11973.
Announced mates
Zachary Saine (Amsterdam) asks how the practice of Announced
Mates arose.
11974.
Cyril Pustan (1929-77)
Willibald Müller (Munich, Germany) draws our
attention to a 1967 East German film Die
gefrorenen Blitze, with particular reference to
‘Cyril Pustan, the second husband of Bobby Fischer’s
mother’:
Preview;
Lengthy
extract
from the documentary.
We add that the University
of
Bradford states:
‘The Cyril Pustan archive collection has recently
been kindly donated to Special Collections at the
University of Bradford’s JB Priestley Library and
will be made available to researchers in the near
future.’
11975.
The most spectacular queen sacrifice
From Richard Forster (Winterthur, Switzerland):
‘When chess.com
presented a list of the ten most spectacular chess
moves of all time in September 2020, first place
went to Shirov’s famous ...Bh3 move against
Topalov. However, second place was taken by a
virtually unknown specimen:
White played 1 Qc7, and Black resigned after
1...Rdxc7 2 Re8+.
It was pointed out that White had other winning
moves, with Stockfish listing the spectacular 1
Qc7 only in about fifth position.
A more interesting question concerns the
circumstances and provenance of the ending.
Chess.com only wrote “Meier was White against
Muller in 1994”, which invited some speculation in
the comments section about the identities of the
players and the authenticity of the game.
Elsewhere on the Internet, “Germany” can be found
added as the country, but the origins of the game
seem to remain a mystery.
Most likely, the ending was picked up by the
chess.com team (directly or indirectly) from John
Emms’ controversial 2000 book The Most
Amazing Chess Moves of All Time, which had
heavily relied on previous work by Tim Krabbé and
others with scant acknowledgement (see item
70 on one of Krabbé’s webpages). Emms gave
the caption to puzzle 178 as “R. Meier – S.
Müller, Switzerland 1994”. As already pointed out
in my Late Knight column no. 28 at Chesscafe.com
(“Amazing?”), August 2000, the source will have
been my earlier Late Knight column no. 2 of June
1998 (“Alpine Accounting”), where I gave the whole
game and specified that it was played between René
Meier and Stefan Müller in Thun, Switzerland in
1994.
Here is the full score with all the players’
details and the original source:
René Meier (Sihlfeld) – Stefan Müller (Thun),
Thun, 7 May 1994. 1 Nf3 c5 2 g3 Nc6 3 Bg2 g6 4 d3
Bg7 5 e4 e6 6 O-O Nge7 7 Nbd2 O-O 8 Re1 d5 9 c3 b6
10 Nf1 Ba6 11 e5 Rc8 12 Bf4 b5 13 a3 Qb6 14 Qd2
Rfd8 15 Bh6 Bh8 16 Qf4 Rd7 17 Ne3 d4 18 Ng5 Nf5 19
Nxf5 exf5 20 e6 fxe6 21 Rxe6 Bb7 22 Rae1 Qd8 23
Qc7 Rdxc7 24 Re8+ Resigns.
The game was played in round five on the seventh
and last board of a team match in the second class
(“2. Bundesliga”) of the Swiss workers’ Chess
Union league (“Gruppenmeisterschaft”). It first
appeared in print with a few annotations by the
winner in the Schweizerisches Schach-Magazin,
no. 6, June 1994, page 189.
A curious twist was added in KARL, no.
3/2023, page 59, when Michael Ehn and Ernst
Strouhal gave the ending as “the most spectacular
queen sacrifice of all time”, attributing it to
“Smith-Walls, USA 1993” without any further
indication of their source.
Here for the record is the 1994 publication of
the Meier v Müller game:’
11976.
Alekhine and Capablanca
Our new feature article on Sir
George
Thomas does not yet include a famous observation
attributed to him, because we currently lack a
verifiable source.
From page 161 of The Unknown Capablanca by
David Hooper and Dale Brandreth (London, 1975):
‘One is reminded of a remark made by Sir George
Thomas, “Against Alekhine”, he said, “you never knew
what to expect; against Capablanca you knew what to
expect, but you couldn’t prevent it!”’
