Grand Mastery

Those fabulous mortals who break the bank at Monte Carlo will occasionally attribute their feat to unadulterated luck, but usually they allude enigmatically to a System. Discreet, they never disclose its formula. More generous is Aron Nimzowitsch, Denmark's grand master of Chess. He writes books about his System, and even exhibits its workings publicly.

At Carlsbad, Czechoslovakia, last week, the Danish Grand Master gave neat proof of the efficacy of his method. In the International Grand Masters' Chess tournament, matching wits with all the great masters except two, World's Champion Dr. Alexander Alekhine and onetime World's Champion Emanuel Lasker, Nimzowitsch gained ten wins, ten draws, had only one loss. Earning 15 points he was proclaimed winner. In a dramatic two-week rally he had advanced from fifth place. Only on the next-to-last day of the four-week tournament did he achieve the lead.

Chess enthusiasts call Master Nimzowitsch philosopher and artist as well as mathematician. Besides his System, he uses shrewd psychological strategy. In his game with Grand Master Rudolf Spielman, the winner of which had a chance to tie Cuban Jose R. Capablanca for first place, he humored his opponent's overaggressiveness, craftily exchanging pieces to gain a winning advantage. To hold his lead in the final game, he had to vanquish Grand Master Tartakower of Vienna. Noting that his adversary looked weary, he deployed on a lengthy rochade attack. After six hours Tartakower's game collapsed and sly Nimzowitsch cinched the tournament.

Chess matches, unlike engagements of brawn, can be reproduced bodily. Experts, meditatively recapitulating the tournament games from published scores, opined that the one between Nimzowitsch and Dr. Milan Vidmar, Rector of the University of Ljubljana and eminent professor of electrodynamics, best illustrated the art and strategy of the new champion. In it there were no traps, no blunders, Nimzowitscii won by forceful, logical .?ggrec:'on. The play:

Queen's Pawn Opening

Vidmar witsch Nimzo-,r., Vidmar wksch Nimzo-White Black White Black 1 P-Q4 Kt-KB3 31 Kt-K.3 R-Kt4 2 Kt-KB3 PK3 32 Kt-Kt2 PBs 3 B-Kt5 PB4 33 PxP BxP 4 PK3 Q-Kt3 34 K-B RxP 5 Q-B Kt-B3 35 QB3 P-Qs 6 PB5 P-Q4 36 BK4 R-KB4 7 BQ3 BQ3 37 Q-Kt4 R-R8ch 8 QKt-Q2 PxP 38 KK2 RxRch 9 KPxP KKt-R4 39 K,xR B-Kt6 10 Kt-B P-KR3 40 BxR Q-K4ch 11 BQ2 QB2 41 K-B KPxB 12 Kt-Kt3 Kt-B5 42 PxP BxR 13 BxKt BxB 43 KxB PxQ 14 Q-Q P-KKt3 44 PxQ BxKt 15 Castles P-KR4 45 KxB KB2 r6 R-K Castles 46 KKt3 KK3 17 Q-K2 KKt2 47 KxP KxP 18 QR-Q R-R 48 KKt5 KK5 19 Kt-B PR5 49 KxP K-Q6 20 Kt-K5 KtxKt 50 KBs KB? 21 PxKt RR4 51 P-Kt4 P-Kt4 22 P-KKt3 RxP 52 K-Ks KB6 23 QB3 R-Kt4 53 K-Q5 KxP 24 K-R PxP 54 KB6 PR4 25 BPxP BQ3 55 K-K16 PRS 26 R-Q2 BQ2 56 KR6 PR6 27 R-KB2 PB4 57 KKt6 KB5 28 Q-K3 R-Kt5 58 KR5 P-Kt5 29 Q-K2 R-R 59 KR4 KB6 30 KKt BB3 Resigns Explanation. Vidmar soon lost his advantage of first move. His third move was not foreseeing he would be weakened by exchange of bishop for black knight, also it would open a file for the black rook. In the third black move, Nimzowitsch took the offensive. His eleventh move was sly, masterful. The black queen tied up the white while Nimzowitsch gained his position, then cunningly jockeyed to force the advantageous knight-for-bishop exchange on the 13th move. Vidmar 's position was decidedly inferior; he could not evade the exchange. The 16th black move, castling behind the unusual pawn formation, was a startling stroke. In the maneuver, the black king was safely im- planted, then the rook was shrewdly returned. The 22nd black gave Nimzowitsch a pawn, his first material gain. On the 30th white, the king was forced. Next move, Vidmar could not take the black pawn with his queen, for the black rook would capture his queen in two moves.

After the 32nd black move, white was hopelessly lost. The black bishop did not need to retire; he threatened and was safe. Neither Vidmar's knight nor rook dares take the black bishop, for then the game would be lost immediately. In the concluding moves, Nimzowitsch's attack was direct, inevitable. Vidmar was shunted about the board mercilessly until he resigned.

Said World's Champion Alekhine after the tournament: "From the point of view of quality there was only one opinion possible about Nimzowitsch's achievement at Carlsbad: It was by far the most significant of all." Yet at Wiesbaden this week not Nimzowitsch, but Grand Master Ewifimij Dimitriewitsch Bogoljubow, who this year finished in eighth place, was to meet Dr. Alekhine for a world's championship match. Nor is Nimzowitsch likely to play that winner, foi Jose R. Capablarca of Cuba, who lost the world's champion-ohio to Dr. Alekldne in a 34-game match at Buenos Aires in 1927, is entitled to a return encounter. Then, if he can raise ihe fund: necessary for the match, this year's "most significant" winner may be allowed to challenge the world's champion.