Chess

By PHILIDOR No. 168. C. MANSFIELD (The Problemist,' September, 1963)

BLACK (9 men) WHITE (7 men) mime to play and mate in two moves; solution next week. Solution to No. 167 (van Beek): Q—R I, no threat. I . . . B X R; 2 P—Kt 3 (set B—K 5).

I . . . B x P; 2 P—Kt 4 (set Kt x B). 1 . . . B—R 6; 2 Px B (set Kt x B). 1 . . . B—B 6; 2 P X B. An- other mutate in which White abandons his 'battery' of Q and Kt (which allowed I . . . B X P; 2 Kt x B and 1 . . . B—R 6; Kt )< B) in favour of Q and P battery.

Even grandmasters can be surprised sometimes in the opening and—especially for a young attacking player—it often pays to try. When it fails of course all the wiseacres will shake their heads and say 'brilliant but unsound' or 'you can't do that sort of thing in top-class chess'—just as they are the first to rush round with fulsome congratulations if It succeeds. This time it did.

White, N. LITTLEw000; Black. LENGYEL; Opening,

LESSER BISHOP'S GAMBIT (Hastings, 1964)

1 P—K 4 P—K 4 2 P—KB 4 PxP 3 B—K 2 . . . not a good opening—but disconcerting because of its rarity. Turtakower played it against Capahlance in New York, 1924. when it was not a success; Caps was not a man to try to surprise in this way—his 'feel' for the game was too good. 3 . . P—Q 4 4 PxP Kt—K 2. Why not natural development 13/

4 . . . Kt—KB 3 with an excellent game? Tartakowcr-Capr blanca continued 4 . . . Kt—KB 3; 5 P-11 4?; P—B 3; 6 P—Q 4, B—Kt 5 ch with advantage for Black.

5 B—B 3 KtXP 6 Kt—K 2 B—K 2 7 0-0 0-0. I prefer 7 . . . Kt—QB 3; after whick 8 P—on 4 can be met with 8 . . . B—B 4 ch and now 0/

9 K—R 1, Kt (4)—K 2 or (b) 9 P—Q 4?, Kt XP!. 10 KtxKt, Kt-9 PK2—.

4 P—KKt 4. Risky, but if he allows 10 B X DP 8 P—B 4 Kt—KB 3 White will have a clearly superior position. 10 QKt—B 3 K-11. 1? The king is worse there than oe Kt 1; he should play 10 .. . Kt—B . 3 and 11 . B—Kt 5.

11 P—QKt 41 QKt—Q 2. After 11 . . . BXP; 12 11-Kt 2 and later P—Q 5 the attack will be too strong.

12 B—Kt 2 R—K 1 13 P—Q 5 Kt—K4 14 Kt—K 4 KtxKt of P—KB 4.

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Igs

B—B 3. Better 15 . . . B—B 1 to preserve 16 Kt . . . How Littlewood must have licked 1 lips16at this Pcisition.P X Kt

. 17 Q-12 5 Kt—Kt 3

18 R XPI BxB . . . If he tries to mix things wit I 18 . . . B—Kt 5? White just replies 19 Q—R 6! 2019 RK _X RP 21 BXKt PB--It KKt23

B—Q 4 ch 22 RxB K x R 23 B XR . . . with White now only has to avoid a blunder.

23 . . . Q—B 3 24 R—K 1 B—B 4 25 R—KB 1 B—Kt 3 26 Q—Q 1 Q—QB 6 27 BxB 4

Resigns 27 . . . K x11; 28 Q—Kt K—R 2; 29 Q—Q 7 eh, K—R 1; 30 QX.P and the gonfof hopeless since Black dare not' even take the 'as (313 . • . Q x KtP; 31 Q—K 5 eh). White could alvo exclia queens, winning easily. two pawns up and an atoc