James Mason vs Henry Bird (1895)

Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players ·

Kibitzing

James Mason vs Henry Bird
Hastings (1895), Hastings ENG, rd 11, Aug-19
French Defense: Classical Variation. Richter Attack (C13) · 1-0

White to move.

ANALYSIS [x]

1-0

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1

FEN COPIED

explore this opening	find similar games	47 more Mason/Bird games
	PGN: download \| view \| print	Help: general \| java-troubleshooting

TIP: You can get computer analysis by clicking the "ENGINE" button below the game.

For help with this chess viewer, please see the Olga Chess Viewer Quickstart Guide.

PREMIUM MEMBERS CAN REQUEST COMPUTER ANALYSIS [more info]

Jun-17-03		akiba82: The combination initiated with 32 f5! is most ingenious, utilizing as it does, pins on the e and g files simultaneously. This double pin motif is rarely seen. A great game by Mason!

Mar-17-05		akiba82: A remarkable game by the player of the day. Ofcourse Mason, as was his wont, cedes the two bishops prematurely with 5.Bf6. But Mason was sort of a rough and tumble combinational player who didn't place great emphasis on technique.

Mar-17-05		AgentRgent: <akiba82: a rough and tumble combinational player> Agreed, I've always felt that Mason's natural talent ranks among the best, but he disdained any serious study, choosing instead a close association with Beer and Ale

Mar-17-05		akiba82: <AgentRgent> Yes, regrettably. It's a shame he didn't get to play a match with Steinitz or Zukertort in 1882. He entered into negotiations with both but apparently had trouble raising the stake money. He had not yet fallen into alcohol abuse at the time. Probably some good games would have resulted had the matches come off, but as a Mason fan, I cant say I believe he would have defeated either Steinitz or Zukertort had he been given the opportunity.

Feb-06-06		fred lennox: 7...Kf8 reveals a recurrent weakness in Bird's strategy. He was sometimes too fond of flank attack. In general terms he could be too fond of oblique or indirect attacks. A more straightfoward approach would of come in handy from time to time. 7...0-0 is better. Now the KR has no future to be proud of.

Feb-06-06		aw1988: <fred lennox> In the French, Kf8 is a common motif.

Feb-06-06		Pawn and Two: Tarrasch's notes to this game in the Hastings's tournament book state that 29. Bd7-b5? was the decisive error. Fritz 9 shows 29 Bd7-b5? 30. Bd3xb5 a6xb5 31. h2-h3 as favoring White by (1.16)-(16 ply). Instead, Fritz recommends for Black, 29. h4-h3 30. g2-g3 Be7-c5, favoring White by only (.42)-(16 ply). Both Tarrasch & Fritz indicate that 30. Qb6xb5 is another mistake for Black. Fritz indicates playing it favors White by (1.84)-(17 ply). 32. f5. A beautiful final combination. <Tarrasch>

Feb-06-06		fred lennox: <aw1988>thanks for that. One thing i do admire about Bird is he reliezes the king is more independant than many give credit for, so he isn't afraid to expose it more. Steinitz gets credit for this but it's clear to me Bird showed him the way.

Feb-06-06		morpstau: Bird was a complete patzer and knew nothing of chess principles. He only won by tricking his opponents and hes nothing but a coffee-house patzer!

Feb-08-06		fred lennox: He was uneven, no doubt. A couple games in his match against Steinitz, (6-7) especially one, shows a patzer side to him. His real strength was intuition and tactical skills. He was a thinker and analyzer. He wrote a few books on chess.

Mar-12-08		Knight13: <20...Na5 21...Nc6> LOL.

Mar-12-08		mistreaver: 7... Kf8? Why not castle or g6 instead

Aug-23-08		ughaibu: Unless my eyes deceive me, this game's main theme is over-protection.

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
Nothing in violation of United States law.
No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
No trolling.
The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.

NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific game only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

This game is type: CLASSICAL. Please report incorrect or missing information by submitting a correction slip to help us improve the quality of our content.