The Chess Opening, Considered Critically and Practically.
By H. E. Bird.
London: Dean & Son, 160, Fleet Street.
The public record of chess matches and great tournaments places
the name of the author of this work above that of any living
English competitor for chess honours, excepting Mr. Blackburne.
It is therefore all the more disappointing to find that
Mr. Bird's book has not done justice to his great reputation as
a player. The author's chief defect as an analyst arises probably
from one of his distinguishing qualities as a practitioner over
the board. Few chess masters could excel Mr. Bird in rapid survey
of position and in the formation and execution of surprising
maneuvers, which, though not always sound--and sometimes, as he
admits, even eccentric--tend to raise confusing complications,
difficult for the adversary to disentangle at a quick rate.
These qualities make Mr. Bird one of the most dangerous opponents
in "skittle play," or in matches regulated by a fast time limit;
but they prove almost antagonistic to the acquirement of
excellency as an author on the game. For the first-class analyst
is not merely expected to record results, but to judge the
causes of success or failure from the strictly scientific point
of view, and he has often to supplement with patient research the
shortcomings of great masters in actual play. In such cases every
move of a main variation becomes a problem which has to be studied
for a great length of time; and the best authors have watched the
progress of different openings in matches and tournaments for
years, and pronounced their judgment only after the most careful
comparisons, Mr. Bird is, however, too much of an advocate to be
a good judge, and he evinces great partiality for ingenious traps
and seductive combinations, which form an attractive feature of
his own style in actual play, but which mostly occur only in
light skirmishes. Moreover he often treats his duties as an
analyst in a cavalier fashion. In his quotations from other
authors he embodies variations which stand already severely
condemned by first-class chess critics in various chess
periodicals; and his original researches contain a considerable
portion of "skittle" analysis, which does not bear cursory
examination.
We have no room for lengthened demonstrations, and must confine
ourselves to a few instances of the latter description, all
occurring in the compiler's new additions. On page 6, he
overlooks the winning of a clear piece which White can effect
by Q to R4, followed by P to QR3 if the B be defended. On page
22 Black can win a piece on the 16th move by P to KB4, followed
by P to KKt3, and there is no chance of any counter-attack by
P to KKt4, for Black may afterwards interpose the B at K4, and
get the K into the corner. On page 105 a piece can be won by
Black on the l0th move by B to Q5, for the Kt has no retreat,
a mate being threatened at KB3. The ending of a game between
Messrs. Bird and MacDonnell affords a still more remarkable
illustration. There is abundant proof that the author must have
examined the position at least more than once, for, by a singular
error, the identical ending appears twice in the book--on pages
183 and 197,--each time with a large diagram. On each occasion
a win is demonstrated for White in nine moves, while at least a
piece can be gained at once by Q to K7, followed accordingly by
P to Q6 dis. ch., or B to KKt5. Mr. Bird would be annoyed to
make such oversights over the board; and there is no excuse for
such shallow examples being recommended to the student without
the least comment on their weak points.
As regards the general arrangement, we have to remark that the
variations sometimes seem to have been examined loosely and
separately, irrespective of their relation to each other, or to
the main propositions of the author in reference to the form of
opening he deals with; and the brevity or length of space
assigned to different forms of play have apparently been decided
in a whimsical and arbitrary manner. For instance, on page 29,
in the Philidor's defence, 7. Kt to KB3, is described to afford
the most satisfactory and secure opening for Black. On the next
page the move is repeated under the separate heading, Example II,
and it looks odd enough that one single move should have
received such prominence, the only addition being, "Won by
Harrwitz in 40 moves," as if it were to be forced by Black in
that number, while at the time the positions show little
difference. But, stranger still, four pages later on (page 34)
the identical variation reappears, taken from the same game
between Morphy and Harrwitz (though this is not stated), with
three more moves on each side added to it, but this time the
remark is made, that "White has a good position." To take another
example. On page 78 there is a repetition of 10 moves on each
side, merely for the purpose of indicating a different 11th move
for White. It is scarcely necessary to point out that in each
case the stronger move should have been inserted in the main
variation, while the weaker one could have been disposed of in
a foot-note of one line.
