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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:
13 October 2026
Round 7 at Hastings was played on the 13th of August 1895. There was just one problematic game to be discussed.
Thomas Niessen's PGN comparison software did not detect a problem with this game because all the databases checked have the same score, but the tournament books have a serious mistake in the diagram position.
The score in ChessBase’s Mega Database is as follows: 1.e4 e5 2.Be2 Bc5 3.Nf3 d6 4.0–0 Nc6 5.c3 Bb6 6.d4 Qe7 7.Na3 Nf6 8.d5 Nd8 9.Qc2 h6 10.Nc4 Nh7 11.a4 c6 12.Nxb6 axb6 13.Be3 c5 14.Nd2 g5 15.Nc4 Qc7 16.b4 Rb8 17.Rfb1 Nf6 18.a5 b5 19.Na3 Bd7 20.Nxb5 Bxb5 21.Bxb5+ Kf8 22.bxc5 dxc5 23.Be2 Ra8 24.Rb5 b6 25.a6 Nd7 26.Qb2 f5 27.f3 f4 28.Bf2 Nf7 29.Rb3 Nd6 30.Rba3 Ra7 31.Bb5 Nxb5 32.Qxb5 Ke7 33.Qc6 Qd6 34.Rb3 Rc7 35.Qb5 Ra7 36.Kf1 h5 37.Ke2 h4 38.h3 Rc8 39.Rb2 Kf7 40.Kd3 Kg6 41.Kc4 Kh5 42.Be1 Rcc7 43.Rab1 Rc8 44.Bf2 Rcc7 45.Kd3 Qg6 46.Kc2 Qd6 47.Qe2 Kh6 48.Kc1 Rc8 49.Qb5 Kh5 50.c4 Rcc7 51.Be1 Ra8 52.Bc3 Raa7 53.Rb3 Rc8 54.Qa4 Rcc7 55.Qa1 Rc8 56.Kc2 Rca8 57.Ra3 Qc7 58.Rb2 Qc8 59.Rba2 Qc7 60.Qb2 Qd6 61.Rb3 Rc8 62.Ra4 Rca8 63.Kd2 Re8 64.Ra1 Rea8 65.Ke2 Rc8 66.Ra4 Rca8 67.Kd1 Rc8 68.Kc1 Rca8 69.Kb1 Rc8 70.Kc2 Rca8 71.Rba3 Rc8 72.Qb5 Kg6 73.Rb3 Kh5 74.Ra1 Kg6 75.Rab1 Kh5 76.Qa4 Rcc7 77.R1b2 Rc8 78.Qa1 Rca8 79.Ra2 Rb8 80.Qb2 Kg6 81.Ra1 Kh5 82.Rb1 Rba8 83.Rxb6 Nxb6 84.Qxb6 Rxa6 85.Qxd6 Rxd6 86.Rb5 Ra2+ 87.Bb2 Rda6 88.Kb3 R2a5 89.Bxe5 Ra3+ 90.Kc2 Re3 91.Kd2 Ra4 92.Rb6 Ra2+ 93.Bb2 Rea3 94.Kc2 Ra6 95.Rb5 R2a5 96.Rb8 Ra8 97.Rb3 R5a6 98.e5 Kg6 99.Rb5 Rc8 100.Rb7 Rca8 101.e6 Re8 102.Rb5 Rc8 103.Kb3 Kf5 104.Ba3 Rca8 105.Bb2 Ra5 106.Rb6 R5a6 107.Rxa6 Rxa6 108.Ba3 Ra5 109.e7 Ra8 110.Bxc5 Kf6 111.d6 Ke6 112.Bb4 Kd7 113.c5 Kc6 114.Kc4 Rb8 115.Ba3 Ra8 116.Kd4 Kd7 117.Bb4 Rb8 118.Kd5 Rb5 119.Bc3 g4 120.hxg4 h3 121.gxh3 Rb1 122.c6+ Ke8 123.d7+ 1–0.
The problem in this game arises in the diagram position, after White's 88th move.
Cheshire (pages 115-118) now has 88…R(R3) to R4. Schallopp (who had the game on pages 132-135) gave the same, but of course in algebraic notation, i.e., 88… Ra6-a5. Crouch and Haines also give this (but unfortunately I did not check Pickard’s version).
In my book on Blackburne, written about 12 years ago, I have (as Britbase points out) 88…Ra2-a5 although I should have made a comment on this.
If you study the diagram, you should soon see why it must have been the rook from a2 that went to a5. The point is that White's next move was 89 Bxe5, which would allow mate in one by 89…Ra5-a3 if the Black rooks were on a5 and a2.
Conclusion: The tournament books are wrong. It was the rook from a2 that went to a5 on move 88. If Albin had overlooked mate in one, this would surely have been remarked upon (especially as Blackburne won the game eventually).
The Round 8 article is also posted today.
Round 9 had many problem games so that article will require more preparation and will probably not be ready until next weekend.