India's oldest recorded chess games

            Did you know that the first available Indian Chess game score  is a correspondence chess game? It was played during 1828-29(i.e., four years after the London-Edinburgh 5-game CC Match was played). It was a 2-game match between Madras and Hyderabad. The Madras team consisted of Ghulam Kassim (known for his variation of the Muzio Gambit: 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5. d4 is Ghulam Kassim Attack) and James Cochrane.

           The Hyderabad team consisted of Raosaheb and Shahsaheb. The official postal services had not been started in India by then. The moves were transmitted on elephant back!! Madras won both the games. The games are as under:

First game

[Event "CC Match, Game 1,1828-29"]

[White "HYDERABAD"]

[Black "MADRAS"]

[Result "0-1"]

[ECO "A21"]

1. g3  f5    2. Bg2 Nf6    3. c4 e5    4. Nc3 Be7    5.d4 exd4    6. Qxd4 c6      7. Nh3 Na6    8. a3 Nc5    9. Qd1 O-O    10. O-O Nce4    11. Qc2 d5    12.Rd1 Be6    13. Ng5 Qc8    14. cxd5 cxd5    15. Ngxe4 fxe4    16. Be3 Ng4    17. Bd4 Bg5    18. h3 ?    (See Diagram)

[position after white's 18th move]

18....Nxf2 !!   19. Rf1

(19. Bxf2 Rxf2 20. Kxf2 Qc5+ 21. e3 Qxe3+ 22. Kf1 Rf8+ 23. Qf2 Qxf2#)

19... Nxh3+    20. Kh2 Rd8    21. Qb3 h5    22. Bxh3 Bxh3    23. Nxd5 Be6    24. Rf5 Rxd5    25. Rxd5 Qc6    26. Rxg5 Bxb3    27. Rxg7+ Kf8    28. Rf1+ Ke8 29. Rf6 Qc2    30. Rh6 Qxe2+    31. Kh3 Qf1+    32. Kh4 Qf8    33. Rxh5 Bf7    34. Rxf7 Kxf7    35. Rf5+ Ke6   36. Rxf8 Rxf8    37. Bxa7 Kf5    38. Kh3 Rd8    39. Bb6 Rd3    40. Kh4 e3    41. g4+ Kf4    42. Bc7+ Kf3    43. g5 e2    44. Ba5 Rd1    45. g6 e1=Q+    46. Bxe1 Rxe1    47. Kg5 Ke4    48. g7 Rg1+    49. Kf6 Kd5    50. Kf7 Kc4    51. a4 Kb3    52. a5 Kxb2

0-1

Second Game

[Event "CC Match,Game 2,1828-29"]

[White "MADRAS"]

[Black "HYDERABAD"]

[Result "1-0"]

[ECO "C23"]

1. e4 e5    2. Bc4 d6    3. d4 exd4    4. c3 dxc3    5. Nxc3 c6    6. Nge2 a5    7. a4 Be6    8.Bxe6 fxe6    9. Nf4 Qe7    10. Qb3 d5  (See diagram)

[position after Black's 10th move]

11. Nxe6 !! Na6

(11... Qxe6   12. Qxb7 d4    13. Qxa8 Bd6    14. Ne2 Qxe4    15. f3 Qh4+    16. g3 Qh5    17. O-O with a winning position for white.)

12. Nxf8 Nc5    13. Qc2 d4   14. Na2 Nf6    15. O-O Rxf8    16. b4 Ncd7    17. Bd2 axb4    18. Nxb4 c5    19. Nd3 b6    20.Rae1 Qe6   21. Nf4 Qe5    22. Nd5 Ng4    23. f4 Qd6    24. Qb3 Qc6    25. Qg3 Ngf6    26. Qxg7 Rf7    27. Nxf6+ Nxf6    28. Qh6 O-O-O    29. e5 Rg8    30. g3 Rfg7    31. Qh3+ Ng4    32. f5 Kb8   33. f6 Rf7 34. Rf4 Nxf6    35. exf6 Rxf6    36. Rxf6 Qxf6    37. Re6 Qf3  38. Rxb6+ Ka7   39. Rb2 Qd1+    40. Kf2 Qg4    41. Qxh7+ Rg7    42. Qh6 Rb7    43. Rxb7+ Kxb7    44. Qf4 Qe6   45. h4 Qd7    46. Qf3+ Ka7    47. Qb3 Qc6    48. a5 c4    49. Qb6+ Qxb6    50. axb6+ Kxb6 51.h5

1-0

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Name:  D.Ravishankar                                                      Back to  Chess Curiosities

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