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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 15 at Hastings was played on the 24th of August 1895.
There were two problem games to be discussed in this round.
The score of this game in ChessBase’s Mega Database 2025 is as follows: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nxc6 dxc6 6. Qf3 Nf6 7. h3 Be6 8. Nc3 Bg7 9. Bd3 Nd7 10. Qg3 Qb6 11. Be2 h5 12. h4 Ne5 13. O-O Ng4 14. Bxg4 hxg4 15. e5 Bf5 16. Re1 Bxc2 17. Qxg4 Bf5 18. Qg3 Qb4 19. Bg5 Qxb2 20. Rad1 Qb4 21. Qe3 Qb6 22. Qf4 Rd8 23. Rxd8+ Qxd8 24. g4 Be6 25. Qb4 Qc7 26. a3 Bh6 27. Qf4 Bxg5 28. Qxg5 Kf8 29. Re3 Qd7 30. Rg3 Bb3 31. h5 Bd5 32. Kh2 Qe6 33. h6 f6 34. Qxg6 Qf7 35. Qxf7+ Kxf7 36. Nxd5 Rxh6+ 37. Kg2 cxd5 38. Rf3 Ke6 39. exf6 exf6 40. Rb3 Rh7 41. Kg3 d4 42. Kf4 Rc7 43. Ke4 Rc3 44. Rxb7 d3 45. Ke3 Rxa3 46. f4 d2+ 47. Kxd2 Rg3 48. g5 fxg5 49. fxg5 Rxg5 50. Rxa7 ½–½
Cheshire (pages 235-236, which had notes by Gunsberg) ends at “47 KxP R to K Kt6 Drawn game.” The further moves to White’s 50th are from Schallopp (pages 236-723) and modern secondary sources (including Renette’s recent book on Lasker) tend to follow that book and give the long version. However, we note that the Lasker volume in the Weltgeschichte des Schach series stops at Black’s 47th move.
Britbase notes that Hoffer, in The Field (31 August 1895) truncated the game and had a diagram showing White’s a-pawn on the wrong square.
Conclusion: We prefer the official (short) version.
The score of this game in ChessBase’s Mega Database 2025 is as follows: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 d6 6.Nc3 b5 7.Bb3 Bg4 8.Ne2 Bxf3 9.gxf3 Qd7 10.a4 Qh3 11.axb5 h5 12.Re1 Ng4 13.fxg4 hxg4 14.Bxf7+ Kxf7 15.Ra3 Qxh2+ 16.Kf1 axb5 17.Rg3 Rh6 18.d3 Rf6 19.Be3 Be7 20.Rg2 Qh4 21.Ng3 Rf3 22.Ke2 Qf6 23.Nf5 Rh3 24.Kd2 Rh7 25.Qxg4 Bf8 26.Qf3 Ke8 27.Reg1 Qf7 28.Qg4 Ne7 29.Nh4 Ng8 30.Ng6 Nf6 31.Qf5 Ng8 32.Qxf7+ Kxf7 33.Rf1 Be7 34.Nxe7 Kxe7 35.Rgg1 Kd7 36.Ra1 Rxa1 37.Rxa1 Ne7 38.Ra7 Rh8 39.Ke2 Nc6 40.Ra1 Ke6 ½–½
Our diagram shows the position after White’s 38th move where the discrepancy occurs. Cheshire (pages 236-238, with notes by Lasker) has “R to R7” (i.e., 38…Rh7-h2) whereas Schallopp (pages 237-238) and Crouch (pages 220-221) have 38…Rh8 as shown above.
This game was annotated in The Field (31st August, page 387) which gave “R to R sq” (i.e., Rh8) and in the Deutsche Schachzeitung (October 1895, pages 308-309) where Black’s 39th move was given as Th7-h8.
Conclusion: Britbase is undeniably correct in its comment that 38…Rh2 is “extremely unlikely” because it would allow 39 Bb6 winning a pawn. Their explanation of the error in Cheshire is convincing too, pointing out that “in descriptive notation it […Rh2] is R-R7 which is the same as White's last move 38 Ra7, so a typesetting error probably occurred.”
This series continues with Round 16 and onwards...
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