Chess 505
PHILIDOR
J. Savoumin (Europe Echees, 1970). White to play and mate in two moves; solution next week. Solution to No. 504 (Martin-2N5/3KN3/8/ 3pkIP1/1p2P3/8/4P2n/b4Q1n): Q-B1, threat 2 Kt-B6ch, K xP; 3 Kt-Q6 mate. A. 1 K xP; 2 Kt-Q6ch, K-K4 or Q5; 3 Kt-B6. B. 1 P x P; 2Kt-R7 (threat QKt-B6), P-K6; 3 Q x P. C. 1 ... P.-Q5; 2 Kt-Q6, any; 3 Kt-B6. To see why this problem won first prize compare the actual play with that after the 'try', Q-KKt1 (defeated by I . . . Kt-B71).
The British Championship
Congratulations to the forty-nine year old Bob Wade on a thoroughly deserved victory %%ith 8/11 in the British Championship—his second, the first being in 1952. He played very steadily and sensibly throughout, was never in real difficulties and played all the other strong players except for Roy Keene. In retrospect, the decisive game was his victory over the former holder, and favourite, Dr Jonathan Penrose; it must be a particular satisfaction to Wade that he should have won such a convinc- ing victory with Black against Penrose.
Despite Wade's victory, it was not a bad tournament for the younger players. Six players—Botterill, Eales, Fuller, Hartston, Keene aad Penrose—tied with seven points for second place; all young players except Penrose and at thirty-six he is scarcely a veteran! The young Oxford player Botterill showed excellent form—I think that he has been underrated and must be considered a likely international; Eales of Cambridge also played well and the young Australian Max Fuller confirmed the great improvement that he has made, with intensive practice, in the last two years.
What about Penrose, Keene and Hartston- our top three boards in the Olympiad? Penrose IW6L2D2) was in very uncertain form in the first week in which he made the (for him) very poor score of 3/6 losing three games; it was encouraging to see him able to fight back and score 4/5 in the second week including Wins over Corden and—in eighty moves—over Itanston in the last round. Keene (W3L0D8) was a little lifeless, tending to drift into drawn positions and not to be able to squeeze wins out of small advantages as he normally does— but he did beat Fuller in the final round. Hartston (W5L2D4) played well—best of the six players who scored seven; he had the strongest opposition and both the games he lost were very hard struggles. All in all, not too bad an omen for Siegen: I hope that I don't have to regret this remark.
Finally, some more congratulations. First, to Mrs Hartston (Jana Malypetrova) on win- ning the Ladies' Championship (W7L1D3) at the first attempt—and thanks for making at any rate one of my forecasts correct. Second, to the British students team on being second to the US in the Students' World Team Championship in Haifa; this was weaker than usual because of the absence of all the com- munist countries—on the other hand we had by no means our best team playing. Next, to the Scottish Junior Chess Association for running admirably the six-country Junior International Team Tournament, to the English team for winning it by a substantial margin and to R. M. McKay for scoring 80 per cent on top board for Scotland. And lastly to Dulwich for again conclusively demonstrat- ing that it is the strongest chess school in England—three of its boys, John Nicholson, Kevin Wicker and Johann Somerville tying for the British under-eighteen championship.
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