Chess 488

PHILIDOR

P. C. Thomson (1st Prize, ACM. 1940). White to play and mate in two moves; solution next week.

Solution to No. 487 (Barclay and Sweeney k4B1R/IbPPp3/1P2Q3/IBN5/1Kp2b2/NpPr I n2/ 6q1/R6r):Q-B6, threat Q B mate. I ... Kt-Kt8 or K8; 2 Kt-B2. 1 Kt-Q7; 2Kt-Ktl. 1 ... Kt- Q5; 2 P-Q8---Q. 1 . . . Kt-K4; 2 P-B8 -Q.

1 . . . Kt-Kt4; 2 B-R6. 1 . . . Kt-R5 or R7; 2 B-Kt7. The try 1 B-B6? is defeated by I B x P! Good knight wheel problem with a deceptive try.

Chess journalists should raise a fund to ensure that Tal is kept in the best of health. There is no one who produces more publishable games; he may not—now—be the best player in the world but, like Bronstein twenty years ago, he has strong claims to be the most interesting. Here is a superb recent example of his play.

White, N. Spiridonov. Black, M. Tal. Opening, King's Indian Defence (Tiflis 1969-70).

Kt-KB3 P-KKt3 2 P-Q4 B-Kt2 3 P-B4 P-Q3 4 Kt-I33 Kt-KB3 5 P-K4 0-0 6 B-K2 P-K4

7 0-0 QKt-Q2 Tal avoids the much-

analysed 7 . . . Kt-B3, hoping to throw his op- ponent more rapidly on his men resources.

8 P-Q5 . . . An immediate dividend. This is the normal line against Kt-B3 but it is probably better to delay it against QKt-Q2 and play R-KI.

8 . . . Kt-B4 9 Q-B2 P-QR4

10 Kt-Q2 B-R3! A move that would not

have occurred to players of an earlier generation. With the blocked centre, the bishop on Kt2 is hard to use and the White QB on K3 will support a queen's side advance; hence the exchange of the Black KB improves his game.

11 Kt-Kt3 BxB 12 KtxKt? .

A wrong idea. Once the White QB has gone, the Black KB has an excellent diagonal (R3-B8) and White cannot afford to leave Black the two bishops; White's strategic error was to underrate Black's attacking chances—fatal against Tal.

12 . . . B-R31 13 Kt-Q3 Kt-Q2

14 B-Kt4 . . . / don't care for this.

14 P-B4, P x P; 15 Kt x P, Kt-K4 is not good either. Perhaps 14 P-QR3, P-KB4; 15 P-QKt4 is best.

14 . . . P-KB4 15 B-R3 Q-R51

16 QR-K1 Kt-B3 17 P-B3 R-B21

Protecting himself against Kt-Kt5 and preparing to double on the KB file.

18 Q-KB2 Q-R4 19 P-B5 . . . There is no satisfactory line.

19 . . . BPxP 20 BxB . . .

It is remarkable that both players have captured the opposing QB on its home square.

P-K6 ! 21 Q-B2 R x B

22 Q-R4 QR-KB1 23 PxP PxP 24 Kt-B1 . . . 24 Q x P.P-K5 ! ;25 PxP, Kt-Kt5; 26 P-KR3, Kt-B7; 27 Q-Kt5, Kt x Pch and Black wins.

24 . . . P-K7 I A beautiful move—very

few players would even think of sacrificing the menacing passed pawn in this way. Tars mind is always completely open to the unexpected possibility—no one is less cliche-ridden than he is.

25 R x P Kt-Kt5I The point.

26 P-KR3 Kt-K6 27 KR-K1 P--QKt41

Another superb move, deflecting Q or Ki from the defence.

28 QxKtP RxPl One runs out of ex- clamation marks. 29 PxR Q BP. Threatening 30 . . •

Q-B8ch; 31 R x Q, R x Rch; 32 K-R2, B-B5 mate.

30 Kt-Q3 Q-Kt6ch 31 K-R1 QxPch 32 K-Ktl P-K5! 33 Kt xP . . . 33 Kt-BI, R-BSch with mate to follow.

10 men 33 . . . R B8ch 34 R xR Qx Rch

35 K-R2 Q < Rch 36 Kt(4)-B2 B-B5ch! 37 Resigns. 37 Kt B, QxQ; 37 K-Kt!,

Q-B8 mate; 37 K- R3, Q-R4 mate. A fitting finish to a ',miler:lid attacking game.