The following game on this mode of playing the Knight's Opening, extracted from the Berlin Schachzeitung, and published in the Chess-Player's Chronicle for Jan., 1847, was played between Messrs. Heydebrandt and Hanstein: White (Hanstein). 1. K. P. two. 2. K. Kt. to B. 3d. Black (Heydebrandt). 1. K. P. two. 2. Q. Kt. to B. 3d. 3. K. B. to Q. Kt. 5th. (a) 3. K. B. to Q. B. 4th. 15. K. Kt. to his 5th sq. (ƒ) 15. Q. B. to K. B. 4th. 16. B. takes Kt. 17. Q. to K. R. 4th. 19. Q. B. to K. 3d. (g) 16. P. takes B. 17. Kt. to Q. 4th. 18. P. takes Kt. 19. Q. to her Kt. 4th. White. 27. Q. to her B. 6th. (¿) 33. Q. to K. B. 6th, check. Black. sq. (k 27. K. R. to K. 38. K. to Kt. 2d. 39. K. to B. 3d. game was resigned as a drawn NOTES. (a) The question whether B. to Q. Kt. 5th or to Q. B. 4th is the better move at this point for the first player, is nearly as old as the present mode of playing chess. Lopez considered Q. Kt. to B. 3d, as recommended by his predecessor Damiano for the 2d move of the defence, a bad one, on account of this very move of K. B. to Q. Kt. 5th. His variations show, however, that he had but imperfectly analyzed the consequences. The Italian players, and with them the succeeding German, English, and French authors, considered K. B. to Q. Kt. 5th, a weak move, and unanimously declared for K. B. to Q. B. 4th; many players of the present time, and some of the most recent works-amongst others Le Palamède, for March, 1846—join in this opinion. The analyses of the authors are, however, very incomplete; and we are indebted to the labors of Mr. Mayet in Bilguer's work, and the more modern investigations of Jaenisch, for the better appreciation of this move. Those writers consider the best defence not satisfactory, and believe K. B. to Q. Kt. 5th at least equal in strength to K. B. to Q. B. 4th. (b) Stronger than Q. Kt. to B. 3d, as affording a more lasting attack, (c) Black may here play K. Kt. to his 3d, which White would follow with 10. P. takes Q. B. P. 10. Q. or B. takes P. 11. Q. Kt. to B. 3d, with a superior game. (d) At this point, Jaenisch leaves the game, considering White's position as the better. Q. P. two, Black's reply to the 11th move of White, with correct play, would most likely lead to a drawn game. A much stronger move, although it may not appear so theoretically, would be Q. to her R.'s third. For in that case Black could not advance his Q. P. two, as White would gain an advantage by answering with K. R. to Q. sq., which would give to Black a very confined position. Indeed it is not difficult to see, that after the move recommended, of Q. to her R. third, Black's game affords no satisfactory defence for a length of time; and we must repeat that the playing K. B. to Q. B. 4th by the second player as his 3d move, is not to be commended. (e) If the Kt. takes this P., Black gains an advantage by Q. B. to K. B. 4th. (f) To separate the Pawns on the Q. side. (g) If the Rook take the P., the Q. gives mate; and if, instead of playing the Bishop to K.'s third, he were played to K. B. 4th, Black might exchange Bishops, and then support his Q.'s P. by mov ing B. to K. third. (h) A bold sacrifice to be ventured in an actual game. (i) The only saving move, and one which at the same time im perils Black. (k) This is the best move, K. R. takes K. B. P. would perhaps have been good, but K. B. takes Kt. would have lost the game, e. g. 27. Q. to her B. 6th. 28. Q. takes R., check. 27. B. takes Kt. 28. K. to Kt. 2d (best.) 29. K. to R. 3d. (Interposing B. would cost a piece.) 30. Q. to K. B. 8th, check. 30. K. to R. 4th. 31. K. takes P. (or mate follows in two moves.) (1) Interposing the B. would lead to perpetual check. (m) Q. R. to B. 4th, would also have been good, but the move in the text is more beautiful, as it involved a snare, into which Black fell, and enabled White to save the game. (n) Black could not resist the temptation of winning the R. for B., and thus overlooked the perpetual check. The strongest move for him was Q. R. to Q. sq. (0) If the other B. takes the R., White gives perpetual check. (P) We recommend the study of the terminating moves, which were exremely difficult for both parties. They prove the possibility of positions occurring where two Pawns not even moved can draw the game against a Bishop. (9) Black would have had a better chance of winning by not exchanging Rooks. (r) Most important, because the B. might otherwise have prevented the P. advancing to compel the Black P. to take. (s) If Black does not take P., White would win. (?) As it is, the game must be drawn, even if White had no Pawns, since the P. on Rook's file can never reach the eighth sq. To the young student it may be profitable to point out that King, Bishop, and Rook's Pawn cannot win against single K. in front of P. unless the Bishop be of a color to command the 8th or Queening sq. of that Rook's file on which the P. marches. This axiom is well exemplified by the position from Carrera on the following page : In this situation Black draws the game, the result depending, however, upon his playing his 3d move correctly, e. g. White has the move and plays as follows: BLACK. WHITE. The game may, however, be easily drawn, if Black play the 3d move properly. Instead of moving K. to his B. sq., he ought to play K. to B. 2d sq., and if the B. check at Q. 5th sq., Black will play K. tc K. Kt. 3d sq., and will gain the Pawn. A. 3. B. to Q. 5th sq. 3. If Black play K. to K. B. sq., White will advance the P. and win the game; he must play K. to his 2d sq., then to K. B. 3d sq., secure of capturing Pawn or gaining and keeping the corner, in which case the P. cannot win. It is superfluous to repeat, that when the Bishop commands the 8th sq., the game is speedily forced. If White in the above position, and others analagous, had even several Pawns behind each other on the Rook's file, the adverse single K., being in front, would equally draw as against one, on account of the Bishop's not commanding the extreme square of the file. |
