about Orimund,

“Orimund

plays his way,

I

I

your move, Mr. James.” later

Richard James moved the pawn that cost him the

game. His famous antagonist was gracious in triumph, quiet and sured as he complimented the younger

man on

as-

playing a very strong

game.

“We

shall

said cordially

be seeing you in tournament play very soon,

when they

I

fear,”

he

parted in Back Bay Station.

“You’re very kind to say

so;

we look forward

to watching your

games.”

Both men knew what had happened. For Baron the victory was rather empty, achieved by a trick in a class with blowing smoke in your opponent’s face throughout a game (this being the favorite stratagem of

one Russian master), or whistling, or tapping your

table.

And

particular

worst of

all,

he did not know

game without such

a device.

23

if

fingers

on the

he could have won that

Stories and Articles

As

for

Richard James, he said to his wife, “I don't

to pick that

moment

me who he

to tell

then, but Lord! to be

up

was.

I

know why he had

was doing

against Francis Baron!

I just

right until

all

collapsed right

there."

“And that," said Sally, “is just about what he wanted. Your Baron may be a great master, but it strikes me he's just a little

Francis bit of a

heel at the same time."

“Now,

darling,

“Don't 'now

he could have beaten

darling'

me.

I

don't

me

anyhow."

know much about

chess,

may have been able to beat you hollow; but from what I saw at the time,

he didn't think

The players in

It

all

of his face

so."

the tournament, thought Baron, had

and high seriousness of a conclave of cardinals met to

and

and he

all

the solemnity

elect a

new Pope,

the jealousy, to be sure, of a boy's ball team electing a captain.

was the

first

international

tournament since before the war, and

the meeting was marked by the absence of a few faces formerly well

known: Estignan, who was dead; Zinuccio, who had turned was in prison; Einrich, the others he in his rich

knew

tweeds

who was

not allowed to leave his

well enough: the English master, Cranley, looking like

an aged schoolboy; Savard, the Frenchman, a

dumpy little man who resembled a games of any master;

Jasoff,

chef and played the most eccentric

from Russia, looking more than usually

peaked and unhappy; and several other masters from Second-rate, thought Baron.

And

yet,

not

distance, in chess, separated the master

over the world.

from the

expert, the merely

reflected with distaste,

games to more than one of them. But fortunately, chess tournament one was not eliminated for losing a game. Elimi-

that he in a

would

all

really second-rate: so little

was more than probable, he

brilliant player. It

and country. But Fascist

lose

nation occurred at definite stages, on the basis of point score: one for a win, one-half for a draw. After a complete round, the contestants

with the lowest scores went out and the remainder began again.

And

there was

Orimund,

stood out like a wiry halo over his collar

and shiny black

bling hands, his

The aged master whose white hair head, who always wore a high white

at last.

Orimund, nearing seventy, with his tremgentle voice and perfect manners, and that mind suit.

*4

Exchange of

Men

whose keenness had probably suffered somewhat during the last years. They said he had spent time in a concentration camp, and looking at

him now, Baron found the old

man

it

as so gentle, so

not remembered

meek. They met in the lobby of the hotel,

and Orimund seemed to have forgotten

resentment of Baron. They

his

called each other, conventionally, Master,

most

He had

easy to believe this.

and were

for a

moment

al-

friendly.

“Ech,

life passes,

man

Master Baron/' the old

said.

“You, too, are

no longer exactly of the youngsters." Was that the way of it? Did one creep gently out of

life,

shedding

the old antagonisms, ridding oneself gradually of the vicious desire for success? “I

am

glad to have the honor once again, Master," he replied.

“Perhaps for the

when

I

‘How can you waste your

money, or painting

said.

was given

my

life

pictures, or whatever?'

Now,

ceptable answer.

I

confess,

“You know,

life

years ago,

playing chess?'

writing books, or

And

it

and what have an immortal name,"

I

made

replied

making

I

of it?"

Baron

—better to have died ten

Baron recognized, was said with the familiar as

ac-

done?

gravely.

years ago,

much

Perhaps you will understand that someday. Master." This

he remembered

was

I

was a good, an

begin to wonder, what have

I

life,

“You leave “An immortal name ter.

Orimund

was asked ‘How can you waste your

able to reply

I

time,"

last

betlast,

cold, deadly anger that

an element in the former Orimund. But Baron un-

derstood what the old

man

meant: better to have died champion of

the world, rather than face the failing of one's powers, the uprising of the young just

when one

is

no longer able

Better than the last cold years in which,

he believes himself to be losing

his

them with success. master makes a mistake,

to oppose if

a

mind.

That was the last time they spoke together except over the board. Almost angrily, Baron put down the pity he felt for the old genius. If that’s the

way

it is,

that's

all,

he told himself.

When my

time comes,

weep on the conqueror's shoulder. That's what life is, and if we were the same age I would still be confident of winning. For that matter, if the position were reversed would he show any mercy to me? I doubt it. I

don't expect to

*5

Stories and Articles

The tournament was not easy. Few can go through the nervous strain of game after game against excellent players without feeling a sense of desperation, and Francis Baron was no exception. The commore severe, and in the last matches of the opening round one came up against players who, knowing already that they would be eliminated, played with violence and extravagance in the hope of taking home by way of consolation at least one victory over a possible world's champion. Baron was beaten in this way by Jasoff and Cranley, while Orimund dropped games to Savard and to Baron petition grew progressively

himself.

Baron, however, was superbly confident. In the beaten Savard, and his victory over ily,

at least with certainty

invulnerable game.

The

Orimund was

first

round he had

achieved,

if

and power from the opening move of a

old

man

his defenses slightly

vicious counterattack

when

it

finally

Richard and Sally were present at did not in any

way acknowledge

eas-

solid,

played with a brilliance matching his

former great tournament play, but finding his attack met at

he overextended

not

all

points

and was unable to withstand the came.

all his

matches, and though Baron

their interest,

he

felt intensely

and

uncomfortably that they had in some sense seen through what had occurred on the train, that

it

would give them pleasure

they were in fact simply waiting for ironically to himself.

—

perfection.

And

him

to

make

if

he

a mistake.

lost,

He

that

smiled

There would be no mistakes, there must be none

forthwith he proceeded roundly to trounce Dr. An-

derson, his last opponent in the

first

round.

Orimund, Savard, Francis Baron, and an Irishman named Brian alone escaped elimination. In the second round Brian realized sud-

denly that he was very close to being world's champion, and simply collapsed, losing to everyone. Savard lost to

these last drew their

and

games and entered the

Baron and Orimund, and final

with a score of two

a half each for the round.

On

the night before the last match, Baron was sitting in the hotel

lobby, reading,

when he was approached by

the secretary of the local

chess club.

“We

have about ten people collected," 26

this functionary said,

“and

Exchange of

we wondered

if

Men

you'd care to give some sort of exhibition.

be honored, greatly honored, Master, and will

to

be no publicity. Of course,

make

you

all

He

can say definitely that there

realize that

I

the effort on the eve of the

the same."

I

final,

We should

you may not

but

feel inclined

was instructed to ask

I

and seemed,

hesitated, looked apologetic,

though realizing the enormity of his request, to be ready to

as

retire with-

out an answer; but Baron stopped him.

“Under the conditions you

specify,"

he

said, “I

shouldn't object to

the exercise. In fact, I'm grateful for the compliment of your interest.

But understand. first

place,

it

I'll

hold you to

would be a

was so

I

can play tonight only

that

careless of

it is

on

reflection

him as to

I

strict silence

my

on the

opponent

subject. In the

if it

got out that

play for fun on the night before our game.

if it is

understood that the results don't matter,

simply a relaxation from the tournament."

“I quite understand," the secretary said. “This

is

the arrangement.

The members will be told that a master, whose name will not be given, will play blindfolded against all ten of them simultaneously. The master will

be in a room apart, and

not meet the other players either

will

before or after the match. In that

way the

secret of your identity can

be kept between the president and myself until

And

besides, the other players will

after

be asked to keep

tomorrow silent

night.

about the

whole event."

These terms proving quarters of the

he was driven to the

Copley Chess Club, where he was placed in a small

antechamber and “It has

to Baron's satisfaction,

left alone.

been arranged," he

Presently the secretary said, “that

even-numbered games and black

you

came

in.

are to have white in the

in the odd. Fair

enough?"

“Fair enough," replied Francis Baron.

“Then the

first

move

in all the

odd-numbered games

is

pawn

to

king four," said the secretary.

“My reply is the same, and my opening move in games

is

pawn

to

the even-numbered

queen four."

game one allowed the opponents to open up a little, and then when the weak sisters among them disclosed themselves, they must be whipped rapThat was the way of

idly,

it,

he thought. In

this blindfolded

allowing one to concentrate on the difficult games.

27

Stories and Articles

did show themselves very soon.

The amateurs eight,

and nine took

Games

one, two, four,

than fifteen moves for the establishment of

less

Few of the boards presented any great difficulty. There was the usual zealot who felt that the queenside pawns could do everything necessary, one who thought that to fianchetto both bishops was to solve all his troubles, another who overwhelming superiority on Baron's

side.

brought out his queen and proceeded to do damage to the extent of

pawn before falling into a cleverly prepared trap. Few of games were in any way rewarding, except as an exercise in conand

a rook

the

a

centration for the master.

At

last

game number seven

something there.

A Max

sorted itself out from the rest; there was

Lange

attack, with a curious variation in the

placement of the queen's knight. Going over the position in his mind,

Baron began to recognize the tain,

style.

His opponent, he was almost

could be no one but Richard James.

A few minutes later an aston-

ishingly rapid attack confirmed his belief.

pressed with

would be a

some

close

severity

cer-

and marshaled

Baron

felt

himself being

his forces to defend. It

game.

The other games expired in something over the fortieth move. He had won them all, but then, the competition had been very nearly nothing. The seventh game, however, was close and even threatening. James was playing for a within the possible for

way

brilliant

him

win and

to achieve

it.

of breaking the boy's nerve; instead,

might

go. It

as things stood it

And

this

was well

time there was no

Baron knew,

his

own

nerve

was so easy to make a mistake; he was holding precariously

mind the crossing, tangling threads of thirty-two pieces moving altogether more than eighty times over sixty-four squares. The possibilities were infinite. If one forgot a move, or misplaced a move in memory, it was over: defeat. One defeat, of course, in ten blindfold

in his

games,

is

nothing; but to lose to young James!

James knew

him

his

opponent; he

felt

And he was

certain that

an intellectual rapport that enabled

handsome young face as it bent over the board, and James knew perfectly that he was playing and winning

to picture the

realized that

—

—against Francis Baron. And seven.

then

Pawn

it

came.

The

secretary entered, said,

to bishop six."

28

“Game number

Exchange of

Men

he certain of that?” Baron asked, incredulous.

“Is

“That

“My

move,

his

is

sir.”

—queen takes rook.”

reply

made

Francis Baron breathed easily. Richard James had a subtle mistake, to be sure,

now

master could

game. After the accomplish the

mate It

in six

went

and not immediately apparent, but the

imminent

foresee the

sacrifice of

He

rest.

a mistake,

collapse of his opponent's

the queen, knight and two rooks would

announce check-

called after the secretary, “I

moves.”

On

he planned, now.

as

the

fifth

move he

forced the white

rook to occupy the square adjacent to the white king, thus blocking all

escape squares and enabling the knight to mate at bishop seven.

He

returned to his hotel.

But he was troubled

how

natural, considering

mind.

in his

A

mistake like that,

masterful James's play had been up until

then. It was tantamount to deliberate surrender,

He

deliberate surrender! versary,

had

saw

was ...

it

now. James had recognized

it

realized that Baron, strained

deliberately

gesture of the

opened up

as to

probably dislikes

my game

me

he

all,

intensely,

and refrained

Francis Baron found

reflected,

and

appearing to him, saying, “I

am

it

when you

realized that

—that shows the

it difficult

life itself.

true;

but

Chess,

is it

if

you regard

game

he had

worth the demands

now, decrepit, feeling

it

is

a

it

in his

power

greatest delicacy.

I

am

of chess. Chess

properly,

it

was a

consider that he

to get to sleep. His

Francis Baron,

It

was, in a way, a

is

game.

makes? Fancy a

own

face kept

Francis Baron,”

over and over with the utmost pomposity imaginable. for?” he asked himself. For a

his ad-

moment, and he

be defeated.

most subtle and keen sportsmanship;

moral revelation. After

to hurt

board so

his

was

it

by the tournament, could be

upset beyond measure by a defeat of any sort at this

had

was un-

it

man

“What was not, after

A

it

all,

great game,

like

Orimund,

bitterly the decline of his powers, yet playing

with the most religious courtesy and chivalry.

He

could imagine

to Europe.

faction of a

Orimund

There would

still

gocd game, not

after the final

match, returning alone

be many admirers, would

a great game,

be the

mind; but deeply,

he would be an old man, nearing death, alone. 29

still

satis-

essentially,

Stories and Articles

Orimund won

the final game. Francis Baron would never forget

how the reporters gathered around after the game, nor how the old man wept far more over his success than he would have wept over his defeat. And how Orimund called him “Master” and said good-by in the most touching and friendly way, his

had

shoulder. “After me,” he

said,

hand on the younger man's

“in a year, less perhaps,

who

knows?”

Between dejection and

satisfaction, Francis Baron,

runner-up for

the world's chess championship, packed his bag and prepared to

turn to

New

York.

The

analysis of that final

many people reason enough to “Come in,” he said in response to

give

said,

“We

that game.” Sally

thought

“Did?

it I

a knock.

He

invited

them

in,

and

wanted you to know we saw what you did in

nodded

in agreement.

“And we’d

like to tell

you we

was wonderful.” didn't

do anything

“You gave him that

just

game, he knew, would

laugh at him.

Richard and Sally James stood at the door. Richard

re-

—except

lose, of course.”

You did it purposely, and you did it so know both your styles perfectly would ever

the game.

no one who didn't

realize.”

Francis Baron smiled at them. “There's

no need to shout it all over the place,” he said. “Anyhow, I've got you to thank for my quixotic behavior. You taught me a great deal about games and other things last night.”

“Last night?” James looked blank.

At the Copley Club, you know, game number seven.” don't get it,” Richard James said, “I've never been to the Copley

“Yes. “I

Club

in

my

life.”

30

was

It

generally conceded in the circles in which he traveled that

the discovery of the atomic

bomb had been something

of a setback to

Freddy Ferguson’s chances of proving himself an acceptable son-inlaw to General Lane.

made was,

and

had been Freddy,

for instance,

who had

the discovery, the General might have been impressed. As

it

was

felt

more

that just one

field

than a blithe sort of idiot

of the indisputably lovely Jo reduced

least

by

just that

much.

was not entirely certain that Jo herself did not part way with the General’s views on Freddy.

a matter of fact,

go along at

it

had been closed to Freddy,

his chances of being regarded as other

by the father

As

If it

it

'‘And don’t ever,” Jo said one evening, “let Father see you swallow a lighted cigarette again.

They were dancing cate

little

side step

He

at El

and

was

retired for ulcers.”

Morocco and Freddy completed an

glide of his

“I don’t really swallow it,”

he

own

intri-

invention before answering.

said.

Jo tilted her sleek blond head back to look up into Freddy’s serene

countenance. Freddy’s features, as standard assembly jobs went, were

not unpleasant to look could get along with

“Don’t be an as she followed

evolved.

if

at.

Well-fed, amiable and clean.

A

face

one

one didn’t expect too much.

ass,” Jo said.

A

pleased expression

another complicated

Then her mind went back

little

came

into her eyes

dance pattern Freddy had

to the problem at hand. “You’ve

Stories and Articles

got to do something about Father, you know. Assert yourself.

Show

him you've got something." “Card

tricks?"

Jo sniffed daintily. “Save those for the children." “I've just learned the

'Donkey Serenade' on the harmonica."

“Freddy," Jo said impatiently, “are you really as big a chump as you sound sometimes? There is probably nothing Father would like to hear more than a harmonica selection than the sound of a harmonica player sizzling in hot oil."

“Stuffy old coot," Freddy sighed. for?

Of

all

“What's he want to be so grim

the millions of parents you could have had,

to select that old

moose

for

why you had

more than I can understand." the slim body in his arms he knew

is

that By the slight stiffening of somehow he had not said quite the right thing. “What I mean," he added quickly, “is that I don't know just what he expects in a man."

“Perhaps," Jo said coolly, “he just expects a man."

Freddy grunted. the

girl

he loved

it

If

made

there was one criticism he might have

of

was that deep within her there was a streak of the

General. She could laugh at his jokes and listen to his harmonica. She

danced

like a spring breeze in his

ready to love

him

he loved

as

arms and he thought she was almost

her.

But every

so often the General

came out in her and she would want him to prove something for the mere sake of proving it. Like taking a job. He hadn't needed a job. A pair of scissors and a trip to the bank once in a while to clip coupons gave him more than he required. But he had taken a job and gotten three raises, much to his surprise. Lately Jo had become stiffish about the General. She wanted the General to approve of Freddy. He, Freddy, didn’t care whether the General approved of him or not. Jo .

.

.

could be exasperating.

“And I suppose," Freddy growled, “that I'm not a man?" “Would you care to have me quote Father?" Jo asked, still cold. “You know, Jo," Freddy said, “your trouble is you're not satisfied with things

you'd want a truck to

them both

Why

don't

You'd want a town car to do seventy miles an hour

as they are.

.

pull like a truck .

.

and you'd wreck

make them do what they weren't you relax? You can't make me over."

trying to

32

and

built to do.

Check

he

It was,

felt,

a neat

to think about. If she see

.

.

.

and Mate

and pointed

had

speech. Something for Jo

little

a reasonable

bone

in her lovely

body she'd

what he meant. The music stopped and they went back to

table. Jo

was

their

and Freddy congratulated himself upon having

silent

gained a point.

At the

You know

table Jo said, “ You're rationalizing.

you'd like Father's respect. In

fact, I insist

Freddy sighed again. “Did

it

on

perfectly well

it."

ever occur to you," he asked, “that

perhaps your father does not measure up to

all

the things I think he

should be?" Jo stared at Freddy. “Don't be ridiculous!" she said.

“Sometimes he danger

signals.

gets in

“Sometimes

my I

hair,"

Freddy muttered, ignoring

feel like telling

him

all

he's rude, uncivilized

."

and

.

.

now," Jo interrupted. “Why don't you tell him?" As Freddy explained later, a form of madness came over him from “He's

home

right

which he awakened to find himself with

He

Jo's father.

horrible

moments

in

Lane

library face to face

more

describes that awakening as one of the

of his

The General was

in the

life.

playing chess. That

is,

the General was absorbed

working out a chess problem by himself, playing both the white

and the black to Jo,

As always, and

pieces.

anything he had said

Freddy experienced the usual rubbery feeling about the knees.

The General was not ness.

in spite of

a large

man

but he gave the impression of

vast-

His close-cropped mustache was white frost on a steeltrap mouth.

Freddy had never before seen the General so absorbed and unaware of his presence.

He

was

sitting

forward in a deep leather armchair,

leaning over an Oriental table on which was a large inlaid chessboard.

The set,

and

beautiful. It

was a

Freddy knew, which only a devotee of the game would be

likely

pieces were also large, intricately carved

to possess. It

was the

first

time that Freddy had known the General was that

way about the game. At

that

moment, leaning

so absorbed over the

board, he looked like Freddy's grandfather. Freddy shuddered slightly.

Grandfather Ferguson had been a master of the game that

all

—one who

felt

the mental training required to cope with anything that would

33

Stories and Articles

come up in life could be taught on the chessboard. Among Freddy's more vivid memories of his younger years had been those chess lessons his grandfather had insisted on. During the war, at moments when things had been especially tense, Freddy had recalled those lessons and had been able to

relax in the comparative peace of his shell-jarred

foxhole.

Jo said, “Hello.”

The General early, aren't

started.

He

looked up at her. “Oh,

you? Did that young jackanapes

.

it's

Home

you.

The General saw

.

Freddy standing there shifting unhappily from one foot to the other

and the northern

lights flickered in his glacial eyes.

“Har!” he said so explosively that Freddy violently

up and down

felt his

vertebrae jolt

suddenly braked

his spine like the cars of a

freight train.

“Har!” Freddy heard himself echo weakly and involuntarily.

The General stared at him. “What “Uh Tar' ... I think.” “And precisely what in the goddam .

Freddy

.

lethal

.

felt a

same time

mean?”

hell does that

mild perspiration begin to ooze from his brow. At the

a little irritation stirred within

weapon he was

care a hoot about

him, too. Short of using a

anyone who didn't

at a disadvantage against

anyone

there were limits.

else's sensitivities. Still,

Freddy noted that Jo was smiling little

did you say?”

chip off the old block at the

a

little.

She was being a splintery

moment. Freddy pulled himself

to-

gether.

“It means, I suppose, the

An immediate and

same thing that

does

when you

complete silence settled in the Lane

stopped smiling and her eyes widened.