While on this subject we cannot refrain from mentioning the
frequent references to "Chess Masterpieces," a work previously
published by the author, which contained a collection of fine
games partly reproduced from Howard Taylor's "Chess Brilliants,"
and other publications, with additions mostly from Mr. Bird's own
practice. We must confess that some of the so-called variations
extracted from the "Masterpieces," appear to be nothing more than
advertisements. Notably, on page 157, four "examples" are given,
which do not go beyond the 4th move, and leave no mark on the
positions, and then we are gravely informed, in a manner already
described, that White or Black won in so-and-so many moves.
We notice with great pleasure the handsome and courteous
manner in which almost all the prominent chess masters of the day
are mentioned in the book, and the sense of fairness evinced by
Mr. Bird in the selection of variations and examples from his own
practice, irrespective of his victory or defeat. But his chess
historical references are unreliable, and he often wrongly ascribes
the adoption of certain variations to different players in a manner
which could have been easily rectified by taking a little more
trouble. This is not unimportant, for the reputed strength of a
player is evidence of the strength of an opening he favours in
matches and tournaments. We can only adduce a few instances which
are more within the writer's personal knowledge.
The statement about 5. Q to K2, in the Buy Lopez, on page 16,
is much confused. The move was adopted by Mr. Blackburne in
the final tie match of the Vienna tournament, but it never occurred
in the first game of the Steinitz-Blackburne match, as Mr. Bird can
convince himself from his own book, where the latter game is
published in full on page 171. Steinitz is also erroneously credited
with strongly favouring the attack in the Scotch Gambit, for we do
not remember a single game on record in which he ever adopted that
form of opening as first player. On the other hand, a variation in
the Evans Gambit is ascribed to Zukertort, which actually occurred
first in a game between Steinitz and Blackburne, played in the
London Grand Tournament of 1872. This error seems to have been
quoted from Staunton and Wormald's "Chess Theory and Practice."
A few more words about the problems at the end of the book and
we have done with the details. There are about a dozen compositions
mostly by high-class American authors, and some of them of very
good quality; but, unfortunately, Mr. Bird has omitted to indicate
their solutions. We must suppose this to be due to an oversight,
as he gives the key moves of the four problems by English composers.
The omission is deplorable, for many students would wish to
appreciate the author's idea, and the merits of the construction,
if they fail to solve the problem. To quote an instance from our
own experience; we could not find any solution to the problem on
page 224, which composition, we conclude, is either of the highest
order or suffers from the gravest of all faults, that of being
impossible. In either case we should have liked to examine the
solution.
Our judgment of the book, on the whole, is that it cannot be
ranked in the first class with the works of Heydebrand, Zukertort,
Staunton, Lowenthal, Neuman and Suhle, Lange, &c.; but it will
satisfy the demands of the great number of lovers of the game who
do not aspire above the second rank. Mr. Bird's ability and
ingenuity is beyond doubt, and there is ample evidence of his
qualifications in the book before us, but he has not yet acquired
that element of genius which has been defined as the capacity
for taking pains. Mr. Bird could produce a much better book than
this, and we hope he will.
Variously estimated from 3,000 to 1,000 B.C.
CHATURANGA.
The Primeval Hindu Chess.
bp--krnb
np--pppp
rp------
kp------
------pk
------pr
pppp--pn
bnrk--pb
[Diagram of a Chaturanga board with 4 armies. Yellow is in upper
left. Black is in upper right. Green is in lower left. Red is in
lower right.]
------
The Medieval and Modern Chess.
White
RNBKQBNR
PPPPPPPP
--------
--------
--------
--------
pppppppp
rnbkqbnr
Black
[Diagram of a standard chessboard, white pieces at the top,
black pieces at the bottom.]
Derived from the Persian Chatrang, 537-540 A.D.
------
833-842.
Problem I. by the Caliph MU'TASIM BILLAH.
Black
-k------
RnR-----
bN-p--r-
p-nQpB--
p--N-b-r
--------
-P--P---
-qBK----
White
White to move, and give checkmate at the ninth move.
------
About 1380.
Problem II. by 'ALI SHATRANJ.
Black
---r---r
ppq---R-
b--bkp-p
--------
--PP----
PP-B-Q--
--K---PP
--B-----
White
White to play and mate in eight moves.