In mate

In the history of suppression of press freedom in the UK, now once again a fierce topic of debate, an honourable role was played by the chessplayer, writer, editor and irrepressible optimist James Mortimer. An officer in the US diplomatic corps, Mortimer was posted to Paris from 1855 to 1860, during which time he was one of the privileged few to witness the celebrated 1858 match between Adolf Anderssen and Paul Morphy. This was a de facto contest for the world championship. The cachet attached to being a friend of Morphy, as well as a first-hand observer of this stellar match, resulted in many subsequent invitations for Mortimer to important chess competitions. His placings were invariably unimpressive, but he did score individual victories against such giants as Zukertort, Tchigorin and Emanuel Lasker. As a writer, Mortimer was awarded the Cross of the Legion d’Honneur by the Emperor Napoleon III. When the Deuxième Empire was dissolved after the Franco-Prussian war, both Napoleon III and Mortimer moved to England, where Mortimer founded the London Figaro, the officially sanctioned paper of Napoleon’s government in exile.

Some years later, embroiled in a London libel case, Mortimer refused to divulge his sources and was sentenced to three months in prison, where he improved the shining hour by teaching chess to his fellow inmates. His imprisonment, regarded as draconian by the British public, caused Mortimer to sell his publication, thus terminating the outstanding chess column, penned until 1882 by Wilhelm Steinitz. After Mortimer was released he wrote more than 30 pieces for the London stage, and continued to play in chess tournaments, including three events at Simpson’s-in-the-Strand. Invited to report on the international chess tournament at San Sebastián 1911, where Capablanca made his dramatic European debut, Mortimer caught pneumonia and died suddenly. His obituary appeared in the Times on 25 February 1911.

Mortimer-Lasker; London 1891; Evans Gambit

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 b4 Bxb4 5 c3 Ba5 6 d4 exd4 7 0-0 dxc3 8 Qb3 Qf6 9 e5 Qg6 Lasker has chosen the so-called Compromised Defence against White’s Evans Gambit — in other words Black grabs everything thrown at him and hopes to hang on. 10 Nxc3 Nge7 11 Ba3 b5 12 Nxb5 Rb8 13 Bxe7 Kxe7 14 Qe3 Bb6 15 Qa3+ Kd8 16 Rad1 Re8 17 Bd5 Nxe5 18 Nxe5 Rxe5 19 Nxa7 Bxa7 20 Qxa7 Rb5 21 Qa3 Rbxd5 22 Rxd5 Bb7 (see diagram 1) The future world champion has defended ingeniously and his crossfire against g2, ending in mate if White moves his rook on d5, seems to have been a promising ploy. However there is a nasty surprise in store. 23 Qf8+ Re8 24 Rxd7+ A horrible shock — Black’s king is flushed out with disastrous consequences. 24 … Kxd7 25 Rd1+ Bd5 26 Rxd5+ Ke6 27 Qxe8+ Kxd5 28 Qd7+ Ke4 29 Qxc7 Qe6 30 f3+ Kd3 31 Qd8+ Ke2 32 Qd4 f5 33 Qb2+ Kd3 34 Qb3+ White trades queens and wins the king and pawn ending in a canter. 34 … Qxb3 35 axb3 Kc3 36 Kf2 Kxb3 37 Ke3 Kc4 38 Kf4 g6 39 g4 fxg4 40 fxg4 Kd4 41 Kg5 Ke4 42 Kh6 Kf4 43 h3 Kg3 44 Kxh7 Kxh3 45 g5 Black resigns

The London Candidates tournament still has a few days to run. The next article shows a dramatic position from round 8.