He

it

The

say it.”

library.

Jo

General's eyes narrowed.

inhaled a long, slow breath. Freddy held his

.

.

.

and waited.

“Young man,” the General demanded finally, “are you trying to intimate that I would make an asinine sound like that?” .” Freddy swallowed. “You “You cleared your throat, darling,” Jo interrupted. “To say hello.” .

“I did not,” the

.

General snapped.

He

looked at Freddy.

“What do

you want anyway?”

There

are

two schools of thought regarding the appropriateness of 34

Check

.

.

and Mate

.

Freddy's reply to that question. There were those entirely out of order

inasmuch

who

felt that it

had been nothing

as there

was

in the

General's prior words to warrant any assumption of favorable reaction .

.

and there were those who pointed out that while

.

it

was true that

more sympathetic mood could have been desired, it was also true that it was the first time the General had given Freddy enough consid-

a

eration to utter intelligible sounds in his direction.

latter school

Freddy took advantage of the best opportunity which had

felt that

or

would be

he

really

“I

The

likely to present itself to

go on record about what

it

was

wanted.

want

to

marry your daughter,

sir,"

he

said in a remarkably firm

but respectful manner.

The General made a sort of choking noise. Jo stared at Freddy. “Good Lord!" the General finally said. “The man is crazy! Jo, why didn't you

warn me?"

“Darling," Jo said to her father, “that was the last thing

pected him to say to you

.

.

.

I

ever ex-

tonight." She looked at Freddy. “Pin-

head!" Freddy's irritation increased.

He

looked at

Jo.

“Would you mind

explaining that?"

“There cut

in.

isn't a

“My

damn' thing to

young man," the General

explain,

daughter said you were a pinhead.

It's

perfectly clear.

P-I-N-H-E-A-D, pinhead." “Father!" Jo

said. “I didn't really

she had let Freddy in for

this.

mean

“Freddy

is

that." Jo

was sorry

really very

now

that

sweet in lots of

ways."

“Har!" snorted the General.

“Oh, har yourself!" Freddy said. Even a sweet nature could be pushed too the chessboard again. “Don't that

little

tell

me

far.

Now his eye

fell

upon

you've been having trouble with

problem?"

The General came to his feet. “What?" he roared. Freddy moved over to the chessboard without answering. He studied the problem that was so like the many Grandfather Ferguson had made him sweat out. While the General was obviously trying to decide whether to have the butler throw Freddy out or to indulge in the

35

Stories and Articles

pleasure himself and Jo stood with her lovely lips forming a

amazement Freddy began moving

pieces

little

O of

on the chessboard.

“There's your solution/' he said. “Child's play/'

The General looked

at the

board and then at Freddy. The General

an hour before Freddy and Jo had come in. “Any pinhead could see through that problem/' Freddy went on,

had been rubbing

baffled for

it in.

The emotions that were actually surging through the General at that moment were only feebly indicated by the flush raging on his cheeks.

He

stood frozen until at

he succeeded in pointing to the

last

chair across the table.

down!" he whispered.

“Sit

“Freddy!" Jo said. The General drew the white pieces. In

six

moves Freddy knew that

the General was really a keen player, probably one of the best, but that he was throwing caution to the

The General was

a

wounded

bull

wind

to

pawing the

dirt.

carefully,

waited for the premature attack he

bound

make

to

in that

eral stared at the

mood and

chessmen

as

if

smash Freddy quickly. Freddy developed

knew

the General was

then smashed the attack.

they were so

many

The Gen-

small cobras

flick-

ing their tongues at him.

He

looked up at Freddy. “All right," he said hoarsely. “I resign."

“Why?" Freddy

asked. “I could

win with your pieces from that

position."

“Freddy!" he heard Jo say. “Don't." Freddy ignored her. He turned the board around.

triumph

at its sweetest.

He

was savoring

Pinhead, was he? Freddy acknowledged that

calm frame of mind the General would have been a far different opponent but tonight the General was getting it right in the teeth. It was a rare thing, indeed, when one could take the pieces a player had

in a

resigned with, turn the board around and beat him. In a sort of trance

the General played the pieces that had been Freddy's, to lose the sec-

ond time

more moves. Freddy stood up. “Thank you," he said. In that moment the General showed the stuff he was made of. He looked Freddy in the eye and said, “My boy, that has never been done in ten

36

Check

me

to

again.

before.

I

have carelessly

.

and Mate

.

would appreciate an opportunity to play with you

hope that you

I

.

anything which

will consider as unsaid

I

may

drop about your intelligence and ... uh ...

let

garding that request about Jo

matter entirely up to her.

.

Good

Well,

.

.

night."

I

re-

should say that was a

With

a straight back

and a

head held high the General walked out of the room. It

was

moment

a

before the

clear to Freddy.

But when

done what must

certainly

it

full

import of what had happened was

dawn upon him

did

be the

last

that he

thing Jo could ask

had so

him

to

easily

do by

way

of proving things for her, an exuberance exploded within

that

made him

him

cut several extremely sharp tap steps that culminated

with a double heel click in midair.

when France

“Like Hitler

too bad that

It is

it

fell,"

Jo said.

cannot be said that Freddy became instantly

frozen in midair to remain suspended there with heels about to click

once more. Because that was figuratively about the way

The

affected him. spot.

He

Jo’s

words

cold blast of her voice froze his happiness on the

looked at her in amazement. She was looking at him with

frigid disapproval.

“Huh?" ‘I

said," Jo repeated, “like Hitler

‘But ‘I

said Freddy.

when France

.

suppose you think you’re extremely smart.

pieces against him. crying,

“Look “I

am

was too

Disgusting."

." .

was something to humiliate a beaten old

arms

fell.

‘My

I

suppose you think

I

I

suppose you think

man by

turning his

it

own

should come flying to your

’’

hero!’

." .

.

looking, I’m glad I’ve

late.

had an opportunity

You’re a ... a gloater.

During the course of

Good

a sleepless night

that he’d been wrong, a cad

and

a heel.

He

to look before

it

night."

Freddy persuaded himself called Jo at ten o’clock in

the morning, beginning the conversation with a cheery hello as though all

were

know

well. It

that Jo

had worked

had not

before.

There was no way

for

Freddy to

slept that night either; that after a long

and

stubborn struggle her conscience had convinced her that she had been unreasonable.

Had he known he would have presumed 37

that he was

— Stories and Articles

doing precisely the right thing in calling

Jo.

men he would

Like most

“Good morning!" though the previous night's quarrel had not weighed upon his mind all was not the way to announce his existence to a girl who had

not have understood that the sound of his cheery as at

—

struggled

night with herself over what she had considered to be a

all

major emotional

and who had prepared

crisis,

She could not have reacted with greater

tion of great tenderness.

ness

had she

and Freddy's

lost a leg,

herself for a reconcilia-

first

words had been,

bitter-

“It's a nice

day for a walk."

“Stop chirruping!" she said

“Huh? Who's

Jo, stop

He heard “Well,

chirruping?"

any point in going into

“Is there

“Look,

irritably.

it?"

being unreasonable."

Jo draw in her breath. “I

last

am

being unreasonable?"

jumped to conclusions." remember it you were doing all the jumping.

night you

“Indeed? As

I

All over

the place."

“That was because

I

“That was obvious. of pennies

and go into

was happy."

Why

don’t you go kick some blind man's cup

a real ecstasy?"

Freddy counted ten slowly. “Look, cause

.

.

darling,

I

was happy be-

.”

“There's no need to explain.

what you

in doing just

set

I

have eyes.

out to do

I

have

when we

left

ears.

You succeeded

El Morocco.

I

hope

made you very happy to humiliate Father. To ... to deliver a mortal wound to his pride. I can only say that I am more hurt

it

than angry. Goodby."

Freddy stared it

back

on

at the

the

“Women!" The General .

.

dead instrument in

“Women!" he

hook.

his hand.

breathed

He slammed with

feeling.

.

evidenced no signs of mortal wounds

when Freddy

called that evening firmly resolved to accept whatever

might have

in

mind and

start

punishment Jo out anew. The General placed an arm

around Freddy's shoulder. “Scotch?" he inquired. “Cigar? We're in luck. Jo has gone out. Have the evening to ourselves." 38

Check

.

.

.

and Mate

“Gone out?” Freddy echoed blankly. “With some odd little monster. Squirmed Jo said you'd understand

“Oh!”

if

all

the time he was here.

you happened to drop

in.”

said Freddy.

The General sat down and began setting up “What was his name?” Freddy asked.

the chessmen.

“Haven't the vaguest idea,” the General replied absently. “Someone she gushed

He

Nauseating.”

all over.

tossed a coin. “Call

it

for the

whites.”

Freddy called and

lost to get the black pieces.

“Look, General, do you remember

last

night

I

said

I

wanted to

marry Jo?”

“Eh? Oh, “But have

let

So you

yes.

did. All right with

me.”

with someone!” Freddy protested. “You shouldn't

she's out

her!”

The General

regarded Freddy thoughtfully.

“My boy,

one does not

One just tries to keep out of the line of fire as much as possible. Sit down and let's begin the play.” “You don't even know who she's out with,” Freddy went on, ac'let'

Jo do anything.

cusingly.

A

came over the General's face. “Isn't open with the king's pawn. Your move.”

slightly harassed look

enough “But

“My

if

Jo knows?

I'll

it

.” .

.

dear young man,

“Do you know why

we

she's

are playing chess.”

out with him tonight?” Freddy demanded

indignantly.

“Maybe he has “No.

To

“And

so

oughly.

tickets to

I

humiliated you

you did,” the General

said cheerfully.

spite

me. She thinks

Wouldn't be

Freddy groaned.

The General

surprised

“There

mentioned

she's

it

“So you

did.

Thor-

to her too.”

through with me!”

Oh

must be about seventy milchoose from if you must have one.

well, there

in this nation to

on with the play.” anyone in the world like

let's

isn't

I'd

last night.”

clucked regretfully. “Sometimes she takes things move

more women

Meanwhile,

if

“No wonder

seriously than she should.

lion

Oklahoma/”

get

39

Jo,”

Freddy said vehemently.

Stories and Articles

"Oh, come!” the General said. "And if there isn't it may be just as not at all like well. She has a nasty disposition before breakfast the girls waking up in the toothpaste ads. She has deucedly expensive .

taste in clothes

and

Serve this

oaf she’s out with right

little

Even consider you

I

have to pay a devilish if

.

.

lot of traffic fines for her.

she decides in favor of him.

fortunate.”

"Fortunate!” Freddy said bitterly as he

moved

his king’s

pawn out

meet the General’s opening move. The General had succeeded only revealing to Freddy some further intimate and delightfully fasci-

to in

nating facets of Jo’s character.

He loved her the more for them.

glared across the board at the General. He, Freddy, until Jo

came home, and meanwhile

treat the

would

General to a

Freddy

sit

there

real trim-

ming.

The General

pawn to the General came out with game began brilliantly

played a gambit with his king’s bishop’s

bishop’s four, Freddy accepted the gambit, the his king’s knight to the bishop’s three

and

a

with a daring opening. It

cannot be said that Freddy had ever enjoyed chess under the

instruction of his grandfather but he

had learned

it.

He knew the intri-

and combinations and how to achieve them in the face of keen opposition. Tonight he found himself slowly coming to enjoy cate patterns

his

to

mastery of the game. it all. It

The

desire to defeat the General gave purpose

gave Freddy a tingling pleasure to build a careful defense

against the General’s equally well-developed attack; to counter frustrate his

opponent.

The

chessboard had become a

a

.

.

the atmosphere tense. In the

.

pawn ahead with

a knight

for the

The library became middle game Freddy was still

expression of an urge to bat someone’s ears quiet

medium

and

off.

and a bishop on both

sides exchanged.

But

the General was beginning to crowd his attack, and Freddy sensed the

danger of a

loss of mobility.

Neither was aware of the passing of time.

Neither noticed Jo come in accompanied by a short, somewhat plump young man in evening clothes.

A

grim

when

little

smile of satisfaction touched the corners of Jo’s lips

she saw Freddy. She’d

hoped he might be there so she could throw Hogarth Evans in Freddy’s face and watch him squirm. She could have wished to appear with someone else, but Hogarth had 40

Check

.

.

.

and Mate

been the only man available on short notice. “Hello/' she said

“We've had

brightly.

a perfectly marvelous time."

The General grunted and had been out with,

Freddy, looking up and, noting

a great

felt

relief.

whom

Jo

“Hello, Jo," he said. “Hello,

Hoggie."

“Your move," the General

said.

He

glared at Jo

and Hoggie. “You

two be quiet." “Playing chess?" Hoggie said conversationally.

The General looked

“Keep him quiet!" Jo bit her lip. This wasn't working out right. Freddy had already turned his attention back to the board. Hoggie might just as well have been her aunt

at his daughter.

for all the jealousy

Freddy had indicated. She turned

Hoggie.

irritably to

“Bring over a chair, darling," she said with an effort of lightness.

“We'll watch them."

know anything about

“I don't

as

Hoggie

said.

“How

about

."

turning on the radio and

“Do

chess,"

.

.

say!" Jo snapped.

I

Jo sat in the chair, prepared to show immediate and great interest in

Hoggie

sitting uneasily

on the arm, the instant Freddy should

But Freddy did not

his head.

raise his

head.

The General was

raise

threat-

ening to uncover a check and simultaneously attack his queen. Right at that point .

.

.

He

he could

game if he were not extremely careful. warm bond which had developed between

lose the

was aware of the

himself and the General during the game.

had nothing

to

do with

Jo.

He would

It

was something which

patch things up with Jo pres-

ently; apologize or anything else her little heart desired.

the

moment he was

But

right at

aware of the eager glint in the General's eyes.

General thought he had the game cinched.

Freddy suddenly noted with

He

The

hadn't seen what

a feeling of exultation.

Let the General

uncover check and attack the queen. There was a knight move that

moves of the knight as he studied the possibilities for fear the General might look up and see him looking at the knight. But if that knight would

should

.

.

.

Freddy was almost

.

.

afraid to let his eyes follow the

.

“Aren't they beautiful pieces, Hogarth?" Jo said. There was nothing

Stories and Articles

in the sweetness of her voice to indicate the fury she felt

toward

Freddy.

Freddy looked up. lean forward to pick

and

He

up one

lose his balance in

he was too

late.

looked up just in time to see Hoggie Evans of the captured knights beside the board

doing

so.

He

reached out to save Hoggie but

Hoggie saved himself ... by placing

his

hand

in the

middle of the board and completely wrecking the game. Neither the General nor Freddy moved. They sat silent and motionless

.

.

.

staring at the scattered

men.

Hoggie retrieved himself and laughed a

sound both the General and Freddy turned

little

nervously.

At the

their heads slowly to re-

gard Hoggie.

The General

said, “I believe it

was your move, Freddy. Try not to

get blood over everything.”

Freddy nodded. “Thank you,

sir. I' 11

And he stood up. What she had seen in

be careful.”

Hoggie backed away. Jo jumped to her feet. Freddy's eyes was the same thing she had seen in her

father's.

“Freddy!” she squealed. “Don't!” It

was an unnecessary

the library and

plea.

moment later with Hoggie's hat and coat. them,” he said. He went to the window and looked

came back

“Guess he forgot

Hoggie had gone. Freddy went out of

a

down at the traffic, fifteen stories below. Thoughtfully he opened the window and dropped the hat and coat down into the night. “At the rate he was going,” he said, “he might catch them as he comes out on the

street.”

The General nodded thought,

my

formation

and

boy. Undoubtedly clothes that

like that are

sighed.

his quiet approval.

He

“That was a generous

would

fit

a

expensive and hard to replace.”

human malHe stood up

Without knowing it, Jo was her hand still pressed against her

looked at Freddy and

Jo.

Freddy with the back of open mouth. A grim smile touched the General's staring at

lips.

“Well, the

game is over, so I think I'll retire. But it's still your move, Freddy and please remember about the blood. Good night.”

When

.

.

.

the General had gone Freddy turned to Jo. She backed

nervously away from him.

“Freddy

.

.

.

what are you going to do?” 4^

"

"

"

...

Check

and Mate

moving toward her, your neck, or maybe break some arms and “Oh/'

said Freddy,

"I think legs. I

maybe

don't

I'll

wring

know ...

I

haven't decided."

—

... I haven't done anything bad, Freddy not really bad." “Not really bad?" he shouted. “Not really bad? First you go out Howith that Hogboom. Hoghead, Hoggie whatever his name is garth. Then you drag him back here and have him fall all over the chessboard, just when my knight "I

—

—

—

“Oh, Freddy, I'm

— thought

really awfully sorry. Believe

“Never thought, indeed. a

Double-bah!

Bah!

me, Freddy,

That

I

never

fat little pig of

man!" “I

know

Freddy. But don't rub

it,

it in.

Please don’t rub

it

in."

Freddy allowed himself to remain speechless. Jo backed away from him until she came up against the couch and could back no farther. Freddy put

his finger

on the

tip of

her small nose and pushed. Jo sat

down.

“Rub it?

Am

in?" he whispered heavily. “I suppose I'm gloating? Is that

it I

gloating?

“No, you

Did

didn't.

I

gloat at Hoggie?

You were

Did

I?"

very restrained, and that was very nice

of you." “I

know

it

was."

She laughed a nervous

“He was born “So

little

laugh.

“He

did look funny," she said.

to look funny."

fat," Jo said.

“Comic," Freddy

“So round and so plump." said.

“Fantastic," Jo said.

Freddy

sat

down

beside her.

He

fixed a stern eye

upon

her.

“Now

who's gloating?" he demanded.

“Why He

.

.

.

why

.

.

.

this

is

different,

Freddy."

laughed.

“Gloating at Father

is

no

fair.

Gloating at Hoggie

—

Freddy took her in his arms and kissed her on the mouth. She put her hands on his face and pulled

him

closer. It

was an exceptional

sort

of kiss.

He

let

her go, and she sat up and clapped her hands and laughed. 43

Stories and Articles

“What’s funny?” he

“What

are

you doing?”

him on the couch and leaned her head on his She looked up at him and she smiled a very sweet smile.

She moved shoulder.

said.

closer to

“Gloating,” she

said.

“Har!” said Freddy.

“Careful!” Cartoon by Fred Balk from This Funny World (1947), by permission of

The McNaught

Syndicate, Inc.

44

The

(Devil

That Troubled

the

Qhessboard BY GERALD KERSH

A

shocking book might be written about Pio Busto’s apartment

house.

It

stands on a corner not far from Oxford Street. It stands.

doubt Busto, who knows

No

the laws pertaining to real estate, has

all

managed to find some loophole in the Law of Gravity; I can think of no other reason to account for the fact that his house has not yet fallen down. Pio Busto knows how to make a living by letting furnished rooms. He puts a sheet of wallboard across a small bedroom and calls it

two apartments. His house

from the junk heaps

is

furnished with odds and ends raked

in the Cattle Market.

sleeps in a subterranean washhouse,

a bed-sitting-room furniture

he looks

and bed like

keeps

to

and

a cavalry saber

bay with

crucifix,

and

wasted.

He

this into

crammed with

something of a character,

he keeps

hung on

spare

this Busto;

a service revolver

under

a bootlace over his head.

a rusty horseshoe, the

a lithograph of the

Mona

Lisa,

He

lower half of a

whom

he believes

be the Virgin Mary. His rooms are dangerous.

down comes of

is

in case of burglars

evil spirits at

broken

He

is

and would convert even

the coal cellar were not

linen.

space

Lorenzo the Magnificent, and sleeps with a savage old

dog named Ouif; his pillow,

if

No

little

You

sigh;

a little piece of ceiling.

holes, bored

they shake.

What

is

You

sneeze,

more, the walls are

and full

by tenants of an inquisitive turn of mind. The

curiosity of these people

is

often highly irritating

times obscured by the eye of your neighbor,

45

—your view

who

is

is

some-

trying to peep

Stories and Articles

back at you. But Busto’s tenants rarely stay long. They are mostly

and by the time they come down to Busto’s house, very far from the bottom of things, they have acquired

rolling stones,

which

is

momentum. They come, and As

me,

for

lived for

I

they go.

more than three months

of those spy-hole-riddled bedrooms.

I

in

completed

one of the cheapest

my

education there.

Through three or four tiny holes, which must have been bored by some neglected genius of espionage, I watched people when they thought they were alone. I saw things which walls and the darkness were made to conceal; I heard things which no man was ever supposed to hear. It was degrading, but impossible to resist.

and

to the keyhole of hell,

Among the damned was

I

I

stooped.

I

stooped

learned the secrets of the damned.

