Chess no. 394

PHILIDOR

Black White 2 men 5 men W. Massmann (Die Schwalbe, 1st Prize, 1942); White to play and mate in four moves; solution next week. If it were Black's move, White would force mate in two—how does White contrive to lose a move?

Solution to no. 393: (Du Château): K - B 7, no threat. 1 . . . P - K 6; 2 Q - R 8. 1 . . .

B (B 4) any; 2 R - Q R 5. 1 R X R; 2 Q X R.

1 . . . B x B; 2 Q x B. I . . . B (Kt 7) else; 2 B x B. All other W K moves fail. I K- B 5, Kt 5 or R 5?; 2 B (B 4) moves! 1 . . . K - R 7, R 6, Kt 7, B 6?; 2 P - K 6!

The art of winning

In the Monaco tournament, where Bent Larsen scored his fifth successive tournament first prize scoring 91/13 (W7, LI, D5) against ex-world cham- pion Mikhail Botwinnik's 9 (W5, LO, D8), despite the fact that he lost a game and Botwinnik did not. Hort and Smyslov were also unbeaten with 81 (W4, LO, D9). Sousse, the Interzonal, was another recent example; Larsen 151 (W13, L3, D5) ahead of Korchnoi (VII0, L3, D8), Geller (W8, LI, D12) and Gligoric (W7, LO, D14) each with 14. What gives Larsen just that extra bite that means that, even if he does have some losses, he concedes so few draws that he consistently edges ahead? The following game is an example in which we see Larsen (a) taking his opponent away from known lines, (b) complicating matters whenever possible; finally his opponent cracks. Notes based on Larsen's.

White, Uhlmann. Black, Larsen. Opening, Queen's Gambit, Meran Defence. (Monaco, 1968.) 1 P-Q4 Kt-KB3 2 P-QB4 P-K3

3 Kt-KB3 P-Q4 3 .. . P - Q Kt 3 is con- sidered to equalise but Uhlmann is an authority

Across 1 They are always on the move in a big way! (13) 9 Timely spirit of the Paris underground? (9) 10 Jacob's father-in-law makes a commonplace comeback (5) 11 'Therefore to be won' (5) 12 It's handy for fortune-telling (9) 13 'And I'll — under that cypress tree' (Herrick) (7) 15 Wise lone singer—of Scotch ballads perhaps? (7) 17 A product of Paris (7) 19 It's something of a strain for a worker (7) 21 Fixes increased cost of repairing material? (7, 2) 23 Sound of hospitality (5) 24 Prison's the place for a scapegrace with nothing (5) 25 Mab's choir in poetic measures (9) 26 Sole agreement? (13) Down 2 Flower that was one of the Seven Wonders (9) 3 Mr Rochester's field? That% sharp! (5) 4 Barber has a fall (7) on the line so that it would be hard for Larsen to get winning chances—so he chooses the Meran—complex and double-edged.

4 Kt-B3 P-B3 5 P-K 3 QKt-Q2 6 B-Q3 PxP Bx BP P-QKt4

8 B - Q 3 B - Kt 2. Chosen in preference to 8 . . . P - Q R 3 because it is less analysed.

9 P-K 4 P-KtS 10 Kt-QR4 P-B4 11 P-K5 Kt-Q4 12 P x P . If you look at MCO you will see 12 Kt x P!, Kt x Kt; 13 P X Kt given as favourable for White but, in his 1965 match with lvkov, Larsen played 13 . . . P - Q R 3 and ultimately won, so Uhlmann tries a different but not very effective line.

12 . . . Q -R 4 13 0-0 B X P 14 P-QR 3 B-K 2 15 B-Q2 0-0

16 R-K 1 KR-Q 1. Black has a good game and a number of satisfactory moves—he chooses the one which keeps the maximum tension.

17 Q - Kt 3 Q R Kt 1 /7 . . . Kt - Q B 4 was also good, but Larsen feared the continuation

18 Kt x Kt, Q x Kt; 19 P X P, Kt .x P; 20 B - K 4 with a more drawls!, position. Moves 16 and 17 show why Larsen wins more than other masters.

18B-K4 B-QB 3 19 P x P B xP 20 Kt-B3 Q-B4 21 Q-B2 P-KR 3 22 B x Kt . . . winning a pawn, but remaining with a difficult position to defend. 22 Kt X Kt, B X Kt; 23 Q B X B seems to me to give better drawing chances.

22 . . . B X B 23 B-K 3 Q-B1

24 B X P . .. 24 R x P, B x Kt: 25 P x B, Kt X P is good for Black.

24 . . . R - R 1 25 B - Q 4 Kt - B 1. Threatening 26 . . .

B X Kt and 27 . . . R X B.

26 B-Kt6 R-Q 2

27 Q - K 2? . . . A blunder, but after Kt - Kt 3 Black will ultimately win the KP anyway with great advantage in position.

27 . . . RxR 28 RxR BxKt 29 P x B . . . White probably intended 29 R - Q B 1 and only now realised .that this lost to 29 . . . Q - Kt 21 My guess is that White was short of time.

29 . . . Q x P 30 Q K 1 Q B 3 31 Q-K 3 BxKt 32 Px B Kt-Kt 3 33 R-QB1?.. . Overlooking the reply, but he is

lost anyway; Black threatens Kt x P and if 33 P - B 4 then 33 . . . Kt X B P (or Kt - R 5) and 33 B - Q 4 loses to 33 . . . Kt - R 5.

33 . . Kt-R 5!

34 Resigns. . . . 34 R X Q??, R- Q 8 ch or 34 K-BI,Q-Kt4ch; 35K-Kt I,Q X KP1 with an easily won position. Larsen made the game too difficult for his opponent.

5 Pointers for Selene, distraught, embracing a copper (7) 6 Seat in a two-wheeler (9) 7 This music certainly can't mean a catch! (5) 8 'If music be the food of love, ---' (Twelfth Night) (4, 2) 9 Doctor when married pulled a face (5) 14 Lettered supporter of the Rump? (9) 16 Old salt at the ready, when brought to book (9) 17 Learners on the lookout (6) 18 Makes cuts concerning dissenters (7) 19 The vessel of Bacchus? (7) 20 Spies' ships of the north (5) 22 Who is doing what when 'at the third stroke' is announced? (5) 23 of the pure, unclouded brow' (Carroll) (5) Solution next week

Solution to Crossword no. 1332. Across: 1 Fire- back 5 Mob-cap 9 Epidemic 10 Laurie 12 Caitiff

13 Unguent 14 Broadcasting 17 Copper glance 22 Insofar 23 Carmine 24 Lydian 25 Divining 26 Secede 27 Analysts. Down: 1 French 2 Raisin 3 Brevier 4 Cliff-hangers 6 Oranges 7 Cordelia 8 Prestige 11 Dutch auction 15 Achilles 16 Epi- sodic 18 Effland 19 Cordial 20 Minims 21 Verges.