From page 77 of Capablanca’s Best Chess Endings
by Irving Chernev (Oxford, 1978):
‘Capablanca’s clear-cut play in this ending calls
to mind a comment by Sir George Thomas, “Against
Alekhine you never knew what to expect; against
Capablanca you knew what to expect, but you couldn’t
prevent it!”’
11977.
Staunton and religion
John Townsend (Wokingham, England) writes:
‘In his book, The Great Schools of England,
Howard Staunton was a staunch opponent of
flogging. Pages xlii to xliii of the second
edition (1869) contain these remarks:
“Again and again, in treatises on Education, and
in periodicals, it has been condemned; but from
dread lest England should be ruined, lest ancient
traditions and old-world customs should perish,
the administrators of Public Schools passionately
fight for flogging, as if it were a kind of
sacrament, to be added to the other seven.”
This last observation about sacraments earned
him the attention of the writer of a critique in Weekly
Review (7 August 1869, page 16), who commented
that Staunton’s own “ecclesiastical standpoint”
could be “gathered” from it. (Presumably, the
reviewer was hinting that, by acknowledging the
existence of as many as seven sacraments, Staunton
was displaying a Catholic point of view.)
Was anything else ever written which suggested
Staunton’s association with religion?’
11978.
Cecil De Vere
Also from Mr Townsend:
‘Cecil De Vere was illegitimate, and the
identity of his father has been a mystery. Now,
some new information has been found in the death
certificate of his mother, Katherine De Vere
(General Register Office, Sept. qtr. 1864,
Pancras, volume 1b, page 41). It shows that she
died on 7 July 1864 at 10 Lower Calthorpe Street
(Grays Inn Road, London), the informant being
Eliza Hooker, “present at death”, of the same
address. The cause of death was “Cancer Uteri 2
years”; her age was given as 42, and she was
described as the widow of Alexander De Vere, naval
surgeon.
The name Alexander De Vere is new. This
occupation of her alleged late husband is
consistent with information entered on Cecil De
Vere’s 1846 birth certificate, where the father’s
name was left blank (indicating illegitimacy), but
his occupation was nevertheless entered as
“surgeon”. The birth certificate was discussed by
Owen Hindle in the Quotes & Queries column of
the BCM, conducted by Chris Ravilious, in
December 2003, February 2004 and November 2005.
Katherine De Vere had already been living at the
address where she died at the time of the 1861
census, when she was described as a widow, aged
36, born in Wales (National Archives, RG 9 107,
folio 91, page 9). At that time, she had as
lodgers Francis Burden, a civil engineer, and
Albert Lane, a landscape painter, both
chessplayers, who taught the young De Vere to
play.
It has not so far been possible to identify the
individual referred to as Alexander De Vere, and
he will need to be the subject of ongoing
research. Likewise, details of his supposed
marriage to De Vere’s mother have not been readily
found.
De Vere’s mother was buried in Brompton Cemetery
on 11 July 1864 in a private grave paid for by
“Valentine De Vere”, “gentleman”, of the same
address. There was neither probate nor letters of
administration.’
Illustrations of the chessplayer are rare. Below is a
detail of the Redcar, 1866 group photograph in C.N.
5614:
11979. Copying
Four recent additions to Copying:
The entirety of our compilation of quotations from
the three volumes of W.E. Napier’s Amenities
and
Background of Chess-Play has been
copy-pasted, without acknowledgement, on a chessgames.com
page.
There is an Alchetron
page which helps itself to various illustrations
from our Sultan
Khan
article. That makes it convenient for the
chessgames.com page on him to be illustrated as
follows:
The Bill
Wall method: ransacking our work on Capablanca,
without credit, and giving worthless, partial sources.
The ChessBase
contributor
Davide Nastasio has been lifting a huge number
of C.N. photographs (about 80 in the past week alone),
without credit, acknowledgement or authorization, for
his personal X/Twitter page.
11980. Chess
clubs
The first
episode of a new PBS television series, Today
in
Chess, refers to ‘the chess capital of the US,
Saint Louis, Missouri’. Through the munificence of Rex
Sinquefield, the Saint Louis Chess Club is often
described, without contradiction, as the greatest
chess club in the United States. What comparable chess
clubs (whether in terms of premises, opulence,
membership, activity or any further criteria) exist in
other countries? In short, if the Saint Louis Chess
Club were described as the greatest in the world,
would any clubs have a legitimate grievance?
