Chess

By PHILIDOR 252. D. R. WERTHEIM (1st Place, Israel v. Sweden composing match, 1958) BLACK (4 men) WHITE (8 men) mina to play and mate in two moves ; solution next week. Solution to No. 251 (Pospisil) : K—R 4, no threat. r . . . K—Q 5 ; 2 Q—R I. I . . . Kt—Q 5 ;

2 Q—Kt 3. / . . . Kt (3) else ; 2 Q—Q R I. r..

Kt—K 5 • 2 P—B 4. r . . . Kt—Q 6; z Q—K 3.

. .. Kt (7) else ; 2 Q—B 5. P—B 4 ; 2 Q—Kt 7. Good early example of a straight-forward 'waiter', where key move leaves position substantially un- changed.

One of the most dangerous attacking players in the world is the East German champion, Wolfgang Uhlmann : it is a little surprising to me that he has not yet managed to reach the Candidates tournament.

Last year, in tying with Smyslov for first place in the Capablanca memorial tournament at Havana, he

brought off one of his finest performances. Here is a win against one of the tail-enders—not a great game, but a piquant finish. (Smyslov, incidentally, won this year's Havana tournament, followed by Ivkov, Fischer and Geller.)

White, SANTA CRUZ. Black, UHLMANN. Opening, FRENCH DEFENCE (Havana, 1964).

z P—K 4 P—K 3

a P—Q Kt 3 . . . The East Germans have made a speciality of the French Defence; aware of this, Santa Cruz plays to get the game into unknown territory where natural abilitY rather than knowledge will .count. Unfortunately, Uhlmann's

advantage in ability is at least as great as his advantage in knowledge.

2... P—Q 4 3 13—Kt 2 Kt—K B3 After 3 P P; 4 Kt—Q I] 3'

Kt—K B 3; 5 Q—K 2 White has a good game.

4 P—K 5_ K Kt—Q

5 P—K B 4 P—Q 4 6 Kt—Q B 3 Kt—Q B 3 7 Kt—B _3 B—K z

8 P—K R 4? ! • • This could only be justified by the quite unwarranted assumption that Black was certain to castle kings side. P—B3 The classic plan in the French —undermine the centre. 9 Q—K a P x P

zo PxP P—Q R3 xx 0-0--0 Q—B 2

12 R—K z Kt—B r P—R 5 B—Q 2 14 Q—B 2 0-0-0 If r5 Kt—Q R 4?? . . . R 4 is not his lucky square. , P—K R4 was bad, this move is terrible: he must have overlooked the (obvious) reply. P—Q 5 Not only safeguarding his B P but threatening to win the Kt by P—Q Kt 4 and forcing a pitiable reply.

r6 11—R r Q—R 4

17 K-110 x Kt—Kt 1 White has not got an ice-cces°

in hell's chance now against Uhlmann, r8 P—R 3 BxKt ro Pxlt Kt—Q 4 20 B—B 4 QXRP 21 BxKt R x B

22 B-10 a Kt—Q 2

23 Q-1(13 R—Kt 24 Kt—Kt 5 B x Kt 25 Q xB P—B 5

26 R—R 3 R—Kt 5 Threatening 27 , . . P

28 P x P, Q X P; 29 Q—B x P. from

27 Q—Kt 4? • • • What is unfortunate, White's point of view, is not that this loses (the game Was Icr,f anyway) but that it causes the game to be published instead t;'v mercifully forgotten. The idea is to meet 27 . . . P-13 6fkick

28 x P ch I exploiting the unprotected position of the /3 queen: but two can play at this game. P—Q 61

a8 Px P . . . 28 P—B 3? is met by 28 • Q—Kt 6 and 28 R—Q B r is met in the same way as the text. 29 Resigns R x B chl 6

Because after 29 K x

chl; P >