Shakmatko. Picture for yourself

this terrify-

ing man. I

saw him

Euoro" black.

for the first

time in the saloon bar of the “Duchess of

—long-drawn-out, somber,

He had

pallid

the unearthly, only partly

in a Japanese print.

tion of shock:

I

and mysterious; dressed

human

all in

appearance of a figure

glanced at him, and said to myself, with a sensa-

“Good God,

man

this

is all

forehead!" Imagine one

of those old-fashioned square felt hats without the brim: his skull

was

towered straight upwards, white and

gla-

shaped exactly

like that. It

brous. His forehead conveyed an impression of

seemed

and then foreshorten ticine that

is all

if

it

—

it

You can

reproduce

you model a human face in white

plasticine,

to have pressed his face out of shape.

something of his aspect

enormous weight

by squashing

it

down on

the table. In plas-

very well; but alive, in a public house,

it

does not look

so good.

And

if all

this

were not enough, his eyes were hidden behind dark-

blue spectacles.

As

I

looked, he rose from his chair, stretching himself out in three

jerks, like a telescope,

and came towards

me and

said, in a

hushed

voice, with a peculiar foreign intonation:

“Can you please give me “With pleasure."

He

recoiled

from the

a

match?"

light of the

cealed eyes with a gloved hand.

I

match

flame, shading his con-

thought of the Devil in Bon-Bon.

46

”

The Devil That Troubled

The

tightly

and

a

clamped mouth parted a

the Chessboard

little,

to let out a puff of

smoke

few more words:

my

“I find the light hurts

eyes.

Will you drink?”

"Oh, thank you.”

He

When we

indicated a chair.

"Pardon me. You

were seated, he asked:

live in this vicinity?”

"Almost next door.” "Ah. In apartments?”

"That would be

a polite

name

for

"You will excuse my asking?” "Of course. Are you looking for "Yes,

I

"I live

am. But

it

a

them.”

room?”

must be cheap.”

on the corner. They have one or two rooms vacant

— They’re cheap enough, but

there.

"Are there tables?”

"Oh! Yes, I think so.” "Then I will go there. One no

thing:

I

can pay in advance, but

I

have

references.” "I don’t

"You "You

suppose Busto will mind that.”

see, I

never stay long at one place.”

like variety,

I

suppose?”

but

"I detest variety,

I

have to move.”

"Ah, landladies are often very "It

is

"I

few.

do not

on with.”

A large number of people live in this house of yours?”

not that.

"A good

difficult to get

Why?”

like to

be alone.” At

this,

"Perhaps you would be kind enough to

he looked over tell

me

Come along with me, kind.” He reached down

his shoulder.

the address?”

you

"I’m going that way.

if

"You

and picked up a great

are far too

like.”

black suitcase which had been standing between his feet. to drag

"Can

him down, I

give

as

if it

were

It

seemed

full of lead. I said:

you a hand?”

"No, no, no, thank you

so very

much.”

We walked to the house and

asked Busto about the vacant rooms. "First afloor fronta vacant, teen bobs. Very nice aroom. include. Spotless.

No

Top

floor

bug,” lied Busto. 47

back aten bob,

thir-

electric light

Stories and Articles

“Ten

room?"

shillings. Is there a table in that

“Corluvaduck! Bess table ina da world.

You come

up,

I

soon show

you, mister."

“As long

We

as there

went

is

a table."

upstairs. Straining at his suitcase, the stranger

time to reach the top of the house, where

slowly. It took us a long

there was a vacant

climbed

bedroom next

to mine. “Ecco!" said Busto, proudly

and

indicating the misbegotten divan, the rickety old round table,

the cracked skylight, half blind with soot.

He

looked at the stranger

and asked, “Hokay?" “It will do.

Ten

week; here

shilling a

within a week, the residue

If I leave

is

a fortnight's rent in advance.

is

in lieu of notice.

I

have no

references."

What

“Hokay.

“There

will

name,

be no

in case of letters?"

letters.

My name

is

Shakmatko."

“Good."

Shakmatko leaned against the door. He had the air of a man dying of fatigue. His trembling hand fumbled for a cigarette. Again he recoiled from the light of the match, and glanced over his shoulder. Pity took possession of me. led

him

up his

to the divan.

He

sat

suitcase. I stooped,

pation of a fifty-six-pound the

I

put an arm about his shoulders, and

down, gasping. Then

I

went back

to pick

clutched the handle; tensed myself in anticilift;

heaved, and nearly

fell

backwards down

stairs.

The

suitcase

weighed next to nothing.

It

something that gave out a dry rattling noise.

Shakmatko

sat perfectly

the wallboard partition. to fade.

still.

Time

passed.

The room

did not like that.

watched him through the holes in

I

The autumn

Absorbed by the opacity of the

gradually disappeared.

I

was empty except for

filled

afternoon began

skylight, the light of

day

with shadow. All that was

left

seemed to be focused upon the naked top of Shakmatko’s he sat with his head hanging down. His face was invisible.

of the light skull, as

He last,

looked like the featureless larva of some elephantine insect. At

when

night had fallen, he began to move. His right

gradually visible;

out of a tube.

it

He

emerged from

his sleeve like

hand became

something squeezed

did not switch the light on, but, standing a

48

little

The Devil That Troubled night light in a saucer, he

lit it

look about him.

My

the suitcase.

He

off his spectacles,

He

heart beat faster.

sickly

and began to

turned his back to me. Snick-snick!

He opened

returned to the table, carrying

an oblong box and a large square board.

He drew a

and

cautiously. In this vague

he took

circle of orange-colored light

the Chessboard

I

my breath.

held

upon which he carefully placed the board. For a moment he hugged the box to his breast, while he looked over his shoulder; then he slid the lid off the box and, with a sudden clatter,

chair

up

to the table,

He

shot out onto the board a set of small ivory chessmen.

ar-

ranged these, with indescribable haste, sat for a while with his chin

on

his clenched hands,

wish

I

I

move

then began to

the pieces.

could convey to you the unearthly atmosphere of that

room, where, half buried in the shadows, with the back of his head illuminated by a ray of blue moonlight, and his enormous forehead shining yellow in the feeble radiance of the night light, Shakmatko sat

and played chess with himself.

After a while he began to slide forward in his chair, shake his head

and shrug

his shoulders.

would waver and

his

Sometimes

in the

middle of a move his hand

head would nod; then he would force himself to

upright, rub his eyes violently, look wildly

sit

listen intently It

with a hand at his

occurred to

me

round the room, or

ear.

—desperately

that he was tired

tired

—and

afraid

of going to sleep.

Before getting into bed

me

I

locked

my

door.

had not been asleep for more than a minute or so when I was awakened by a loud noise. There was a heavy crash this, actually, awoke me followed by the noise of a shower of It

seemed

to

that

I

—

—

small, hard objects scattered over a floor.

Then

I

of Shakmatko’s voice, raised in a cry of anguish

“You

again!

Have you found me

His door opened.

I

opened

standing at the top of the at the black

shadows which

me, he caught

my

stairs,

and

shrill

tones

terror:

Go away! Go away!”

door, looked out,

and saw him,

brandishing a small

silver crucifix

the staircase.

filled

“What is it?” I asked. He swung round instantly,

so soon?

heard the

holding out the

his breath in relief.

49

crucifix.

When

he saw

Stones and Articles

“Ah, you. Did

disturb you? Forgive me.

I

I

— —May I

I

come

into

your room?”

“Do,”

I said.

“Please close the door quickly,” he whispered as he

down and

“Sit

pull yourself together. Tell

came

in.

me, what’s troubling

you?” leave here in the morning,” said Shakmatko, trembling in

must

“I

me

must have followed on my very heels. Then what is the use? I can no longer escape it, even for a day. What can I do? Where can I go? My God, my God, every limb. “It has found

I

am surrounded!” “What has found

What

you?

So soon!

again.

are

It

you trying to run away from?”

I

asked in a calm voice.

He

shivered.

I

“An

replied:

There

evil spirit.”

are occasions

when

the entire fabric of dialectical

materialism seems to go sphut before the forces of nightmarish possibilities.

“What

sort of evil spirit?”

“I think they call

them

“Things that throw

“Not

my

all

I

asked.

poltergeists.”

—that are supposed to throw furniture about?” Only

furniture.

certain things.”

“Such as—” “Chess pieces, and things connected with the game of chess. Noth-

am

ing

else. I

me

from place to

a chess player. It hates chess. It follows

my

papers.

There

is

nothing

too strong for

it,

and so

“Good

chess pieces. It left

it

If

you had told

might have thought is

asleep,

but the board and the pieces; they are

heavens!”

“No, no. that

follows

grows increasingly violent.”

“Perhaps you think that

I

It

and then it tries to has already torn up all my books and

place. It waits until I

destroy

am

me.

so.

am mad?” me that you had I

But

if

merely been seeing things

one’s chessboard

flies off

the table,

another matter.”

“Thank

you.

I

know

I

am

not mad.

My name may be unfamiliar to

you. Are you interested in chess?”

“Not

very.

I

hardly

know

the moves.”

5o

I

replied truthfully.

The Devil That Trouhlei “Ah.

you were you would have heard of me.

If

the tournament at Pressburg.

down

the Chessboard

in history.

I

My

game on

I

beat Paolino, in

that occasion has gone

should certainly have been world champion but for

that Thing.”

been troubling you

“Has

it

“My

dear

twenty

sir, it

has given

years! It visited

with Ljubljana.

I

working nearly

all

and went

to sleep.

me,

for long?”

me no first

of

peace for twenty years. Conceive;

when

all,

was in

I

had been working very hard. night.

I

When

was wrong: a malaise.

I

Paris, training

think

I

had been

I

took a hasty lunch, and then lay

woke up I had a went quickly into my

feeling that

I

study.

down

something

What

did

I

see?

Chaos! “All

my

books on chess had been taken out of the bookcase and

dashed to the

floor, so violently that

the bindings were broken.

A

photograph of myself in a group of chess players had been hurled across the room,

tom

out of the frame, and crumpled into a

The board had

chess pieces were scattered over the carpet.

peared:

found

I

it later,

“I rushed downstairs

stuffed

ball.

My

disap-

up the chimney.

and complained

to the concierge.

He

swore

nobody had come up. I thought no more of it; but two days later happened again.” He trembled as he lived the scene over again.

that it

“And

didn't you ever see it?”

“Never.

It

a coward. It waits until

is

nobody

looking.”

is

“So what did you do?” “I ran away,

and took another

flat,

in another quarter of Paris. I

thought that the house, perhaps, was haunted. such things; but

moved

how

is it

possible to be sure?

did not believe in

I

From

the

Rue Blanche,

du Temple. There, I found that I had shaken it off. I sighed with relief, and settled down once again to my game. Then, when I was once again absorbed, happy, it came again. I

to the Boulevard

“My poor books! Torn to pieces! My beautiful notes—savagely torn to shreds!

My beloved ivory pieces—scattered.

strong for

it.

It

Ah, but they were too

could destroy books and papers;

it

calm detachment and peace of mind necessary to ivory pieces

and

my

inlaid

ebony board; those,

to destroy!”

51

it

could destroy the

my

chess

—but my

has never been able

— Stories and Articles

“But what happened then?” “I ran away again. I found that by moving quickly, I

took to living in streets which were

turnings; remote back-alleys. So

But

when

just

in horror,

I

thought

my

and find

difficult to find;

managed

often

I

had shaken

I

could avoid

I

it

to lose

it.

complicated

it

for a while.

would awake,

off forever I

my

papers fluttering in tiny fragments;

pieces

in chaos.

“For years and years

I

have been driven from place to place,

the world like a leaf on the wind. It has learned it

my track. Two

does not have to look long for

it is

with me.

My God, what am

I

my

all

over

and now

scent,

days, three days, then

to do?”

“Couldn't you, perhaps, consult the Psychical Research people?” “I have

done

when they watch, and

They

so.

are interested.

not come.

will

it

nights, waiting for

comes when

I

must

sleep

It

it.

hides

—and

Why

I,

They watch. Needless

myself, have sat

And moment

itself.

in that

then

up

to say,

for nights

—the

moment

show its face? How can I ask anybody for help? Nobody would believe. They would lock me up in an asylum. No, no, there is no help for me. “Look, I ran away from it last night. I came here today. Yet it found me, this evening. There is no escape. It has caught up with me. It is on my heels. Even at this moment, it is sitting behind me. I am “Coward! Devil!

tired of

creep

won't

running away. Yet

I

it

dare not go to sleep.

do,

it

will

now, tonight.

If

you

If I

in.

“Oh my God, what

The

I

come and

don't believe me,

Shakmatko led

can

me

do?

It is

with

me

see.”

to his door,

and clinging to

chessboard lay in the fireplace.

The

my arm,

he pointed.

pieces were scattered about

the room, with pieces of paper torn as fine as confetti.

“What I

can

I

do?” he asked.

picked up the chessmen, and, replacing the board on the table,

arranged them correctly. Then, turning to Shakmatko, “Listen,

“You

you need some

are a

man

sleep.

Come

sleep in

of high courage,” said

my

I said:

bed.

I'll

Shakmatko. “God

watch.”

will bless

you.” I

took him back, and covered him with 5*

my blanket.

Poor old man,

”

The Devil

That Troubled

he must have been nearly dead

and was asleep I

tiptoed to his

but, for

soon

as

as his

room and kept

all that, I

my

the Chessboard

want of

for

rest!

He

gave a deep sigh,

head touched the pillow.

sat

down.

I

did not really believe in ghosts;

eye on the chessboard,

and turned up the

my coat so as to protect my ears in the event of flying bishops. An hour must have passed. Then I heard a footstep. I clenched my fists and fixed my eyes on the door, my heart pounding. A floorboard collar of

creaked.

The handle

had already steeled myself

I

visibility.

What

I

actually

to

saw proved to be

far

more

in-

horrible.

was Shakmatko. His eyes were wide open, but rolled up so that

It

only the bloodshot white was pression, his I

and the door opened. the expectation of some awful

of the door turned,

meant

tion. I

visible.

His face was set in a calm ex-

hands were extended; he was walking in

my

“Shakmatko!” but

to cry out:

saw him walk steadily over to the

the board with a

terrific gesture,

and

fling

his sleep.

tongue refused to func-

table,

sweep the pieces

the board

itself

off

against the

opposite wall.

The their

crash

awoke him with a shudder. His eyes snapped back to

normal positions, and blinked, in utter

“Damn

you!

Have you hunted me down

“Shakmatko,” His

I

cried, “you’ve

large, whitish eyes dilated.

terror,

again? Accursed

been walking

He

while he cried:

—

in your sleep.”

brandished a skinny

fist.

“You!” he said to me, “you! Are you going to say that too?” “But,”

I

said, “I

saw you.”

“They all say that,” said Shakmatko, in a tone of abject ness. “Oh, God, what am I to do? What am I to do?” I

but I

returned to it

swer.

room. The

was nearly dawn before

awoke

room.

my

I

at seven.

went to

Had he

I

I

rest of

the night was completely quiet,

managed

was drawn,

as

hopeless-

to

fall asleep.

by a magnet, to Shakmatko ’s

door and tapped very gently. There was no an-

his

run away?

I

opened the door and looked

was lying in bed. His head and one arm hung down.

in.

Shakmatko

He

looked too

peaceful to be alive. I

observed,

among

the chessmen on the

floor, a little

labeled Luminal!

In that

last sleep

Shakmatko did not walk. 53

square bottle

The Its

origin of chess

is

wrapped

in the mists of obscurity.

invention has been variously ascribed to the Greeks, the Ice-

landers, the Australian blacks, the Chinese, the Parsees, the Pygmies,

Red

the

Indians, the Irish Free State, the Bataks,

Chess pieces are there.

The

said to

all

have been found in ancient tombs, Ur and

conclusion to be drawn

is

that the

between 10,000

in India, or not in India,

and the Meetaks.

the opponents of this view have by

b.c.

game

originated either

and 2000

now been

a.d. Practically

discredited.

Rapidly spreading over the face of the globe, the game was enthusiastically

taken up by

Ruy

Lopez, a Spanish bishop.

Ruy Lopez, which was popular among all classes of

ever, played the

and

is still

Incidentally,

some

therefore

He

never,

named

after

howhim,

players at the present day.

authorities suspect that

he was not a Bishop

at

all;

but he mitre been.

a

The

next great

book

of faked games,

name

in chess

was Greco, an

Italian,

who

which convincingly show what

published

brilliant

com-

binations were not played in his day.

In the eighteenth century, there arose the great Philidor, immortalized

by the famous opening known

because, as far as

too

much

is

known, he never played

in advance of his time to

have become too

as Philidor’s Defense, so called

far

it.

Philidor’s theories were

be understood, and since then

behind the times to receive any attention.

therefore considered the

first

great chess thinker.

54

He

is

— Capsule History of the

He

Game

was succeeded by Deschapelles, who, when he was no longer

certain of beating everybody, refused to play at

would accept pawn and move. because of the odds. This was

The

all

unless his

opponent

Deschapelles lost he could say

If

known

it

was

as the Deschapelles coup.

next great event was the hundred years' match between Labour-

donnais and McDonnell. During the play, Labourdonnais swore, ges-

and burst into snatches

ticulated,

of song.

He won.

After the match both players died, and were succeeded by Staunton's

“Handbook," which

is

noted for

its

author's shameful treatment

Morphy.

of Paul

This was the name given to a young genius from

New

flashed across the chess world like a meteor, defeating ridiculous ease, especially the

Duke

of Brunswick

in a Paris opera-box. After convincingly

Orleans,

all

who

he met with

and Count Isouard

demonstrating that he was

Morphy retired in disgust. was Wilhelm Steinitz; a very deep

the pride and sorrow of chess,

The

next great figure

also wide, six years,

though

short.

He held

player

the world’s championship for twenty-

and was therefore considered by his

rivals to

be very obstinate

and pig-headed. Dr. Lasker then held the championship for another twenty-six years. Critics explained that this

psychology. Lasker thus

was because he made weak moves. This was

became known

as the apostle of

common

sense.

The

next champion was Jose Raoul Capablanca, the

Cuban

genius.

His perfect technique made him invincible, and he was defeated by A. A. A. A. Alekhine.

Alekhine was recognized

as the greatest player of all time,

drank some alcohol, and was defeated by

but he

AEIOU at Amsterdam,

Rot-

AEIOU

by a

terdam, Blaastendam, and the ague.

Alekhine then drank some sour milk, and defeated decisive margin.

Then

it

was practically now, and history stopped.

55

# Shortly

after

he wrested the World’s Championship from

Emanuel Lasker delivered in London in 1895 a series of leclater published in book form under the title of Common Sense

Steinitz, tures,

in Chess. In this

work he undertakes

play of general application, that all

is,

down

to lay

principles of chess

applicable supposedly to any and

kinds of games, and even with the

game

in all of

includ-

its stages,

game and the end game. astounding that a world’s champion

ing the opening, the middle It is

nothing short of

after the death of Philidor

should thus presume to crowd this game of

infinite resources into the space of a

Without even dismissing them in advance

peanut

reading his rules one would be justified in as

shell.

an impossible pretension. But more astounding

which

flatters itself that it is so chess-wise

generally

and

masters has

it

up

that in this age

is

they should have been

slavishly adopted. Apparently,

occurred,

a century

not even to his

to the present, that there

rival

must be some-

thing radically wrong with them. For have they not adopted the principles in their

own books?

In his preface to

Common

Sense in Chess Lasker

regarded as an attempt to deal with aid of general principles.”

all

parts of a

And, fortunately for

says: “It

game

my

may be

of chess

by the

purposes, he ac-

commodatingly admits that the work was not dashed off in a hurry, adding: "The games and positions given in this book are comparatively few,

but have been selected with care” (capitals mine). 56

Telling Off the

Four Infallible Principles

Lasker’s

Do

“1.

K and Q Do

“2.

upon the

at

Pawn

not move any

in the opening of a

game except the

Pawns. not

move any

right square.

est to post the

KB

World Champion

(

piece twice in the opening, but put

my practice

In

it

have usually found

I

it

at once

strong-

Kts at B3, where they have a magnificent sway, and the

somewhere on

his original diagonal,

if

not exposed to exchange,

QB4.) Bring your Kts out before developing the Bishops, especially the

“3.

QB.

Do

“4.

ponent has

it

it

(by

B

—KKt5)

before your

op

castled.

"In regard to Rule ings, find

KKt

not pin the adverse

1

you

will

sometimes, especially in

better to advance the

with your QKt. This, however,

lation of the principles just laid

QBP two is

Q

side open-

squares before obstructing

the only exception where the vio-

down

unquestionably

is

justified.

will see that according to this plan the mobilization takes six

You

moves,

consumed in the development of two Pawns, the two Knights, and the two Bishops. You may be obliged to spend some of your time in the beginning of a game for the exchange of a pawn or a piece, or it may be necessary to make one or two defensive moves. But the real business of development ought to be accomplished in no more than six separate

First, tically

moves devoted

to that purpose/'

A Dogma Without Precedent in Chess let me call to attention that in these four

nothing

new

except making an iron-clad

which fortunately there the gods!

is

no precedent

History rules there

dogma

of

in chess history

prac-

is

Rule

1,

for

—praised be

No Chinaman, no Hindu, no Persian, no Arab, no European,

no American, has ever before ventured to lay down as a universal principle to utilize only two out of eight pawns. At least four pawns

—the

should be available for immediate service during the opening

KBP

to support the

KP, and the

the Pawns should be subject to tie

one arm and two

legs

and

QBP

call.

