Monday, October 28, 2013

How Many Positions in Chess Games - The Montgomery County Times

The Montgomerry County Times, Wales
 4 January 1896
This is a newspaper from The Salopian & Montgomeryshire - Cardigan area of Wales. The chess column runs from 1895. Chess editor not named.

Game:
Mikhail Chigorin vs Wilhelm Steinitz 0-1, St. Petersburg 1895/96
Evans Gambit
The week's best chess tournament happened to be in St. Petersburg between four elite players, Lasker, Steinitz, Chigorin and Pillsbury. The newspaper picked up this tournament since last week.

Problem:
White to move and mate in four moves
The problem come with aesthetic circle shape and "Wishing You A Happy New Year" in the middle.

Anecdotes:
Interesting article on the number of positions the chess game can reach:

MORAL SUASION

Apropos of profound mathematical calculations we recount the following, which was going the rounds some time back-
The first player in chess has twenty moves to choose from on his first move, and, whichever of the twenty he takes, his opponent has the same number of replies," said Browne of our club the other day, smoking a Criterion cigarette as he stood with his back to the fire so that," continued he, there may be four hundred games of chess, only one move played on each side, and yet each position different."

"Prove it!" said Jones.
"Prove it!" replied Browne, with voice full of scornful disdain.
"Yes, prove it," cried Jones.
Jones was rather a big man, with a wooden leg, which he took off and placed by his side when playing a game of chess. He generally won, for there was a great deal of moral suasion about that leg. Browne said it was the only soft part about him.

"Mr Jones," replied Browne loftily—he was always polite when lofty-" after I have finished giving the club the information that I have called for their benefit, I will condescend to argue with yon. When four moves have been played," he went on, there may be 318,179,584,000 games, each position being different.

" Prove it!" shouted the irrascible Jones, who looked as if he wished it done on the spot.

"Gentlemen," coritiritzed Browne, not noticing the frustration,"the two Kings alone; never standing on adjacent squares, can be placed in 3,615 different positions.

"Prove it!" reiterated Jones, now getting his wooden leg into position, should it be required for the purpose of moral suasion.
"And further, gentlemen," said Browne, seven chessmen, say four white and three black, may occupy 128,746,434,575,809-"

But the sentence was never finished a booming noise, caused by a wooden leg in mid-air, suggested to us a rapid retreat, and the last we saw wns Brown ducking his head as if to avoid moral suasion.


The Montgomery County Times - 4 January 1896
tags: chess column in old newspaper, rare chess problem, aesthetic chess problem, wales chess history, montgomery chess history, chess mathematic

Chess Problem by A. Wheeler - The Montgomery County Times

The Montgomerry County Times, Wales
 29 December 1895
This is a newspaper from The Salopian & Montgomeryshire - Cardigan area of Wales. The chess column runs from 1895. Chess editor not named.

Game:
none

Problem:
White to play and mate in two moves, composed by A. Wheeler, Worksop
This is the correct version to the one found in Yet Another Chess Problem Database
Both provide mate in two for different black bishop position.


Anecdotes:
- It is recorded that Charles I was actually playing chess when the tidings came that the Scots intended to deliver him upl and Frederick the Great returned to his game after having heard yet more disastrous news.
- Samuel Warren recommended the game of chess to law students. Sydney Smith, Darwin, Douglas Jerrold, Dickens, Thackeray, Whately and Benjamin Franklin were all good chess players
- the calculation of chess positions and moves possibilities

The Montgomery County Times Chess Column and Problem 
29 December 1895
tags: rare chess problem from 1891, chess history wales, montgomery chess history, chess column in old newspaper

Lasker Steinitz Pillsbury Chigorin in St Petersburg 1895 - The Montgomery County Times

The Montgomery County Times, Wales
21 December 1895
Chess column in the Montgomery County Times, newspaper from the Salopian & Montgomeryshire and Cardigan area, Wales.

Games:
Emmanuel Lasker vs Harry Nelson Pillsbury 0-1, St. Petersburg 1895/1896  -  Petrov Defence
Wilhelm Steinitz vs Mikhail Chigorin 0-1, St. Petersburg 1895/1896 - Queen's Pawn Opening

This is from St. Petersburg 1895-86, the strongest 6 round robin between the four player from elite level. Games of course well known and the local newspaper did a good job covering this elite chess tournament from 1895. It won by Lasker.

Problem:
White to move and mate in ONE - composed by Christmas Contributor
Christmas theme chess problem


The Montgomery County Times Chess Column
21 December 1895
tags: montgomery wales chess history, chess column from old newspaper, scanned chess column, age of chess, chess in wales

F.W. Lord vs H.W. Carson - R. Marriott vs A. Dodd Wales Chess Games - The Montgomerry County Times

The Montgomerry County Times, Wales
14 December 1895
This is a newspaper from The Salopian & Montgomeryshire - Cardigan area of Wales. The chess column runs from 1895. Chess editor not named.

Games:
Frederick William Lord vs H.W. Carson 1-0, City of London Chess Club v Metropolitan Chess Club
Ruy Lopez
Strong amateur player from the chess club mentioned, F.W. Lord and H.W. Carson only recorded one game in chessgames.com

mr. R. Marriott vs mr. A. Dod 0-1, Liverpool vs Manchester chess match 1895 (?)
Ponziani Opening C44
Yet another strong amateur level chess games between Liverpool and Manchester. mr. A. Dod recorded one game in chessgames.com also, while R. Marriott is harder to identify. The game is a rare Ponziani Opening I found from the era.

Problem:
White to play and mate in two moves, composer F.W. Andrews, London


the Montgomery County Times Chess Column
tags: Montgomery chess history, wales chess history, chess column in old newspaper, age of chess, rare chess games