Evening star., 1909-04-25
CLOSE PLAY IN
CHESS TOURNEY
Rice Gambit Leaders Closing
Ranks-Sze Wins Rapid
Transit.

Some very lively encounters have taken
place during the week at the chess club
in the pending Rice gambit tournament.
which is now drawing toward compile
ton. Some notable victories have been
scored by the white forces, but on the
whole less skill. or rather memory. 10
required to handle the various defenees,
and so the gambit continues to get the
worst Of 1t on the general play.
The ranks Of the leading scorers have
BILE manner. Landry. who has held the
premier position from the first. expert
enced a piece Of Ill luck. while Zapoleon
has bettered his position and II within
mere shade of him in percentage. but has
the disadvantage Of being i've games be-
hind on the total played.
One of the unfortunate incidents OF the
tourney occurred in a game between Ian
dry and Mundelle. The former. while
playing black and making the opening
moves in the usual rapid and mechanical
way. inadvertently picked up the WRONG
piece on his third turn and placed 1t on
the square intended for the right one.
very obvious error. Mundelle generously
offered to let him replace the pieces. but
Landry equally sportsmanlike, punctil-
iously so, in fact. refused to take advan.
tage OF it. OF course. black had 8 lost
game in two moves. and although Landry
faced the odds for q while. he finally had
to succumb to superior force.
SEE finished his schedule in whirlwint
fashion, winning nine out OF his last
twelve games. But he lost so heavily IN
the early part Of the tourney that he
practically had no winning chances when
he started his great run.
Mundelle Variation.
Mundelie has had continued success
with his variation OF the L. D. Cohn de-
Tense (knight to bishops third), mention
ed in last weeks notes. This variation,
by which black gives up q knight for two
pawns on the third move of the gambit
proper is not in the books, but 1t quickly
yields a winning attack unless sklilfully
met. In actual play SO far Zapoleon is
the only one to successfully cope with
it, and he only succeeded in drawing the
game.
1t is probable. however. that the best
line of play for white in meeting the at
tack has not been used. When black
commences his attack by capturing the
rocks pawn with queen, the usual reply
pawn to kings six, closing up the diagonal
of the dangerous black bishop. This
makes a. hot fight for a while. but black
gets a clear course for his kings side
pawns, and is almost sure eventually TO
be able to queen one Of them.
Suppose, however. that In place OF
twelve, pawn takes bishop, the white
plays bishop takes knight. check Ito
which black replies pawn takes bishop.
by rook takes bishop. check (the
black king going to bishops square);
then bishop takes pawn. II now black
pursues his original intention OF pawn
10 knights sixth-and he has nothing
clinches the situation by
playing queen to kings bishop third. After
this black can by series Of checks win
the queens pawn, the white king being
then landed on his queens bishop square.
But black has now shot his bolt. and the
balance of material is against him, be-
sides which his king Is in vulnerable
position.
as below. The complete schedule, it
may be remarked, calls for twenty-five
games for each player.