Chess no. 381

PHILIDOR

White Black 12 men 8 men

M. Parthasarthy (1st Prize, Probleemblad, 1966) White to play and mate in two moves; solution next week.

Solution to no. 380 (Driver): Q - K 4, threat Q - Kt 7. 1 . . Kt (2)- Q 4; 2 B - Q 7. 1 . . . Kt (5)- Q 4; 2 R-B 5. I B-Q 4; 2 Kt-Q 6. 1 ...

R (either) - Q 4; 2 R - Kt 4. Fine unpinning and in- terference problem; a pity the composer could not manage different mates for the two R interposi- tions on Q 4.

The crystal ball

With the Candidates matches coming up, forecast- ing is an irresistible folly. Mine is: Round 1. Korchnoi to beat Reshevsky, Tal to beat Gligoric, Larsen to beat Portisch, Spassky to beat Geller. Round 2. Korchnoi to beat Tal, Spassky to beat Larsen. Final. Spassky to beat Korchnoi. Title match, Spassky to beat Petrosian. But I should like to see Larsen or Tal win the title; here is Tal in brilliant form against Donner in the Beverwijk tournament.

White, Tal. Black, Donner. Opening, French.

1 P-K 4 P-K 3 2 P-Q 4 P-Q4 3 Kt-QB3 B-Kt5 4 P-K 5 P-QB4 5 P-QR 3 B x Ktch 6 P X B Q-B2

7 Kt - B 3 ... The much analysed Q - Kt 4 used to be Tal's favourite—this is a quieter line, but few things are really quiet in Tal's hands. P - Q Kt 3. A dangerous line against Tal, as it costs time; I prefer Kt - K 2.

8 P-QR 4 B-R 3 9 B x B Kt x B 10 Q-K 2 Kt-Kt I 11 P - R 5 . . . I refrain from exclamation marks as I do not know whether the series of pawn sacrifices on which White now embarks are sound or not. They certainly make life too difficult for Black, sound or not.

11 . . . Px RP 12 B - R 3 Kt - Q 2 Better 12 .. . Kt - K2; 13 B x P, Kt - Q 2.

13 P x P . . . Extraordinarily bold; he tears his own pawn structure to bits to keep Black's king in the centre.

13 . . . . Kt - K 2 14 P-B6 Qx BP 15 0 - 0 Q x P 16 KR-Q1 Kt-QB3 17 B-Q6 Q-B5 18 Q-K 3 Q-K 5 19 Q - Kt 3 Kt - Kt 3 20 P - B 4 .. . sacrificing his third Q B P!

20 . . . Qx BP

21 Q-R 3 Q-R 3 White threatened 22 K R -

Q B 1, Q-Kt 4; 23 Q R -Kt 1 22 QR-B 1 R-QB0Whynot22...Kt-B5.

23 R x Kt, P x R does not look good enough and while White can maintain an attack by Q -Q 3 (or even Q - R 4) it looks doubtful whether it should succeed; that is not to say that

I would like to defend it against Tal!

23 Kt -Q 2! . . . with the unpleasant threat of 24 Q - K Kt 3, P - Kt 3; 25 Q - Kt 5.

23 . . . P - B 3? Fatal, but I doubt if the position can be held. 23 . . . Kt - Q 5; 24 R x R ch, Q x R, with the idea of Kt - B 4 is perhaps the best chance.

24 P X P Px P 25 Q-KB3l K-Q2

26 Q X BP! KR-K 1. 26 . .K X B; 27 Kt-

K 4 ch, K-B 2; 28 Q-lt 7 ch; Kt-Q 2 (28 . K - Kt 1; 29 Kt - B 5); 29 Kt - B 5 and wins.

27 Kt - K 4! Kt - K 2. 27 . P x Kt; 28 Q - B 7 ch, Kt - K 2;29 B x "Kt ch, Kt - Q 4;

30 B - R 4 ch,K -Q 3; 31 B - Kt 3 ch,P-K 4;

32 R x Kt mate.

28 Kt- B 5 ch R x Kt

29 B x R Kt - B 5? A blunder in a lost posi- tion. One immediate threat was 30 B X Kt, R x

B; 31 R -B 7 ch; K x R; 32 Q X R ch, K moves; 33 Q X K P.

30 B x Kt Resigns. 30 . . . R x B; 31 R x P ch, Kt -Q 3 (31 .. . P x R; 32 Q X Q); 32 R-B7ch,R x R;33Qx Rchand34R x Kt.