This photograph of the Saint Louis Chess Club was
taken for us on 12 February 2024 by Yasser Seirawan:
11981.
Menchik v Mieses (C.N. 3687)
This photograph by Erich Auerbach from The Quiet
Game by J. Montgomerie (London, 1972) was shown
in C.N. 3687, with the question of when it was taken.
From Philip Jurgens (Ottawa, Canada):
‘Vera Menchik and Jacques Mieses played a
ten-game match between 21 May and 13 June 1942. He
was aged 77, some 41 years older than her. Menchik
won by four games to one with five draws. Page 208
of Robert B. Tanner’s book on Menchik (C.N. 10191)
described it as “the first ever serious match
between a woman and a strong master”.
According to the West
London
Chess
Club website, Vera Menchik joined in 1941
after the National Chess Centre was bombed in the
Blitz. Jacques Mieses was also a club member
during the Second World War. It is therefore quite
likely that they played their match under the
auspices of the West London Chess Club and that
the photograph was taken during that period.
The above website also states:
“During World War II, very few clubs remained
open, but thanks to the determination of the
officers, West London Chess Club persevered and
invited players from other clubs to play. This
brought more strong players to the club, including
the likes of Jacques Mieses, Vera Menchik, Sir
George Thomas, and briefly, Capablanca [sic].”’
11982.
Georg Marco
C.N. 4855 reported a remark by Wolfgang Heidenfeld on
page 190 of The Encyclopedia of Chess by Harry
Golombek (London, 1977):
‘... Marco has left an imperishable chess legacy in
his brilliant and witty annotations.’
That is not the only C.N. item in which relevant
quotations from Marco’s writings have been solicited,
without tangible results; see also C.N.s 5248, 7819
and 11380. Examples of Heidenfeld’s own brilliance and
wit could, and perhaps should, be compiled, but Marco
deserves priority. Can readers assist?
11983.
J. Baca-Arús
Jaime Baca-Arús (C.N.
11881)
Further to The
Capablanca
v Price/Baca-Arús Mystery, Yandy Rojas Barrios
(Cárdenas, Cuba) has been looking for games played by
Jaime Baca-Arús, and he offers the following:
Jaime Baca-Arús – René Portela
Casual game, Havana, 1912 (?)
Danish Gambit
1 e4 e5 2 d4 exd4 3 c3 dxc3 4 Bc4 cxb2 5 Bxb2 Qe7 6
Nc3 Nf6 7 Nge2 Nxe4 8 O-O Nxc3 9 Nxc3 Qc5 10 Re1+ Be7
11 Nd5 Nc6 12 Nxc7+ Kd8 13 Nxa8 Qxc4 14 Rc1 Qb4 15 Qc2
Bf6 16 Bxf6+ gxf6 17 Qf5 Qd4 18 Rcd1 Qc3 19 Rc1 Ne7 20
Qf4 Nd5 21 Qd6 Qd4 22 Qb8 Ne7 23 Rxc8+ Resigns.
Source: El Fígaro, 10 March 1912, page 138.
Jaime Baca-Arús – E.C. de Villaverde
Casual game, Havana, 28 March 1912
Philidor’s Defence
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 Nc3 Be7 4 d4 exd4 5 Nxd4 Nf6 6 f4
c5 7 Nf3 O-O 8 Bd3 a6 9 O-O b5 10 b3 Bb7 11 Ng5 h6 12
Kh1 b4 13 Nd5 Nxd5 14 exd5 hxg5 15 Qh5 g6 16 Bxg6 fxg6
17 Qxg6+ Kh8 18 Bb2+ Bf6 19 Rf3 g4 20 Qh5+ Kg8 21
Qxg4+ Bg5 22 Qe6+ Rf7 23 fxg5 Qe7 24 Qg6+ Kf8 25 Raf1
Bxd5 26 Rxf7+ Bxf7 27 Qf5 Kg8 28 g6 Be6 29 Qh5
Resigns.
