Evening star., 1912-06-16
Washington Chess and Whist
Club Notes.
Are the gambits dead?

Are the gambltS dead?
June 2 we published in this column a
short dissertation on the 'Soundness OF
Gambits" meaning the real gambits. such
as the kings gambits and the Evans
gambit; June the scribe OF the Capital
City Club took energetic exception to our
conclusions, and having summoned to his
aid a formidable array OF statistics, we
feel 1t our privilege to examine into these
figures and see just what weight they
have
We have no doubt that from 1906 to
1911 La Strategic published sixty games
in which the gambit was offered by
White, and that the percentage of wins
was as stated. 1t is more than probable
that search through any chess weekly
or monthly would reveal a similar result.
Chess periodicals publish unusual and
brilliant games for a living. and as White
must play an unusually brilliant game to
win with a gambit, naturally these are
the games which find their way into
print.
Perhaps the defender of gambits, in his
zeal for accurate data upon this subject.
went a little too far back into history:
chess. like any other living game, is OF
today and its champions. its analyses and
its gambits must stand on their present
merits. There was recently played at
AbaZzia an international master tourna-
ment. in which each game had to be
opened in this way: /. P-k4, P-K4; ..
P-kB4. PIP, in short. a gambit tourney.
No doubt this most obvious well of in
forma ton was in some unaccountable
manner overlooked by the thirsty statis-
tician-it must have been thus, other
wise in his curiosity. he would certainly
have turned to the book of this latest
gambit tourney for the final word of ex-
,perience. Now the average masters
tournament shows that the white forces
win about 5S per cent Of the games
played, the black about % per cent and
the Abazzia gambit tourney the black
forces actually won plurality of the
games. according to the New York Sun
But the most striking proof of the un-
favorable estimate placed upon the gam
bits by the masters is their almost total
disappearance from important tourna-
mentS and matches.
In response to an inquiry concerning
the imaginary game tourney, we would
not end in actual mate. Resigns may
be used to terminate games in which one
side has a manifestly winning position
Drawn games may also be submitted
some of the most brilliant games on rec
ord have been drawn games, and the
stale-mate is particularly fertile source
of inspiration for endgame composers.
we Will publish tue PICK OF tneSe fmaR1-
nary games from time to time, and invite
the opinions of those interested In this
contest as to the relative merits Of each
The prizes will be well worth owning
and any one may hit upon the idea of q
brilliant combination which may be
worked into a plausible game. Send in
many games as you like. and even
though you do not win one of the prizes
you will find that game composing will
add greatly to your knowledge and under
standing of the fine points of chess Ad-
dress all games to Sunday Star Chess
Game Tourney" Washington Chess and
Whist Club. Ola 18th street northwest
Perhaps as good q method as any ir
composing game is to take some slightly
inferior opening and make the best of it
for either White or Black.
Combination Study.