Sixth Regular Party,
Reading edition
1.
W. The king’s pawn 2 squares.
B. The queen’s bishop’s pawn 2 squares.(a)
2.
W. King’s bishop’s pawn 2 squares.
B. Queen’s knight at his bishop’s 3d.
3.
W. King’s knight at his bishop’s 3d.(b)
B. King’s pawn 1 square.
(a) This way of opening the game, when you have not the move, is entirely defensive, and therefore not to be adopted if any advantage is granted; but commencing on equal terms, it is a good experiment on strength of an adversary with whose skill you are unacquainted.
(b) On this move he might have forced you to play the gambit, by pushing his king’s pawn two squares; and you could not take without being exposed to a check from his queen. The train of moves, then induced, would terminate in his favor, if he played critically correct.
4.
W. Queen’s bishop’s pawn 1 square.(c)
B. Queen’s pawn 2 squares.
5.
W. King’s pawn 1 square.
B. King’s bishop’s pawn 2 squares.(d)
6.
W. Queen’s pawn 2 squares.
B. King’s knight at his rook’s 3d.(e)
(c) You might have pushed your queen’s pawn two squares, in order to change it with his queen’s bishop’s pawn, and this move would not be amiss; but it would bring his king’s bishop to his queen’s bishop’s fourth, where he would give great annoyance to your pieces, unless you had your queen’s bishop to oppose him.
(d) He might have played his queen’s pawn one square; in that case, you must have taken his pawn with yours, to hinder him from placing his pieces on the side of his queen, correspondingly to those on your king’s side.
(e) It would be bad play in him to take your pawn, as that would be clearing the way for your queen’s knight; so it would be wrong for you to take his pawn with yours, as that would present an advantageous post to his king’s bishop.
7.
W. Queen’s bishop at his king’s 3d.
B. The queen at her knight’s 3d.(f)
8.
W. The queen at her 2d square.
B. King’s knight at his bishop’s 2d.(g)
9.
W. The queen’s pawn takes the queen’s bishop’s pawn.(h)
B. The king’s bishop takes the pawn.
10.
W. The queen’s bishop takes the bishop.
B. The queen takes the bishop.
(f) He attacks your queen’s knight’s pawn in order to induce you to push it, but it is better to sustain it; for if it leaves its place, he may, by pushing his queen’s rook’s pawn two squares, form a successful attack on your left wing.
(g) Had he attacked your queen’s bishop with this knight, you must not have suffered him to change piece for piece; but have withdrawn your bishop, and forced his knight to retreat afterwards.
(h) As your queen’s knight cannot sally, without exposing you to the risk, of having either a pawn doubled, or your queen forced, it is necessary to take off his king’s bishop.
11.
W. Queen’s knight at his rook’s 3d.(i)
B. King’s knight’s pawn 2 squares.(k)
12.
W. King’s knight’s pawn 1 square.
B. The king’s rook’s pawn 2 squares.(l)
13.
W. King’s rook’s pawn 2 squares.
B. The king’s knight’s pawn takes the king’s bishop’s pawn.(m)
(i) You play this knight that he may be in a course to co-operate with your king’s knight at your queen’s fourth; the rook’s third is the best post he can at present take. In general, it is essential to keep open a free communication between the knights; as it is desirable to post them on squares, where they can neither be attacked by pawns, nor forced by other pieces to retreat.
(k) He pushes this pawn with a view to break your centre, and it would be assisting his scheme to take it.
(l) His design is to make an opening for his king’s rook, and were he allowed to push this pawn another square, he would force and break the rear of your cordon of pawns.
(m) As your king’s knight, sustained by two pawns, may safely place himself at his fifth square, so the adversary takes your pawn, that he may procure for his knight a similar post.
14.
W. The king’s knight’s pawn takes the pawn.
B. King’s rook at its knight’s square.(n)
15.
W. King’s knight at the adverse king’s knight’s 4th.
B. King’s knight at his rook’s 3d.(o)
16.
W. Queen’s knight at his bishop’s 2d.
B. King’s knight at the adverse king’s knight’s 4th.
17.
W. Queen’s knight at his queen’s 4th.(p)
B. The king at his 2d square.
(n) He plays this rook, to secure the command of the file. Here is a juncture at which a rook may well be sacrificed for another piece. Supposing that you were not to close this line with your knight, he would remove his rook to your king’s knight’s fourth square, where, supported by two pawns, it could not be taken, without concentring his pawns.
(o) He plays this knight with a design of procuring him as good a place as yours now occupies.
(p) By this move you break the direction of his queen, and your two knights are united to attack and take his knight’s pawn.
18.
W. King’s bishop at his king’s 2d.
B. Queen’s bishop at his queen’s 2d.
19.
W. The king castles with his rook.(q)
B. Queen’s rook at its bishop’s square.
20.
W. Queen’s rook at its bishop’s square.(r)
(q) It would be dangerous to castle on your left, because the adversary might form an easy attack upon your king; besides, your king must occupy his knight’s third square, in order to restrain the adverse king’s knight, and in the mean while sustain your pawns.
(r) This is necessary to prevent him from making himself master of that file, by changing his knight for yours, the consequence of which would give him the game. The rooks are never to yield up the openings. At present the game is even, except that the pawn advanced on the ground of the black, may be said to give the white some little advantage.
The conduct of the regular parties is analytical, the most consummate form of each taking the lead, from which the back games that branch, are inferior either in the dexterity or the regularity of the moves. By some of the back games it appears, that a player may commence his investment of the adverse party in form, and yet, from the manner of the play that is opposed to him, be diverted into irregularity. Again, on the other hand it will appear, from some examples of the Salvio Gambit, on which we are going to enter; that when one player meditates a speedier circumvention than regularity of approach could effect; defensive movements may be adopted by the other, of a systematic character, the influence of which shall be so strong, as to impress, by degrees, a conformity to method on the attitude of both sets of pieces. At the same time, in practice it will be found, that a continual recurrence to principle must modulate the movements of gambits, or they will resemble the incursions of the Cossacks. The difficulty is, when you attempt a coup de main at Chess, to preserve such an arrangement, that you may return to the progressive method, if obliged, without taking lower ground than the adversary.