Chess no. 395

PHILIDOR

Black White

8 men

8 men H. Hermanson (1st Prize, Bulletin Ouvrier des Echecs, 1953). White to play and mate in two moves; solution next week.

Solution to no. 394 (Massmann): 1 Kt - Q 8!, R- Q 3 (otherwise mate next move); 2 B- B 6!, R x B (2 . . . R - Q 2 ch; 3 Q x R, K - B 4; 4 Q - Q 4 mate); 3 Kt - Kt 7! and now (a) (3 ... R - B 1 or B 2; 4 Kt - Q 6 or (b) 3 .. R else;

4 Q - B 5. Very fine miniature.

illre the Agnes Litzenberger International Young Masters' Tournament in Basle (3-15 April 1968), Danny Wright again underlined the all-round strength of the younger generation of British players by coming in second (8/11) to Smejkal (Czechoslovakia, 101/11—a phenomenal score) and well ahead of Jacobsen (Denmark, 61/11). Wright would have run Smejkal close if he had not unfortunately lost against him from a winning position.

The following amusing game between two of the tail-enders shared the brilliancy prize in the tourna- ment.

White, Issler (Switzerland). Black. Maeder (West Germany). Opening, Sicilian. (Basle, 1968.) 1 P-K 4 P-QB4 2 Kt-KB3 P-Q3

3 P-Q 4 P x P 4 Kt x P Kt - K B 3 5 Kt-QB3 P-QR 3 6 B-QB4 P-K 3

7 B - Kt 3 B - K 2 8 B -K 3 . . . An inzmediate P- B 4 is more usual followed by P - B S.

8 . . . 0- 0? Premature. P- Q Kt 4 with pressure on K P is preferable, or else Kt - B 3 or Q Kt - Q 2—in the latter case, White may, however, play B X K P getting three pawns and some attack for the bishop.

9 P -Kt 4! P - Q Kt 4. / prefer 9 .. Kt - B 3, developing.

10 P-Kt 5 KKt-Q 2 11 R-KKtI Kt-B4 12 Q - R 5 P - Kt 5. 1 doubt whether Black can hold the position whatever he does, but if he is going to play P - Kt 5 he should precede this by Kt x B as White's next move shows.

13 Kt-Q 5 ! P X Kt. 13 . . Kt X B; 14 Kt X B ch is also good for White who threatens R - Kt 3 - R 3.

14 BxP R-R 2. 14 . . . B - Kt 2; 15 P- Kt 6!, P X P; 16 R x P, B X B; 17 R X P chi, K x R; 18 Q- R 6 ch!, K- Kt 1; 19 Kt - B 5, B - B 3; 20 0 - 0 - 0! and wins.

15 P-Kt6 P x P 16 R x P B-B 3 170-0-0 R - K 1. Or 17 . . . Kt - K 3; 18

Kt x Kt, P x Kt; 19 B x R and wins—

and otherwise White threatens 18 R - R 6.

18 R - R 6! P x R 18 . . . K - B 1?; 19 R- R 8 ch, K- K 2; 20 Q X P mate.

19 R- Kt 1 ch B- Kt 2 20 R X B ch! K x R 21 B X rch K-R 2 22 B-Kt5 ch K-Kt2 23 Q - R 6 ch K - Kt 1 24 Q - Kt 6 ch K - R 1 25 Q-R 6ch K-Ktl

26 B x Q Kt x P. Or 26 . . . R X B; 27 Q - Kt 5 ch and 28 Q X R.

27 B x Kt Resigns. 27 ...RxKB; 28 B - B 6.

The British Chess Federation team for the Olympics at Lugano 1968 is 1, Penrose; 2, Kott- nauer; 3, Clarke; 4, Keene; 5, Lee; 6, Basman; non-playing captain, Alexander.