1 is the best and most instructive; No.17 was the most
lively and entertaining. Of the eight draws, two are legitimate,
the other six being unworthy the name of games.
That Lee when out of the running, directed a care and energy
against Bird which he did not against Blackburne and Mason will
be readily observable by a comparison of the games, especially
No. 9, 15, and 18; in the last he indeed made no attempt to win
at all, and a draw is the utmost he seems ever to have hoped for
in the other.
In the final score Bird, Blackburne and Mason were even in
their play, but Bird only scored 2 out of 3 with Lee, whilst the
others gained 2 1/2 out of 3 against him, this difference of half
a game placed Bird third only.
The two last games, the 17th and 18th, were finished about the
same time; thus, when Bird had won from Mason (doing his best in a
game which in no way effected his position) Blackburne and Lee
agreed to draw, which was a disappointment to the spectators, and
of course, to Bird, who was entitled to, and would have liked to
have seen the game played out.
These games present a very striking contrast.
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