Source: El Fígaro, 21 April 1912, page 238.
Jaime Baca-Arús – René Portela
Round 1, Havana Chess Club Championship, 1912
Queen’s Gambit Declined
1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 c5 4 cxd5 exd5 5 Nf3 Nc6 6 g3
Nf6 7 Bg2 cxd4 8 Nxd4 Qb6 9 Nxc6 bxc6 10 O-O Ba6 11
Qa4 Bb5 12 Nxb5 cxb5 13 Qb3 Rd8 14 Bg5 Be7 15 Bxf6
Bxf6 16 a4 O-O 17 axb5 Rfe8 18 Bxd5 Rxe2 19 Bxf7+ Kh8
20 Rad1 Rxb2 21 Rxd8+ Qxd8 22 Rd1 Qb6 23 Qe3 Qxe3 24
fxe3 Rxb5 25 Rd7 a5 26 Rd5 Rxd5 27 Bxd5 a4 28 Kg2 g6
29 Kf3 Kg7 30 h4 Kf8 31 Kf4 Ke7 32 Ke4 Kd6 33 Ba2 Kc5
34 Kd3 Kb4 35 Kc2 a3 36 Kd3 h5 37 Kc2 Be5 38 Bf7
Drawn.
Source: Capablanca Magazine, 31 July 1912,
page 108.
Jaime Baca-Arús – Gustavo Fernández
Casual game, Havana, 8 March 1914
Danish Gambit
1 e4 e5 2 d4 exd4 3 c3 dxc3 4 Bc4 cxb2 5 Bxb2 Qe7 6
Nc3 c6 7 Nge2 b5 8 Bxb5 cxb5 9 Nxb5 Qb4+ 10 Nec3 Qc5
11 Qd5 Qxd5 12 Nxd5 Na6 13 O-O Rb8 14 a4 Bb7 15 Rfe1
Bc6 16 Bd4 Nf6 17 Bxa7 Rb7 18 Bd4 Bb4 19 Reb1 Bxd5 20
exd5 O-O 21 d6 Ne4 22 f3 Nd2 23 Rxb4 Nxb4 24 Bc3 Nb3
25 Rb1 Nd5 26 Rxb3 Nxc3 27 Rxc3 g6 28 Rc7 Rb6 29 Rxd7
Ra8 30 Rc7 Kf8 31 d7 Ke7 32 Na7 Rab8 33 Nc6+ Kd6 34
Rc8 Kxd7 35 Rxb8 Rxc6 36 Rb7+ Rc7 37 Rxc7+ Kxc7 38 Kf2
Kb6 39 Ke3 Ka5 40 Kf4 Kxa4 41 Ke5 f5 42 g4 Resigns.
Source: El Fígaro (Ajedrez Local, Juan
Corzo),
19 April 1914, unnumbered page.
Jaime Baca-Arús – M.A. Carbonell
Round 1, II Intersocial Tournament, Havana, 1931
Caro-Kann Defence
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nf6 5 Nxf6+ exf6 6
Nf3 Bd6 7 Bd3 Bg4 8 O-O O-O 9 c3 Qc7 10 h3 Bh5 11 c4
Rd8 12 c5 Bh2+ 13 Kh1 Bf4 14 Be3 g5 15 g4 Bg6 16 Bxg6
hxg6 17 Qd3 Nd7 18 b4 Kg7 19 Rad1 Rh8 20 Kg2 Rad8 21
Rh1 b6 22 Bxf4 Qxf4 23 Qe3 Qb8 24 d5 Rhe8 25 Qc3 cxd5
26 Rxd5 bxc5 27 bxc5 Qc7 28 Rhd1 Nb8 29 Rxd8 Rxd8 30
Rxd8 Qxd8 31 Nxg5 Qd5+ 32 Nf3 Nc6 33 g5 Ne5 34 gxf6+
Kxf6 35 c6 Ke6 36 Qxe5+ Resigns.
Source: Diario de la Marina, 13 December
1931, page 18.
Biographical and other information is still being
researched by our correspondent and will be added in
due course.
11984.
