Pawn and Two: The 13th and final game of the London 1851 match between Staunton and Williams.The first player to win 7 games would win the match, with Staunton spotting Williams 3 games at the start of the match.
Staunton won games 1, 3 and 5, Williams won games 2 and 4, and games 6 and 7 were drawn. At that point in the match Williams had the lead, with a score of +5 -3 =2.
The match then took a decided turn in Staunton's favor, as he won games 8, 9, and 10. After game 10, Staunton needed just one more win for the match victory, while Williams needed two.
In a dramatic finish, Williams won game 11, to tie the score at 6 games apiece. Then after a 61 move draw in game 12, Williams won the match by a score of +7 -6 =3, with a win in 79 moves, in game 13!
In his comments to this match, Staunton wrote that Williams employed a systematic delay over his moves in the match. <"When games are prolonged to twelve, thirteen, and twenty hours each, and single moves occupy two hours and a half, the effect upon an invalid can well be imagined.">
His summary statement to this match, attempted to put the match loss in the best light. He noted that notwithstanding the disadvantages of an opponent employing systematic delay, Mr S. had contrived to score six games to his opponent's two, but then when every subesequent game was prolonged, (games 11, 12 & 13), he was compelled out of sheer fatigue to resign the contest before scoring the seventh game, noting that in the end, he had won six to his adversary's four.
Of course, Staunton's resignation was actually forced by Williams scoring a win in game 13, giving him the required 7 games for the match victory.
Kibitzing