57

QP. But

all

of

Why should anybody voluntarily

restrict

Preposterous!

to support the

himself to the use of one arm!

Stories and Articles

But even Rule

1

is

not original, Steinitz in his “Modern Chess In-

back the other pawns but wisely

structor/' suggesting to hold

ing from attempting to dogmatize

There

is

it.

nothing novel in the 2nd Rule except that neither Lasker

nor anybody else follows

who

Philidor,

refrain-

never

This

it.

moved

one of the unwritten

is

a piece twice during the

rules of

opening unless

necessary.

The 3rd Rule is hardly new. It is dogma another idea of Steinitz who

only converting into a religious did not feature

perhaps because he was not sure that he was right. But the credit for this rule;

it

it

too strongly,

let

Lasker have

not one that will win applause from

is

future generations.

The 4th Rule belong in the

merely one of

is

class of universal principles. It originated

Lasker's

He

prefaces his

in our .

...

maxims which do not

fifty

now

Model Ruy Lopez Defense

remains to put

“We

with:

part of a

first

with

CARE and

game which he is

And

ticing,

why should anybody

P—K4, P—K4; 2

1

shall

I

—KB

Kt

if

HE

doesn't consider

3,

not pause long over

.

this

be exceedingly

difficult to

play any

contends that obstructing the BP's great advantage of having the

B3 and

how

the author

them worth

Kt

is

has been

it

game

prac-

But

I

believe

it

of chess correctly. Lasker

insignificant

at B3.

made

compared with the

in this very

game we

shall

not insignificant, for this Knight accomplishes nothing

presently has to lose a

move

in order to free the

thereby delaying the development of a piece. Further this

Kt

will

be found in a useless position at QKt3.

is

subjected

move, being the keymove of mod-

will

at

when

.

.

chess practice, but will say that after

it is

of Chess

else?

em

see that

game

takes the pains to state was selected

offered for practical test. Let us see

himself sticks to them.

have given

to a practical test."

it

Gladly! Let us see what these principles are worth to analysis in a

with Philidor.

Model Ruy Lopez Defense

former lecture the theory of the It

at all

appropriately punished, for at the

end

we

KBP,

shall see

of the opening

he

2

.

.

Kt—QB3;

.

3

B—QKt5,

In a previous article

I

any piece into enemy

.

.

.

pointed out that

B

—QKt5

territory during the opening.

shortly going to exchange himself for the poor,

have gone to

most 3

.

QB4

Kt

.

and had

—KB

4 Castles,

3;

What

Bishops were to

.

But

is

move

in itself

preceding article

Wrong Early

I

the

was see

game

King

whether

it is

will

on the opposite

this act of

be receiving castle.

side. It is

scramble to win in chess .

.

moves. Here at the

such extremely early castling

as pointing

know where

out that in

to find the

enemy

advertises in the newspapers that for the rest of

early to get action than

.

six

whole business

into play.

callers at

He

it is

we

the KKtsq. Philidor never

saw an advantage

where the enemy was concentrating

castle

4

KR

necessary to

an undue hurry to

in

more than

quoted Marshall & Macbeth

White

his

He said that the

in the opening?

be violative of principles of correct play? In the

order to give mate

King. Here

KBP, the

Rook to move? Did Lasker not lay down KP and QP, the two Knights and the two

castling to bring the

let us also see

may not

weak QKt. He could

.

.

of mobilization should require not

White

KB

right has this

the law that only the

4th

move

to

This strong

a serious threat against Black’s

Something Goes Hold!

violative of a

on the board.

vital spot .

is

down by Marshall & Macbeth not

very correct principle laid

is

World Champion

Telling Off the

-

his forces,

no more

in waiting to

and then he might

in the nature of a

bound

so

When we

of an elephant to play tag.

are

Rook

to overlook principles.

KtxP. Unspeakable Humiliation for the King’s Guards

I

am

not interested in the ingenious thoughts behind the strategy

that allows the is

Kt

to capture this

Pawn.

What

I

do know

supposed to be a war game and that any General

is

that Chess

who would

leave

own Guards subject to unopposed capture should instantly be relieved from his command in disgrace. This Division of Infantry is the King’s

composed

of

all

of the

young princes and nobles, the flower 59

of the

Stories and Articles

Kingdom.

can hear the derisive shouts from Black's

I

to the high heavens. ible humiliation 5

P

—Q4,

.

.

camp

reaching

can feel with poor White's King his inexpress-

I

and anguish.

.

down the rule that only the KP and QP must be moved opening. The KP he gives away, so now one solitary Pawn must

Lasker lays in the

serve as the

first

line of offense

and defense.

And how does White's bereaved King By

to avenge the grievous insult?

this

feel

over no steps being taken

time Black's troops are nearly

delirious with their shouts of derision. 5

.

B

.

.

—K2; 6 Q—K2,

.

.

.

Morale at Low Ebb Hold

again!

Where

in the rules

is

there any provision for the

Move? The two Pawns,

developing at the 6th

the two Knights and

the two Bishops were to develop, which requires a

moves. Instead of the

QKt and QB

Queen have been brought are

developing, the

of six

Rook and

the

into play. It seems that at least six pieces

time the morale of White's troops must be appreciably

this

The

lowered.

QKt and QB

King's

Guard has been captured

jealous of the .

.

.

This

in disgrace,

and the

camp when win fame. The Queen is

are muttering discontent over being kept in

they were promised early opportunities to

7

minimum

needed in the opening.

By

6

Queen

Rook, and

gets

ahead of him.

Kt—Q3.

is

the 3rd

BxKt,

.

.

Move

for this Knight.

.

The Bishop Breaks A Rule "As

a general rule," says Lasker in the following chapter, "it

good policy to exchange

in the early stages of a

is

not

game the long-reaching

Bishop for the Knight, whose power does not extend beyond a certain circle."

Since he

is

playing for both parties in devising this opening,

6o

why

World Champion

Telling Off the

did he play

3

B

— QKt5 when he knew that

at the 7th

Move

the Bishop

would

violate the rule against exchanging himself for the

Knight

—the weakest piece on the board?

This

QB

second move for

a

is

made

Bishop,

this

before the

Queen's

QKt and

have had a chance to develop.

7

.

.

KtPxB;

.

PxP,

8

.

.

.

A Powerful Pawn

Center?

A lone Pawn at K5 with no other Pawn

in a position to support

now

does not exactly constitute a strong center. Right

KKt away from KB 3

very desirable to have the

This 8

.

.

is

a

2nd Move

for the

is

would be

KBP

to free the

support of his precariously advanced companion. the Knight has a "magnificent sway/’ but he

it

It

him

may be

for

true that

in the way.

QP.

Kt— QKt2.

.

The Black Bandit Knight, a Reckless Law-Breaker This

is

the 4th

Move

of this Knight,

other developed piece on the board.

give

White

mate

is

castled

QB, making

it

be worse placed?

the Knight had nowhere else

side, so this

the

capture of the KP, a

Kt— Q4,

.

.

It

corner!

There he

is

that,

the open

he

QKt

is

robbing the

file.

Could

QR

a piece

compensation has Black now for the Knight’s

move

discussed and approved by Lasker?

.

Not So Well Oh, ho!

QR

Knight in order to

impossible for Lasker to comply with

commanding

What

while Black has only one

note Black’s position. There

promise of quick development. Besides

of the opportunity of

9

on the King’s

retires as far as possible into

blocking the his

And

Pawn advanced,

being practically not a to go.

made

Posted After All!

seems the Knight was not so well placed

He has to lose a move QKt or QB could have

to free the

KBP. But

developed.

We

specified pieces

them, the valuable KB,

off

the board. 6i

KB 3

for this lost

after

move

are already at the 9th

and only two of the four is

at

all!

the

Move,

have developed, and one of

The whole

business of mobili-

Stories and Articles

zation was to be done in six moves, but at this stage in the field

9

.

a Knight

and

a too-far advanced

that

is

visible

Pawn.

Castles.

.

.

is

all

Black at least

is

He

kingly dignity.

entitled to the credit of having castled with

did not rush to the newspapers at the

first

more

oppor-

tunity.

10

R—Qsq,

A

second

.

.

.

move by

QKt and QB

have developed.

doesn’t belong there.

who knows when bilization

10

.

.

.

this illegally

the

He

He

ought to

QR

developed Rook, made before the

bound to move again because he be at Ksq and the QR at Qsq. But

is

will get into action

under

mo-

this rapid

scheme?

Q—Ksq.

The scheme of frozen Pawns in the opening does not look good. The Queen at this stage ought to be in the 2nd Row, not blocking the King Row, but where

else

How much

really fighting?

hibition in a boxing ring? 11

R—Ksq,

.

.

there breathing space? Are the two forces

is

would you pay

Remember, we

and

this

are at the 10th

Move!

.

The Rook Becomes a What,

to see a corresponding ex-

Rook moving

again? It

Bandit, Too!

the 3rd time, and the

is

QB are still swapping their grievances.

QKt

Eleven moves, and no mo-

bilization yet! 11

.

.

.

B —B4!

Lasker makes an exclamation mark, whether to surprise I

move

or to the fact that this

is

a

call

2nd Move

attention to a

for this Bishop,

do not know. 12

—Kt3,

Kt

The

3rd

.

.

Move

.

for this Knight, while the

QKt and QB

are

still

un-

developed, and to what a position! But no sympathy should be wasted 62

— World Champion

Telling Off the

on him. This is the same Knight who blocked the KBP at the 2nd Move, and he is only getting what he deserves. Note the peculiar strategy. Both Kings are castled on the King's but instead of the Knights trying to worry the Kings, both parties

side,

are retiring

12

.

.

B

.

them

away

as far

as possible.

—Kt3.

This Bishop

now

has

moved

three times, while the

QB

is

unable to

develop because completely blocked.

Kt—QB3,

13

.

.

.

Instead of developing during the

from

first six

moves,

this

Knight emerges

now he would not have been

his tent at the 13th. Perhaps even

allowed to develop except for the fact that his brother Knight

some

lone-

in that far-off corner.

These Knights have not yet learned blocking the

QBP

and QKtP.

venient to have at least the

good during the

first 1 3

It

QBP

the key

calls it

.

.

move

of

their lesson, for

would seem that

it

now

they are

would be con-

Pawn

free for advance. If this

is

no

moves, when will he become useful? Philidor

and Franklin K. Young considered P

13

is

—QB3 the best 3rd Move. Young

an opening.

P—Q4.

.

Why the Bishop Hasn't Developed Yet This to

is

he

as far as

carries the opening.

show development

Behold If

B

of the

QB? The

But was there not Bishop

is

still

a contract

undeveloped.

a mystery!

White undertakes

KKt5,

to free this Bishop at the next

move, then 14

P— Q5; 15 Kt—R4, P— QB4; 16 KtXB, RPxKt, and Black

has a superior game.

So not yet

White 14 still

.

.

will this

will play .

Bishop develop. Instead,

it is

a safer guess that

—R4, then

(under a suspension of the rules) 14 Kt

P—QB4;

undeveloped!

15

KtXB, RPxKt;

Two

principles

16

P—QB3—with

would be violated

at

the Bishop

one stroke un-

der this suspension of the rules, the Bishop having failed to develop

during the opening, while a forbidden 63

Pawn was

forced to move.

Stories and Articles

Couldn't Get Along

The Knights is

blocking the

seen that the

because the effected,

are a positive

With Only Two Pawns

hoodoo, again blocking Pawns. The

QBP, while the KKt is blocking KKt had to make two moves to

KBP

the

QKtP.

QKt

We have

a miserable position

was needed before the rapid mobilization could be

and that the

QKt

QB3

should immediately vacate

to free

QBP, and at the cost of exchanging with the Bishop and strengthening Black's Pawn center. So we have proof that Lasker needs at least the

four is

Pawns

opening

in the

as

badly as anybody

else,

and that chess

governed by laws not to be violated with impunity by the mere

dictum of world's champions.

Rule Violated Eleven Times So the famous Rule

1,

the only original one in the collection,

is

The hoodoo Knights themselves have exploded while Rule 4 is to be brushed aside as having no place among principles of chess play. Now let us see what has become of and then we shall have disposed of all of the Principles, Laws,

completely exploded.

Rule

3,

general

Rule

2,

Dogmas,

Rules,

Do

Articles of Faith.

move any White's KB moved 2 “2.

This

is

not

a total of 10

piece twice in the opening/' times, the

KKt

moves made by 4

3,

the

pieces

KR

3,

and the

and

his

KB

3

times. This

There have been 11 violations half of the

is

in

moves were against the

7

2.

and Pawns which should

have moved only once each; hence 6 violations. Black's times,

QP

moves by two

KKt moved 4

pieces; 5 violations.

26 moves, which means that nearly

Could it be violated any worse? But the fault is not with the rule, which is based on Philidor's play. It lies in the simple fact that there is no way of applying consistent rule.

principles to inconsistent openings.

But

let it

not be thought that this opening of Lasker

is

a very ex-

ceptional offender. Analyze almost any Knight opening, and you will also find wholesale violations, only perhaps never so thoroughly out-

rageous.

The Military But we

Principles

are not through with Lasker's four Principles that are sup-

64

— World Champion

Telling Off the ______

posed to be a panacea for

my

own.

"5.

all

chess

ills. I

propose to add a 5th, one of

It is:

Chess should be played in

strict

accordance with the best mili-

tary principles.”

But how about the

military principles here involved?

heard of a war conducted

like this?

Who

ever

When

“The King of France with 20,000 men Went up the hill, and then came down again,” he did only once what was done twice in this game. White's KKt made three moves to get as far away as possible from Black's King because he heard that he had the smallpox, while Black's KKt, hearing

rumor about White's King, made four moves to a haven of The rumor spread through the ranks, and all of the Pawns,

a similar safety.

except one on each side that had advanced before hearing the report,

remained

at their posts, frozen stiff with fear.

Move back White's KP, move back Black's QP, out of danger quick! And then we shall be able to see more clearly that the parties have only been

firing

smoke-screen empty cartridges at each other

there never was an intention to mobilize.

warfare

is

all

mobilization in real

supposed to mean something! In 13 moves

pieces ought to be

and

Why,

commanding powerful

a thing as the whole

consumes weeks of

own territory? White has not

of White's

positions, each with a threat,

together constituting a terrorizing menace.

ought to be vibrating with tension.

all

Who

The atmosphere

ever before heard of such

army standing still while one Knight on each side time on a reconnoitering expedition and in his

—

the semblance of an attack.

Storm'd at with shot and shell, Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the

When

O

mouth

of

Hell

can their glory fade?

the wild charge they made!

All the world wonder'd.

Shade of General Sherman, who said son,

who wrote “The Charge

“War is Hell”; shade of Tenny-

of the Light Brigade”; shade of Philidor,

65

Stories and Articles

shade of Labourdonnais, shade of Macdonnell, shade of Anderssen,

shade of Morphy,

rise,

Oh

rise,

from your tombs

Cartoon by H. T. Webster, by permission of the York Herald Tribune, Inc.

artist.

—speak!

Copyright 1932

New

Part

Two

THE MAGIC OF CHESS

Cartoon by Martha Blanchard, by permission of the artist, from The Saturday Review of Literature. Copyright 1948 Saturday Review Associates, Inc.

1

A game

of chess can be

won

two moves! Here’s how:

in

WHITE

BLACK

—KB4 —KKt4

P— K3

P 2 P 1

Q— R5

mate

2

The

shortest master

game

of all time

QUEEN’S

is

this

snappy four-mover:

PAWN OPENING

Paris , 1924

WHITE Gibaud

P

1

3

4 P resigned.

takes the Knight, 5

.

—Q4

Kt—KB 3

—KR3

Kt—Kt5 Kt—K6!

P—K4

Kt— Q2 PxP

2

And White

BLACK Lazard

He .

.

is

threatened with loss of his Queen;

Q—R5ch

if

he

forces mate.

3

The

record for the longest

number

of

69

moves

in a master

game

is

held

The Magic

of Chess

by Makogonov and Chekover, who fought of playing time) at

Baku

in 1945.

The

for four days (21V2 hours

result of this titanic struggle

was a draw on the 171st move. Such a battle

is

the equivalent of five

tournament games rolled into one!

4 Runner-up

for the longest-game record

Wolf and Duras at Karlsbad lost a Pawn in the opening, at throughout

six sittings

is

the encounter between

1907, which lasted 168 moves! Duras his seventh

move but hung on ,

grimly

(22Vi hours of playing time) until he was

checkmated by Wolf, who had two Queens. Duras, who had only

King on the board, must have been hoping atomic

bomb had

his

an earthquake (the

for

not yet been invented). 5

Other lengthy contests were: Duras

—Janowski,

San Sebastian 1911,

161 moves (another tortuous loss for Duras); Lipshutz

—

—Bird, New

York 1889, 159 moves; Mason Tchigorin, Monte Carlo 1902, 144 moves; Pinkus Denker, New York 1940, 141 moves. This last game was printed in the New York Post in three weekly installments! To this list of long-drawn labors must be added the report of a

—

game

have been played in 1888 for the Australian Champion-

said to

ship between

W.

Crane and H. Charlick which

lasted 219 moves!

Luckily for the editors, typesetters and readers of this book, the score of this

game

is

unobtainable!

6

Many

game owes its existence to an early mistake made by one of the players. But when four allies discuss their ideas with each other, and then get mated on the sixth move, that is unique. a miniature

CARO-KANN DEFENSE Palma, 1935

WHITE

BLACK Four Allies

Alekhine 1

2

P—K4 P—Q4

P—QB3 P—Q4 70

Odd, But True 3

Kt—QB3

PxP

4

KtxP

Kt

5

Q—K2

6 Kt

—Q2 KKt—B3??

—Q6 mate

7

A

correspondence player can take a day or two for each move.

make blunders rarely, and the games so played be long drawn-out affairs. The world's record for brevity in chess

would expect him to

One

to

by mail must therefore be

this quickie:

BUDAPEST DEFENSE Correspondence 1930 ,

WHITE Warren

BLACK Selman

Dublin

Amsterdam

1

2 3

4 5

P—Q4 P—QB4

Kt—KB 3

PxP P— QR3 PxP

Kt—K5

6 P

—KKt

P—K4 P— Q3 BxP

3

KtxBP

Resigns

On 7 KxKt, BxPch wins the exchange.

Queen; on other moves, Black wins the

)

The Magic

of Chess

8

* *

Many

a

good player would

like to try his skill against the masters in

a tournament, but dreads the possible

Not

so Colonel

of 1903.

He

Moreau, who played

outcome

—

a long string of zeros.

Monte Carlo Tournament

in the

played two games with each of 13 opponents, and lost 26

times in succession.

Not even

much

so

as

one measly draw could he

get!

9

What

is

the best

move

to begin a

game? At one time the masters

—

—

P K4; then they switched to 1 P Q4. Paul Morphy, considered by many critics the greatest chess genius that ever lived, never played 1 P Q4. In contrast, Ernest Gruenfeld, one began automatically with

1

—

on opening

of the greatest living authorities

P

—K4 only once

in his entire

at Karlsbad 1929).

swered, “I never

When

make

play,

ventured on

1

tournament career (against Capablanca

asked

why he avoided

1

P

—K4,

he an-

a mistake in the opening!”

10

Chess

is

thought of so highly in the Soviet Union that

the public schools. Yet, blindfold play realize,

we wonder,

moves deep

is

it is

forbidden by law!

is

taught in

(Do they

that a master player analyzing a combination ten

really playing blindfold chess?

11

Franz Gutmayer wrote a book on

how

become a chess master, but could never become one himself! Gutmayer never won a Hauptturnier first prize, a requisite in Germany for the title of master. to

12

Dr. Lasker was certainly a hard in

May

man

to beat. Marshall

1900, and then once again on another

May

won from him day.

But that

second victory came after forty years of tournament and match play, in the course of which they had

met many 72

times.

Odd, But True 13

Humorists who poke fun

at

some

names

of the strange

may add this item to their collection: The St. Petersburg tournament of

of chess players

1903 had three players

surname Znosko-Borovsky. Evidently sioned them no complexes, as they all won prizes. joiced in the

their

who

names

re-

occa-

14

A book was once published

in

German with

the

title,

Advice to Spec-

Chess Tournaments. All the pages, with one exception, were completely blank. On this page there were only two words, Halt's tators at

Maul!” which means ''Keep your mouth shut!” 15

The

first

eight

they played at tling in that,

moves between Capablanca and Reshevsky

AVRO

but

this

in

in a

game

1938 took exactly one hour. Nothing

star-

was the breakdown: Reshevsky, 58 minutes

Capablanca, 2 minutes 16

Beethoven astonished the world of music by composing masterpieces

when he was

deaf.

