Wednesday, July 23

Mannheim tournament, Round 3: Spielmann, with third consecutive victory, takes sole lead; Alekhine, Vidmar close behind

Rudolf Spielmann assumed sole leadership of the international Masters' tournament at Mannheim by defeating Jacques Mieses in only 23 moves to record his third consecutive victory and raise his score to 3-0. Close behind Spielmann in joint 2nd-3rd places with 2 1/2 points are Alexander Alekhine, winner over Ehrhardt Post, and Dr. Milan Vidmar, who played to a draw vs. Dr. Saviely Tartakower. Other winners on the day were Gyula Breyer, Walter John, and Oldrich Duras, their respective victims being Carl Carls, Hans Fahrni, and Alexander Flamberg. With these latest victories Breyer, John, and Duras join Dr. Tartakower in sharted 4th-7th places, each with 2 points.

Four contests were drawn: the aforementioned Tartakower-Vidmar encounter, as well as the games Richard Reti-David Janowski, Paul Krüger-Efim Bogoljubow, and Frank J. Marshall-Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch. Through three rounds the White pieces have accounted for 12 victories and the Black 4 (two of those by Alekhine), with 11 games drawn. 

Results:

Spielmann-Mieses 1-0
Post-Alekhine 0-1
Duras-Flamberg 1-0
John-Fahrni 1-0
Breyer-Carls 1-0
Tartakower-Vidmar ½-½
Reti-Janowski ½-½
Marshall-Tarrasch ½-½
Krüger-Bogoljubow ½-½

Scores after 3 rounds: Spielmann 3; Alekhine, Vidmar 2 1/2; Tartakower, Breyer, Duras, John 2; Carls, Krüger, Marshall, Reti 1 1/2; Bogoljubow, Janowski, Mieses 1; Fahrni, Flamberg, Post, Tarrasch 1/2.

We present the games:

Spielmann, who seems to be in top form, routed Mieses' beloved Center Counter Defense, gaining an early advantage in space and development and deciding the contest in his favor in only 23 moves.


Alekhine possesses a marked ability to create complications in even the most humdrum of positions. Here, playing Black against Post's Exchange Variation of the Ruy Lopez, he enlivens the game with the pawn thrust 12...c4, inaugurating a colorful endgame struggle in which the young Russian ace at last gets the better of his opponent.


Duras and Flamberg battled on even terms in a Ruy Lopez until the latter erred with 38...Ne3?, overlooking the double attack 39.Qa5, winning the exchange. Our clubmate, the Argus-eyed Herr Fritz, believes that soon thereafter Duras erred in turn with 41.Qxa7?, allowing Flamberg to achieve a draw via 41...Nd1, a saving clause of which Black did not avail himself. The reader will find the supporting variations included with the game score.


John-Fahrni, a balanced French Defense, saw Black weaken in the middlegame, as 25...Kf8? cost the second player a pawn and 34...Qe8? allowed White to decide the contest via a crushing sacrifice.


Carls, as Black against Breyer, sacrificed the exchange for a speculative attack that failed to yield the desired results.


Tartakower and Vidmar contested a Scotch Game, drawn in 34 moves after an exchange of light blows.


Reti offered a pawn vs. Janowski in order to develop a King-side attack, but then, seeing no means of breaking through, elected to force a draw via perpetual check.


Marshall and Tarrasch played a long endgame in which the American's Knight proved an equal match to the Doctor's Bishop.


Krüger and Bogoljubow reached a heavy-piece endgame in which Black temporarily gained a pawn, but White developed sufficient counter-play to achieve a draw.





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