27. P - B 3 R - K 1 28. R (Q 2) - K 2 R - K 3

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Now the Black Rook enters into the game, but White is prepared. It is now time to give back the exchange. {93}

29. R P B R 30. R B R - K R 3 31. Q - K 8 Q Q 32. R Q ch K - B 2 33. R - K 5 R - Q B 3 34. Kt - Q 2

R - B 5 ch might have been better. The text move did not prove as strong as antic.i.p.ated.

34. ........ K - B 3 35. R - Q 5 R - K 3 36. Kt - K 4 ch K - K 2

R Kt would lose easily

37. R B P P - Q 6 !

Very fine. White cannot play R B 7 ch because of K - Q 1; R B, R Kt winning.

38. K - B 2 B Kt 39. P B R P 40. R - Q 5 R - K 6

The ending is very difficult to win. At this point White had to make the last move before the game was adjourned.

[Ill.u.s.tration] {94}

41. P - Q Kt 4 ! R - K 5 42. R P R P 43. R - K R 3 R P 44. R P ch K - B 3 45. R P K - B 4 46. K - B 3 R - Kt 7 47. R - R 5 ch K - B 3 48. R - R 4 K - Kt 4 49. R P R R P 50. P - R 4 ch K - R 4 51. R - B 5 ch K - R 3 52. P - Kt 4 Resigns

I have pa.s.sed over the game lightly because of its difficult nature, and because we are at present concerned more with the opening and the middle-game than we are with the endings, which will be treated separately.

24. CUTTING OFF PIECES FROM THE SCENE OF ACTION

Very often in a game a master only plays to cut off, so to speak, one of the pieces from the scene of actual conflict. Often a Bishop or a Knight is completely put out of action. In such cases we might say that from that moment the game is won, because for all practical purposes there will be one more piece on one side than on the other. A very good ill.u.s.tration is furnished by the following game. {95}

EXAMPLE 54.--Played at the Hastings Victory Tournament, 1919. (Four Knights.) White: W. Winter. Black: J. R. Capablanca.

1. P - K 4 P - K 4 2. Kt - K B 3 Kt - Q B 3 3. Kt - B 3 Kt - B 3 4. B - Kt 5 B - Kt 5 5. O - O O - O 6. B Kt

Niemzowitch's variation, which I have played successfully in many a game.

It gives White a very solid game. Niemzowitch's idea is that White will in due time be able to play P - K B 4, opening a line for his Rooks, which, in combination with the posting of a Knight at K B 5, should be sufficient to win. He thinks that should Black attempt to stop the Knight from going to K B 5, he will have to weaken his game in some other way. Whether this is true or not remains to be proved, but in my opinion the move is perfectly good. On the other hand, there is no question that Black can easily develop his pieces. But it must be considered that in this variation White does not attempt to hinder Black's development, he simply attempts to build up a position which he considers impregnable and from which he can start an attack in due course.

6. ........ Q P B

{96} The alternative, Kt P B; gives White the best of the game, without doubt.[8]

7. P - Q 3 B - Q 3 8. B - Kt 5

This move is not at all in accordance with the nature of this variation.

The general strategical plan for White is to play P - K R 3, to be followed in time by the advance of the K Kt P to Kt 4, and the bringing of the Q Kt to K B 5 via K 2 and K Kt 3 or Q 1 and K 3. Then, if possible, the K Kt is linked with the other Kt by placing it at either K R 4, K Kt 3, or K 3 as the occasion demands. The White King sometimes remains at Kt 1, and other times it is placed at K Kt 2, but mostly at K R 1. Finally, in most cases comes P - K B 4, and then the real attack begins. Sometimes it is a direct a.s.sault against the King,[9] and at other times it comes simply to finessing for positional advantage in the end-game, after most of the pieces have been exchanged.[10]

8. ........ P - K R 3 9. B - R 4 P - B 4

{97}

[Ill.u.s.tration]

To prevent P - Q 4 and to draw White into playing Kt - Q 5, which would prove fatal. Black's plan is to play P - K Kt 4, as soon as the circ.u.mstances permit, in order to free his Queen and Knight from the pin by the Bishop.

10. Kt - Q 5

White falls into the trap. Only lack of experience can account for this move. White should have considered that a player of my experience and strength could never allow such a move if it were good.

10. ........ P - K Kt 4

[Ill.u.s.tration] {98} After this move White's game is lost. White cannot play Kt Kt P, because Kt Kt will win a piece. Therefore he must play B - Kt 3, either before or after Kt Kt, with disastrous results in either case, as will be seen.

11. Kt Kt ch Q Kt 12. B - Kt 3 B - Kt 5 13. P - K R 3 B Kt 14. Q B Q Q 15. P Q P - K B 3

[Ill.u.s.tration]

A simple examination will show that White is minus a Bishop for all practical purposes. He can only free it by sacrificing one p.a.w.n, and possibly not even then. At least it would lose time besides the p.a.w.n. Black now devotes all his energy to the Queen's side, and, having practically a Bishop more, the result cannot be in doubt. The rest of the game is given, so that the student may see how simple it is to win such a game. {99}

16. K - Kt 2 P - Q R 4 17. P - Q R 4 K - B 2 18. R - R 1 K - K 3 19. P - R 4 K R - Q Kt 1

There is no necessity to pay any attention to the King's side, because White gains nothing by exchanging p.a.w.ns and opening the King's Rook file.

20. P P R P P 21. P - Kt 3 P - B 3 22. R - Q R 2 P - Kt 4 23. K R - R 1 P - B 5

If White takes the proffered p.a.w.n, Black regains it immediately by R - Kt 5, after P B P.

24. R P P P P (Kt 6) 25. B P P R P 26. R - R 4 R P 27. P - Q 4 R - Kt 4 28. R - B 4 R - Kt 5 29. R B P R P Resigns

25. A PLAYER'S MOTIVES CRITICISED IN A SPECIMEN GAME

Now that a few of my games with my own notes have been given, I offer for close perusal and study a very fine game played by Sir George Thomas, one of England's foremost players, against Mr. F. F. L. Alexander, in the championship of the City of London Chess Club in the winter of 1919-1920.

It has the {100} interesting feature for the student that Sir George Thomas kindly wrote the notes to the game for me at my request, and with the understanding that I would make the comments on them that I considered appropriate. Sir George Thomas' notes are in brackets and thus will be distinguished from my own comments.

EXAMPLE 55.--Queen's Gambit Declined. (_The notes within brackets by Sir George Thomas._) White: Mr. F. F. L. Alexander. Black: Sir George Thomas.

1. P - Q 4 P - Q 4 2. Kt - K B 3 Kt - K B 3 3. P - B 4 P - K 3 4. Kt - B 3 Q Kt - Q 2 5. B - Kt 5 P - B 3 6. P - K 3 Q - R 4

[Ill.u.s.tration]

(One of the objects of Black's method of defence is to attack White's Q Kt doubly by Kt - K 5, followed by P P. But 7 Kt - Q 2 is probably a strong way {101} of meeting this threat.) There are, besides, two good reasons for this method of defence; first, that it is not as much played as some of the other defences and consequently not so well known, and second that it leaves Black with two Bishops against B and Kt, which, in a general way, const.i.tutes an advantage.

7. B Kt Kt B 8. P - Q R 3 Kt - K 5 9. Q - Kt 3 B - K 2

This is not the logical place for the B which should have been posted at Q 3. In the opening, time is of great importance, and therefore the player should be extremely careful in his development and make sure that he posts his pieces in the right places.