The Westminster Papers. 1st JULY, 1878. THE CHESS "The whisperings of our petty burgh." THE interest manifested by the London Chess world during the progress of the Paris tournament was intensified when the result of the play in the eleven rounds was announced on the 24th ultimo. A tie between Winawer and Zukertort for the chief honours, Blackburne a bad third, a tie for the fourth place between Bird and Mackenzie, and the veteran Anderssen absolute last in the list of prize holders furnished ample material for comment. There was little surprise. however, for every one who had observed the play during the last two weeks of the tourney anticipated some such result. After the ninth round it was obvious that the force and steadiness of Winawer and Zukertort, so admirably sustained, must be crowned with the success these qualities had fairly earned for their possessors. Blackburne, on the other hand, displayed throughout the struggle an inexplicable mixture of strength and weakness that accounted for while it confounded the aspirations of his admirers. It is impossible to overpraise Mr. Mackenzie's performance. Notwithstanding that for many years past he has had no opportunities for practice with players of equal force, he defeated in this tourney the winners of the chief prizes, and shows a bad score against Anderssen and Rosenthal only. His games with Winawer and Zukertort are among the great ones the tournament has produced, and entitle him to a place in the front rank of the Chess players of our time. Mr. Bird's performance is chiefly notable for the overwhelming defeats he sustained in the first few rounds and his subsequent recovery of much of the ground he had lost by them His two games with Anderssen, both of which were won by him, are fine examples of his brilliant style of play. Every Chess player will rejoice to see the name of Anderssen among the prize winners, and many will regret that it is not higher on the list. But at sixty years of age there must, in the most gifted of mortals, be some decay of power. It must be said of Anderssen, however, that he has maintained his Chess force against his contemporaries for a longer time than any player that ever entered the Chess arena. He was thirty-three years of age when he carried off the first prize in the London tournament of 1851, and in the year of grace, 1878, his name having been rarely absent from any tourney of note in the interval, he is found a formidable adversary for the best players the world can produce. M. Rosenthal's score is something of a surprise, his capacity for match play having led us to regard him at the outset as a dangerous competitor for the principal prize. His play on this occasion has been unequal, and his total defeat by Winawer and Zukertort deprived him of all chance of retrieving his position. The score of Herr Englisch is perhaps the most remarkable in the list, for although he was defeated by no player in the tourney except Mr. Blackburne, he has failed to secure a place among the winners. He is said to be a young player, however, and can therefore afford to wait for the triumph that time must bring. Mr. Mason is another youthful competitor who, with more experience of European play, will undoubtedly be found among the winners in some future tourney. MM. Clerc, Gifford, and Pitschell are amateurs of considerable force, who entered the lists with the view of acquiring experience by practice with good players, rather than with the hope of gaining a prize. The score of M. Clerc, the strongest of the trio, is highly creditable to his Chess powers. On the whole, the competitors in this tourney present the strongest array of Chess talent that has ever been brought together, and the average merit of the play will be found to be worthy of such an occasion. On this point we have taken some pains to enable our readers to judge for themselves. The present number contains over fifty games played in this tourney, comprising, amongst others, all contested between the prize-holders that are not included in the batch of fourteen that appeared in our last. For the preparation of these games for the press, and the ample notes appended to them, the Chess world is indebted to Mr. Potter, through whose exertions we are enabled to present in this number an unparalleled feat in Chess journalism. For the nonce we are "exclusively devoted" to Chess, but beg to assure readers interested in Whist and the Drama that the articles on these subjects will be resumed next month. As we go to press we have received intelligence that enables us to announce the final destination of all the prizes. The tie between Mr. Mackenzie and Mr. Bird was played off on the 27th and 29th July, and resulted in the former winning the two games required to secure the fourth place. The play between Herren Winawer and Zukertort, was commenced on the 27th, and continued on the 29th, the result being two drawn games. On the 30th and 31st Zukertort succeeded in defeating Winawer, thus scoring the two games and winning the first prize. The equality of force in these two masters has been very remarkable throughout the progress of the tourney, as a reference to the score table will show. The following is the full score of the eleven rounds of the tourney :— THE PARIS INTERNATIONAL TOURNEY. Each Competitor played two games with all the others. (Drawn games count half a point to each side.) Mackenzie 2 Englisch Clerc Mason Gifford ... 2 I-0 0-0 0-0 I-0 0-0 O 0-1 Games lost 5 51 71 9 9 Games won. We have not seen any exact statement of the value of the several prizes as affected by the augmentation announced last month, but we reproduce here the values as given by La Strategie : It is understood that the augmentation referred to consists of additions to the value of the works of art, and an increase in the number of prizes from four to six. The progress of this tourney has been watched with surpassing interest in London Chess circles, and the feeling has been fostered by the spirit and enterprise with which the weekly Chess journals have obtained and supplied the public with the latest information. In London the Illustrated London News, Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, and Land and Water have every week supplied the score up to the night before publication, and in the country the Glasgow Herald has not been behind its metropolitan contemporaries, being always up to the mark with the score and giving its readers beside a series of entertaining letters from a Special correspondent. There has been the usual gossip about the players and their proceedings, the Battle of Mont Blanc being among the most amusing, and the Divan was enlivened on one evening with a discussion that raised, but did not settle, a question of some public interest. Suppose we put it to the Chess world in the shape of two delicate questions of honour, and in this way : Ist Question. Is a player in a Chess tournament justified in taking money as a consideration that he should lose a game? 2nd Question. A, B, and C are playing in a tourney with other competitors, is B justified in taking from C a sum of money to do his best to beat A without all the others in the tourney being informed of the arrangement? We have a strong opinion ourselves upon the subject of these "arrangements," but before expressing it we should really like to receive from Chess amateurs a reply to the questions set forth above. We wish it to be distinctly understood, however, that in putting these questions we disclaim all intention of charging the players in the recent tourney with having made any arrangements of the kind to which reference is made. The annual meeting of the Counties Chess Association was opened at King's College, Strand, on the 29th ultimo, when thirteen competitors appeared to compete for the Society's Challenge Cup now held by Mr. Jenkin, of Glasgow. In the Second Class tourney there are six entries, viz.: Messrs. Burroughs, Darrall, De Soyres, Newham, Murray, and Master Jackson, but the lists of the Handicap Tourney have not yet been closed. following is the result of two days' play in the challenge tourney: Earnshaw The Col. Minchin - Each competitor plays one game with all the others, and drawn games count half a point to each side. Our American exchanges this month display a lively interest in the Paris tournament, notably in the Turf, Field, and Farm and the Hartford Times. The later news, showing the really fine score of the American champion, had not reached the States, but when it does we feel sure that Mr. Mackenzie will receive the appreciation due to the skill he has shown in the Paris tourney. The prizes in the Problem Association Tourney have been awarded by the judges, Messrs. Elson, Neill, and Reichelm. In respect of the sets, the award is-1st S. Loyd; 2nd, W. A. Shinkman; 3rd, Dr. C. C. Moore; 4th, author unknown, motto Che Sara; 5th, X. Hawkins. The prize for the best problem is awarded to Mr. Loyd. |