It's not Horseplay. It's thievery worthy of opprobrium!

     In 1948, Chess Life's editor, Montgomery Major, complained about a growing concern: the tendency of "lazy tournament players who refuse to accept the full responsibilities of their position" and agree to draws in a few moves in positions that may be equal, but still have the possibility of a lot of play. Major stated that any player who offered or accepted such a draw is a cheat and a thief. 

     His reasoning was that by doing so, the drawing players deprived the other contestants, who earn their points "by the sweat of their brow" and do not glean their points by "indolence," of their rights. 

     When Larry Evans and Walter Shipman agreed to a 13 move draw in round 3 of the 1948 US Championship Fred Reinfeld asked, "Is it chessplay or horseplay?" They both scored 11.5-7.5 and finished tied for places 8-10 with Weaver Adams. Reinfeld, himself, wasn't above taking a quick draw on occasion: against Reuben Fine in the 1931 New York State Championship (18 moves) and 20 moves in the 1932 Western Championship, also against Fine. In the 1938 US Championship he took draws in 24 moves against Harold Morton and Anthony Santasiere. 

     Major called it neither; it was thievery because the other 18 players were entitled to expect Evans and Shipman to make an effort to win and there were no words too strong to condemn their lack of effort. 

     Despicable was another word Major used when he cited an example in a tournament in Pittsburgh where two players agreed to a draw after one move thus assuring one of first place and the other of second. 

     In another example, in the 1944 US Championship Denker assured himself of first place by agreeing to a 16 move draw against Benjamin Altman. Second place finisher Reuben Fine (who lost to Denker in their individual game) was disgusted by Denker's action and therefore offered his opponent, George Neidich, a quick draw. I don't want to throw a brick at Fine, but a check of his games in my database turns up some short draws in his games, too.

     Major opined that the players had a right to demand that Denker win his title fair and square by playing out the game. Nor was Altman without fault according to Major because his fellow tournament players had a right to expect him to try and beat Denker even if he didn't think he could. My standards aren't has high as Major's I guess because if Magnus Carlson offers me a draw in a tournament I'm taking it!

     In international chess things weren't any better and even stern TDs were helpless against such "chicanery." It was Major's hope that in the future all chess players would heap "opprobrium upon any future misdemeanors in the line of chess cheating." 

     Not all draws (either long or short) are chicanery worthy of opprobrium though. Take the following game that is known as the Immortal Draw. It was played in Vienna in 1872 between Carl Hamppe (1814-1876), an Austrian master and theoretician. By profession he was a senior government official in Vienna.

     Philipp Meitner (1839-1910) was an Austrian lawyer and master. When he studied at the Vienna Polytecnic William Steinitz was a fellow student. His daughter was Dr. Lise Meitner (1878-1968) who was an Austrian-Swedish physicist who contributed to the discoveries of the element protactinium (a scarce chemical element) and nuclear fission. 

     This game has been subjected to analysis by a number of players, but as far as I know, much of it was in pre-engine days and because of the enormous complications (and long variations!) the analysis is no longer valid. Even using Stockfish 12 and Komodo 10 it's possible I might have missed something so you may want to do your own analysis. If so, happy analyzing! Download

Carl Hamppe - Philipp Meitner

Result: 1/2-1/2

Site: Vienna

Date: 1872

Vienna Game

[...] 1.e4 e5 2.♘c3 It was Hamppe who first popularized this move. The original idea was to play a delayed King's Gambit with f4, but in modern play white often plays more quietly. Weaver W. Adams famously claimed that the Vienna Game led to a forced win for white, but of course he could't prove it because it's not so. 2...♗c5 3.♘a4 This is a premature attempt at gaining the two Bs . (3.♗c4 ♘f6 4.d3 ♘c6 5.♘f3 d6 and only now 6.Na4) 3...♗xf2 This is better than the simple B retreat 3...Be2 which would leave white's N awkwardly placed on a4. Stockfish likes the move while Komodo thinks it results in equality, but no more. 4.♔xf2 ♕h4 5.♔e3

5.g3 ♕xe4 6.♘c3 ♕xh1 7.♘f3 leaves black's Q without any moves, but there is no way to trap it and black will eventually extricate it. 7...♘f6 8.h3 (8.♕e2 d6 9.♘e4 ♘xe4 10.♕xe4 ♘d7 11.♗g2 ♕d1 12.c3 ♘f6 etc.) 8...e4 9.♘d4 ♕h2 10.♗g2 ♘c6 11.♘xc6 dxc6 etc.

(5.♔e2 ♕xe4 wins the N.) 5...♕f4 6.♔d3 d5 Best.

