In my article on the 1936 O’Hanlon-Cox Challenge Match I was able to present six of the seven games played in the match. I have now unearthed the game-score of Game 1, the one that had previously eluded me. It is not a complete game but the available moves do go as far as the winning manoeuvre.
Position after 28…Nf8
John J. O’Hanlon – Thomas Cox
Challenge Match, Dublin
Game 1, Thursday 4th June 1936
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.Nb5 Nb6 8.c3 a6 9.Na3 c5 10.f4 Nc6 11.Nf3 Nd7 12.Be2 0-0 13.0-0 b5 14.Nc2 f6 15.Ne3 Rb8 16.Rc1 fxe5 17.fxe5 c4 18.Qd2 Nb6 19.Bd1
Commencing a re-routing of the bishop on to the important b1-g7 diagonal.
19…Bd7 20.Bc2 Be8 21.h3 Bh5 22.g4 Be8 23.Ng2 Nd7 24.Ng5 h6 25.Nh7 Rxf1+ 26.Rxf1 Bf7 27.Qf4 Nf8 (diagram) 28.Nf6+! Kh8
Black wisely declines the Knight sacrifice. If 28…gxf6 29.exf6 Qd7 30.Qxh6 Be8 31.g5 White has an unstoppable attack.
29.Nxd5
However O’Hanlon now won a pawn with this move (29…exd5 30. Qxf7) and Cox resigned on move 48. 1-0 [Click to play through the game]