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White.

GAMES.

Edited by J. WISKER.

CXII. Played a few weeks ago between Messrs. MACDONNELL and BIRD.

Muzio Gambit.

White.

Mr. MACDONNELL.

10. B takes QB P
P to K 5

12. B to Q 6

Mr. MACDONNELL.

Black.
Mr. BIRD.

II.

(a) This defence to the Muzio, which we believe is invariably adopted by Mr. Bird, was brought into notice by Messrs. Kling and Horwitz, who published an analysis of it in their admirable book on End Games. This analysis was entitled "The Defeat of the Muzio Gambit ;" but it proved that this formidable opening was not to be so easily disposed of. The inventors had, as not unfrequently happens, overlooked the proper move. 6. Q to K 2 for the second player is bad, and ought to lose the game. best defence is that beginning

6. Q to KB 3

7. P to K 5
8. P to Q 3

7. Q takes P

8. B to KR 3, &c.

The

(b) It would have been better had the Bishop been brought out at once at K Kt 2. This capture only serves to bring White's pieces to the front.

(c) The game is virtually over. There is no better move than this, though it entails the loss of a Pawn and the further detriment of Black's position.

(d) The impossibility of bringing out this Knight satisfactorily is the great defect-a defect without remedy--in the KlingHorwitz defence.

(e) The Queen is now shut out, as well as the rest of Black's pieces.

(f) Mr. Macdonnell has played excellently throughout. The combination, of which this is the first move, forms an unusually pretty termination to a lively game.

(a) The style of defence of which this and the three preceding moves are the essentials, was once deemed irresistible. Its popularity dated from the match between Messrs. Lowenthal and Harrwitz, in which the former employed it with decisive success, and it lived in favour long after the publication of Staunton's "Praxis." It is now as completely exploded as the Sicilian opening, or the Damiano Gambit. The present game forcibly illustrates the inevitable triumph of the attack when properly conducted. Some advocates of this defence preferred to play Kt to R 4 first, and some the Q to K 2; but the result ought always to be the same. (b) If the Knight advances to K Kt 6, White may advantageously answer with B takes K B P, making Black a present of the Rook, or he may steer a steadier course by moving K K to R 2. (c) 10. K to B sq is better.

(d) Much better than B takes P. Black is compelled to take the Rook; otherwise he could not try his only chance, the advance of the Pawn to Knight's sixth. By this sacrifice White retains his deadly Queen's Bishop, which in this situation is worth much more than the Rook.

(e) Check mate being threatened by the White Queen's Bishop, it would be fatal on the part of Black to check with his Queen. (f) Very fine indeed; if either Queen or Rook take the Bishop, mate follows obviously at once. The remaining moves, and indeed the whole game, on the part of White, are very elegant.

(a) Up to this point the game has been perfectly "regular," that is, White has played the most approved form of attack, and Black has adopted what was, until lately, thought to be the best defence, but which is in reality no defence at all. At this point it is customary to bring round the Knight to the King's second, but the inversion of moves matters little, for the King is always played to the corner immediately afterwards.

(b) It is astonishing that a game conducted in this fashion should have retained popularity so long-astonishing that such a position should ever have been deemed defensible. Hundreds of pages of analyses have been written on the variations springing from this single position, and thousands of games have been played between the German masters to test its validity. But surely such a situation is bad on principle. Neither of the White Knights has any scope for action, the Queen is quite inactive, whilst it is essential to the plan of operations to block up the King's Bishop. The idea of the defence is to advance the Pawns on the Queen's side, which is effected by retreating the Bishop to B 2, posting Q R on Q Kt square, and then throwing up the Q Kt P. Whilst this process is going on, White accumulates the materials for breaking through on the King's side, and in the vast majority of cases succeeds in so doing. The operations on Black's side are preposterous.

(c) This is a very promising but a bad move. The White K B is driven to a good square, the advanced Pawn is weak, and the open square at Q 4 is very serviceable to the first player. Black thus renders the difficult defence more difficult still. The error is a very common one.

(d) The opportunity is at once seized upon.

(e) This is the hopeless process to which we alluded in note (b).

(f) Black would have done better by playing this Rook at the 17th move, instead of advancing P to Q R 3.
(g) Kt to K 4 is a little better.
(i) If.

(h) The Knights are now fairly in the opponent's game, which is virtually lost.

21. P to Q Kt 5
22. P to QB 6

22. K Kt to K6
23. B takes QB P and wins.

By his 24th move White effectually prevents the advance of the adverse Pawns.
(k) Alas! they never got any further; White's 27th move is sound and good.

(d) It was the late Mr. Peter Pratt who remarked, under similar circumstances, that "To do otherwise would be prejudicial to the adversary."

CXVI. The following partie was contested, many years ago, between the veteran Mr. COCHRANE and the Brahmin MOHESCHUNDER BONNERJEE. It formed one of a series, which extended to some hundred Games, a performance which reflected equal credit upon the skill of Mr. Cochrane and the patience of the Brahmin, for the latter generally came off second-best in these battles.

(a) It reflects great credit upon the Brahmin's knowledge of European analysis that up to this point he should have conducted the defence, as Mr. Cochrane conducts the attack, strictly in accordance with the established rules of the time. The line of play adopted in this game has, however, fallen completely into disuse. At this eleventh move Moheschunder Bonnerjec commits an error common enough amongst Western players. The exchange of Pawns allows White's pieces to come to the front, and the second player loses time and position, if not material. The Knight should, instead, be simply retreated to King's square. Black then threatens B to K B 4.

(b) Up to this point the game is identical with one played by Mr. Morphy against Messrs. Riviere and Journoud, the allies conducting the attack. At the 16th move, instead of attempting to defend the Pawn, which is indefensible, Mr. Morphy retreated K to R sq, whereupon the allies replied by Q R to Q sq, and ultimately won. The game, which is exceedingly interesting, may

be found in the "Praxis," under the head "Evans' Gambit."

(c) White might now have chosen other lines of play, but he adopts this course in order to lessen the strength of the Black pawns. (d) Mr. Cochrane considers this a very bold move; it is the only one that affords a chance of equalising the game.

(e) To allow White thus to gain command of the open file is an irretrievable misfortune. Better to have played Q R to Q sq and the other Rook to King square.