Anything
is good enough
As quoted in C.N. 876 (see Book
Notes), Charles W. Warburton wrote the following
on page 42 of My Chess Adventures (Chicago,
1980) in a discussion of the Caro-Kann Defence:
‘Typically convincing is the thought of Dr Emanuel
Lasker who was known to say “anything is good enough
to play once”.’
Countless masters are purportedly ‘known’ to have
said countless things, but in this case we can at
least cite a vague attribution from Lasker’s heyday.
On pages 516-517 of the December 1898 BCM J.H.
Blake annotated Tarrasch v Halprin, Vienna, 1898,
which began 1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bg5 Be7 5 Nf3
h6 6 Bf4 dxc4 7 e3 Nd5 8 Be5 f6 9 Bg3 Bb4 10 Qc2 b5 11
a4 c6 12 axb5 cxb5 13 e4.
After 8 Be5, Blake wrote:
‘Black’s moves six to ten constitute a line of
defence to the attack by B-KB4 in the Q. Gambit,
which is little known, and which, though not
strictly recommendable, may occasionally serve its
turn, in accordance with a maxim attributed to
Lasker, that in the opening “anything is good enough
to play once”. Dr Tarrasch, however, was on
this occasion no stranger to it, since it was played
against him (after 4 B-B4 PxP 5 P-K3 Kt-Q4, etc.) by
Maróczy at Buda Pesth [in 1896]; it is the more
surprising therefore that he should so nearly have
fallen a victim to it here, as his continuation on
the previous occasion by 6 KBxP KtxB 7 PxKt is in
the present position the only good defence, and a
perfectly satisfactory one.’
11985.
Backward moves and empty squares
Instruction manuals sometimes note the difficulty of
visualizing a) sacrifices on empty squares and b)
backward moves by pieces. Who first made such
observations in print? Also requested: practical
examples (the less well known, the better).
11986.
Rupert Brooke’s notebook
It is still not proving possible to find out more
about the texts included in the notebooks (circa
1902-04) of Rupert Chawner Brooke (1887-1915), as
shown in our feature
article on him. For example:
We observed that Brooke appeared to be copying
openings material from a book or magazine, and that
the reference to Staunton related to remarks
originally published on page 148 of his Handbook
(London, 1847). Can nothing further be found?
From page 69 of Rupert
Brooke by Michael Hastings (London, 1967)
11987. Samuel
Reshevsky
Avital Pilpel (Haifa, Israel) sends, courtesy of
Herbert Halsegger, a feature about the prodigy
Reshevsky on page
2
of part 6 of the Richmond Times-Dispatch,
20 March 1921:
Larger
version
11988.
Preparation
Wanted: little-known accounts by masters of their
chess preparations for important tournaments and
matches.
11989.
Steinitz and Séguin
Our recent feature article Wilhelm
Steinitz
Miscellanea quotes remarks such as the following
by Steinitz about James Séguin, on page 86 of the International
Chess Magazine, April 1888:
‘And I mean to devote to
the task [i.e. exposing the alleged dishonesty of
James Séguin], if necessary, the space of this column
for the next 12 months, or for as many years, in case
of further literary highway robberies perpetrated by
the same individual, and provided that I and this
journal survive, in order to statuate for all times,
or as long as chess shall live, an example that the
only true champion of the world for the last 22 years
(I may say so for once), who has always defended his
chess prestige against all-comers, has also a true
regard for true public opinion, and that he can defy
single-handed all the lying manufactories of press
combinations to show any real stain on his honor; and
that he can convict and severely punish any
foul-mouthed editor who, like the shystering
journalistic advocate of New Orleans, attempts to rob
him of his good name outside of the chess board.’
Has there been a trustworthy investigation of
Steinitz’s objections concerning Séguin?
11990.
The Thomas family
As a supplement to Sir
George
Thomas, John Saunders (Kingston upon Thames,
England) submits this report from page 9 of the Morning
Post, 22 June 1895:
Our correspondent is the Webmaster of BritBase –
British Chess Game Archive.
11991.
Difficult to visualize (C.N. 11985)
In addition to backward moves and sacrifices on empty
squares, there can be difficulty in seeing collinear
moves, as discussed, with examples, in C.N. 4230 and
4233. Those items are in our feature article on the
originator of the term, John
Nunn.
