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Becker - Wagner match
Compiled by Chessical
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Introduction

This was a match of eight games between the Austrian master Albert Becker (aged 27) and the German Heinrich Wagner (aged 35).

This match took place after the North German Chess Congress in Bremen. Wagner had won that tournament, half a point ahead of Becker and Carl Carls. (1)

That tournament ended on 19th July 1924 (2). The match appears to have commenced very soon afterwards, on Tuesday 22nd July (3). This match was reported in the August edition of "Weiner Schach Zeitung" but none of the games is given.

Both players were near the peak of their respective careers (3). Becker outstanding result would be to come fifth equal with Max Euwe and Milan Vidmar at the tremendously strong Karlsbad (1929) whilst Wagner's would be third equal with Akiba Rubinstein at Breslau (1925).

The match took place in Hamberg, Germany, which only a few months earlier had been riven by an attempted Communist putsch. Political violence would eventually affect both men, Wagner's ended his playing career with the rise of the Nazi tyranny and Becker would take refuge in Argentina.

Progress of the match

Wagner had white in the odd-numbered games. Becker was in the lead throughout the match and won three games in under 25 moves. Wagner suffered two quick losses from playing a deficient line against the Queen's Gambit Declined. All of his losses were with the black pieces.

Round 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Total Becker ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 5 Wagner ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 3

.

Progressive scores:

Round 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Becker ½ 1½ 2 3 3½ 3½ 4 5 Wagner ½ ½ 1 1 1½ 2½ 2½ 3

.

The Games

Game 1

Wagner sacrificed a piece to break open his opponent's King-side.


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Wagner played 20.Qh5?!

The sacrifice was unsound, but Becker missed the refutation. Instead, he played a natural move after which Wagner was able to draw by vigorous play.

Game 2

Wagner defended the Queen's Gambit Declined; despite the solid reputation of the defence and his experience with it, he quickly fell into an extremely poor position. By move 23, Becker had decisively doubled his Rooks on Wagner's back rank. A better defence can be seen in A Becker vs L Prins, 1936

Game 3

As in Game 1, White had a substantial advantage but it was whittled away in an endgame. This time Wagner held the advantage playing White against a Slav Defence.

Game 4

Wagner repeated his <b6>, <Bb7> and <c5> defence to the Queen's Gambit Declined. His "improvement" to his previous play was no improvement at all; once again he suffered rapidly a disastrous defeat.

Game 5

Wagner played a sharp line against the Torre attack despite having previously lost with it - H Wagner vs Saemisch, 1921. Wagner achieved an advantageous position from the opening, but slowly let his advantage be whittled away. Becker was able to hold the double rook ending and secure a draw.

Game 6

Having suffered a double debacle with the Queen's Gambit Declined, Wagner switched from the classical to the newly fashionable hypermodern school. Playing the King's Indian defence, Wagner had significant piece activity but had weaknesses on the King-side. Becker failed to find the critical line and instead responded with a sacrifice of the exchange


click for larger view

but this proved insufficient. This was Wagner's first win of the match, he was now one point down. He now had to win both remaining games to take the match.

Game 7

Wagner as white had to win this game. He opened <1.Nf3> in hypermodern style, but did not fianchetto his King's Bishop, preferring to play <2.d4>. Becker quickly equalised and after exchanges of minor pieces, the game was quickly drawn.

Game 8

With the score at 4 - 2½ against him, and with his opponent as white, Wagner could have been forgiven for playing safely for a draw. Instead, he played the tactical Two Knights defence. Wagner had nearly equalised when he made a Queen's move that unexpectedly lost a piece.


click for larger view

After <21....Qa5?> 22.Qg3! threatens to take the Bishop on <g6> as well as the Knight on <d6> immediately ended the struggle and the match.

Notes

(1). "Weiner Schach Zeitung", No.5, 15/16 (August 1924) - p.233

(2). "Chess Tournament Crosstables IV", p.614, Gaige.

(3). Research by User: Tabanus has uncovered a report on page 7 of the "Hamburger Anzeiger" of 5th August 1924. It gives the date of Game 1 as 22nd July and that of Game 2 as 23rd July. It also reports the sixth game.

The order of the games differ in that games 1 and 2 are inverted.

Game 1, Queen's Gambit, drawn.

Game 2, Spanish, Becker won. (our source shows a draw, supported by the Chess 365 database and the Chessbase database).

Game 3, Queen's Gambit, drawn.

Game 4, Queen's Gambit, Becker won.

Game 5, Queen's Gambit Alekhine's variation, drawn.

Game 6, Queen's Gambit, Wagner won.

https://www.europeana.eu/en/item/92.... Unfortunately, the "Fraktur" style newspaper typeface is difficult to read.

(4). http://www.edochess.ca/matches/m258...

...

User: Chessical - original text and compilation.

Game 1.
H Wagner vs A Becker, 1924
(C84) Ruy Lopez, Closed, 44 moves, 1/2-1/2

Game 2.
A Becker vs H Wagner, 1924
(D64) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack, 23 moves, 1-0

Game 3.
H Wagner vs A Becker, 1924 
(D13) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Exchange Variation, 81 moves, 1/2-1/2

Game 4.
A Becker vs H Wagner, 1924
(D64) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack, 21 moves, 1-0

Game 5.
H Wagner vs A Becker, 1924
(A46) Queen's Pawn Game, 51 moves, 1/2-1/2

Game 6.
A Becker vs H Wagner, 1924
(E90) King's Indian, 33 moves, 0-1

Game 7.
H Wagner vs A Becker, 1924
(E11) Bogo-Indian Defense, 26 moves, 1/2-1/2

Game 8.
A Becker vs H Wagner, 1924 
(C59) Two Knights, 22 moves, 1-0

8 games

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