The Westminster Budget from London, Greater London, England • Page 26

24 THE WESTMINSTER BUDGET NOVEMBER 1899 of this variation, and played it successfully on various occasions, notably at the Hastings Tournament against Pillsbury KING'S GAMBIT DECLINED. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18. An interesting tournament will commence in Vienna on December 17. To improve Chess in Austria-Hungary, the late Baron Kolisch bequeathed a fund to the Vienna Chess Club for investment, thus endowing the periodical national tournaments, of which the first is to be held now. If the best players will enter it ought to prove an important event.

The prizes are and 50f. Not more than sixteen players are admitted. The important events last week were the matches hetween the Metropolitan and Hampstead Chess Clubs, won by the former, and the match between Battersea and the North London Clubs, won by Battersea, perhaps even unexpectedly by the victors. This week North London suffered a more severe defeat at the hands of the City of London Chess Club. Twenty-five boards were engaged, and the City won by nineteen games to six.

Hampstead beat the Metropolitan in a match, after a good fight on the part of Hampstead, by games to 8 )4- Another match between the West London and Chiswick Chess upon nine boards, resulted in favour of West London by five games to four. Mr. Atherley-Jones, Q.C., M.P., played board No. 1 for Chiswick, but, being president of both clubs, he only drew, probably out of courtesy. The following game from the recent London International Tournament furnishes an instructive Pawn'Ending QUEEN'S PAWN OPENING.

J. Mason. II; N. Pillsbury. J.

Mason. Black. White. Black. to KB4 32.

RtoR8 to B2 Kt to KB3 33. (Kt5) to Kt8 to K4 to K3 34. to sq to K5 to K2 35. to R5 to K2 Castles 36. to B2 to Q6 to QKt3 37.

Kt ch (K sq) to Kt2 38. RxR Qto Ksq 39. RxR Kx 40. to K3 to K2 Kt Kt 41. P.

to K3 42. to B4 to B2 PtoB3 43. KtoKt4 to sq KttoR3 44. to B4 to B2 to R4 45. to K5 to K2 QR to sq 46.

to Q5 to Q2 to Q4 47. to K5 to K2 KttoKtsq 48. to B4 to K3 BtoKt4 49. to K4 to B2 Kt Kt 50. to Q5 to K2 51.

to K5 to B2 KttoQsq 52. to Q6 to sq to Kt3 53. to K6 to sq 54. to Kt4 to sq PtoKt4 55. PtoR5 to Kt sq to R3 56.

to K7 to sq PxP 57. to B8 to R2 to B4 58. to B7 PxP PxP 59. PxP KtoRsq to' Q4 60. to Kt6 to Kt sq QP 61.

to R6 to sq to Q2 62.PxPch Resigns There is not much in the game to criticise. Black has somewhat the inferior position, which he necessarily should have with the to KB4 defence. Dr. Tarrasch, who was tempted to try it against Steinitz in the Hastings Tournament, said he never tried it before; and never will try it again. Black might have played to K5 to prevent the advance of the KP.

Afterwards nothing noteworthy occurred till to Kt sq. He should have played first to Kt'5; 18. KR moves, then Kt to Kt sq. White was enabled to capture a Pawn in consequence of this omission, and, changing pieces after having broken up Black's Pawns, he thought of remaining with ah ending that should be won easily, instead of which it turned out to be a remarkable drawn position, had Black played correctly, so the interesting part really commences after Black's 41st move. It is an instructive ending, Mason playing right enough till to Kt sq, which is the losing move, whereas 56, to Kt sq would have drawn.

If 57. to B5, then to B2 58. to Kt6 ch, to sq 59. to K6, to Kt sq and draws. The following game, from Mr.

Blackburne's "Games, of Chess," is interesting from the fact that on this occasion; originated the beautiful variation of leaving a Rook en prise for the attack. Tchigorin is very fond II. 1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

14. 15. 16. 17. 18.

19. 20. 21. 22. 23.

24. 25. 26. 27. 28.

