Chess 486
PHILIDOR
S. Loyd (Frere's Chess Hand-Book, 1857). White to play and mate in four moves; solution next week. Sam Loyd was in some ways a very-much-not- missing link between the old-style composers with violent sacrifice the essence and the moderns with thematic, quiet play. This problem, unorthodox
by modern standards, is a good example—halfway between game and problem position.
Solution to No. 485 (Weiss—b2BKR1b/r2pP2r/ 1P1k4/4p1N1 1PPN4/5pQ1/5P2/8): Q-R2, no threat. 1 .. ./R-KKt2; 2 R-B3. 1 . B-KKt2; 2 Kt-B7. 1 ... R-QKt2; 2 Kt-K4. 1 ... B--QKt2; 2 B-B7 are the thematic variations in an agreeable R-B interference problem.
Double event
March 21 saw a peculiarly rich intellectual feast at Cambridge for those that way inclined. The University chess match—the first time in its history of nearly a hundred years that it was held away from London—took place at Downing, while the third Annual British Go Congress and the national Go championship was simultaneously in progress at St John's. The Go players, as addicts of the more mathematical game, had their dinner austerely in the School of Pythagoras while the chess players, equally appropriately, dined in Peterhouse, the college of the best of all Cambridge players, H. E. Atkins.
I must say that the Go players earned their meal and any productivity bonus that was going. They started play at 8.45 am on Saturday, played from 8.45-1.00 and again from 2.00 to 7.45 and restarted at 8.45 on Sunday morning, playing six games in a day and a half—a terrifying schedule in a game that is at least as arduous as chess. The chess players had a more gentlemanly programme— start at 1.30 with unfinished games adjudicated at 6.30 well in time for dinner at 8.30.
There is a curious paradox about the University chess match. When this was first played in 1873 at the City of London Chess Club there were about 500 spectators (700 in 1874) and to relieve the pressure Zukertort in an adjoining room played blindfold against seven opponents and Blackburne gave a simultaneous against twelve others; Steinitz, the champion of the world, was umpire and showed that his general acumen was hardly equal to his chess judgment when he forecast that the match would become as popular as the Boat Race. Nowadays one gets a dozen or so spectators wandering in and out.
And yet far more people play chess in England now than did then and the standard in the Uni- versity match is incomparably higher. Why, then, this extraordinary discrepancy? I think that there are a number of reasons. First, the University match was much more of an event then; now there are so many matches and tournaments going on all the time that it's just one other match. Secondly, the social basis of chess has changed radically; a hundred years ago chess was essentially a middle- aged middle-class game—now it is played in all social classes and players are much younger, so the proportion that would naturally go to a University fixture is much smaller. Finally, although London has many more players now than then it is no longer an international centre of chess, nor has it a focal point like the old City
or London club. While the first two points are wholly good the third is a great pity; maybe one day we can recover this part of the past.
Finally—the result. Of the chess match, Cam- bridge won 4-3, Ray Keene again demonstrating his master strength by an impressive victory on Board 1. In Go, I don't know—but I am sure that The British Go Association, 12 Third Avenue, Wembley, Middlesex, will convey this and any other information to potPatial addicts.
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