6...♘f6 7.♕f3 ♕h4 8.g3 ♕h6 9.c4 Or else black plays ...d5 9...♘c6 10.♔c3 White's K is quite safe and he is even a little better than equal.

6...♘c6 is also not quite adequate. 7.♘c3 ♘f6 8.♔e2 ♘d4 9.♔e1 ♘xe4 10.♘f3 ♘f6 11.d3 ♕f5 12.♘xd4 exd4 13.♕e2 ♔d8 14.♘e4 and black doesn't have enough compensation for his piece.

7.♔c3 ♕xe4 Black is anxious to get another P, but this allws white to gain the upper hand.

7...d4 keeps this chances even. For example... 8.♔b3 (8.♔d3 f5 9.♔e2 fxe4 10.♔e1 ♘f6 favors black.) 8...♕f6 Oddly, there is no way for black to get at the white K. 9.♘f3 ♗d7 10.a3 ♕e7

10...♗xa4 11.♔xa4 An odd place for the K, but it's safe because black id undeveloped and there is just no way he can take advantage of the Ks position at the moment.

11.c4 b5 12.♘c3 dxc3 13.dxc3 is equal!!

8.♔b3 White had better chances with 8.d4.

8.d4!8...♘f6 9.♘f3 ♕g4 10.b3 The K will find a safe have on b2 and black remains without enough compensation for his piece.

8...♘a6 Wrong square.

8...♘c6 9.c3 d4 10.d3 ♕d5 11.c4 ♕a5 12.♗d2 ♕a6 Unclear. The chances are about even.

9.a3 This is too passive.

9.d4 would have left black hard pressed to demonstrate that he has anything at all. 9...exd4 (9...f6 10.♘c3 ♕xd4 11.♕xd4 exd4 12.♘b5 favors white.) 10.a3 ♗d7 11.♗xa6 ♗xa4 12.♔xa4 bxa6 13.♘f3 d3 14.b4 dxc2 15.♕d4 ♕xd4 16.♘xd4 ♘f6 17.♖a2 and white is winning.

9...♕xa4 In pre-engine days this move was subjected to extensive analysis with the conclusion that it practically forces a draw. However, Stockfish immediately sees it as a gross blunder.

9...d4 10.♔a2 ♗d7 11.c4 ♕c6 12.b3 is the best black has, but white still has the advantage.

10.♔xa4 ♘c5 11.♔b4 After this the game is a draw.

11.♔b5 After this white should win. The position is very complicated and so I ran a Shootout using Stockfish 12 at 13-25 plies and white scored +6 -1 =0) 11...b6

11...♘e7 I have not seen Soltis' analysis, but he incorrectly claimed a draw after this move. 12.♔xc5 and there is no draw. 12...a5 13.♗b5 ♔f8 14.♗c6!!14...♘xc6 15.♔xd5 and the K has given black the slip.

12.d4 exd4 13.♕xd4 ♘e7

13...a5 Here white's simplest way is to just return the Q 14.♕xc5 bxc5 15.♔xc5 ♘f6 16.♘f3 and white is winning.

14.♕xc5 ♗d7 15.♔b4 a5 16.♕xa5 ♖xa5 and white has suvived and is left with a won game.

11...a5 12.♔xc5 This keeps the draw in hand.

12.♔c3 allows black to win after 12...d4 13.♔c4 ♗e6 14.♔xc5 ♘f6 15.♗b5 ♔e7 16.♕f3 c6 Now there is only one way for white to avoid the threatened 17...Nd7 mate. 17.♕xf6 gxf6 18.♔b6 cxb5 Stockfish 12: 19.♘e2 ♖a6 20.♔xb7 ♖ha8 21.♘f4 ♗f5 22.♔c7 ♖8a7 23.♔b8 ♔d6 24.♖e1 ♖a8 25.♔b7 ♗c8#

12...♘e7 White is threatened with ...b6+ and ...Bd7 mate 13.♗b5 ♔d8 White is still threatened with mate as in the previous note. 14.♗c6 b6 15.♔b5 ♘xc6 Black has a mate threat

15...♗a6 would lose after 16.♔a4 ♘xc6 17.♔b3 and black is simply a Q down.

16.♔xc6 (16.♔a4 allows a mate in 16...♘d4 17.♕f1 ♗d7 18.♕b5 ♗xb5#) 16...♗b7 17.♔b5 ♗a6 18.♔c6 (18.♔a4 ♗c4 and 19...b5 mate can't be prevented.) 18...♗b7 Forcing the draw.

18...♗b7 19.♔xb7 and white gets mated. 19...♔d7 20.♕g4 ♔d6 and ...Rhb8 mate cannot be stopped.

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