11992. Staunton and Morphy
The text of C.N. 11939:
What was the largest number of games that either
Staunton or Morphy ever played simultaneously
(excluding the latter’s blindfold displays)?
This surprisingly difficult question has been
mentioned in, for instance, C.N.s 4492 and 11874
(see Howard
Staunton) and C.N. 10423 (see Paul
Morphy). Citations for numbers as low as three
or four will be welcomed, to start the ball rolling.
The ball still stubbornly stationary, we now approach
the issue from a fresh angle (‘prêcher le faux pour
savoir le vrai’). Let it be imagined that,
excluding Morphy’s blindfold displays, a chess author
were to write:
‘In their entire lives neither Staunton nor Morphy
gave a single normal/regular simultaneous
exhibition.’
What facts could be put forward to refute that
imaginary chess author’s assertion?
11993.
Staunton correspondence
From John Townsend (Wokingham, England):
‘Sixty-two letters, written 1855-74, by Howard
Staunton to his friend and fellow Shakespeare
scholar, James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps, are
deposited at Edinburgh University Library. The
chess content is precisely nil. That is because
his interest by that stage of his life had turned
to Shakespeare and other literary and historical
matters, some of which he pursued through his
contributions to the Illustrated London News.
Nevertheless, the correspondence has much to offer
regarding Staunton the man and shows him as a
person quite different from the vengeful fiend
which he is sometimes portrayed as being.
In the example which follows, Staunton is elated
at the prospect of a visit to Broadway,
Worcestershire, where Halliwell-Phillipps’ wife
had inherited the library of her father, Sir
Thomas Phillipps, at Middle Hill. Staunton also
expected that the Cotswolds air would be
beneficial for his chest condition (described by
him elsewhere as bronchitis), and he looked
forward to renewing his friendship with
Halliwell-Phillipps, whose company he very much
enjoyed. He was anxious for his friend to turn up.
The letter is typical of Staunton’s prose in his
letters to Halliwell-Phillipps: relaxed and
informal, yet studded with literary allusions.
“117 Lansdowne Road,
Kensington Park (W)
May 17th 1873
Dear Halliwell,
I am off to the famous Cotswolds where Master
Page’s fallow greyhound came off second best. I
hope no mishap will prevent you from joining me on
Monday and, then, ‘What larks!!’
How I long for a tramp over those glorious hills!
‘Broadway rises to a height of 1,100 feet above
the sea.’
Think of that, Master Brook! Think of the
delicious ozoned oxygen! Think of the road side
pebbles when, as poor Lamb used to say, ‘We have
walked a pint’! Think of the fresh eggs & the
streaky bacon! Think of the neat-handed
Phillisses, the Cotsoll Hebes!! and with these
thoughts let no ordinary impediment deter you from
‘taking the road’. Give my best regards to the
ladies and believe me
Sincerely Yours
H. Staunton
J.O. Halliwell-Phillipps”
Source: Edinburgh University Library, Special
Collections, Letters to J.O. Halliwell-Phillipps,
203/20.
The visit was highly successful and he stayed at
the prestigious Lygon Arms in Broadway. In his James
Orchard Halliwell and Friends: IV. Howard
Staunton (1997, page 128), Marvin Spevack
records Halliwell-Phillipps’ sentiments expressed
in a letter from Broadway of his trip with
Staunton to Stratford that they were
“as jolly as sandboys [...] how long can jollity
last in the world, and would there be any without
B. and S.”’
11994. Excuses
‘I had a toothache during the first game. In the
second game I had a headache. In the third game it
was an attack of rheumatism. In the fourth game, I
wasn’t feeling well. And in the fifth game? Well,
must one have to win every game?’
Anyone using a search-engine for that remark, or a
slightly different wording, will be presented with
countless webpages. Most ascribe the comment to
Tarrasch, some to Tartakower, and none to a precise
source.
