Wednesday, August 14

Scheveningen tournament, Round 8: Alekhine, with forfeit victory, now 8-0; Russian ace leads Janowski by one point

Alexander Alekhine increased his lead without making a move in the eighth round of the International Masters' Tournament at Scheveningen.  The young Russian was awarded a forfeit victory over his scheduled opponent Arnold van Foreest following the latter's withdrawal from the competition.  Alekhine now sports an 8-0 record, and speculation has begun concerning the possibility that he might duplicate the recent achievement of José R. Capablanca at the Rice Chess Club tourney in New York by winning 13 straight games in Scheveningen, against a notably stronger field.  Meanwhile, van Foreest, who had lost all seven games he had played to date, has been adjudged the loser of his remaining unplayed contests as well, and so finishes this event with a score of 0-13.

In action over the board, David Janowski, winner of his first six games in succession, played to his second successive draw after overlooking a simple endgame win against Jacques Mieses, and now at 7-1 trails Alekhine by a full point.  England's F.D. Yates retains his hold on third place, a point to the rear of Janowski, despite seeing his own string of six consecutive victories come to an end with a defeat at the hands of Edward Lasker.  Joining Lasker in a tie for 4th and 5th places with 5 points is Dr. A.G. Olland, who defeated J.W. te Kolsté in a game lasting only 9 moves.  In the day's remaining contests Gyula Breyer topped Fritz Englund, Rudolf Loman defeated Abraham Speijer, and Klaas Geus took the full point from Willem Schelfhout.  While today's round perhaps featured more oversights than usual, the fighting spirit that has characterized the tourney nevertheless prevailed: only seven games have been drawn through the first eight rounds.

Current scores:  Alekhine 8; Janowski 7; Yates 6; Ed. Lasker, Olland 5; Breyer, Geus 4 1/2; Englund 4; te Kolsté 3 1/2; Speijer 3; Loman 2 1/2; Mieses 2; Schelfhout 1; van Foreest 0.

To the games:

Janowski, playing Black against Mieses' Vienna Game, obtained a decisive endgame advantage, only to overlook an elementary win - if the score we have received is correct - with 40...Rxc4+ 41.Kxc4 Ke6 42.Kd4 Kf5, opting instead for a Rook endgame with an extra pawn, a surplus that proved insufficient for victory.


Edward Lasker won a fine game vs. Yates.  White's 10.c5 seems to improve on analysis by the famed Danish openings expert Dr. Krause, who had recommended 10.f4.  The inclusion of the White Bishop in the attack via Bc4 is quite powerful.


Dr. Olland won a very short game against te Kolsté when the latter played a move out of order (8...Be7? rather than 8...Be6) in a well-known position from the Open Defense to the Ruy Lopez.

 


Not quite as quick, but equally decisive, was Breyer's defeat of Englund's Center Counter Defense.  The surprising stroke 12.Nb5 served as the opening salvo of an irresistible attack.

 


Loman convincingly dispatched Speijer in a Vienna Game:


Geus, as second player in the Exchange Variation of the French Defense, overcame Schelfhout, who, in seeking to attack the Black King, merely weakened his own.


  

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