The first game could almost be titled Ménage a lechecs as Edward Lasker's king found himself receiving close attention from not one queen but four. He had an attack of the vapours and expired on the side of the board but, hey! what a way to die! (If you don't want to play through the whole game you can go straight to the critical position by clicking on the final move.)

I know that Feminism doesn't necessarily expect the kind of “women and children first” consideration that was taken for granted in days of yore, but surely the misogynistic high-handedness with which Edwin Ziegler Adams treated his queen should enrage even the mildest of hearts. He valued her so little that he tried to give her away. Six times! His opponent, Carlos Torre-Repetto, was obviously a gentleman and kept refusing but he resigned when he couldn't avoid the capture any longer.



The Australian expression “fair dinkum” is usually taken to mean that something is true or can be trusted. So if a man is “fair dinkum” he is as honest as he appears to be. But there's another meaning of the word and, followed by an exclamation point and a couple of queries (!??) it means, “You've gotta be kidding me, right?” “Fair dinkum!??” following Mr Wiede's third move in the next game is a cry of total incredulity.