The object of Black is to attack your Q. P., which you cannot defend without losing time; or should you push it one square, he would probably move Kt. to his Q. fifth square, attacking your Q., and threatening to capture Q. B. P., checking, whereby you would also lose time, and perhaps also the attack. Mr. M'Donnell, however, allowed his adversary to capture Q. P., and then carried on the attack in a very masterly style. 8. Castles. 9. K. B. takes K. B. P., chg. 10. Q. to K. R. fifth square, chg. 11. Q. B. takes Gambit P. 12. K. R. takes B. 8. Q. Kt. takes Q. P. 9. K. takes B. 10. K. to Kt. second square. 12. K. Kt. to K. B. third square. Having now got an open field for his pieces, the object of White is to prevent his adversary from playing out Q. R., Q. B., &c. It is, of course, of no advantage to Black to have won two pieces, if he cannot avail himself of his own forces. The Muzio Gambit beautifully illustrates the axiom, that force by position, not by number of pieces, is the source of victory at Chess. 13. Q. to K. Kt. fifth square, chg. 14. Q. R. to K. B. square. 15. K. R. takes Kt. 16. Q. Kt. to Q. fifth square. 13. K. to K. B. second square. 15. Q. to K. second square. 16. Q. to Q. B. fourth square, threatening to play Kt. to K. B. sixth square, checking and winning Q.; to prevent which your simple remedy is 18. R. takes Kt., chg. 19. Kt. to K. B. sixth square, chg. 19. K. to Q. square. 20. Q. takes Q. and checkmates in three moves*. This new and forcible method of continuing the attack was invented by Mr. Staunton. The present game illustra *This game furnished the subject for an amusing poem by the late Rev A. D'Arblay, entitled Caïssa Rediviva. CHESS. Q tive of its effects is copied from the Chess Player's Chronicle, a valuable publication, of which five volumes are now completed, presenting, in one work, the fullest collection of problems, games, and chess miscellanies extant. 10. Q. to Q. fifth square, chg. This move was quite necessary to the safety of the Black Q., for by moving your R. to Q. square at the next move, you would otherwise have won her. 11. K. to K. R. square. 15. B. takes Q P. 16. Q. R. takes K. Kt. chg. 11. B. takes B. square. 12. K. Kt. to K. second square. This move is well made, and decides the game in favour of the first player. 17. Kt. takes P. chg. 16. K. takes R. 17. K. to K. third square. If Black had moved his K. home, you would have played Q. to her sixth, winning immediately. 18. Q.to K. fourth square, chg. 18. K. to Q. second square If he had interposed Q. you would have checked with R. at K. B. sixth square, winning Q. 19. Q. to Q. seventh square, chg. 19. K. to Q. B. third square. 21. K. to Q. fifth square. In the defence of the Muzio Gambit, it is important to defend the Gambit Pawn as long as it can be done with safety; and to make equal exchanges with the attacking player. In each of the two following games the defence is successful; but as every successful defence must be framed according to the nature of the attack, it is obviously impossible to give a general mode of play. BLACK. 1. K. P. two squares. 3. K. Kt. to K. B. third square. 6. Q. takes P. WHITE. 1. K. P. two squares 2. P. takes P. 3. K. Kt. P. two squares. 6. Q. to K. B. third square. This is your best move, for by it you defend the Gambit Pawn, and prevent Black from playing his Q. P. two squares. 7. K. P. one square. Unless you 7. Q. takes P. take this P. he pushes Q. P. two squares at the next move, or forces you away from the defence of the Gambit Pawn. 8. Q. P. one square. 9. Q. B. to Q. second square. S. K. B. to K. R. third square. His object is to play K. R. to K. square, but in order to be able to move your Q., as well as to release your K. R. you play 9. K. Kt. to K. second square. Black may now play K. R. to K. square, or he may attack Q. and R. with his Q. B. 10. Q. B. to Q. B. third square. You save both the Q. and the R. by being able to check. 10. Q. to Q. B. fourth square, chg. 11. K. R. to K. Kt. square. 11. K. to K. R. square. It is better to play the R. to the Kt. than to the B. square. The position is more attacking; you command an open file; and threaten a serious attack by bringing your Q. or Q. B. to bear down upon his K. Kt. P. 12. Q. Kt. to Q. second square. 12. Q. P. two squares. The advance of Q. P. two squares, is an important feature in the defence of this Gambit, and the time for doing it should be chosen with the greatest caution. 13. Q. to K R. fifth square. This prevents you from taking the B.; but you have gained your object of opening your game, and are gradually reducing his attack to nothing. 14. Q. Kt. to K. fourth square. 13. Q. to Q. third square. This move appears to be a bold one; but you have nothing to fear from it, if caution be exercised. If you take B. with the P., he captures your Q. checking. If you take the Kt. with the P. he captures your K. B. P. checking, and may recover the attack. You therefore do not take either, but play Q. to K. Kt. third square, threatening to mate him on the move. If he move away his Q. to the defence of K. Kt. P., you capture either his Kt. or B. with the P. If he take your Q. you retake with the K. R., in order to prevent a fork from the Kt.; and you afterwards win one of the two pieces now en prise to the P. So that whichever way we look at the game, you must_win easily. If, at his fourteenth move, he had played K. B. to Q. Kt. third square, you would have played Q. B. to K. Kt. fifth, and have remained with the better game. You would then have played out Q. Kt., and castled as speedily as possible. We will conclude this notice of the Muzio Gambit with one other form of defence. BLACK. 1. K. P. two squares. WHITE. 1. K. P. two squares. 3. K. Kt. P. two squares. The position of his Q. Kt. renders it unsafe for you to play Q. to K. B. third square. If you play K. B. to K. R. third square, he advances Q. P. two, and becomes irresistible: therefore, to open your game and to prevent the advance of his pieces, you sacrifice a Pawn. 7. K. B. takes P. 8. K. B. to Q. Kt. third square. 10. Q. to K. R. fifth square, chg. 6. Q. P. two squares. 7. Q. B. P. one square. 8. Q. B. to K. third square. 9. K. B. P. takes B. 10. K. to Q. second square. 11. Q. to K. B. third square. 12. Q. to K. B. fourth square. 13. K. B. to Q. Kt. fifth square. 14. K. Kt. to K. second 15. B. takes Kt. square. By making equal exchanges, you, of course, weaken your adversary more and more, considering that he sacrificed a Knight at the beginning of the game. He has now lost the attack, and you ought to win without difficulty. At your next move you will bring out Q. Kt., and then get your Rooks into play. PROBLEM XXII. WHITE. White to mate in two moves. K. at K. Kt. fourth square. K. at K. R. second square. PROBLEM XXIII. White moving first, is to give check mate in four moves. THE Lopez Gambit, so called in honour of Ruy Lopez*, the celebrated chess player and writer, was first described in his treatise published in 1561. Some writers regard it merely as a variation of the ordinary King's Bishop's game; it is, however, a true gambit, a Pawn being sacrificed early in the game by the first player, for the sake of position. *See ante, p. 61. |