John Washington Baird vs James Mason - 6th American Chess Congress 1889.04.04

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John Washington Baird vs James Mason
6th American Chess Congress New York, NY USA round 10 1889.04.04
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense 0-1

[Event "6th American Chess Congress"]
[Site "New York, NY USA"]
[Date "1889.04.04"]
[EventDate "1889.03.25"]
[Round "10"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "John Washington Baird"]
[Black "James Mason"]
[ECO "C65"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "146"]

1.e4 {Notes by Steinitz.} e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Be7
5.Nc3 d6 6.h3 O-O 7.d3 Ne8 8.Nd5 f5 9.Nxe7+ Qxe7 10.Bg5 Qf7
11.Bc4 Be6 12.Bxe6 Qxe6 13.exf5 Qxf5 14.Bd2 Qh5 15.Ng5 Qg6
16.f4 exf4 17.Rxf4 Rxf4 18.Bxf4 h6 19.Nf3 Qf7 20.Qd2 Nf6 21.a3
{The game has been quite evenly contested so far, but the
useless advance in the text causes him embarrasment in the
ending.} Nh5 22.Be3 Re8 23.Qf2 a6 24.Re1 Ne5 25.Nxe5 Rxe5
26.Qxf7+ Kxf7 27.Bf2 Rxe1+ 28.Bxe1 {A draw ought to be the
legitimate result arising from this position.} Nf4 29.Kf2 Ne6
30.Ke3 d5 31.Bg3 Kf6 32.d4 Kf5 33.Be5 h5 34.g3 {It would have
probably facilitated his playing for a draw if he had not
advanced this Pawn.} g5 35.Kf3 g4 36.hxg4+ hxg4 37.Ke3 c5
38.c3 c4 39.Bd6 Kf6 40.Bf4 Ke7 41.Be5 Kd7 42.Kd2 Kc6 43.Kc2
Ng5 44.Kd2 Kd7 45.Ke3 Ne6 46.Kd2 Kc6 47.Kc2 Kb5 48.Bd6 Ka4
49.Be7 a5 50.Bd6 Ng5 51.Bf4 Ne4 52.Be5 Nf2 53.Bd6 b5 54.Bc7
Ne4 55.Be5 b4 56.axb4 axb4 57.cxb4 Kxb4 58.Bf4 Ka4 59.Be5 Kb5
60.Bf4 Kc6 61.Be5 Kd7 62.Bf4 {He allows himself to be wearied
by the patient manouvering of his clever opponent. If he had
looked out as shrp as he had done through the greater part of
the game, he would have seen the importance of trying to
exchange the isolated b-pawn at once in order to be in time to
stop the adversary's King from entering at e4. 62.b3 cxb3+
63.Kxb3 Nf2 64.Kc2 Ke6 65.Kd2 Kf5 66.Ke3 would have brought
White's King up for the defence of the center in proper time.}
Ke6 63.Be5 Kf5 64.b3 cxb3 65.Kxb3 Nf2 66.Ka4 Ke4 67.Kb5 Nd3
68.Bf6 Kf3 69.Be5 Ke4 70.Bf6 Nc1 {After a delay of one move
Black sees the decisive effect of this fine coup.} 71.Kb4 {No
help for it. If Kc5, Black would answer Nb3+.} Ne2 72.Kc5 Nxg3
73.Be5 Ne2 0-1

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Updated: 8 February, 2022
Created: 8 February, 2022