The Saddle of Correspondence Chess












(10) Singapore - Batavia [C28]
Cable Match, October 1900 - April 1901, 10.1900
[J. B. Elcum]

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 A safe variation, which leads to a slow game. 3...Nc6 Perfectly sound. More enterprising would be 3...Nxe4 but White has several good replies. 4.d3 Bb4 5.Nge2 Of doubtful value. It is not clear whether it would not be better to lay 5.f4. This would give White a strong attack, at the expense of some disarrangement of pawns. 5...d6 6.0-0 [ 6.f4 Ng4 7.h3 Qh4+ 8.g3 Qh5 etc.] 6...Be6 In the Hastings Tournament with Walbrodt, Pollock played 6...Bg4 and drew. [ 6...Bg4 ] 7.Nd5 Bxd5 This exchange scarcely seems to benefit Black. 8.exd5 Ne7 9.c3 Bc5 10.d4 exd4 11.Nxd4 h6 Batavia do well to avoid exchange the strong King's Bishop, and see through the little trap laid for them if they try to win the d5-pawn. Thus, if 11...Nfxd5 12.Bxd5 Nxd5 13.Nf5! and wins. 12.Bb5+ Kf8 Probably best. The alternative was 12...Nd7 giving White a choice of moves. A strong continuation would be 13.Ne6!! [ 12...Nd7 13.Ne6 (Diagram) 13...fxe6 14.dxe6 c6 15.exd7+ Qxd7 16.Bd3 with a better game.] 13.c4 Qc8 14.Nb3 The first of several ill-judged moves, which tie up the Queen Side pieces and neutralise and positional advantage Singapore may have gained. The Knight eventually makes his way to Nf3, where he might have gone direct. It is of importance however to bring the Bc1 into play as soon as possible. 14...a6 15.Ba4 Ba7 16.Nd2 Qg4 17.Qb3 Still further blocking the Bishop. Almost anything would have been better than this. White appears for some reason to dread an exchange of Queens, but 17.Bc2 was to be preferred whether Black exchanged or not. [ 17.Bc2 ] 17...Rb8 18.h3 Qg6 [ 18...Qe2 would be at least as good.] 19.Qc3 Nh5 20.Bc2 Qg3 (Diagram) 21.Nf3 Nf4 22.Bxf4 "In this position, being Batavia's turn to play, Singapore wired that if 22... Qxf4 their reply would be 23.Rae1 , but a telegram since received reads : ' Illness excuse delay'." 22...Qxf4 23.Rae1 c6 24.Re4 Qf6 25.Qxf6 gxf6 26.Nh4 cxd5 27.cxd5 Rc8 [ 27...Nxd5 28.Rd1 and White recovers the pawn with a decisive advantage.] 28.Bb3 Rg8 29.Rfe1 Rc7 30.Kf1 Bc5 31.a3 Rg5 32.f4 Rg3 33.Bc4 Re3 [ 33...b5 34.Bxb5 axb5 35.Rxe7 Rxe7 36.Rxe7 ] 34.R1xe3 And a draw was agreed on. There is nothing else in the game, the latter part of which was admirably played by the Batavia representatives. Had Black played 33...b5 White might still have hoped to win: 34.Bxb5 axb5 35.Rxe7 Rxe7 36.Rxe7. 1/2-1/2













(11) Singapore - Hong Kong [C39]
Cable Match (1st Game), 1902, 1902
[J. B. Elcum ]

Singapore: J.B. Elcum, W. Craig, S. Rosembaum and P.A. Reutens; Hong Kong: P.W. Sergeant, T.H. Reid, M.J. Dannenberg, E.J. Moses and P.C. de Souza 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ng5 h6 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.d4 f3 8.gxf3 Be7 9.Bc4+ d5 10.Bxd5+ Kg7 11.0-0 g3 12.f4 Nf6 13.Nc3 h5 14.f5 Ng4 15.Kg2 Bxh4 16.Rf4 Nf2 17.Qf3 Qg5 18.e5 Nc6 19.f6+ Kg6 20.Ne4 Nxe5 21.Nxg5 Nxf3 22.Bf7+ Kxg5 (Diagram) The Singapore team now telegraphed the unusual line: 23.Rxf3+ Kg4 24.Rf4+ Kg5 25.Rxf2+ Kg4 26.Rf4+ Kg5 27.Rf1+ Kg4 28.Bc4 Re8 29.f7 1-0













(12) Hong Kong - Singapore [C65]
Cable Match (2nd Game), 1902, 1902
[Hong-Kong Daily Press]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Bc5 This defence is attributed to Alapin. It was tried in Singapore Chess Club/^s championship last year, which no doubt accounts for its adoption in the present game. Its combination with 6/\Qe7 soon gives Black a very cramped position. 5.Nxe5 Nxe5 6.d4 Qe7 7.dxc5 Qxc5 8.Nc3 0-0 9.Be2 For Black threatened 9... Nxe4. 9...Qe7 This invites White's ensuing attack. 10.f4 Nc6 11.e5 Ne8 12.Nd5 Qd8 13.Bd3 f5 14.Bc4 Inconclusive. 14.Qh5 is best followed perhaps by g4 when occasion offers. White loses valuable time by the many moves of his King's Bishop. 14...Kh8 15.Qh5 [ 15.b4 is worth consideration now that the Queen's move has been delayed.] 15...Nd4 16.Bd2 c6 [ 16...Nxc2 17.Rac1 Nd4 18.Bc3 Ne6 19.Rf3 and White's attack is irresistible.] 17.Ne3 d5 (Diagram) 18.Bd3 Qe7 19.c4 dxc4 20.Nxc4 Be6 21.Bc3 Nb5 Getting rid, by the ensuing capture, of a piece most valuable for White. 22.Ne3 Nxc3 23.bxc3 Nc7 24.Nxf5 White has temporarily won a pawn, but his attack is no longer effective. In fact but for the resource offered by this 27th move and 29th moves he would be unable to hold his own. 24...Qc5+ 25.Nd4 Bg8 26.Rad1 Nd5 27.e6 Qxc3 28.Qe5 Nf6 29.f5 Rfd8 30.Bb1 Rd5 31.Qf4 Rad8 32.Rd3 Qb4 33.Rfd1 c5 34.Ne2 Rxd3 35.Bxd3 (Diagram) "Singapore here wired 35...c4 36.Bc2 Rxd1+ 37.Bxd1 Qe1+ 38.Qf1 Qd2. Hong Kong has not yet signified their acceptance of this line of play. Comment, however, would be premature." [Singapore Free Press, August 28, 1902, p.3] 35...c4 36.Bc2 Rxd1+ 37.Bxd1 Qe1+ 38.Qf1 Qd2 39.Ng3 White cannot save the remaining pawn on the Queen Side. 39...Qxa2 40.Nh5 Qd2 41.Nxf6 gxf6 42.Qe2 Qxe2 Black here offered a draw, which was declined. 43.Bxe2 b5 44.Kf2 [ 44.Bf3 is also playable.] 44...a5 45.Ke3 a4 46.Kd2 Kg7 47.Kc2 Kf8 48.Bf3 b4 49.Bd5 White in turn offered a draw which Black after four more moves accepted. 49...c3 50.e7+ Kxe7 51.Bxg8 a3 52.g4 h6 (Diagram) White Bishop cannot touch the Black pawns and Black cannot advance to the assistance of his Queen's side pawns without White breaking through on the King's Side. Source: Singapore Free Press, October 3, 1902, p.3 1/2-1/2



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