(d) Surely the other Rook, now locked up, would have been preferable.

(e) We must confess ourselves to be quite at a loss to understand the object of one half of those extraordinary evolutions which the Knights on either side perform in this dreary game.

(f) He is now enabled to draw the game. If he had given check on his Q's. seventh or Q. B's. seventh square, Black would have interposed his Queen and won easily.

Between the same Players.

GAME THE LAST.

(Sicilian Opening.

White. (Mr. L.) 28. B. takes P. 29. Q. to K. B. third 30. R. to Q. fourth (c) 31. B. takes R. 32. Q. to K. fourth 33. B. to Q. Kt. sixth 34. R. to Q. B. square 35. R. takes Q. B. 36. K. to B. second (d) 37. R. to Q. fourth 38. B. takes R. (e) 39. Q. to K. Kt. sixth 40. B. to Q. B. third 41. B. takes P. (ƒ) 42. K. to B. square

43. K to his second

Black. (Mr. H.)

28. K. to Kt. square
29. P. to Q. B. fifth

30. R. takes R.
31. R. to Q. square
32. Q. to K. third
33. R. to Q. second

34. P. to K. Kt. fourth

35. R. to Q. eighth square (check.)

36. P. takes P.

37. R. takes R.

38. P. to K. B. third
39. Q. to her second

40. P. takes P.

41. Q. to her seventh (check) 42. Q. to her B. eighth (check)

43. Q. to K. sixth (check)

And Mr. Löwenthal resigned the Game and the Match.

(a) We do not quite understand the motive for playing the Queen thus. (b) What was the object of this?

(c) P. to K. sixth would have been a dangerous move for Black.

(d) Mr. Löwenthal's friends considered that, had he played to R. second instead, he might have won without very much difficulty from this point.

(e) The game is now easily drawn by either party.

(f) It is hardly to be believed that, in the declining game of a great match, with so much at stake, any player above a fifth rate would have been guilty of such a gross bétise. This, of course, loses the match at once.

And thus terminated a struggle more remarkable from its extraordinary mutations, and the keenness, not to say bitterness of interest, manifested by the respective supporters of the combatants, than any contest of the kind within our recollection.

At the commencement of the battle we felt that, however superior as a player Mr. Harrwitz might have been, a few years back, to his present opponent, his play, from some causes, had fallen off so much since then, that the Hungarian would out combine him. This opinion, we know, was entertained by many of the best judges of the day; and the justness of it, we believe, has been proved beyond disputation in the games just concluded. Prepared, however, as we were, from an examination of his later games, for a marked declension in his skill, we had never anticipated its being impaired to the extent it evidently is. We say this upon consideration, and in the face of his vaunted victory, for we are satisfied that the records of chess would be searched in vain for an instance where, in a long match between two strong players, success was so little merited as by the winner in this. The play, such as it is, is absolutely all on the side of the loser. On the part of Mr. Harrwitz, throughout the whole thirty-one games! he scarcely makes a single combination beyond the reach of a third-rate amateur ! We see no pre-conceived and deep-laid plans of operation! No subtle stratagems No masterly schemes of attack or defence of any kind. He plays only, as one

might say, "from hand to mouth" in every game. Where now are the spirit, the ingenuity, the brilliancy which distinguished his style in former days? No surprise would have been felt that the Harrwitz of those times beat a Lowenthal; but that the dull inventionless tactitian he shows himself in this contest, impotent in advance, and craven in retreat, should have won against any player beyond the third rank, does indeed astonish us!

vres.

In the earlier games of the match, the Hungarian more than realized the anticipations of his friends, by the vigour, and depth, and intrepidity of his manceuIn many of the later ones also. when almost paralyzed by the most causeless nervous excitation, he still asserted his superiority of combination at every point, and had the match in his hands, even up to the last, any moment that he chose to clutch it. The chances, at one time, are said to have been nearly 500 to 1 in his favour! How could he throw away such an easy victory ? has been asked by hundreds, and will continue to be asked without a satisfactory answer for years to come. We confess ourselves unable to explain it. The only approach towards a rational solution of the enquirer is the following in our contemporary the Illustrated London News; and even this is far from setting the matter at rest:

This remarkable contest, after lasting nearly three months, and presenting in that time the most extraordinary vicissitudes, perhaps, ever seen in a Chess Match, came to a close on Wednesday night, the 21st inst., the final score giving

Harrwitz
Lowenthal
Drawn

11

10

12

Such a result may well have astonished everybody. To us who have witnessed the games in progress, and have carefully examined them in detail afterwards, it seemed, at first, incredible. That, in a great match, one player should win a number of games at the beginning, and his opponent gain a larger number by better play afterwards, and thus win the battle, would not much surprise. us: we have seen such things before. But here the case is widely different. We see the Hungarian, at one period of the match, win seven games in succession; at another, absolutely throw away, after winning them, double that number-every one of which a player of half his skill could have scored. We have seen himeven in the last few games, so completely out-manoeuvre his adversary, that the victory has actually trembled on a single move, and yet he missed it; nay, even in the last game of all, when they stood 10 and 10, and excitement had reached its highest point, we find him acquire a position so decidedly superior that his friends present considered the match won; and again he flung it in his adversary's lap! What is the 'solution of all this? How is it that a player can come within a move of winning a game, and of a game of winning a match, and lose both? A dozen conjectures are offered us, all more or less wide of the mark. What does the Hungarian himself say? Let us hear him. Mr. Lowenthal attributes his defeat mainly to the twenty minutes' limitation on each move. Well, we believe the restriction had a disastrous influence on his play; and that freed from this irritating limitation, he would have won the match, after obtaining so fine a start, and having two games tacked to his score ; but this does not meet the difficulty. There were, undoubtedly, instances where the situation required more than twenty minutes; but there were more where he might have won to a certainty if, instead of taking only two minutes, he had reflected for five. We are not more satisfied with his plea of " nervous excitement;" some allowance must of course be made for it but Mr. Harrwitz, who had to fight a painfully up-hill battle, had much more cause to be nervous than Mr. Lowenthal had.

No, the real truth appears to be this: Mr. Lowenthal's best play is superior to Mr. Harrwitz's best; but, while the former sometimes sinks to a Rook beneath his topmost force, the latter has the faculty-a rare one, in a match-of always

playing up to his mark when it is required. The former, by ingenious combinations, or some happy inspiration, acquires a winning position, and then, through one unlucky blunder, loses more than he has gained. The latter, without an attempt at combination worthy the name, often without any apparent endeavour, even, to gain advantages, undismayed by any peril he may be in, plays coolly on, biding the time when his enemy will relax, and, when he does, steps in, and wins or draws the game. Taking the games all through the contest, we believe it will be found that these are the general characteristics of the two competitors. Exceptions, of course, present themselves. The Hungarian has won a few games right off; and his antagonist, in two or three instances, played timidly, and made mistakes. In the main, however, the games prove, we think indisputably, Mr. Lowenthal to be the finer, the more learned, and more finished player; and Mr. Harrwitz the surer, the readier, and by much the more courageous.

MATCH BETWEEN MR. STAUNTON AND MR.

HARRWITZ.

(From the Illustrated London News.)

"As this proposed contest has been looked forward to with much interest, it may be well to show briefly how far the negotiations respecting it have proceeded, and why they have been interrupted.

It will be remembered, that at the Manchester meeting last May, Mr. Staunton put forth a general challenge, offering to play a match with any player in the world for £250 a side. To this challenge, for two months, there was no response; when, suddenly, Mr. Harrwitz wrote to say that he accepted the challenge, conditionally that the stakes on each side should be £100 only.