29. 30. 31. N. Pillsbury.

White. to Q4 to QB4 Kt to QB3 PtoK3 to Q3 Kt to B3 Castles to K2 to K4 Kt 13 Kt to B4 KR to sq to Kt3 Kt to K5 to K3 Kt to B4 to K4 Pto KR4 QxQ KR to QB sq to R4 to R6 to Kt3 to Kt sq RxKtP KtP i H. Blackburne. White. 1.

to K4 2. PtoKB4 3. Kt to KB3 4. KttoB3 5. to B4 6.

to Q3 7. to QR3 8. to R3 9. QxB 10. to Kt3 11.

to sq 12. 13. to sq 14. to KKt5 15. PtoQKt4 16.

PtoQR4 17. to Q2 18. to QKtsq 19. to B2 20. PtoKt4 21.

Kt to K2 Prof. Anderssen. Black. to K4 to B4 PtoQ3 Kt to KB3 PtoQR3 KttoB3 to KKt5 Bx Kt Kt to Q5 to K2 PtoB3 Fx to KKt sq Castles to to K2 to KKt4 to Kt3 to R3 PtoKt4 J. Hj.

Blackburne. 22. 23. to R2 24- to Kt4 25. KtxKt 26.

to B5 27. to K2 28. to R7 29. to Q2 30. RxR 31.

to KB sq 32. to Kt8 33. RxP 34. to B8 to QB4 35. QtoQ5ch 37.

to R8 38. to Kt3 39. BtoR4ch 40. to B8 ch 41. Kt ch 42.

to K8 ch commencing Prof. Anderssen. Black." RPx to Q2 QtoQsq Kt Kt to sq to B3 PtoB4 to Kt5 to Q3 to K2 to sq to Q2 tp QKt3 to B2 to Q2 Kt to B3 to K3 Kt to Q2 Resigns with 10. to Kt 3 Mr. Blackburne says that the variation occurred to him on the spur of the moment, and took Professor Anderssen by surprise.

He did not venture upon Kt ch and Kt as he naturally assumed Mr. Blackburne had sprung upon him a variation well considered beforehand. The capture of the Rook, however, is not an unalloyed pleasure either, as Black is subjected to a most violent attack, in which White can temporarily disregard the absence of the Queen's Rook. Black had a good enough game afterwards but he compromised it with the advance of the KKt and QKt Pawns, and White manoeuvred very skilfully against his formidable opponent. The latter part of the game, commencing with 28.

to R7, is well worth careful study. He cleverly pinned Black's Kt at sq, drew off Black's Queen from the defence by threatening 36. to Kt5 ch, and brought his Bishop into play by force after 37. to R8. The game was then easily won.

PROBLEM No. 185. By F. Kohnlein, of Munich. BLACK (four pieces).

WHITE (five pieces), White to play and mate in three moves. SOLUTION OF PROBLEM NO. 183. 1. to Kt5, 2.

to B4 ch, moves 3. Either Kt mates. 1. to B3 2. to Kt8 ch, to Q5 3.

Kt to B2 mates. SOLUTION OF PROBLEM NO. 184. 1. to B7, Kt i 2.

to B7, Any move 3. Kt or mates. A KNOTTY MEDICAL POINT. Some time ago a German Court had to adjudicate on the question whether corns constitute a disease. A still more abstruse problem has, we learn from the British Medical Journal, recently engaged the attention of a Vienna tribunal.

A medical practitioner of that city, having occasion to operate, very properly trimmed his nails as a preliminary. In doing so, however, he cut his finger, but was, nevertheless, able to perform several operations on the same day. The wound became infected, and the practitioner himself had to be operated on. He was thus disabled for twenty- one days, and therefore claimed five florins a day from an accident assurance company. The company repudiated liability on the ground that, according to its by-laws, no claim can be entertained for an operation performed by a medical practitioner on himself.

The question whether nail-cutting is a surgical operation appears to have proved too much for the judicial intellect, for the Court reserved its decision..