In print, it is no surprise to find A. Soltis writing
the following sourcelessly on page 11 of Chess
Life, June 1990:
‘And it was Tartakower who had perhaps the final
word on excuses. Asked how he could lose so many
games in a row at one tournament he replied: “I had
a toothache during the first game, so I lost. In the
second game I had a headache, so I lost. In the
third game an attack of rheumatism in the left
shoulder, so I lost. In the fourth game I wasn’t
feeling at all well, so I lost. And in the fifth
game – well, must I win every game in a
tournament?”’
An earlier version was related by Harry Golombek on
page 91 of the April 1953 BCM in a report on
that year’s tournament in Bucharest, at which he ‘had
a really dreadful phase’:
‘If asked to account for these six successive
losses I think I cannot do better than to quote Dr
Tartakower who on a similar occasion was explaining
why he lost five games in a row in an international
tournament. “The first”, he said, “I lost because of
a very bad headache; during the second I didn’t feel
at all well; I was afflicted by rheumatic twinges
throughout the third; in the fourth I suffered acute
toothache; and the fifth – well, must one win every
game in a tournament?”’
Readers may care to imagine themselves entrusted with
editing a chess quotations anthology. What to do with
this ‘final word on excuses’? Omit it owing to the
lack of a source? Give in detail the various versions
and attributions? Plump and hope for the best (the
process described in C.N. 9887)?
An attempt may first be made to establish when, if
ever, Tartakower or Tarrasch lost five consecutive
tournament games, and when the story was first
attributed to, if not voiced by, either of them.
See also Excuses
for
Losing
at Chess.
11995.
Photographs
Olimpiu G. Urcan (Singapore) has provided this
photograph of Bogoljubow and Rubinstein which he owns.
Exact details of the occasion are sought.
Mr Urcan has also sent us this 1976 photograph of Tony Miles
(Camera Press Archive):
11996.
Staunton and Morphy (C.N. 11992)
Jerry Spinrad (Nashville, TN, USA) informs us that
the only simultaneous display by Staunton which he has
seen mentioned in the Chess Player’s Chronicle
is a very small one at the Rock Ferry Chess Club (July
1853 issue, pages 217-218):
‘A special Meeting of this Society was held on the
evening of the 5th ult. at the Club Rooms, Rock
Ferry Hotel, for the purpose of welcoming to
Cheshire Mr Staunton, who, during his short visit,
was the guest of Mr Morecroft, of the Manor House
... In the course of the evening there was some very
interesting play. Mr Staunton conducted
simultaneously two games against the Liverpool
gentlemen, in consultation at one board, giving them
the odds of pawn and two moves, and against the Rock
Ferry gentlemen, at another board, giving them the
odds of the knight.’
After supper and speeches the games were resumed, but
the report did not specify the outcome.
On Morphy, Jerry Spinrad and John Townsend
(Wokingham, England) refer to a simultaneous display
which is well known. Mr Townsend writes:
‘David Lawson, in Paul Morphy, the Pride
and Sorrow of Chess (new edition by Thomas
Aiello, 2010), quoted (on pages 213-214) from an
account of a simultaneous exhibition which took
place at the St James’s Chess Club in London on 26
April 1859, the source being the Illustrated
News of the World, of “the following Saturday”:
“A highly interesting assembly met in the
splendid saloon of St James’s Hall, on Tuesday
evening last [26 April], when Mr Morphy
encountered five of the best players in the
metropolis.”
The opposition was formidable:
“The first table was occupied by M. de Rivière;
the second, by Mr Boden; the third, by Mr Barnes;
the fourth, by Mr Bird; and the fifth, by Mr
Löwenthal. Mr Morphy played all these gentlemen
simultaneously, walking from board to board, and
making his replies with extraordinary rapidity and
decision. Although we believe that this is the
first performance of the kind by Mr Morphy, it is
a remarkable fact that he lost but one game. Two
other games were won by him and two were drawn.”’
Those reports, one display apiece by Staunton and
Morphy, are all that can currently be cited here,
although the following may be recalled from C.N. 10423
(concerning Morphy after his match with Anderssen):
‘He confined himself to simultaneous displays,
playing 20, 30 and even 40 people at once ...’
Source: page 274 of Keene On Chess by R.
Keene (New York, 1999). The identical wording was on
page 275 of Complete Book of Beginning Chess
by R. Keene (New York, 2003).
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