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1999.04.27:
** Question:
    I am researching a book on British master Amos Burn.  Can anybody provide games or fragments by him from one of these tournaments?
  • Birmingham 1883
  • Dublin 1889
  • Llandudno1901
  •     Looking forward to hear from you and many thanks.
    Richard Forster (forster@access.unizh.ch)

    ** Answer:
        There is almost no contemporary coverage of two of the three tournaments from which Richard Forster is searching for games by Amos Burn -- certainly not in the British Chess Magazine.  However, two fragments of Burn games are given from Llandudno 1901, both from his games with Bellingham.

    Burn - Bellingham
    [1r3rk1/2p3pp/1b6/1p1pP3/3P4/1N2BPpb/1PB3Pq/R2QRK2]
        “It will be seen that Mr. Burn went through his section without the loss of a game, but he had a narrow escape in one of his games with Mr. Bellingham, who played an attack invented by Captain Mackenzie, sacrificing a Kt at KKt6.  In the position shown, Mr. Burn played 22 Q-K2 (R-K2 was better), giving an opportunity for 22...Q-R8ch; 23 B-Kt sq, BxP ch; 24 QxB, RxPch, winning easily.  Instead, Bellingham played 22...RxPch; 23 QxR, BxPch; 24 QxB, R-KBsq ch; 25 K-K2, QxQch; 26 K-Q3, and Black had eventually to fall back on a perpetual check to draw.”
    British Chess Magazine, 1901, p63

    Bellingham - Burn
    [8/2p2k2/1p2p3/2p1P3/5BK1/1Pb4P/2P5/8]
        “Burn appeared to have the worst of his other game with Bellingham at one stage, but he cleverly brought about a draw by skilful manoeuvring of the Bishop in the position shown.  The continuation was:-- 37...P-QKt4; 38 P-R4 P-B3; 39 P-R5 B-R5 [sic]; 40 K-Kt5 B-Qsq ch; 41 K-R6 B-R5; 42 B-Kt5 B-Kt6 and a draw resulted.”
    British Chess Magazine, 1901, p63-64

        Fortunately, a complete game of Burn’s survives from Llandudno;
    Burn - W. H. Gunston
    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 d5 4.Nxe5 Nxe4 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.0-0 0-0 7.c4 c6 8.Nc3 Nxc3 9.bxc3 Bxe5 10.dxe5 dxc4 11.Bxc4 Qe7 12.Qd6 Re8 13.Qxe7 Rxe7 14.Rd1 Nd7 15.f4 Re8 16.a4 Nb6 17.Bb3 Bg4 18.Rd6 Rad8 19.Ba3 Nc8 20.Rxd8 Rxd8 21.a5 Be6 22.Bc2 Rd2 23.Be4 Bd5 24.Re1 Bxe4 25.Rxe4 Rd8 26.Rd4 Rxd4 27.cxd4 f6 28.e6 f5 29.g4 g6 30.g5 Kg7 31.Kf2 b6 32.a6 Kg8 33.Ke3 Kg7 34.Kd3 Kg8 35.Kc4 Kg7 36.d5 c5 37.Kb5 Kf8 38.Kc6 Ke7 39.Bb2 1-0.
    Illustrated London News, 1901.01.19, p82
        Perhaps The Field for the appropriate years would have other games from these tournaments.
    Jack O’Keefe (jokeefe@webtv.net)

    ** Answer:
        I have found two games played by Amos Burn in the 3rd Irish Chess Congress at Dublin 1889, against Pollock and Mason.  They were located in the chess columns of The Northern Whig and The Belfast News-letter.
    Best wishes, David McAlister (rct26@dial.pipex.com)

    W. H. K. Pollock - A. Burn
    Dublin, 3rd Irish Chess Association Congress
    1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 a6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.Qe2 Bf5 8.g4 Bg6 9.Nxe5 Qxd4 10.Nf3 Qd7 11.Ng5 Qe7 12.Nxe4 Qxe4 13.Qxe4+ Bxe4 14.Bg5 f6 15.Nc3 Bxc2 16.Rfe1+ Kf7 17.Bf4 Bd6 18.Bxd6 cxd6 19.Rac1 Bg6 20.f4 f5 21.g5 Rhe8 22.Ne2 Re4 23.h4 Rae8 24.Kf2 Bh5 25.Rc2 Bxe2 26.Rcxe2 Rxf4+ 27.Kg3 Rg4+ 28.Kh3 Rge4 29.Rxe4 Rxe4 0-1.
    The Northern Whig, 1889.04.04
    The Belfast News-letter, 1889.04.04

    A. Burn - J. Mason
    Dublin, 3rd Irish Chess Association Congress
    1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Bb4 5.e5 Qe7 6.Bd3 h6 7.0-0 Ba5 8.Ne2 Nb4 9.Bb5+ Bd7 10.Bxd7+ Qxd7 11.c3 Nc6 12.Ng3 Bb6 13.Ne1 f5 14.Qh5+ Qf7 15.Qxf7+ Kxf7 16.Nd3 g5 17.f4 g4 18.Be3 h5 19.h4 Nge7 20.Ne2 Rhc8 21.g3 Nb8 22.Nec1 Nd7 23.Nb3 c6 24.Kf2 Bd8 25.Nbc5 Nxc5 26.Nxc5 b6 27.Nd3 Ng6 28.Rfd1 b5 29.a4 a5 30.Ra2 Nf8 31.Rda1 Ra7 32.b3 Rca8 33.Bc1 Be7 34.Ba3 Nd7 35.Bxe7 Kxe7 36.Ke2 Nb6 37.axb5 cxb5 38.Nc5 Nd7 39.Nxd7 Kxd7 40.b4 Kc6 41.bxa5 Kb7 42.Kd3 Ka6 43.Rb1 Rc8 44.Rb4 Rac7 45.Ra3 Rc4 46.Rab3 Rb8 47.Ra3 Rb7 48.Kd2 Rbc7 49.Rab3 Rb7 50.Rxc4 dxc4 51.Ra3 Rd7 52.Ke3 Rd5 53.Ra1 Rd7 54.Ra3 Rd8 55.Ra1 Rd5 56.Ra2 Rd7 ½-½.
    The Northern Whig, 1889.04.18
    The Belfast News-letter, 1889.04.18

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