Horace F. Cheshire, The Hastings Chess Tournament 1895 (1896)
Game 64 of 232
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Site
Hastings
Date
1895.??.??
Round
14
White
Von Bardeleben, Curt
Result
0-1
Notes by H. N. Pillsbury.
- 3.e3 The more aggressive 3. P to B 4 is mostly preferred.
- 7…c6 This move might at any rate be reserved, and the sequel shows that at least one move is lost, since four moves later it is advanced to the fourth. Castling at once seems preferable.
- 8.Ne5 The 'Stonewall' formation which White obtains now is not very powerful without the aid of the King's Bishop at Q 3 for attacking purposes. After 8. Castles, Castles; 9. P to B 4, Q to K 2; 10. R to K sq. White evidently did not like Black's rejoinder of P to K 4, but continue, 11. P x K P, Kt x P; 12. Kt x Kt, B x B; 13. Kt x Q B P, winning at least a Pawn. Or should Black in the foregoing continue 10. R to K sq, then 11. Q to B 2, P to K 4; 12. P x K P, Kt x P; 13. Kt x Kt, B x Kt; 14. Q B x B, Q x B; 15. B x B, Kt x B; 16. Kt to B 3, with a good game, as Black will either have to submit to an isolated Queen's Pawn, or allow White to gain time to develop his Rooks on the Queen's file. All other variations in the foregoing appear to yield White at least an equal position.
- 10.f4 P to K 4 here seems quite feasible for White.
- 12.Rac1 If White intended to attack the King by the means of R to B 3 and R 3, as is usual in ' Stonewall' variation, it would be better to continue P to B 3 here.
- 12…cxd4 Q to R 4 at once seems superior.
- 17.g4 White's Queen's Pawn is the weak spot in his position, and Black threatens anyhow Q to Q 3. There was no necessity for such a suicidal move as the text, however, and it would seem that 17. P to Q Kt 4 (threatening P to Q B 5), P x P; 18. Kt x P, Q to R 5; 19. Kt to Q 6, R x R; 20. R x R, Kt to Q 4; 21. Q to Kt 2 would give White a slight advantage.
- 17…Qd6 Winning at least a Pawn.
- 19…b5 This White apparently overlooked.
- 22.Ndf3 Desperate, but there is nothing to be done.
- 25…Qc7 Black can safely take the Knight's Pawn with Queen, for if 26. R to K Kt sq, then Q to Q 5; or if 26. Kt x B P, Q to K 5, ch; 27. K to Kt sq, R to B 7, winning easily.
- 26.Nxf7 Of course a final error, overlooking that if Q x Kt; 27. P to Kt 5, Q to Q 2, retaining the Piece, but his game was lost anyway.