English Chess Forum

I was looking at the game Wainwright vs. Znosko Borovsky, Weston 1924 when I noticed something very peculiar which indicated that there was a serious error in the pgn file. My first source was the Chessgames site, but when I looked at database.chessbase.com and http://www.365chess.com/view_game.php?g=2644847, the moves were exactly the same.

The original source was most likely 'Hastings 1923-4, Weston-super-Mare 1924' (A. J. Gillam Chess Player, 1995). I don't have a copy of this book (if anyone does, have a look for me) so I don't know if the error was in the original text or in the transcription. It seems that the mistake has been copied from one database to another. I doubt this is the only example out there.

See if you can work out the mistake...

[Event "Weston"] [Site "Weston-super-Mare ENG"] [Date "1924.04.22"] [Round "5"] [White "Wainwright, George Edward"] [Black "Znosko-Borovsky, Eugene Alexandrovich"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D63"] [PlyCount "110"] 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Nc3 Nbd7 6. e3 O-O 7. Rc1 h6 8. Bf4 c5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Bd3 Re8 11. O-O Bf8 12. Bb1 Ne4 13. Qc2 f5 14. h3 Qf6 15. Nxe4 fxe4 16. Ne5 Nxe5 17. Bxe5 Qg6 18. f3 Bxh3 19. fxe4 Be6 20. exd5 Qxc2 21. Rxc2 Bxd5 22. Rcf2 Be7 23. b3 Bg5 24. e4 Be6 25. Bf4 Bxf4 26. Rxf4 Rad8 27. e5 Re7 28. Kf2 Rf7 29. Ke3 Rdf8 30. Bg6 Rxf4 31. Rxf4 Rxf4 32. Kxf4 Kf8 33. g4 Ke7 34. g5 a5 35. gxh6 gxh6 36. Be4 Kd7 37. Bc2 b5 38. a3 b4 39. axb4 axb4 40. Bf5 Ke7 41. Bc2 Kd8 42. Bd1 Kc7 43. Ke4 Kb6 44. Ke3 Bd5 45. Kf4 Be6 46. Bg4 Bxb3 47. e6 h5 48. e7 Bf7 49. Bd7 b3 50. e8=Q Bxe8 51. Bxe8 b2 52. Bg6 Kb5 53. Kg5 Kc4 54. Kxh5 Kxd4 55. Kg4 Ke3 0-1

...before you look at my corrected version.

[Event "Weston"] [Site "Weston-super-Mare ENG"] [Date "1924.04.22"] [Round "5"] [White "Wainwright, George Edward"] [Black "Znosko-Borovsky, Eugene Alexandrovich"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D63"] [PlyCount "110"] 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.d4 d5 3.c4 e6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.Nc3 Nbd7 6.e3 O-O 7.Rc1 h6 8.Bf4 c6 9.cxd5 exd5 10.Bd3 Re8 11.O-O Bf8 12.Bb1 Ne4 13.Qc2 f5 14.h3 Qf6 15.Nxe4 fxe4 16.Ne5 Nxe5 17.Bxe5 Qg6 18.f3 Bxh3 19.fxe4 Be6 20.exd5 Qxc2 21.Rxc2 Bxd5 22.Rcf2 Be7 23.b3 Bg5 24.e4 Be6 25.Bf4 Bxf4 26.Rxf4 Rad8 27.e5 Re7 28.Kf2 Rf7 29.Ke3 Rdf8 30.Bg6 Rxf4 31.Rxf4 Rxf4 32.Kxf4 Kf8 33.g4 Ke7 34. g5 a5 35.gxh6 gxh6 36.Be4 Kd7 37.Bc2 b5 38.a3 b4 39.axb4 axb4 40.Bf5 Ke7 41.Bc2 Kd8 42.Bd1 Kc7 43.Ke4 Kb6 44.Ke3 Bd5 45.Kf4 Be6 46.Bg4 Bxb3 47.e6 h5 48.e7 Bf7 49.Bd7 b3 50.e8=Q Bxe8 51.Bxe8 b2 52.Bg6 Kb5 53.Kg5 Kc4 54. Kxh5 Kxd4 55.Kg4 Ke3 0-1

8...c5 is the error (and 8...c6 the correct move).

In Gillam's "Hastings 1923-4, Weston-super-Mare 1924" the move given is 8...c6. A diagram given after White's 18th move also has the pawn solidly sitting on c6. So wherever the mistake comes from, it isn't Gillam. He had taken all the games at Weston-super-Mare 1924 from the Tinsley notebooks (a source for many of the English tournaments he has published from that period),

Thanks David, I'm glad that Tony Gillam has been exonerated - and Tinsley too.