Arthur Ford Mackenzie matched

this miracle

by

composing chess problems when he was blind. 17

Chess

critics are

almost unanimous in the opinion that the three great-

est chess masters that ever lived

ker.

were Alekhine, Capablanca and Las-

Rarely did any of them lose a game, and yet, Akiba Rubinstein

defeated each in turn the

first

time he played them! 18

Capablanca played 103 games simultaneously His percentage of wins in

at

this exhibition has never

proached before or since, by any other master.

drew

1,

lost

Cleveland in 1922.

none! 73

even been ap-

He won

102 games,

The Magic

of Chess

19

Mr. A.

won

P. Barnes

Nothing

easily.

finished

once gave an amateur Rook and Knight odds and startling in that,

up with more pieces than he

REMOVE WHITE’S QUEEN ROOK AND QUEEN KNIGHT

1

10 2

WHITE

BLACK

Barnes

Amateur

—K4 P — Q4

p_QB3

4

B—QB4

5

p_QR3

6

Kt—B3

7

O—O

8

9

this case his

opponent

started with originally! 11

R—Kl

PxP

12

R— Ql

PxB(Q)

P—K4

p

3

but in

PxP PxP Kt— QB3 QKt— K2 P—QR3

P— QKt4 P— QB3

B—R2 Kt—Kt5

Kt— R3

Q—Kt3

Q—R4

White announced mate in three moves, as KtXQ; 14 BxKtch, K— Ql; 15 Kt—K6 mate!

follows:

13

QXPch!,

20 In 1851 the Chess

Champion

of the world

was A. Anderssen; the

Checker Champion of the world was A. Anderson! 21

The

year 1894 was a disastrous one for board champions. William

who had held the chess title for twenty-eight years, lost it in his World Championship match with Emanuel Lasker. In the same year, James Wyllie, who was World’s Checker Champion for the alSteinitz,

most incredible period

of forty years, lost his title to

James

Ferrie.

22

Norwood

Potter once gave an amateur the tremendous odds of a

Queen. After only checkmate

in nine

six

moves were played, he announced a forced

moves!

The game 74

follows:

Odd, But True

REMOVE WHITE’S QUEEN WHITE

BLACK

Potter

Amateur

3

—K4 Kt—KB B —B4

4

Kt—B3

5

KtxP P— Q3

1

2

6

P—K4

p

Kt— QB3 Kt— B3 Kt—QR4

3

KtxP

Kt—B4

White announced mate

K—Q3;

9 Kt

K— Kt5;

—

KxKt;

BXKt all

K— K2;

BxPch,

P—B4ch, K—B4;

10

P— R3ch, K— Kt6;

12

Kt K5; 15 Mates of

—Kt5ch,

as follows: 7

Kt— K2ch, KxP;

13

8

11

14

B

—Kt5ch,

Kt— Q4ch,

B—Q5ch,

mate.

have been announced before and since this

sorts

game, but never one which,

as here,

is

longer than the rest of the

game

itself!

23

The capped Knight odds

is

it

.

.

.

to undertake to give

Clearly, the

is

a rare

Pawn or piece. up any amount of material

mate with

opponent can afford

just to rid himself of the

him. Here

Much more difficult even than giving Queen to give

a specific

only piece that has the power to checkmate

example of

this stipulation

being carried out suc-

cessfully.

Max Lange

contracts to checkmate with his

MUZIO GAMBIT WHITE Lange

8

KxB K—Kt2

Q— R5ch RxP

11

B— K3

Kt—R3 P-Q3

12

Kt—K2

Q-K2

PxP

13

KxP

14

QR—KB1

B—K3 B—B2 KxQ K—R4 KxR

Von Schierstedt P— K4 Kt—QB3

P—K4

2

Kt— QB3

3

P

4

Kt— B3

P

P—Kt5

6

B—B4 0—0

PxKt

15 16

7

P-Q4

PxP

17

5

BxPch

9 10

BLACK

1

—KB4

Queen Knight.

—KKt4

75

QxKtch

R—Kt4ch Kt—Kt3ch

The Magic

—KR3

18

R— B5

P

19

P— R3ch

K— R5

20

R— R5ch

21

Kt

of Chess

BxR

—B5 mate!

In the course of completing his task, Lange sacrificed his Queen, two

Rooks, a Knight and a Bishop!

24

Cambridge University once played insane asylum, and lost!

a

SICILIAN DEFENSE Correspondence,

WHITE Cambridge 1

P—K4

1

Q—B3

R—Kt5

22 23

QR—K1

QR—KKtl

Kt—Kt2

R(Ktl)

24

RxB

PxR

25

B—K2

R—R3

5

KtxP

B

6

Kt—B3

7

Kt—Kt5 P—QR3

8

KtxB

B x Ktch P—Q4

9

PxP

PxP

B

B—K3 O—O

12 13

BxKt

Kt—K2 PxB

14

B— Q3

K—R1

15 16

Q-R5

P— B4 Q-Q3

—Kt3

Resigns

—Kt5

B—K2 O—O

17

—KKt3 P— KB4

20 P

P—QB4 P—K3

P— Q4

Kt—K2 Kt—Q4

R—KKtl

21

4

11

Q—Kt2

Kt—B3 Kt— R4

Bedlam

Kt— QB3 PxP

—KKt5

19

BLACK

3

10

18

883-1 885

Kt—QB3 Kt—B3

2

game by correspondence with an

V/.

m.

Q—K4 76

m.'

wam.'

nmm.

m

wm£W%.

mk

mtmim mm

V- bhb

Odd, But True

25

The

exhibition of simultaneous blindfold play in chess history

first

The

occurred in January of 1266.

two games blindfold, and the third

three Florentine experts, playing

over the board. posterity in

The

Saracen master Buzecca opposed

result of this seance has

somewhat vague form

—two wins

been handed down to

for the Saracen,

and one

draw. In spite of the loose reporting, one important fact was deter-

mined

—

pieces

a world's record for playing chess

had been

be exact) was

established.

this record

Not

without sight of board or

until centuries later (517 years, to

broken!

26

When

Philidor played three blindfold games simultaneously in 1783,

affidavits

had

were drawn up attesting to the fact that

really

would

believe that such an astounding feat was possible.

until three quarters of a century

eclipsed. Louis Paulsen ventured

in 1857, then five, seven, ten,

a hard-working performer,

part of

performance

taken place. Chess players of that day doubted that future

generations

Not

this

two

days.

and

had passed was

Philidor's

on four simultaneous sans

and

finally fifteen

voir

mark games

games. Paulsen was

his exhibitions generally took the better

At about the same time, the

peerless Paul

Morphy

was astounding the natives with the speed, accuracy and brilliancy of

Morphy

his blindfold play.

time, but there

is

never tried more than eight boards at a

no doubt that he could have handled many more

with ease. Blackburne, a few years after learning the moves, managed ten boards

effortlessly. Later,

he raised

his

mark

to sixteen,

which record

was subsequently equaled by Zukertort. This branch of the game reached such a stage of perfection that Pillsbury played 12

who have

seen

him

and 16 games in action

as a

still

matter of routine. Old-timers

get misty-eyed as they recall the

smooth, easy technique with which Pillsbury created his elegant combinations. Pillsbury increased the

fold

games to

17, 20, 21

and

number

finally

22 at

of his simultaneous blind-

Moscow

in 1902.

His record stood for seventeen years until Reti surpassed

it

with 24

games, played at Haarlem in 1919. Reti’s triumph was short-lived, as 77

The Magic Breyer outdistanced

of Chess

him with 25 games two

years later. In 1924, after

New

York tournament, Alekhine played 26 games in this style, scoring 16 wins, 5 draws and 5 losses. Prominent among the opposition were such strong players as Kashdan, Steiner, Tholfsen and the great

Pinkus!

The following

year at Paris, Alekhine shattered his

with an exhibition on 28 boards.

number to Along came Alekhine

Reti raised the 30.

A

few months

29, only to

later at

own

record

Sao Paulo,

be topped by Koltanowski with

again, to raise the standard to 32 games.

Nothing daunted, Koltanowski 34 games at Edinburgh in 1937.

mark still higher by playing He seemed quite safe, and was until

lifted the

—

the year 1943. In 1943, Naidorf played 40 boards at Rosario, in a display which lasted 17^2 hours. Despite the fact that he opposed two players at each board,

he achieved the impressive

make

games, drawing one and losing three. Just to

would go ringing down the .

.

but

.

this deserves

result of

winning 36

sure that his

name

corridors of chess history, Naidorf played

another paragraph

.

.

.

In 1947 at Sao Paulo, Naidorf established a world's record for

multaneous blindfold

play.

Without

pitted himself against 45 opponents

sight of the

—

as

si-

board or pieces, he

remarkable a feat as any in

the realm of mnemonics! This phenomenal exhibition lasted 2 3^2 hours, at the

end

of

4 draws and only 2

which Naidorf had compiled a score of 39 wins,

losses!

27

William all

Steinitz

defended the World's Chess Championship against

comers for twenty-eight years

conqueror, Dr. the

title for

Emanuel

—an

astonishing achievement! His

Lasker, proved a worthy successor; he held

twenty-seven years!

28 In 1940 skill

Reuben Fine toured North America,

giving exhibitions of his

at blindfold play, "ordinary" simultaneous chess,

and

serious

games against single opponents. He played 418 games altogether, of which 21 were conducted blindfold. Of these last, Fine won 17, drew four and lost none. Of the remaining 397, Fine won 376, drew 18 and lost

only three games!

78

m Odd, But True

29

Devotees of the Philidor Defense

who

Frenchman himself managed

the great

are interested in seeing

its

intricacies will look

how

through

the scores of his games in vain. In

all his life,

Philidor never played the Philidor Defense!

30

Can you win possible,

a

game

but here

is

moving

of chess without

how Hans Bruening once

QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED WHITE Amateur

a piece? It sounds im-

did

mat Mi

BLACK Bruening

m

1

P

2

P— QB4

3

Kt— QB3

P— Q4 P— K3 P— QB4

4

B— B4

BPxP

li

5

BxKt

PxKt

9

6

B— K5

BPxP

—Q4

m

B

resigned! Black threatens 7

.

.

.

m

mm.

HP A IT 99.

m.

'/***&

m

m A mm. iii

w>. W////A

9 99

99 .

mXmXm

m

White

it!

« 9

PxR(Q),

Zi&teZ

A*

fOS as well as 7

.

.

.

—Kt5ch winning the Queen. 31

All sorts of sacrifices have been

made

in order to force

checkmate;

Queens, Rooks, Knights, Bishops and Pawns have been offered up.

But

to Dr. Ballard belongs the

Pawns

eight of his

unique distinction of giving away

in the course of

an odds game!

REMOVE WHITE’S QUEEN

5

P— Kt3

KNIGHT

6

O—O

PxP Kt— KR3

7

P— Q4

0—0

PxP K—Kt2

BxP

B— Q3

R— R1

Q-B3

P— K5

Q—Kt3ch

K—B1 KR—Ktl

Kt—B4 Kt—Kt6ch

WHITE Ballard

BLACK Fagan

8

1

P—K4

P—K4

9 10

2

P

PxP

11

3

Kt— B3

B—K2

12

4

B—B4

B

13

—KB4

—R5ch 79

all

The Magic

—K5ch B —Kt5ch

14 K-~B2

Q—

R8ch 29 30 Kt Kt5 mate

Kt

15 K--K1

—

K—B2

KtxP BxPch

16 P--B3

17

of Chess

PxKt

Q-QB3 BxR

18 K--B2

19 B--Q3

Q— Kt3ch Q—Kt7ch

20 P--Q5

B- -K3 22 K--B1 23 B--Q4 21

P

—KB4

QxP QxP

24 BxB 25 p--K6 26 p--K7

P

—KKt3

R—K1 Q—B4

27 Q-— K2 28 Q- -QKt2

RxP

The

final position

32

Immediately

match

after the conclusion of the

in 1945,

gymnastics.

He

Reuben Fine gave

S.

A.-U.

S. S.

R. radio

a startling demonstration of

mental

undertook to play four blindfold games simultaneously

move!

at a speed time-limit of ten seconds a his “seeing”

U.

He made

short

work

of

opponents, chalking up a score of 4-0. 33

Solving Otto Blathy’s problems positions, the shortest

moves!

The longest

is

no

picnic. In a booklet of his

problem requires that White

specifies that

mate

is

is

to

mate

comin 30

to be forced in 292 moves!

34

“Only one or two Pawn moves in the opening,” says Lasker. Tarrasch said, “Nothing so easily ruins a position as Pawn moves” and, jokingly to his pupils, Steinitz says,

to be

moved

“Never move a Pawn and you

“The King Pawn and the Queen Pawn in the early part of the

But genius knows no consecutive

will never lose a

a piece,

8o

are the only ones

game.”

restrictions; here

Pawn moves, won

game.”

is

and

how

Marshall played ten

later the

game!

Odd But True ,

SICILIAN DEFENSE

New

York, 1940

WHITE

BLACK Rogosin

Marshall

P— K4 P— QKt4

1

P— QB4

7

P— Kt5 P— QB3 P— K5

PxP Kt— QB3 Kt—B3 Kt— Q5 Kt—K3 Kt— Q4

8

p_QB4

Kt(Q4)— B5

9

P— Kt3

Kt— Kt3

2 3

4 5

6

10

p_QR3 PxP

P

Not

—B4

a single piece of

MarshalPs has been brought into

play,

and yet

won game! Rogosin played 10 Kt(Kt3)XP and quickly Kt B2 would also lose a piece after lost. The alternative 10 11 P B5, KtXP; 12 P Q4, and the Knight has no retreat! he has

a

.

.

—

.

.

.

.

—

—

35

Show

this

diagram to any chess master! Just

before you finish telling

him

reason? It

is

five

one of the oldest and

to play,”

and

moves.

prettiest tricks in the expert's

The position in the diagram was first published by Lucena The winning idea is useful, as it comes up quite often. The

repertoire.

in 1496!

“White

the stipulations, he will polish off the

Black King by a smothered mate in

The

say,

8i

— The Magic solution

is

Q—K6ch, K—Rl;

1

K—Rl; 4 Q — Kt8ch!, RXQ;

5

2

Kt

of Chess

Kt—B7ch, K—Ktl;

3

Kt—R6ch,

—B7 mate!

36

In an end-game competition sponsored by Sydvenska Dagbladet Snaellposten in 1924, Henri Rinck

won

2nd prize, 3rd prize, honorable mention, 2nd honorable mention and 3rd honorable

first

A

mention!

1st prize,

remarkable achievement, but

In 1936, in an end-game competition, Grigoriev shared

second

won

prizes,

able mentions,

3rd,

first

and

4th and 5th prizes; shared 1st and 2nd honor-

and was awarded

3rd, 4th, 5th

and 6th honorable men-

tions!

37

game against Forgacs, Maroczy sacrificed his 'Queen, won his opponent’s Queen Rook, and promoted a Pawn to a new Queen. Within the next eight moves Forgacs duplicated the feat! He sacrificed his Queen, promoted a Pawn to a new Queen, and won Maroczy’s Queen Rook. The score of this extraordinary game: In the

first

13

moves

of a

IRREGULAR DEFENSE Budapest 1902

15 16 17 20

B— R7 P—B7ch

18

B

,

WHITE

BLACK

Forgacs

Maroczy

1

2 3

P—K4 P p

—Q4 —KB4

P— QR3 P—K3

7

Kt—B3

B-Q2

8

B—K3

Kt— R3

P—Kt5

10

PxP Kt— Q4

Q—R4

11

P— QR3

PxBP

12

KtxKt

PxPch

13

KtxQ

PxR(Q)

14

P—B6

B—B1

9

B—Q2

BxQ —Kt8 P— B8(Q)ch K— K2

—Q4 P—QB4 P — QKt4

6

5

19

Kt—B4 BxP

P

P—K5 P—B3 B— Q3

4

Q—R4

Kt—QB3

Q—Kt7ch

K—B1

Odd But True ,

22

QxR K— B1

23

B

24

QxRP

21

—Kt5ch P—Kt4 K—Kt2 B

—B7ch

25 26

27

Q—Kt7

B

—Kt6

Q—B8ch

K—B2 B—B1

QxR QxP

Resigns

38

In 1878 Paris and Marseilles played a game by correspondence with these curious conditions: Paris gave Marseilles for this advantage Marseilles

Queen

odds; in return

undertook to force Paris to checkmate

them! 39

In the Nuremberg Congress of 1906 there was no time-limit

took

six

hours or

the rate of If

a

1 5

Afterwards the players were required to

less.

game move at

if

a

moves an hour.

they exceeded the time-limit, they were penalized at the rate of

mark

minute of extra time. Under

a minute, for each

this ruling,

Tarrasch not only lost his game to Salwe but had the unique privilege of paying the equivalent of $20.00 in fines for doing so!

40 Jacques Mieses was a participant in the almost legendary tournament at Hastings in 1895,

Emanuel

where he drew with the then World Champion

Lasker. Fifty years later, Mieses played in the Hastings

Christmas Tournament of 1945, where he drew with former World

Champion Euwe and

won

also

the Brilliancy Prize. Early in 1946, at

the age of 82, Mieses played a match against Arturito Pomar, aged 14!

41

tournament where he won 44 games succession, without even permitting a draw. A mighty feat, and yet

Frank Marshall once played in

he won only third

prize!

in a

Here

is

how

it

happened,

as

John Keeble

tells it:

In

its

early days the British

Chess Federation used to run a contest

for congress competitors in

which they might play

All entrants were classified.

A player received 7 points for a win against 83

in their spare time.

The a player in his

own

class,

Magic of Chess

8 for a

win against

a player in a class above,

9 for a win against a player two classes above, and so on; correspondingly,

6 points for a win against a player one

This went on

up too

until, at

late to play in

Richmond

class

in 1912,

below, and so on.

Frank Marshall turned

any of the ordinary tournaments, so entered

this

He won

44 games in succession, with no losses and no draws, and he took third prize! The reason was that he had been put in a class one.

by himself! 42

Do

you believe in reincarnation of chess ideas? The diagram shows a

game played

position which occurred in a

and Sorensen. This

identical position

in 1945

between Jorgensen

described by al-Adli in an Ara-

is

bian manuscript dating back to the ninth century!

Jorgensen mated in three moves (thereby solving al-Adli’s problem)

by

1

Kt

—R5ch, RXKt; 2 RXKtch, KXR; R—K6 mate! 3

43

The

greatest players have

When

five

been known to blunder; that

masters combine their talents as a team, and

a simple combination

—that

is

is

not news.

still

overlook

news.

In the diagram, the Allies conducting the black pieces (Bogolyubov,

Gruenfeld, Kostich, Sterk and Abonyi)

doubt they expected 2 in

Knight

between 2

forks! .

.

.

BxR

in reply;

played

1

.

.

.

RXR. No

what they did get was

a lesson

—

White played 2 Kt R6ch, and Black must choose K R1 when 3 KtXPch wins the Queen, or 2

—

•

84

•

0

Odd, But True

K— Kt2, when Queen

3

Kt

— B5ch wins the Queen. Note that

after Black's

the hungry Knight threatens both Rooks.

falls,

44 Rubinstein

fell

into an opening trap against

Euwe

at

Bad Kissingen

in 1928:

QUEEN’S GAMBIT DECLINED

13

WHITE

BLACK

Euwe

Rubinstein

2

P— Q4 P— QB4

P— Q4 P— K3

3

Kt— KB3

Kt— KB 3

4

B

QKt— Q2

5

P— K3

6

Kt—B3

1

— Kt5

8

R— B1 B— Q3

B— K2 0—0 P— B3 P— QR3

9

PxP

KPxP

0—0 U Q—Kt3

R—K1

7

10

—

pitfall,

—

B KB4 KtxP!

Kt— R4

P— R3

White wins a Pawn. PXKt; 14 B B7 wins Ordinarily, there

12

is

If

13

.

.

.

KtXB;

14

KtXKt, and

if

13

.

,

.

the Queen.

nothing unusual about a master stumbling into a

but Rubinstein

against Alekhine at San

fell

into the

Remo! 85

same

trap only

two years

later

The Magic

of Chess

45

How

important

to

is it

know

the openings? In the Fifth American

Championship tournament held at New York in 1880, Preston Ware P QR4 whenever he had the black pieces, against any played 1 .

.

—

.

opening chosen by

his

With

opponent!

this

meaningless

move Ware

managed to win four out of nine games. As White, he began two games with 1 P QR4, winning one and losing the other.

—

46

Many competent

critics

consider

Emanuel Lasker

greatest player that ever lived. Perhaps

that he was beaten the

first

he was.

to have

been the

It is curious,

though,

time he encountered each of the following

players:

Van

Vliet,

Amsterdam 1889

Makovetz, Graz 1890 Tchigorin, Hastings 1895 Tarrasch, Hastings 1895

Charousek, Nuremberg 1896 Marshall, Paris 1900

Rubinstein,

St.

Petersburg 1909

Dus-Chotimirski,

St.