Now, as Mr. Harrwitz is a player who has never risen above the second rank; and, when in his best play, had lost every game he ever played with Mr. S. upon even terms, and had been beaten in a match where Mr. S. gave him the enormous odds of the Pawn and two moves; and, moreover, was, at the very moment when he accepted the challenge, under engagement to play a match with a competitor of his own calibre, reasonable doubts were entertained as to the bona fide nature of his "acceptance." Before preparing for the encounter, Mr. S. took the precaution, under these circumstances, of sending to the President of the London Chess Club to ascertain whether that society undertook to find the stakes for Mr. H. From that gentleman's statement, it appeared clear that some members of the club had subscribed the amount required, and that Captain Evans had consented to act on their and Mr. Harrwitz's part, in arranging the minor preliminaries of the match. Upon this assurance, Mr. S. immediately wrote to his opponent to say that he had deposited £25 in the hands of Mr. Brien, of the St. George's Chess Club, and soon after left England for a short stay on the continent, with the conviction that everything was settled, and that he must be ready for battle upon the termination of the match between Messrs. Lowenthal and Harrwitz. On returning to England, at an early stage of this match, he had an interview with Captain E., and laid before him copies of the correspondence between himself and Mr. H., when Captain E. expressed his opinion that Mr. H. was unquestionably bound to play the match on the terms of the challenge. He stated, however, that Mr. H. was desirous of having those terms modified in some particulars. A short time afterwards Captain E. brought to Mr. S., and to the gentlemen who acted as his representative, a draft of the terms upon which Mr. H., who, he said, "considered himself no longer bound to play upon the conditions he had before accepted!" now proposed to play. Upon Mr. S. demurring to one point, relative to the limitation of time in moving,

VOL. II.

I

Captain E. proposed, "as any restriction as to time was foreign to the spirit of chess, that the time-clause should be cancelled altogether.' To this, after a few minutes' consideration and conversation on the subject, Mr. Staunton consented, and it was believed that every impediment was now removed. This pleasant illusion was dispelled almost immediately; for Captain E., after consulting with his principal, announced that Mr. Harrwitz would not agree even to this arrangement. The affair then fell into the hands of the two seconds, Capt. Evans and Mr. Sheppard; and, after much protocolling, in which they appeared to arrive no nearer a satisfactory adjustment, Mr. Sheppard, upon the conclusion of the late match, wrote as follows to Capt. E. :-"As I am actuated by a real desire to bring about this contest, I will not now enter into minutiæ nor peril the object in view by reviving useless discussions. We can settle all minor matters when we meet; let us now only concern ourselves with endeavours to display the prowess of the respective warriors. If your principal is only half as willing to play as mine, we shall not have much difficulty. I can assure you that Mr. S. is as fully prepared to enter the lists now, as he was before the termination of the late match. As a proof of this, he authorizes me to make the following final proposition:

"He will play at the time Mr. H. himself proposes, either according to the terms of the challenge already accepted; or he will even consent to play upon the terms you, as Mr. H.'s second, proposed, altogether waiving the question of limiting the time on moves; and in either case, if agreeable to Mr. H.'s supporters, he will double the amount of stakes.

"If this offer is refused by Mr. Harrwitz, it must be obvious to you, as to everybody else, that he is determined in every way to evade the contest."

This seemed a clencher, but did not prove so. Captain E. replied, by saying he had resigned his appointment as second, and had forwarded the letter to Mr. H. Mr. Harrwitz, as might be expected, has made no reply. Mr. Sheppard has since written to the party who represented himself as the holder of Mr. H.'s deposit, demanding the forfeited stakes; and no notice whatever has been taken of his communication. Here the matter rests."

Since the appearance of the above remarks in our contemporary,we have received several communications on the subject, but can find room in the present number only for the following from Mr. Sheppard, the gentleman who undertook, on the part of Mr. Staunton, to arrange the minor preliminaries for the contest.

Next month we shall endeavour to give the correspondence, in extenso, unless (which is most probable) it obtain publicity, meanwhile, through a court of law.

(To the Editor of the Chess Player's Chronicle.)

SIR,-I have been engaged in a correspondence, for the last five or six weeks, which has involved me in some half-score of letters, with a view of bringing about the proposed Chess Match between Mr. Staunton and Mr. Harrwitz. It is, of course, impossible in your limited space, that you should find room for these productions, which are inclosed for your perusal. The public, however, ought to be made aware of the fact, that Mr. Harrwitz, having originally accepted Mr. Staunton's challenge, now declines the encounter. The gentleman who acted as his representative (Captain Evans) has refused to continue the correspondence further; and the party with whom a deposit of £25 was made, as a guarantee of Mr. Harrwitz's good faith, has virtually declined (by not replying to a letter I have addressed to him for that purpose) to hand over the above sum, which has been fairly forfeited by the articles of agreement.

It is surely time, sir, that these public Chess challenges and public " acceptances" should cease, if they lead to such miserable disclosures as the accompanying correspondence exhibits.

Enfield, January 12, 1854.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

E. SHEPPARD.