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Editor: Dr Tim Harding |
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Editor: Dr Tim Harding |
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© Dr Tim Harding
Last modified:
28 October 2026
Round 14 at Hastings was played on the 23rd of August 1895, after a rest day when the Congress banquet was held.
There was one problem game to be discussed in this round.
The score of this game in ChessBase’s Mega Database 2025 is as follows: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bxb4 5. c3 Bd6 6. d4 Nf6 7. Ng5 O-O 8. Nxf7 Rxf7 9. Bxf7+ Kxf7 10. f4 exd4 11. e5 Be7 12. exf6 Bxf6 13. O-O d5 14. Nd2 dxc3 15. Nf3 Kg8 16. Rb1 b6 17. Be3 Bg4 18. Qa4 Bxf3 19. Rxf3 Qd6 20. Rd1 Rd8 21. Rh3 d4 22. Bc1 Qe6 23. Qc2 d3 24. Rhxd3 Nd4 25. f5 Qe4 26. Ba3 c5 27. Qf2 Ne2+ 28. Kf1 Rxd3 29. Rxd3 Qxd3 30. Qxe2 Qxf5+ 31. Kg1 Qb1+ 32. Kf2 Bd4+ 33. Kg3 Qg6+ 34. Kh3 h5 35. g3 Qg4+ 36. Qxg4 hxg4+ 37. Kxg4 Be3 38. Kf3 Bh6 39. Ke2 c2 0-1
The diagram shows the position after Black’s 30th move because there is a disagreement about what White played next. The official Cheshire tournament book (pages 229-230, with notes by Schiffers) gives “K to K sq.” (i.e., 31 Ke1). The discrepancy has probably been overlooked since, after 31…Qb1+, the K goes to f2 at move 32 in both versions.
The ChessBase version above follows Schallopp (pages 225-226) though it is unclear where he found his version since the game was not published in either the Schachzeitung or the Wochenschach. The Crouch/Haines book on Hastings 1895 (pages 202-203) also went with 31 Kg1 as did Renette's book on Bird (game 1220, page 520).
Renette admitted (in recent correspondence with me) that that he tends not to notice such discrepancies, as can also be seen in his recent Lasker book where there are mistakes with the scores of several games from the 1894 Lasker-Steinitz match that were pointed out elsewhere on this website back in 2021. (He thinks he was following ChessBase which has since corrected its record of those games.)
The primary sources in English overwhelmingly said that Bird played 31 K-K1 (i.e., Ke1). This was given in The Field (31 August 1895) and in The Times (3 Sept.) and afterwards when the game was annotated by Ranken in BCM (December 1895, page 531). The Cheshire book also has “K to K sq” (i.e., Ke1) and the move to the central file also appears in Pillsbury's Chess Career by Sergeant and Watts. Schlechter published the game in his Sportzeitung column on 6 October. He too gave 31 Ke1. Britbase correctly gives Ke1 while noting that Kg1 has been published.
There is a length issue at the end of this game also. Cheshire (and The Times, BCM and Sergeant/Watts) all say that White resigned after 38 Kf3 Bh6 although Schallopp and those who copy him have the extra move pair shown above. Schlechter even ended the game after Black’s 37th move.
Conclusion: The contemporary English sources giving 31 Ke1, and the final move as Black’s 38th, should be preferred.
This series continues with Round 15 and onwards...
Back to the index (introduction) page for the series.