Petersburg 1909

Moscow 1925 Levenfish, Moscow 1925

Torre,

Stahlberg, Zurich 1934

Nottingham 1936 Reshevsky, Nottingham 1936 Fine,

47

The

Russian master Ilyin-Genevski had to learn the moves twice!

Shell shock in the

World War took away his memory, and the be told how the chess pieces move and capture!

first

master player had to

48 Racing down the first

home

stretch in a thrilling neck-and-neck tie for

place in the San Sebastian tournament of 1912 were Rubinstein

and Nimzovich.

Fittingly enough, they were scheduled to play each

86

Odd, But True other in the last round. First prize would go to the winner of this one

game! In the opening, Rubinstein had a bit the better of

it,

and kept

his

advantage to the mid-game. Suddenly, Nimzovich, affected no doubt

by the keen excitement of the occasion, blundered. He made a move which would allow his opponent to mate in two moves! An unbelievable error in a master of Nimzovich’s ability,

and sure to be pounced

on by the eagle-eyed Rubinstein. This was the

situation:

But, “curiouser and curiouser,” eagle-eyed Rubinstein missed the mate

by

1

QxPch, K

—Rl;

2

QxP mate. Undoubtedly, this was one of the

strangest double blunders in chess history!

49

The

record for simultaneous chess

ish master.

He

which started

held by Gideon Stahlberg, Swed-

played 400 games at Buenos Aires, in an exhibition

at 10:00 p.m., Friday,

10:00 a.m. on Sunday. wins, 14 draws

is

August

He wound up with

and only 22

29, 1941,

and ended

at

the remarkable score of 364

losses!

50

Even the most confirmed problem solver would think twice before tackling this problem, which N. Babson composed for Brentano’s J. Chess Monthly in 1882: 87

The Magic

These were

his terms:

of Chess

Mate on the 1220th move,

after

compelling

Black to make three successive and complete Knight's tours!

51

In the Fifth American Championship tournament, held at

New

York

Congdon and Delmar reached a position which was “hopelessly won" for Delmar. He had a Queen and five passed Pawns (five potential Queens, if he needed them against Congdon's lone Queen. Did he win? It was almost impossible not to, but this is what hapin 1880,

)

pened:

—

Delmar played 1 Q B6 (as the Tournament book says, “Almost any other move would have won") and Congdon saved his game by 2 Q Kt8ch, KXQ, and White is stalemated. .

.

.

—

88

Odd, But True 52

Dr. Lasker

He won

made

a clean

sweep

at the

New

York tournament of 1893.

13 games straight, without allowing a single draw!

But history repeats

itself.

In the

New

Capablanca too faced 13 opponents and

York tournament

of 1913,

mowed them

down

all

in

quick succession, wihout allowing a single draw!

53

Do

you sometimes wish your opponent would

around to help analyze

let

you move the pieces

a position?

In 1911, Spielmann and Alapin played a match at Munich, in which analysis

by means of moving the pieces was permitted. Alapin used

privilege;

P.S.

Spielmann decided not to do

this

so.

Spielmann won the match!

54 Steinitz

and Capablanca had race horses named

after

them!

55 Steinitz

was once misjudged to be a spy! Police authorities assumed

that the

moves made by him

in playing his

correspondence games with

Tchigorin were part of a code by means of which important war crets could

se-

be transmitted.

56

Rubinstein

won

only

six

games

But of

at Teplitz-Schonau in 1922.

these six games, four were winners of brilliancy prizes!

57

G. A. MacDonnell was the winner of in 1868. All the competitors their Knights

book

play!

and Bishops

(And

this

began

reversed.

a

tournament played

their

The

London

games with the positions of

reason?

was way back in 1868!) 8g

at

They wanted

to avoid

The Magic

of Chess

58

Alexandre Louis Honore Lebreton Deschapelles was once acknowl-

edged to be the best player

world at both chess and whist.

in the

Deschapelles Coup, his invention,

is still

The

used today by master bridge

players.

59

The famous Bishop Ruy Lopez recommended placing the board so that the light eyes!

(A

as

would shine

valuable addition to the theory of the

good chess

tactics

in the opponent’s

Ruy Lopez

opening!)

60

The

organist Sir

at the

Walter Parratt was able to play a Beethoven Sonata

same time that he was conducting two games of chess blind-

folded!

61

An

extraordinary set of coincidences

to the 8th

Composing tourney

These were the

marked two problems submitted

of the “Brighton Society” in 1898.

positions:

H. W. Lane England

A. F. Mackenzie

America White mates in two Key: Q—R2

White mates Key.

90

in

Q—R2

two

Odd, But True

Not only were

the positions almost alike, the key-moves matched,

the resulting ideas duplicated each other, but strangest of

all

.

.

.

both composers were blind! 62 In 1850, an old passion for chess awoke in Szechenyi (founder of the

Magyar Academy) and took an insane character. It became necessary to pay a poor student to play with him for ten or twelve hours at a time. Szechenyi slowly regained his sanity, but the unfortunate stu-

dent went mad!

63

What

the favorite recreation of a chess master?

is

bury, in the course of the

More

chess! Pills-

Hannover 1902 tournament, spent one

of

his precious days of rest in a record-breaking exhibition of simulta-

neous blindfold play!

He

offering prizes to those

tougher!).

around to losses

were

He

took on 21 of the best players of Germany,

who

scored against

(just to

make

things

permitted consultation, as well as moving the pieces

facilitate analysis.

His

final score of 3 wins, 1 1

more impressive than might

is

him

first

draws and 7

appear, as his opponents

budding masters.

all

64

One

of the greatest chess teachers that ever lived was Dr. Siegbert

Tarrasch.

The one

his actual play

“Bring

forces. tral

squares!”

thing he harped on in his books, his teachings and

was the importance of continual development of one’s all

He

your pieces out! Give them scope! Occupy the censtressed this, time

and

again, in his annotations.

Rarely did he stray from the path he marked out. But once did It

.

.

when he

.

was in the important Ostend tournament of 1907, confined to

six of

the seven leading grandmasters.

was to challenge Lasker for his world

The winner title.

reached this position against Marshall: 9i

of the

tournament

Tarrasch, playing White,

The Magic

Play continued,

K—R2; a row, tually

4

B

of Chess

R-Rl; Q—K2; R KB1; 5 B Bl. 1

—K2, —

White's pieces

drew the game

—

all is

occupy the

2

Q-Q

1,

Kt— K3;

3

B-Bl,

After five retreating moves in

first

rank!

That Tarrasch even-

a tribute to his great ability.

65

A

ten-year-old once played in a master tournament!

Sammy

Reshevsky, subsequently

won

The

prodigy,

the United States Champion-

ship.

66 Before retiring from his throne, Paul Morphy, King of Chess, offered to play a

match with anyone

move! The handicap was

big,

in the

world at the odds of Pawn and

but no one accepted. They were con-

vinced that he was invincible!

67

Even the

greatest masters

speed. Capablanca,

sometimes get bowled over with surprising

who was

a wizard at simultaneous play, got a

13-move shock from Kevitz, then

a youngster, in

one of these

sessions.

Arthur Dake, one of America's strongest players, once gave an hibition of his

skill at

simultaneous chess at Baltimore.

One

ex-

of his

opponents, an amateur, was evidently unimpressed by Dake's reputation, as

he mated the

Pacific

Coast

by-blow description: 92

star in

9 moves! Here

is

the blow-

,

Odd But True

FRENCH DEFENSE WHITE Dake

BLACK

Amateur

1

P-Q4

P— K3

2

P—K4

P-Q4 B

4

Kt— QB3 Kt—K2

5

p_QR3

B x Ktch

6

KtxB

Kt—QB3

7

Q_Kt4

KtxP

8

QxKtP

KtxPch

9

K—K2

Q — Q6

3

—Kt5

PxP

mate

68 Dake’s 9-move upset was speedy, but not the record for such debacles.

On

Kmoch met all One of his oppo-

January 25, 1948, the European master Hans

comers

in a

simultaneous exhibition at Cleveland.

nents did the unexpected.

Here

is

He made Kmoch

surrender in only 8 moves!

the morsel:

FRENCH DEFENSE WHITE

BLACK

Kmoch

Ellison

2

P—K4 P— Q4

3

Kt—Q2

4

KKt

5

6

KtxP Kt(Q2)xP

7

B

8

B— Q2

1

—B3

— KKt5

White

resigns, as

P— K3 P— Q4 P— QB4 BPxP PxP Kt— KB 3

Q—R4ch Q—K4 he must

lose a

piece.

69

was once sent to L. Hoffer for adjudication. He spent eight hours analyzing its possibilities, which was more time than both play-

A position

ers

had spent on the game themselves! 93

— The Magic

of Chess

70 Can't solve problems? Here Just

move, and think

is

a six-mover

we guarantee you can

do.

later!

White mates

in six moves.

71 Steinitz's style

Morphy's

is

play,

usually described as “sound, safe, dull

on the other hand,

spired, sparkling

and

is

and cautious."

generally regarded as “daring, in-

brilliant."

In a book entitled Quick Mate! 700 Short , Brilliant

Chess the player having the most examples to ,

Next

in order

is

is

of

Steinitz!

Tarrasch, whose methods in the popular eye seemed

to parallel those of Steinitz. after these

his credit

Games

two “dull"

The

brilliant

Morphy comes

next

players!

Curiously, Capablanca

is

not even in the book, while Lasker

is

rep-

resented by a lost game!

72 Paul

Morphy once

gave a simultaneous exhibition against

five players.

What's startling about that? All five were in the master class! He won from Arnous de Riviere and H. E. Bird, drew with S. S. Boden and Lowenthal, and lost to T. W. Barnes. Incidentally, Barnes, whose J. J.

name may be completely unknown to present-generation chess won more games from Morphy than anyone else ever did! 94

players,

Odd, But True

73

Former United

States

whether he expected to

Champion Sammy Reshevsky was asked win the Western Chess Association Cham-

pionship tournament of 1933. His reply was,

me?” Remarkably enough, he was

right.

“Who

Nobody

is

there to beat

did beat him; but

he did not win the tournament!

74 In the eighth edition of a popular manual by Dufresne and Mieses, the following line of play

WHITE

BLACK

— Q4

j

P

2

P— QB4

3

4 5

given:

is

Kt— QB3 Kt— B3 KKtxP

P— Q4 P— K3 P— QB4 BPxP

P—K4 P— Q5

8

Kt(Q4)— Kt5 Kt— Q5 Kt— QR3 Q— R4 B— Q2

9

P— K3

6 7

Kt—K2

In this situation, the authors’ position.”

What

comment

is,

“Black has the superior

the analysts seem to have overlooked

is

that

White

can mate on the move!

75

A

book

of Yates’

and One of

My

games was published with the Best

Games

of Chess.

The

title,

One Hundred

reader gets a baker’s

dozen, as the book contains 109 games.

76 In the International tournament held at

won won

a

grand total of two games,

London

in 1851,

lost eight, forfeited the rest

a prize!

95

Mucklow

—and

still

The Magic

of Chess

77

game

In Die Hypermoderne Schachpartie Dr. Tartakover annotates a

between Spielmann and Tarrasch, played

To make

at

Mahrisch-Ostrau, 1923.

sure that the student does not miss any of the fine points,

he gives 11 columns of notes to two moves in the game! lyst

would have

filled

up

this space

with

1

1

A

lesser ana-

games, notes and

all!

78 Schottlander needed only a draw to win

tournament of 1888. Mieses offered him game, but he declined

it!

first

a

prize in the Leipzig

draw

in their last-round

Schottlander lost the game, and with

it first

prize!

79 Perhaps the most fanatical devotee the game has ever iel

Harrwitz.

had chess Cafe de

figures

la

stickpins shaped like chess pieces, chess

embroidered on his

shirts.

He

his

ties,

and

played chess at the

Regence morning, noon and night seven days

one stage of failed to

He wore

known was Dan-

match with Morphy, Harrwitz pleaded

a

week! At

illness,

and

put in an appearance. His admirers found him resting up at

the Cafe de

la

Regence, playing chess!

SOME FAMOUS

FIRSTS

80

The

first

scription

known on

historical

a tablet in a

document connected with chess

pyramid

at Gizeh, dating

is

an

in-

back to 3000 years

before Christ!

81

The

first

chess problem, as far as can be ascertained, was

by the Caliph Mutasim Billah during to 842.

96

his reign in

composed Baghdad from 834

Odd, But True 82 chess was a testament

The first legal document in Europe dealing with of Armengo of Urgel in January 1010. 83

The

first

title

Dass Goldin

book dealing with chess was published Spil, in the city of

in 1472,

under the

Augsburg.

84

The

International Chess tournament was played at

first

Madrid

in

1575, at the court of Philip the Second.

85

The

first

newspaper column on chess appeared

in the Liverpool

Mer-

cury, July 9, 1813.

86

The

first

match

to be played by correspondence

was begun

1824 between the London and Edinburgh Chess Clubs. lasted

two

years,

in April

The match

and was won by the Scotsmen. They scored two

wins, lost one, and drew two games.

87

The

first

chess magazine appeared in Paris in 1836. It was called

Palamede and ,

its

editors were

La

Labourdonnais and Mery. 88

The

first

chess

match by telegraph was played

in 1844, the year in

which the telegraph was invented. The players represented the of Baltimore

cities

and Washington, D. C. 89

The It

first

problem-composing tournament was held

at

London

in 1854.

was confined to Englishmen, and was won by Walter Grimshaw. 97

The Magic

of Chess

90

H. Blackburne, the great British master, once announced a forced mate in 16 moves in one of his games! This would be remarkable enough for over-the-board play, but in this case Blackburne was play-

J.

ing blindfold! This

is

White

the position, with

Scott

move:

K— R2

1

RxBch

2

Q—Q3ch

R—Kt3

PxQ

4

QxRch R—K7ch

5

B

K—B1 K—K1 K— Q1 K—B1 K—Ktl K— B1 K—Q1 K—B1

3

6 7 8

11

12

R—Q7ch

10

13

14 15

16

K—Ktl

—K6ch R—B7ch Kt— B6ch R— Q7ch

RxRPch Kt— Q7ch Kt—B5ch

9

Blackburne

to

R—KB7ch Kt—Kt7ch

K-Ql

KtxPch B Kt6 mate

—

K—K1 K—Q1

91

The American Chess

Bulletin

had

this

advertisement in

its

issue of

February 1909:

"WANTED ory of Pillsbury

...

A

youth with the genius of Morphy, the

and the determination of

which he values above

rubies; full of a

Steinitz; of robust health

modest

joy of living

sessor of habits of life that square with a sensible ideal

for the present

one

will

mem-

and pos-

—

as adversary

and invincible champion of the world. Unto such an

come support

unlimited, friends by the legion, imperishable

glory, and, possibly, Victory!”

They

received a speedy reply to this advertisement (the terms of

which seemed so difficult to fulfill) when their own pages recorded, a few months later, the decisive victory of Capablanca, the new chess star,

over Frank Marshall,

Champion 98

of the

United

States.

This was

Odd, But True the beginning of Capablanca's meteoric chess career, which culminated

winning the World Championship from the mighty Lasker.

in

92

A

book

of Philidor's games, published in 1819,

grams showing the position of the pieces J.

had

after every

illustrative dia-

move! The

editor,

G. Pohlman, must therefore be given credit for being the originator

“movie” form.

of chess in

93 Dr. Milan

Vidmar won more games than anyone

tournament of 1912, and yet he finished games, and yet he tied for

Marshall Schlechter

Duras

Teichmann Vidmar

won

point score explains:

draws

losses

first!

the least

point-total

0

3

0

3

1

2Vi

1

2Vi

3

1

Maroczy

Marshall

The

14 14 13

wins

last!

Budapest

else in the

0

4

1

2

2

0

3

2

94 Arthur Dake took

a

1

500-mile airplane trip to play Alekhine,

scheduled to give a simultaneous exhibition.

He

lost in 13 seconds!

Describing the game, the American Chess Bulletin after play

had

started

who was

(on Alekhine's second round)

says, all

“Shortly

eyes were

focused on Dake’s board, where the two were moving the pieces at less

than one second per move! Dake lasted thirteen seconds,

when

he blew a piece and the game.” 95

One

Tarrasch and Mieses played in 1916, was a half prize in

match between pound of butter! The

of the prizes donated for the winner of the

was more valuable than might

wartime Germany. 99

first

appear, as butter was a rarity

The Magic

of Chess

96 In the

game

Bad Kissingen tournament of 1928, Spielmann won only one but that one game was from the almost invincible Capablanca!

—

97

At Monte Carlo in 1902, Tchigorin fought for 144 wearisome moves to defeat Mason, only to lose to Marshall in 8 moves! 98

On

a wager,

C. F. Burille solved 62 chess problems in one hour!

99

Conducting the chess and checker automaton A/eeb, C. F. played 900 chess games, of which he lost only three!

Of

Burille

the countless

checker games he played, he never lost one!

100 In January of 1922, Frank Marshall played 155 games simultaneously at Montreal.

He won

126,

drew 21 and

lost

only 8 games, in the

quick time of 7 hours and 15 minutes, an average of three minutes per game! recalled

all

More

impressive than his speedy pace was the fact that he

the moves that were

made on

153 of the boards!

101

In the double-round tournament at Vienna in 1873, William Steinitz

won

16 games in succession, without allowing even a single draw to be

scored against him!

The

casualty

Steinitz

2

Rosenthal

0

2

Paulsen

0

2

Anderssen

0

2

Schwartz

0

2

Gelbfuhs

0

2

Bird

0

2

Heral

0

2

Blackburne

0

16

Opponents

xdting

^The eye.

masters and the rank-and-file players do not always see eye to

One

games

(Drawn Qamcs

in

perennial cause for disagreement

master play. There are

high level of playing strength, the

and the

like.

Whatever the

many

less

reasons for these draws: the

time pressure, fatigue

reasons, the average player has sour recol-

which offered

little

instruction

enjoyment.

Yet there

is

attacking

moves

becomes the

draw which

a type of

students alike. This

is

are

justified

gives pleasure to players

and

the draw in which ingenious and determined

met by and

equally inspired parries, so that a draw

logical

Thus Znosko-Borovsky, rifices

the prevalence of drawn

risks involved,

lections of going over scrawny scores

and

is

outcome.

finding himself in a desperate situation, sac-

piece after piece against Vajda (p. 337)

a neat pattern for perpetual check. Material

is

and

finally

works out

hopelessly against him,

he must continue checking. As for Vajda, he too has no choice: perpetual check is the only alternative to checkmate! so

Weenink, with the Black pieces, plays sharply for the initiative (p. 339) At length we reach a point where Mikenas seems clearly lost. Yet by leaving his Queen en prise for several moves in the course of a diabolical counterattack,

he

is

able to

work out

a

draw

in

an appar-

ently lost ending.

Purdy

(p.

338)

is

making comthe seventh move! Only four moves later, he

so full of fighting spirit that

binations as early as

336

he

starts

—

.

Exciting

seems quite

Drawn Games

Yet he manages to find

lost.

Menaced

a saving clause.

with mate on the move, he barely escapes with a forced draw!

Excitement? These games feature

in generous measure.

it

Many

a

outcome has nowhere near as many thrills as these brief battles in which a keen will to win is concentrated on a very few moves. So, don’t condemn drawn games per se/ These games

game with

a decisive

Fame.

surely merit a place in Caissa’s Hall of

Tartakover would

West

call this

Wild-

Q—B4 11 Q— Kt3?,

11

chess! If

Kt—K5

wins at

once.

QUEEN’S GAMBIT

U

...

12

Q—Kt3!

DECLINED Budapest 1926

Q—K5! Q—B7!

,

One

WHITE

BLACK Zn osko-Borovsky Vajda

P— Q4 Kt— KB 3

4

—Q4 — B4 B — Kt5

10 5

Kt— B3

2 3

P p

White

to re-

sign!

Kt— KB 3

1

almost expects

P— K3 P—B3

—

By playing the simple 5 P K3, White could have saved himself an enormous amount of trouble!

PxP

5

.

6

P—K3

7

p_QR4

.

P— Kt4 P— QR3!

This looks nonsensical, in view of 8 PxP, BPxP; 9 KtxP. But then comes 9 Q Kt3!; 10 Kt B3, QxKtP; 11 Bl, B R6!

Q—B3

— B — Kt2 B — Kt5

B— K2

Q—Q4

.

.

.

Q—

8

9

Kt—K5

13

O—O!

14

BxKt

—

The 14

16

PxB 14

As White cannot Queens because of Black

is

able

to

counterattack;

fear

.

.

R—

QxP,

BxKt

.

.

.

QxB;

nor 14 Bl; 16 B

White need not

15 .

.

QxP, .

R—Bl;

BxKtP;

—R5.

15

PxB

.

afford to exchange his

How

Pawn minus,

begin

a

powerful

If

15

K—K2

Queen maneuver. 337

can

White defend

Q—Kt7, etc.

everything?

PxKt!; 16 QxRch,

—

.

