Phony Benoni: <fredthebear> <jessicafischerqueen> I am looking at a copy of Du Mont's <200 Miniature Games of Chess>. Euwe - Abrahams is indeed included in a note to game 200. Du Mont's version (translated from the Descriptive) ends: <12.d6+ Resigns. For if 12...Kf6 13.dxc7 Qxc7 14.Nd5+."That note is somewhat better for Black than our continuation. However, 12...Resigns was probably best.
The game was played on August 21, 1939. The next day, accounts appeared in British newspapers:
<Liverpool Daily Post>, August 22, 1939, p. 12:
<"The game between Euwe and Abrahams was one of the shortest ever played in so important a contest, Abrahams having adopted what is considered an inferior defence. Euwe attacked rigorously on the queen's side and was aided by weak play on his opponent's part. At the sixth and ninth moves Abrahams seemed more anxious to trap Euwe's elusive queen than to develop his own pieces. With the loss of a bishop and with worse mishaps about to follow, Abrahams resigned on his twelfth move.">
(At least Abrahams was trying. In fact, I think he found the whole experience very trying.)
<Manchester Guardian>, August 22, 1939, p. 12:
<"There was an early sensation. Abrahams defended with P-QKt4 on his first move, which is sometimes called the Polish defence, but neglected to develop his king's knight, and when Euwe broke into the queen's side with his queen all was over, Abrahams resigning on the twelfth move.">
The game score was published the next day (August 23, 1939) in the <Birmingham Post> (p. 11) and the <Liverpool Daily Post>, p. 13). Both of these end with "12.P-Q6+, Resigns". Both also include our finish and du Mont's finish as analysis of the final position.
This seems very convincing to me. I'd like to see an early example of the longer version, but wouldn't be surprised if it didn't pop up until the database era began around the 1980s.
Kibitzing
