6 AUGUST 1977, Page 25

Explanation, please

Sir: Some months ago, Mr David Levy played a game of chess against a computer programme. This was reported in the Scientific American. But Mr Levy is your chess correspondent, and at least one reader would like to have his comments on the game —and especially on moves 11-14 when he embarked on a mysterious knight manoeuvre and interrupted it to block his KP by B-K3. Please ask him to explain what he was up to.

By the way, Mr Levy remarks (9 July) that only Res hevsky was stronger than Nigel Short at the age of twelve. I had always supposed that Capablanca was pretty strong at that age . . .

(Dr) E. H. Porter Belvidere Hospital, Glasgow G31 4PG