Chess as

15

KtxKBP!? KxKt

If

15

.

.

R— Bl;

.

It Is

First-rate chess players are not

16 Kt

ways articulate

—06ch

B

writers

—R5ch K—K2

But not 16 B7 and wins.

17

Q—

Purdy

ian

Q—Kt7ch K—Q3

18

QxB!

As

The Q2; 19

QxR,

Kt

only chance; Kt7, BxKtP with an easy

g—

.

18

.

.

White

.

BxKtP!

.

Kt

.

—Q2;

PxP!

19

BxR

Not 20 RxB, P

2

—Kt5 with

a win-

3

Kt— QB3

alive to tac-

20

.

.

.

After 20 draw with 21 .

.

.

RPxP White

g— R3ch

has a

etc.

Pawn

this .

R— g2!

Q— Kt7!

is

R—

too hasty. Correct was Ql!; 22 RxPch,

K—

R— R1 game

—

of

players.

in his favor.

PxP!

22

RxPch!

KtxR

7

23

QxKtch

K— Q2

The

Q—Kt7ch

—

Drawn!

Black cannot escape the perpetual check, as after 24 K 3; 25

Q— Kt6ch

the King

(25 mate, or 25 .

.

g — must .

.

K— 04??;

.

.

.

.

return to

26

K— K2??;

B—B3 26

g—

B7ch and mate next) fantastic

game,

variation

which Purdy expected

a tribute to his

—was

powers of calcula-

Q — R4ch, QxQ;

8 Ktxg, Kt— K5!; 9 Q2!; B3, 10 PxKt, BxKt; 11 KPxP, Kt— R3!; Bl, Kt— 12 R Ktl, B B7; 13 Kt5; 14 QR3, BxP; 15 Q2, BxRch; 16 KxB, B Q6! and Black, with the exchange ahead, should win! tion

.

Q—R4!

is to counterattack by combined pressure on White’s Knight on QB3. This is a course which involves risk for both

means

Kt Q2I), and Black’s Pawns should

decide the

or two.

Black’s idea

g— Kt7ch?,

23

(if

R— R7ch?,

or 23

is

QPxP!

6 .

P—B4!

determined to avoid a constricted position: he intends to achieve freedom even at the cost of a

Q—Kt7?

RxB

21 K2!; 23

—KKt3 P—Q4 B —Kt2 P

BPxP Purdy

But

Kt—KB3

B—B4 P—K3

4 5

A

is

BLACK Purdy

P—Q4 P—QB4

1

ning position.

and

and keenly

WHITE Vaughan

leaves

20 PxP!

Q2

he

Correspondence, 1945

excellent prospects.

QxR

19

24

as a player,

GRUENFELD DEFENSE

18

.

fields.

tical possibilities.

win.

21

rare

profound, pungent, deeply versed in theory

18

if

Austral-

shine in both

and

a writer

The

distin-

one of those

is

who

people

17

always

guished as players.

K—Bl??;

.

.

.

chess

first-rate

not

are

al-

in explaining their

Similarly,

ideas.

wins Black’s Bishop.

16

Played

—

7

P—

P—

—

R—

—

rich in stratagems

spoils.

7

338

.

.

.

KtxP!

B—

K—

— Exciting

10

QxKt PxB K—K2

11

B

8

9

Drawn Games

BxKtch

—K5!

In this

game both players with might and main for

thrilling

QxPeh

strive

QxR

the initiative. brilliant

The

efforts

result of their

a

is

legitimate,

hard-fought draw.

Now White

will

win

a

maining a piece ahead. Black save the game?

Rook,

How

re-

QUEEN'S GAMBIT

can

DECLINED Prague

Team Tournament,

WHITE Mikenas

Weenink

(Lithuania)

(Holland)

BLACK

2

P— Q4 P— QB4

P— Q4 P— K3

3

Kt— KB 3

Kt— KB 3

4

P—K3

P—B3

1

Curious:

instead

once with for the move! .

11

13

B

Q—B8!

.

Q— Q 2??,

Q— winning the Queen), B 14 K— Kl, QxQch; IS KxQ, Ql? (not

13

—B5ch

B5ch;

13

BxB

winning a Pawn. On the other hand, after the text, 13 B B5ch? would lose: 14 K B3 and White threatens IS Q .

—

.

.

.

Drawn if

QKt— Q2

B—K2 0—0

7

0—0

8

P— K4

9

KtxP

—

PxKP Q-B2 P

11

Q—K2 P— QKt3

12

B

13

QR-Q1

KR—Ql P—B4!

—QKt3 B — Kt2

—Kt2

last!

The

position

is

14

PxP

KtxP

15

QxKt

16

KtxKt Kt—K5

R-Q3!

17

Kt—Kt4

Q—KKt4!

18

KtxKtch

BxKt

Black

Q—

14 K B3, B4ch and White cannot escape from the per-

For

6

has counterplay.

Q—B7ch!

.

QKt— Q2

about even: White has attacking chances, Black

B8 mate. 13

.

B— Q3

At

—

.

.

equalizing at P--B4, he prepares of

5

10

B — K3!!

BxR QxP

12

If

.

.

1931

KxB; 20

QxP 19

petual check!

339

does

not fear

RxR

as

19

BxPch,

he threatens

mate.

P— B4

Q—B4ch

.

.

.

— Chess as

20

K—Rl

BxB QR—Q1

Qx B Q—K2

21

22

.

pre-

23

P— B5!

PxP

24

BxP

R—Q7

.

.

.

.

.

.

P—Kt3! RxQ??

Nor 26

.

.

.

.

.

mate

allows

K—Ktl

—

in

(White was

Q R5ch); 27 RxR, 28 R—Qli, Kt4; 29 Rx 27 Rch and White is a Pawn ahead.

threatening 27 .

—

.

.

26

three.

Black should have played the P Kt3! prudent )

Played

26

Q—Kt5

Somewhat premature. Before paring to play his trump (24

R—Q7

It Is

—B

QxR;

Q—

27 RxP!! So

if 27 RxQ??; and mate follows!

that

RxRch .

.

.

.

.

28

BxPch!

.

RxQ

If

now 28 KxB??,

28

QxB!

RxRch!

29 30

BxR

R—Bl

RxBch RxRch

31

QxR

Q—Q7!

check!

This assures Black the draw, despite Pawn minus. The position of his Queen is too commanding to permit any winning possibilities by White. B8ch, K R2; 33 Thus if 32 K8ch B7ch, K R3; 34 QxP, with perpetual check. the

Q—

K—Rl! Not 25 KxB?; 26 Q— R5ch, K—Ktl; 27 QxPch, K— Rl; 28 RxR, QxR; 29 QxB Or 25 .. K— Bl?; 26 RxPch!, 25 BxPch!!

32

P— QR4

K—Kt2

33

Q—B3

K— R3

etc.

34

K—Ktl

P—R4

—Blch, B—B6; 28 RxB

35

P—R3

36

K—B2

Q— 8 ch Q—Q7ch

.

.

.

.

KxR; 27 R mate!

26 B If

Q—

Q—

Q—

Drawn

—B2!!

26 Q— R5, BxPch!; 27 K— Ktl,

PxQ

B4ch!; 28 QxQ, and Black has somewhat the better of it.

340

White can

avoid the perpetual only check by surrendering his Knight’s Pawn. A superbly contested

game.

(Correspondence 0tess

Although correspondence century,

it

more than

did not really begin to acquire a vogue until 1920 or

The number still

chess has been played for

a

so.

and

of correspondence fans has risen to large proportions

continues to increase. In this country, Chess Review has rendered

valuable service in fostering the growth of postal chess.

In the old days,

many

players were prejudiced against correspond-

ence chess because they had a mistaken notion that the games were likely to drag

out interminably.

The

average contest of this type pro-

ceeds at the rate of about eight moves (on both sides) per month. As

each player

from ten

usually conducting

is

the same time, there

no danger

is

games

of losing interest in the games.

varied problems arise constantly; the

fashion in the comfort of one’s

to thirty other

games

at

New,

are played in leisurely

own home; new

contacts are

made and

friendships are formed.

Not only has correspondence chess become popular; it has produced many beautiful games. Of the group presented here, Gonzalez Per-

—

rine (p. 343)

is

undoubtedly the

games ever played. Black’s play liant.

To make

such a

finest; it

is,

in fact,

one of the best

flawless, logical, forceful

is

game known

to a wider audience

is

and

bril-

one of the

pleasures of chess authorship.

The

best proof that postal play

fact that

it

has produced

many

is

not stodgy

may be found

in the

outstanding examples of superb 34i

at-

Chess as

It Is

Played

tacking play. Young's masterpiece against Daly (p. 344) point.

the tenth to the 23rd move,

From

we

is

a case in

see a thrilling contest

which reminds us of a struggle between two first-rate fencers; 23 P QB4!! is a stroke of genius which decides the game in Black's .

.

.

—

favor.

Many

masters, including Alekhine

and Keres,

started their careers

correspondence players. Maroczy was another master

as

some

great

(p. 346),

he

Queen and

One

games

a handful of

of the

famous encounter with Zambelly

in this field. In his

sacrificed so

much and Pawns

most useful

—

so often that

he had to mate with

the material he had

all

left!

features of corespondence chess

Thus Davis adopts

that

is

it

study of theoretical innovations

offers excellent opportunities for the

in the openings.

who produced

move recommended by Alekhine

a

349) and carries out the ensuing attack brilliantly in the face of

(p.

but ultimately inadequate counterattack. Alekhine himself

a clever

could not have managed the attack more impressively.

Demuth's win sizes

his

against

Mermagen

is

a classic

in a difficult variation.

exposed to attack on a grand

how many players Winning Chess

effective,

because

less

scale!

slight slip

and he

Yet Mermagen’s

finds himself

failure

is

excus-

could have foreseen the progress of this attack,

especially the exquisite 25

tion in

One

which empha-

moves Black holds

the vital importance of tactical play. For 19

own

able:

(p. 347)

R— B4!!,

which reminds us of the observa-

modern master finds it highly hackneyed, to wind up his combination with a that “the

.

.

.

stinging surprise."

In Dimock's fine win against Hogenauer (p. 348) the final combination

is

quite pretty; yet White’s treatment of the whole

vating in is still

its

logic

and

simplicity.

another indication of

The many

The

effective

game

is

capti-

Knight maneuvering

first-class play.

beautiful points of these

first

even the most skeptical that postal chess

rate is

games should convince

a very rewarding pastime.

-

—

.

Correspondence Chess

Had

a fa

game been won by

this

mous master

would have acu quired the status of an Immortal

in

Game”

it

,

It deserves that status

any event: Black's play

is

per-

fection itself!

NIMZOINDIAN DEFENSE Correspondence, 1943

WHITE

BLACK

Gonzalez

Perrine

Kt—KB 3

P—K3

11

2

P— Q4 P—QB4

3

Kt— QB3

B

A

Q—B2

Kt—B3

1

—Kt5

4 5 6

Kt— B3

P—Q3

B

0—0

7

P—K4

This

—Kt5

then 7

.

.

—K3

.

is

P—K4;

8

.

8

P—QS

.

is

for

P—QS Q5.

B

P—KKt4!l

—R4?

mission for the balance of the game and prepares for a beautifully executed attack. now see that White should have tried 10 B Q2.

We

—

—Kt3

Had he foreseen what was coming, he might have tried the inadequate but more aggressive line 11 KtxKtP, PxKt; 12

BxP

R—K1

QxKt??,

13

R—Kl!

QxP

Practically forcing

14

if

B

—

unexpected thrust which puts White’s Queen’s Bishop out of com-

B

now

if

White

to castle

RPxKt

IS (not 16

— K2, B — KB4;

16

BPxKt??, B B4 winning the unfortunate Queen), BxKt followed by

An

11

PxKt

O—O?, KtxB;

—KR3

P

Q—

KtxKt

long, for

Kt—Q5!

Q—Q3

13

and

This Knight, which cannot very well be captured, is now a thorn in White’s center.

9 10

—

if

P—K4

.

KtxKP!!

.

wins the Queeen.

The more

stronger,

Black’s Knight cannot go to

7

12

where “discretion

the better part of valor/'

modest 7 P

.

charming conception: if 12 QxKKt?, B KB4; 13 K3, Kt— B7ch wins the Queen!

And

a case

is

.

etc.

343

.

.

.

RxB

winning

14

0—0—0

15

PxKt

a piece.

KtxKt B R6ch

—

Forcing White’s reply, for if J 6 K Ktl?, B B4ch!; 17 R1 (if 17 Q3??, B B4 again traps the Queen! ), B B7 and the Rook is caught (18

— —

—

K—

B—

R— Q2?, R—K8ch!). 16 K—B2 B —B4ch Now

White's King must venture into the great open spaces (17 B Q3??, B B4! ) 17

— K—Kt3

Beautiful play: B4! attacking the

P—B4!l if

18

PxP

Queen and

e.p.,

B

threaten-

— Chess as

ing a quick mating attack with

Q— Kt3ch

Q—02

19

B—Q3

At

last!

.

Q—R4

P

—Kt4!!

PxP

21

QxB

P—B5ch!!

.

.

.

sacrifice

prelude to a fine finish.

Q—R5

P—Q4?

7

Q—K2,

.

better.

B—QKt5!

.

B—Q2

B

—Kt5

has no really good way guarding his menaced Queen’s Pawn; but he does the best he can.

is

the

now 22

If

8

QR—B1

9

R—K5!! .

K—B2

.

much

is

“put-

to the advanced

Now White

10

.

B— QKt5

BxKKt

QxB P—Kt3

Q—R5ch KtxB!!

Forcing White into the following combination, as 11 KxKt, QxQPch wins easily for Black.

Once more threatening Q R5 mate. If 24 QxR, RxP mate! .

R(5)—QB5! 11

Resigns

of

6

6

mate.

QxP Q—Q 3

The

KtxP Kt—QB3

of

The second Pawn

24

5

BPxP Kt—B3

Knight,

20

23

P—Q4

ting the question"

Q— R5 mate. BxB

22

P—B4

3

.

Sadly premature. 6

Threatens

KxP,

Played

4

.

.

.

etc.

18

19

.

It Is

QxP

QxQP!!

Again leaving White no choice, for

and precision Black's play remind one of Alekhine elegance, force

if

12

QxQ,

Kt

—B6ch

etc.

at his best!

Franklin K. Young

famous as the author of several books which read as if they had been written in the ful

for

is

Tower of Babel. This beautigame speaks more eloquently him than all his wordy para-

graphs lique ”

about

“major

left

ob-

and similar matters.

VIENNA GAME Correspondence, 1911

12

BxKtch

PxB

13

QxQBPch QxRch

K—Bl!! K— K2

WHITE

BLACK

14

Daly

Young

15

1

P—K4

P—K4

2

Kt— QB3

Kt—KB 3

Q—B6

Courteously declining the second Rook, for if 15 QxR, BxKt; 16 PxB,

344

Correspondence Chess

Q—K6ch;

K—Ql, Kt—B5

17

—

Q—Q6ch;

(17

—

K — Ql,

Kt K5 or 17 Kt B6 also wins) and mate cannot be stopped. .

.

.

.

.

16

K—Ql

If

.

16

Q—

.

Q—K6ch

15

.

.

A

Kt— K2, Kt— K5ch;

K—Ql

B3, B7ch; 18 with a quick win. .

17

Kt—Q5ch

A little pleasanter than Kt— Kt6ch; 18 K— Ktl,

If

17

.

18

QxR 19

19

P—B3

20

Q—Q4

Forced:

the stop

to

Q—B8ch!!

.

.

Kt

.

Q— Q7

22

22

is

QxPch

of

leading

to

mates depending on

23

how White

—

35

Q—

—

—

Q—

ending.

are as helpless as ever:

R— R2, Q—K5ch now

will

wins a Rook.

.

.

passed

a

establish

in sight.

QxP

.

P—B4ch

K—B3

R— R3 R—Q3

P—KR4! P—R5

R(l)

—Ql

.

32

R— Q6ch

PxP K—Kt2

33

R—Q7ch

K—R3

.

RxP

RxP 35 36 37 38

39

.

faster

Q—R2ch!

than 34

.

.

.

—Kt7;

P

etc.

K—Kt2

P—Kt7

R— Q6ch

K—R4

RxPch

R—Kt7ch R—Kt3

K—Kt5 KxBP

P—Kt8(Q)

Resigns

22

.

23

PxB

If

R— QB1

Much

re-

Or 22 K—Bl, BxP!!; 23 PxB (if 23 QxPch, K K3; 24 PxB, Q7ch and mate next move), P QB4!; Q7ch Ql (if 24 24 R4, followed by mate), Q K6ch winning the Queen and remaining with a won

Q—

K— Q4

31

34

KxB,

plies.

Q—

P—QR4

QxP

beautiful

three

KxP

After 31 PxP, Black would simply advance his passed Pawns.

no

Q—K7ch

K—Kt3, Kt—B4ch!;

PxKtch

mate.

Q—B6ch

.

KtxQ

Pawn, with quick victory

31

K—B2 K—Ktl

21

If

.

27

Queen must be on .

Q—Q6ch

Black

P—QB3M

.

is

—

The Rooks

—B7

White’s material advantage value to him.

20

27

if

Queen

no matter where White plays (24 Ktl, Q Q6ch and Black mates

24 25 26

K—Bl,

17

26

P—QB4!!

.

beautiful position: the

27 28 29 30

.

.

Q—

R—Qlch

,

mate. Bl, Kt— B7ch; 20 mate. .

KR—

Q— K8

hand

lost

RxKt Kt—K5

.

Threatens now 19

RxKt,

P—

.

—B7 mate.

Kt

in two).

.

.

17

R—Ql!

16

.

23

K—Bl, B—Q7ch;

25

.

.

23 QxPch,

BxP!!

Some

K—K3;

24 Q— Kt7,

345

players talk a better

game

of

chess than they play. In Young’s case the reverse was true!

— Chess as

Maroczy steps out of character and unleashes a wild attack which ends up in a forced mate by Black when he is two Rooks and a Bishop down!

Circumstances

alter cases:

It Is

Played

strides.

Maroczy

2 3

Kt—KB 3 PxP

This gambit

is

more

sacrifices

where that

Kt—Kt5ch open spaces:

into the great

—

—

if

Q— K—

R—

14 K Ktl, Q KR3; 15 Kl, Bl, R7ch; 16 R8ch; 17 K2, QxP; 18 Bl, Kt— R7 with a winning game.

one of the most

ferior lines at Black’s disposal.

are

K—Kt3

Out

P— K4 P— Q4

P—K4

White’s

BxPch!!

KxB

14

Zam belly

a subtle preparation

came from!

GAMBIT BLACK

1

There 13

WHITE

is

0—0

12

PAWN COUNTER

Correspondence, 1897-1898

text

intended castling.

,

QUEEN'S

The

for a battering attack against

K— Q— R—

Q—B2ch

14

.

15

P—B4

PxP

16

KxP

R—Q5!

.

.

in-

e.p.ch

How-

White’s poor handling of the (Maroczy) to build up a crushing attack. ever,

position allows Black

3

.

4

Kt— B3

.

Much K5; 5 Kt for

B—Q3

.

—

is 4 P Q4!, P with a clear initiative

stronger

—K5!

White.

4

.

B 6 B

5

.

.

—Kt5ch —R4?

Kt—KB3

P—B3

Another weak move which puts the Bishop out of play. Better was 6 PxP, PxP; 7 B K2. As played, White lets his King’s Bishop wander off an im-

—

portant diagonal.

6

.

.

.

P—K5

8

PxP

9

KtxBP

Q—Kt3

10

KtxKt B Kt5

RxKt R—Qin

11

—

Black’s development has

made

.

—

—

—Q3

17

p

18

Kt—K4

.

.

Q—

B

Or 18 K—K2,

0-0

PxP Kt—Q4

7

Now we see the point of Black’s 11th move. The threat is 17 K4ch and R B5ch; 18 K K2, mate next move.

—Kt2ch

Q—K4ch with crush-

ing effect.

giant

18

.

19

KxKt

20

PxB

He

offers his

living

.

.

BxKtch

Q—R7! Queen

in the

through the attack.

hope of

Correspondence Chess

20

.

21

K—R4

.

.

QxPeh

11

QKt—Q2

RxB!!

12

BxKt Kt—Q4 PxKt

Spurning the Queen and playing for a quick mate.

22 23

R— R4ch!!

QxR KxR

The

P—R3ch P—Kt4ch

K—B4 K—K5

guises that

we might

has

PxP

BxP

16

QR—B1

Q—Kt3!?

17

BxP

QR— Q1

— —

game

—

18

B— R5!

BxPch

19

QxB

QxB

20

Q—B5!

Q—Q7?

Correct was 20

de-

spair of ever seeing it in a novel

form. Yet in the following

Pawn

surrendered Pawn must be reif 18 B K4??, BxB wins a piece, or if J 8 B Kt3?, B Q6 wins exchange. the

been used so often and in so

many

15

The

KB7

the backward

file.

gained:

Q—K3 mate!

classic attack against

—

P—B4

rid of

on the open

Q—R6ch

K—Kt5

14

Getting

Aside from his enormous material inferiority, Black is threatened with mate!

