Samuel Warren Bampton, 1897

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August 23 1897

The Standard Union, Brooklyn, New York, Monday, August 23, 1897

DE VISSER'S GEM.
A Brilliant Game From the Recent Chess Meeting.
S. W. BAMPTON, THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMPION, OUTPLAYED BY THE BROOKLYN EXPERT—TEED POINTS OUT A CONTINUATION THAT MIGHT HAVE SAVED THE GAME FOR PENNSYLVANIA.

One of the most brilliant games played at the recent meeting of the New York State Chess Association at Thousand Islands was between the Brooklyn expert, William Moralis De Visser, and the champion of the Pennsylvania Chess Association, Samuel Warren Bampton, in the team match. During the game De Visser sacrificed a piece for the attack and obtained a winning position, Bampton overlooking the best continuation. F. M. Teed, the noted Brooklyn problemist, has shown a very ingenious combination, by which Bampton might have altered the result.
Following is the game, with notes by De Visser:

William Moralis De Visser (white) vs. Samuel Warren Bampton (black)
Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo

Descriptive 1. P-K4 P-K4 2. B-B4 B-B4 3. N-KB3 QN-B3 4. P-Q3 N-B3 5. P-B3 O-O 6. B-KN5 P-KR3 7. B-R4 P-Q3 8. QN-Q2 Q-K2 9. P-KR3 N-Q 10. P-KN4 P-KN4 11. B-KN3 B-K3 12. B-N3 BxB 13. PxB N-K3 14. N-B P-Q4 15. BxKP PxP 16. N-N3 PxN 17. QxP N-Q2 18. N-B5 Q-K 19. NxPch K-R2 20. Q-B5ch KxN 21. P-KR4 1-0

Algebraic 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. d3 Nc6 5. c3 0-0 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 d6 8. Nd2 Qe7 9. h3 Nd8 10. g4 g5 11. Bg3 Be6 12. Bb3 Bxb3 13. axb3 Ne6 14. Nf1 d5 15. Bxe5 dxe4 16. Ng3 exf3 17. Qxf3 Nd7 18. Nf5 Qe8 19. Nxh6+ Kh7 20. Qf5+ Kxh6 21. h4 1-0

21. P-KR4 and White mates in three moves.

Some possibilities:

21. … Bxf2+
22. Kf1 Nxe5
23. hxg5+ Kg7
24. Qh7#

21. … Nxe5
22. hxg5+ Kg7
23. Qh7#

21. … Nf6
22. hxg5+ Kg7
23. Qh7#

And this position occurs: 15. BxKP PxP …
FEN r4rk1/ppp1qp2/4nn1p/2b1B1p1/4p1P1/1PPP1N1P/1P3P2/R2QKN1R w - - 0 1

NOTES BY MR. DE VISSER.
(a) The usual continuation here is P-B3, followed by P-Q4.
(b) A very fine continuation, having for its object N-Qsq., and after forcing a change of Bishops by B-K3, bringing this Knight to K3 and KB5.
(c) Probably necessary to prevent the advance cf the Knight's Pawn, but of doubtful value.
(d) The keynote of the combination.
(e) Necessary, and planned in advance.
(f) Mr. Teed here points out a move for Black which leads to an even frame, with chances favoring Black: Instead of N-Q2 Black should have played N-Q5. If 18. QxN—QxBch; QxQ—N-B6ch, etc. White's best continuation would have been 18. PxN and BxP; 19. QxN QxQ would have given Black the best chances. If Black had tried on his seventeenth move N-B5 be would have lost by White's reply of P-Q4, which careful analysis has shown to lead to a win.
(g) Overlooking the forced mate which now follows. Black might have played NxB, and when NxQch, BxN, receiving three minor pieces for the Queen, a fair equivalent, but it is probable that White would have won.