CHESS by Philidor

No. 297. L. LOSHINSKt (sat Prize equal,

40th anniversary tourney, Shakhmaty, 1966) mitre to play and mate in three moves; solution next week. Solution to No. 296 (Eaton) : P - Q 4, threat P X P. t . . . P-B 8=Q ch ; 2 Kt - B 4. 1 . . . P - B 8=Kt ; 2 Kt - B 3. 1. . . PxP; 2 RxQ P.

PxP e.p. ; WHITE (9 men) 2 R x Q P. Very pleasant 'Meredith'.

Thinking how much pleasure Correspondence Chess has given me in the last few years, since giving up serious OTB play, I am surprised that more players do not take it up ; if you can't give the continuous time needed for serious over-the-board play or live in a bad district for it, or just feel the effects of anno domini-try CC. The Secretary of the British Corre- spondence Chess Association is J.. B. Ward, 121 College Road, Moseley, Birmingham 13. Here is a recent game from international correspondence play.

White, K. HONE (Hungary) Black, E. SECCHI (Argentina) Opening, SICILIAN

(Final, Fourth CC Olympiad, Board 4)

1 P-K 4 P- Q K 4

a Kt-KB3 Kt-Q83

8 P- Q4 PxP 4 KtP K - B3 5 Kt-XQ83 P-it Q3

6 B-Q 84 P-K 3

7

8 8- Kt 3 Q-Bz 9 B - K 3 B-K 2

ro P-B 4 Kt - Q K 4

ir Q-B 3 A quicker alternative is Q- Q 3 followed by Q R - K I. How good the text is depends on detailed analysts far into the middle game.

P- Q Kt 4 12 P-K 5 8 - Kt z r3 Q-K13 PxP rg PxP Kt - R 4

15 Q - Bs .. With the double threat of Q x P ch and P -K Kt 4 this appears to win; it doesn't, because after P - K Kt 4 White's permanent weakness on the diagonal K R r - Q R 8 is too serious.

0 - Ol r6 P-K Kt 4 KtxB RPxKt P-1131 r8 PxKt PxP

19 Q-Ke3 B - B 4 zo P-R 6 . . . 2.o KtxP?, x13 ch; 2x QX13, Q-E 3;

22 Kt - K 4 (22 Q - K 4?, Q - Kt 3 ch), Qx Kt (K 6) leaves Black with a clear advantage and shows the essential weakness of White's position.

20 . . . P-Kt 3 zr QR-Qr? ... He should play 2r R xR eh, R xR; 22 R-K B RxR ch; 23 KxR, Q-B 2 ch; 24 K-K 2, P x Kt; 25 Q - Kt. 8 ch, B -B 1; 26 B xP, Q - B 6 ch with a complex and difficult struggle ahead. Text loses time and the game.

21 . BxKt zz RxRch RxR 23 R-KBr_.._. 23 BxB, Q-B 3 or 23 RxB, R-B 6, 24 Q - Kt 5, Px R.

Q-B3

24 RxRch KxR

z5 K-Bz BxBch

26 K x B Q - B 4 ch In the following endgame it is

instructive to see the typical way in which Black uses his doubled pawns - to post his queen on a square where White dare not exchange for fear of undoubting them, so that their weakness becomes their strength. The ending - a pawn down and with a poor position - is hopeless for White.

27 K-(2 2 Q - Q 5 ch

28 K-K2 Q -K B5 29 Kt -Q Is-K2

3r P- B43 K- Q3

3z Kt-Kt 4 B-B 4 33 Kt -B 6 P- Kt 4

34 Q - B 2 Q-Qs 35 Resigns . . . He must exchange queens or lose a

second pawn.