24 25 26

13

KtxKt B KB4 KtxKt

21

.

.

.

B

—K3!

Q—Kt4

QR— Ql!

22

this attack is as surprising as it is

rich in

charming

effects.

RUY LOPEZ Correspondence, 1937

WHITE

BLACK

Demuth

Merma gen

1

P—K4

P—K4

2

Kt—KB3

3

B

Kt—QB3 P— QR3 Kt—B3

4 5

—Kt5

B—R4 0—0

KtxP BxPch!!

Tarrasch’s favorite defense, which has a well-earned reputation for leading to lively play.

6

P—Q4

7

B

8

PxP

9

P—B3

P— QKt4 P—Q4 B— K3 B—K2

10

Q—K2

0—0

—Kt3

A

stunning surprise. If now 22 K6 wins. If 22 Rl; 23 K6, R Kt2 (if 23 RxB; 23 K7); 24 QxB!, Bl; 24 QxQ; 25 RxRch forces K2 (24 B7ch!, QxQ; 26 Rx mate); 25 Rch and mate next move.

K—

P— P— P—

KR—

.

22

347

.

.

.

.

—

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Q—

Q— .

KxB

Chess as

It Is

KxP P—K6ch!! K— Kl; 24 Q—B6ch, If 23 25 K— K2; 25 Q—B7ch, K—Kl K— B3; 26 RxR etc.); 26 P— .

.

.

.

QxP; 27 RxRch, QxR; 28

K7!,

Klch and mate

R—

11

.

12

B

13

QxB

.

.

—Kt4!

BxB PxP?

He

14 by 15 ..

should play

g—B3, P— K3

P—B4;

O—O

.

with a

13 .. followed .

game.

fair

.

R—B4M

25

A lovely

Resigns

finishing touch:

—

if

.

.

14

KtxP

15

QxP

PxP

The consequence

25 Meanwhile 26 R mate. gxR; K7 Black has the insoluble problem of .

to castle

is

he

that

the threat of 26

For

mate!

matter-of-fact character ,

all its

castling

R—g4

is

an

is

to castle in

good time leads

WHITE

BLACK

Dimock

Hogena uei

1

P—K4

P—QB4

2

Kt—KB3

3

P— Q4

Kt—QB3 PxP Kt—B3

7 8

Kt—Kt3

B—K3

9

P—B4

P

.

.

White

18

.

.

is

ready for the

—K5

11

0—0

final

phase.

Kt—B3

g6 mate — 19 Kt(Kt5) —B7 mate! to

19

threat was 19

Kt

or

QR—Q1

play

Getting his

P

—

Kt—K3

.

Q—QR4!

The

—Q4 gets

Kt—Kt5!

Again attacking and defending; but

B5.

10

destruction

Kt—B4

.

now White

wants to break up the hostile before

16

17

—KKt3 —Kt2

P B

He

.

menaced Knight and contemplating Kt B7ch, not to mention the threat of BxKt. Note the astonishing line-up of all four Knights on the same rank!

P— Q3

B—K2 B—K3

enter

Kt— Q4

.

Indirectly defending the

,

6

16

17

Correspondence 1939

5

.

Attacks and defends.

SICILIAN DEFENSE

KtxP Kt— QB3

Kt(3)—K4

15

to a

sparkling finish.

4

threatened with

Threatening instant with 17 Kt— K6.

Black’s failure

art.

of Black’s failure

16 g—B7 mate and 16 Kt—B7ch.

finding a satisfactory defense against

—

.

P—B3

.

Suicide.

K—Q2 K—B3; 25 g—B6ch, 24 .. K—B2; 26 g—K6 mate! If

.

follows.

QR—Klch!

24

answered by 11

is

KKtxP.

(if

.

KtxP

11

23

.

Played

Now

Kt— Q2

19

348

the threat .

.

.

last is

20

piece

into

play.

Kt(g5)—B7ch.

Q—B1

Correspondence Chess

6 7 8

B

0—0

BxKt P—Q3

PxB

P—K5!

9

10 Already a up a second

Pawn down, White gives Pawn in order to open up

the attacking diagonal

9

.

.

10

Q—Ktl KxKt; 21 Q— R3ch

20 KtxKP!! If

20

.

.

.

wins the Queen.

White mates on 21

.

.

.

.

23

.

Kt

0—0

—QR4?? 12 B — R3ch is

disastrous:

K—Bl;

11

Kt—Kt5!

Or

11

.

.

.

13

etc.

Q—K1

Kt— QR4;

BxPch, KR3; 14

12

Q— Kt5, P—

QxKt, PxKt;

B—

Kt3 and White’s 15 attack outweighs his Pawn minus.

Resigns

K— Ql;

.

BxPch,

K—Rl;

KtxKt

PxKt

—Q6ch

22

20 ..

the move.

KtxKt

22 Kt

On

If

.

QR3 — KB8.

PxP

.

Q—Kt3 11

—Kt5

Kt—B3

QxBP

Black completely helpless. A very enjoyable game, with instructive strategy and sharp tactical play.

leaves

12

B— R3

Kt—QR4

13

Q—Kt4

P— QKt3

3

1

.

.

loses the

.

QxKt

KtxB; 14

simply

exchange for Black.

B— Q3!

14

Not 14 QxRch?, QxQ; 15 BxQ, KtxB! and White’s Bishop is trapped!

Here

is

an attacking game that has

everything:

nation

,

a

farsighted

numerous

14

.

.

P—B4

.

combi-

sacrifices , spar-

kling finesses, able defense

and

masterly repulse of the counter-

is

Saves the exchange; but now White ready for the King-side attack.

Q—KR4

15

attack!

P—Kt3

—

If 15 P KR3; 16 Kt— K4 with a very difficult game for Black KtxKt be(he cannot play 16 .

SCOTCH GAMBIT

.

.

.

Correspondence, 1939

WHITE

BLACK

Davis

Walker

2

P—K4 P—Q4

3

P—QB3

1

4 5

KtxP B—QB4

cause of 17

.

.

winning a Rook).

Q—R6!I

16

P—K4

QxKt

In order to rule out the possibility of P R4 as a defense.

PxP PxP Kt— QB3 Kt—B3

.

349

.

—

.

16

.

17

B—K4!!

18

P

.

.

—KB4!!

Q—R5! B

—Kt2

Cltess as It Is Played

Leaving

White which

is

both

Bishops en prise, the main chance,

19

goes for to eliminate Black’s valuable

defensive Knight at

KB 3.

.

.

Q—B71

.

The mating it

21

looks, for

21

stronger than

20 R—B2?, —Kt5ch and

QxRch!;

wins.

R—B3! PxB

The

is

if

KxQ, Kt 20

threat

BxR

KR—Q1

only chance: a try for perpetual

check.

22

PxKt

R—Q8ch

23

RxR

QxRch

24

K—Kt2!

He

can get out of the checks, after

which his mate threat decides.

24 25 18

.

19

PxP!

.

BxB

.

.

.

K—R3!

For

after

K—Kt3!,

Q—

Kt8ch; 28

The

point:

White

is

a piece down,

Q—K7ch

.

Resigns

25 Q K8ch; 27 .

K—B4l

.

.

—B8ch;

K—Kt4!, Q—

Black must sur-

render.

An

but the attacked Knight cannot budge.

350

enthralling

26

game

all

the way!

Old

Ik These are old

Favorites

old games, and not-so-old games, wear well.

enough

to

be new

—games that we

first

saw

Some

of

them

as youngsters

who

were deeply impressed by the freshness of their combinative play.

Sometimes there as for

example

is

in the

an element of disenchantment in these games,

famous Evans win against MacDonnell

Viewing the game with

a coldly analytical eye,

overlooked moves that are just as attractive

as,

we

see that

(p. 352).

both players

but a good deal sounder

than, the actual continuation!

Hoffman

—Petroff

(p. 353),

on the other hand, could not possibly

be improved upon: the striking Queen

sacrifice leads to

mating tableau in which the victim’s Queen

Morphy performs against Marache (p. him to. The dread Evans Gambit has no clusion

is

a pretty

worse than useless!

354) just as terrors for

we would expect

him, and the con-

worked out with the perfection we naturally expect

Morphy game. The is

is

many

final

Knight maneuvers are

in a

irresistibly droll.

That the word “dread” is used advisedly about the Evans Gambit proved by Clemenz against Eisenschmidt (p. 355) surely a mas-

—

terly

game, though not played by masters. Curiously enough, the

utilization of the

Knights

is, if

anything, even prettier than in

final

Mor-

phy’s game.

We

come now

more modern vintage. The two immortal games between Lasker and Pillsbury have to be seen together to be appreciated properly. Lasker’s win (p. 360) is the more profound to

games

of

35i

Chess as

It

flashy,

has the bubbling energy which makes his games so enjoyable.

Breyer’s best games, such as the

he had the

they are

show that the numerous sacrifices

one with Esser

genius in him. Brilliant as

stuff of

(p. 358),

impressive than the originality of Breyer’s plan of

less

attack. Reti rightly

as

Played

original of the pair; yet Pillsbury’s victory (p. 361), while less

and

are,

h

K—B1

admired Breyer’s 14

which we describe

!!!,

"one of the deepest moves ever made on the chessboard.”

Do

you

agree?

Capablanca’s scintillating combination against Baca-Arus (p. 357) has something in

White not only

To

common

many

with

exploits a weakness,

he

first

forces

very existence!

its

the connoisseur, Capablanca’s provocation of

just as brilliant a

modern games:

of the best

.

.

P

.

—KKt3

conception as the slashing attack which follows

is

it.

About Nimzovich’s glorious win against Hakansson (p. 356) we ask, "Who but Nimzovich had the knack of getting such positions?” The answer is of course: "Nobody!” In this game we can detect that blend of sardonic humor, fiendish ingenuity and determination to wear no man’s collar which are uniquely Nimzovichian. He is as indestructible as a Dickens creation!

The beauty of these games does not fade with the passage From today’s headlines will come tomorrow’s old favorites. It was a great day in the history of

chess

when Captain Evans

4

intro-

5

duced his famous gambit. Although the Captain was only a middling player while his opponent was the greatest English

6

master of his time , MacDonnell

7

Evans

MacDonnell

P—QKt4 P—B3 P—Q4

BxP

B—R4 B

is

by the new-

baffled .

.

.

B

—Kt3!

Q—Q2

9 10

Kt—Kt5 PxP

Kt—Q1 PxP

11

B—R3

The development this diagonal

1

P—K4

P—K4

of

2

Kt— KB 3

Kt— QB3

castle?

3

B—B4

B—B4

.

is

.

.

of the Bishop

is

on

one of the key ideas

opening.

the

11

352

—KKt5?

Q—Kt3

8

London, 1838 BLACK

P—Q3

MacDonnell

EVANS GAMBIT WHITE

0—0

fangled opening. 7 the move.

was helpless against the gambit.

of time.

How

is

Black

Kt—R3

to

Old

P—B3 K— R1

12 13

B B

—Kt3ch —KR4

—

14

Favorites

20

B K3; 14 R— Ql, Or 13 BxB; IS RxQ, BxQ; 16 R K7ch .

.

.

B

—Q6 mate

History had been made; the gambit had successfully survived its first test!

—

with a winning game.

Q —B1

R—Ql!

Chess history is a procession of names which for most of us are no more than names. Occasionally we run across a game which gives us a vivid notion of the per-

sonality behind the

name.

GIUOCO PIANO Warsaw, 1844

WHITE Hoffman

Petroff

1

P— K4

P—K4

2

Kt— KB 3

Kt— QB3

B— B4

4

B—B4 P— B3

5

P-Q4

6

P—K5

3

RxKtch?!

IS

There

is

sacrifices!)

16

B

—

Q5

an easy win (but without by IS Q Kt5ch!, Kt B3; and Black is helpless.

—

—

.

.

15

.

.

QxR?

.

.

7

.

8

9

16 KtxBP!!

clever

move. The point

—

is

— — .

—

.

.

16

.

17

Q—Kt5ch

17

B

.

.

—Kt5ch mates

17

.

18

QxKPch

19

Q—K6ch

.

.

the strongest

move

Q—R5

KtxKBP!?

KxKt K—Kt3

PxPch

11

12

KtxBP

that

16 ... KtxKt; 17 B Kt5ch!, P B3; 18 Q K6ch, mate follows; or 16 BxKt; 17 BxBch, KtxB; 18 Q K6ch with the same result.

after

is

B— Q5 BxP Kt— Kt5?

10

MacDonnell must have overlooked this

—Q4!

Kt—B3 PxP Kt—K5

such situations.

After IS KxR! White has no good continuation of the attack! .

P

.

BLACK

QxKt

PxP Kt—K2 KtxB

not do because of 12 QxKtch in reply, with a winning game for Black. The text seems very ingenious, the idea being that if KxKt; 13 QxKtch followed 12 .. 12

.

.

will

.

.

QxB.

by 14 a

move

sooner.

P—B3

12

.

.

.

O—O!!

Foreseeing that despite the loss of the Queen, he will have a mating at-

K—Q2 K—B2

tack.

3S3

— Chess 05

— It Is

Played

18 K—Kt5, P— R3 —KR4, Kt—B4ch; 18

R5, Kt— B5ch; mate; or 17 P

K— R5, K6

P

—Kt3ch

and 19

.

.

B

.

mate!

Kt— Q5ch

17

.

18

Kt—K6

BxKtch

Kt—B4ch

20

K—R4 K—R3

20

K— Kt4

19

.

.

with 20

.

.

—

.

mate beginning Kt—K6ch.

allows a

20 K Kt5 holds out the longest, but White still succumbs.

KtxQ

13

20 21

13 QxKt, RxKt leads to some smart variations: J4 QxB, Kt4ch; IS K R3, Q3ch winning the Queen; or 14 P K6, B B7ch and 15 R5 mate; or 14 R KB1, Kt4ch; IS K R3, P Q3ch again winning

The

—

—

.

—

—

13 ..

.

.

Q—

Q—

B

.

—B7ch

14

— P— — K— — — — — —

If

.

P—Q3ch

.

now IS P

15

16

a

17

if

.

after

y

’

keep the earth after they inherit

New

KtxKP! for

a

of

EVANS GAMBIT

waiting

—

P—Kt3

—

3S4

Orleans 18S7

WHITE Marache

,

BLACK

Morphy

1

P—K4

P—K4

2

Kt—KB3

Kt—QB3

B—B4 P—QKt4 P—B3

B—B4

3

White’s helplessness is curious: thus 17 K R3, Kt B5 mate; or 17 K

—

Defense was named

,

Kt—B5ch

situation

.

—K6 mate

it.”

move! Black threatens mate beginning with 17 R B5ch. .

B

Mara che’s effrontery in playing an Evans Gambit against the great Morphy! “It’s goin’ t’ be fun,” said Kin Hubbard “t watch an’ see how long th meek

—Kt4, Kt—B5 mate!

P—K6 K—Kt4

What

P—Kt3ch

K—Kt5

Think

— —

.

.

K—R5

is

R5ch; 16 K Kt5, R3ch followed by Kt K2 mate), P R3ch; 16 R5 (if 16 K Kt6, Kt— K2ch; 17 K R5, R R5 mate), R R5ch; 17 K Kt6, Kt K2 mate! .

22

.

Petroff’s

leads

the winner of this astounding game.

K—Kt4, R—B5ch there a shorter mate: IS K—Kt5 (if IS K R3, R— R5 mate; or IS K— R5, R On

.

23

P

Kt—Kt7ch

21

.

—KR4!; 22 R— RxP, K— B2!

P—Kt4,

21

Ktl, PxPch; 23 to mate.

K—R3

14

Kt—K6ch

.

K— R4

On

P—

— White’s Queen!

.

.

alternative

Q—

14

.

4 5

BxP

B—R4

Old 6 P 7

—Q4

PxP

Black’s Knights are poised for the

P— Q4!

P— K5

Morphy never

Favorites

failed

kill!

19

open up

to

8

PxPe.p.

QxP

9

0—0

KKt

—K2

play 10

B

— R3,

he gets sidetracked on a puerile demonstration which Morphy thrusts back with almost insulting ease. Instead,

11

—Kt5?

B— Q3

0—0 B

—B4!

—

BxB

KtxB

13

B— R3

Q—Kt3

14

BxR

QxKt PxP

16

Q— Q3, Kt— KKt6!!

19

wins the

two Knights (20 Qx either Kt, Kt— K7ch) or if 20 QxQ, Kt( 5)

Queen

for

— K7 mate.

R— Ql, Kt— K6! 20 QxQ, Kt— K7ch; 21 K— Rl, RxR mate. 19 Q— R4, P— Kt4!; 20 QxB, Kt— K7ch; 21 K— Rl, KtxB; 22 R— Ktl (or 22 P— Kt3, Q— B3ch; 23 P— B3, QxPch!! R— Q8!; 23 P— Kt3, If

19

;

.

17

B—B4

Q—Kt3 R— Q1

18

Q—B2

Kt(3)

),

Q— B3ch

and mate next move. Morphy’s combination was as sound it was brilliant.

the great masters

have produced with the Evans

known. The following game, played by two amateurs, is a masterpiece which richly deserves a place of honor in any collection of fine games.

Gambit

16

.

If

position:

The gems which

Nobody could afford such timewasting maneuvers against Morphy! .

grammed

as

12

B— R3 B— B1

QxQ,

20

If

Black is not afraid to lose the exchange, as he will have three Pawns for it not to mention a strong attack.

15

—

Kt(5) K7 mate! A stunning surprise for White, but could he have done better? From the diaIf

although even then his attacking prospects would not be worth a Pawn.

10 Kt

Kt—KKt6!!

20 Resigns

lines for his pieces.

White should now

Q—K4

—Q5

are well

EVANS GAMBIT Dorpat, 1862

WHITE Clemenz

BLACK Eisenschmidt

1

P— K4

P—K4

2

Kt— KB 3

Kt— QB3

B— B4

6

B— B4 P— QKt4 P— B3 P— Q4

7

PxP

B

8

0—0

P— Q3

3

4 5

BxP

B—B4 PxP

—Kt3

The famous “Normal 355

Position” of

—

8

Chess as

It Is

K—B1 20 KxKt; 21 Q—K6ch, K—Kt2; 22 Q—B7ch, K— R3; 23 Kt —K4ch and mate follows. 20 .. K—Kt3; 21 Q— R5ch, K—B4; 22 P—Kt4ch, KxKt; 23 Q—

the Evans, from which Morphy, Anderssen, Zukertort and Tchigorin evolved some of their most beautiful games.

9

.

.

Kt—R4

.

20

or 9

.

.

.

.

B

—Kt5

P—K5

PxP

11

R—Kl

12

Kt—KKt5

KKt K2 B—K3

K—

—

14

KtxKP

Q-Q3

15

KtxKtPch

K—Bl

16

Q—Kt4

BxP

17

Kt—K4

Q—Kt5?

21 If

Q—

.

.

18 Kt 1

good enough

—

22

mate

threat.

QxB

21 ..

Q—B5

.

(to prevent

KR—QBl!

22

Q—K6.

to allow

Q—K6!

Kt—Q1

—

parry,

.

.

22

forces Black

If 22 K Kt2; 23 and mate next move.

23 a

K—

.

Q— K—

.

.

—K6ch! B — Q2 was but White

.

Q—

Q— K6);

tempting, both as Rooks are attacked and mate is threatened. The best defense, however, was Kt3! 17 .

K—

.

Relieves the

Superficially

.

K— K—

Q—

—Q7 mate! 21 B — R3M

Q—R5!

PxB

.

K—

O—O

BxB

—

K Kt2; 21 Kt— R5ch, 20 .. Bl; 22 B3ch, Kl; 23 Kt— Bl; 24 B6ch, Q1 (if 23 Kt Q5ch wins the Queen); 24 Kt B7ch, Bl; 25 R3 ch, K Ktl; 26 Kt—Q7ch, Bl; 27 Kt—Kt6ch, B8ch!!, RxQ; 29 Kt Ktl; 28

—

13

.

.

B7 mate.

Best under the circumstances. 12 would be ruinous because

of 13

.

.

If

10

.

.

If

gives Black better chances.

.

Kt—Kt5chl!

If

B—Q2

Kt—B3

9

Played

Q—B7ch!!

—K6 mate!

Kt—R5ch

KtxQ

24 Kt

sees brilliant possibilities in

One

the position.

18

.

19

Kt— B6ch

.

.

K—K1

K—B2

of the

most beautiful mating

positions ever brought off in actual play!

Black

castles

leaves his

with his

King

Queen but ,

in danger!

FRENCH DEFENSE Match, 1922

WHITE Nimzovich

3

P—K4 P— Q4 P—K5

P—K3 P—Q4 P—QB4

4

Q—Kt4?l

PxP

1

2

3S