Chess 447

PIIILIDOR

E. E. Westbury (1st Prize, The Puzzler, 1934) White to play and mate in two moves; solution next week.

Solution to no. 446 (Ahues): Q x P, threat R-Kt3.1...R-Q4;2Q-K 3.1...R-K 5; 2 Q - R 3. Not, however, Q - Q 6- with idea 1 ... R-Q 4:2Q-B4and 1...R-K 5:2Q- Kt 3-

because of 1 Q x Kt! Quite attractive, but I am a bit surprised at its getting a first prize. This week's problem is taken from the Jubilee number of The Problem ist (10s. for six numbers a year; Hon. Sec. G. W. Chandler, 46 Worcester Road, Sutton, Surrey), a magazine 1 can wholeheart- edly recommend.

While Spassky has been wresting the champion- ship of the world from Petrosian, Nona Gaprin- dashvili has been confirming her supremacy in women's chess by a comfortable win 81l.-4i against her contemporary (they are each twenty- eight) Alla Kuschnir. Almost certainly the best woman player there has ever been (the Czech born Vera Menchik-Stevenson, supreme in women's pre-war chess, is the only possible rival), Gaprin- dashvili is of international master class and is a creative and imaginative player. In the following game one sees her win with Black against an opponent who is only too clearly playing to draw.

White. Kuschnir. Black. Gaprindashvili. Open- rig. Reti. (World championship. fifth game.) 1 P-Q 134 Kt-K B 3 2 Kt-K B 3 P-B 4 3 P-K Kt 3 P-Q Kt 3 4 B-Kt 2 B-Kt 2 5 0-0 P-K 3 6 P-Kt 3 B-K 2 7 B-Kt 2 0-0 8 P-K 3 P-Q 4 9 PxP KtxP 10 P-Q 4 PxP 11 KtxP Kt-QB3 12 KtxKt Bx.Kt 13 Kt-B 3 KtxKt 14 BxKt BxB

15 K x B . . White, on whom the onus must lie 10 make something of ihe opening, has

played in such a tiny that a dull draw seems ineritable; howerer Black unexpectedly succeeds in mounting an attack.

15 . . . R-BI! 16 B-Kt 2 ... 16 R-B I, B- R 6; 17 R-B 2, Q x Q; 18 RxQ, R-B 2 followed by KR-QB I and White is in trouble.

16... QxQ 17 K RxQ R-B 7

18 R-Q 7? . Aggression at the wrong moment; QR-Kt-I is correct.

18 ... B-Kt 4! 19 13-04 P-K 4!

20 BxP 13,-P 21 RxRP B/P 22 K-R 3 .. . 22 K-B 3, B-B 4 is also

good for Black.

22 ... P-R 4! Threat 23 ... P-Ki 4 with a very dangerous attack based on ultimate mating threats on the R 23 11-B 4 R-Q I Inaccurate. KR-QB after which Black could double on the seventh rank, is correct.

24 R-Q B 1 R-K 7 25 R-B 3? .. . Fatal. The best chance is 25 R (7)-B 7!, RxP; 26 R (7)-B 2 with fair drawing chances.

25... B-Kt 8 26 P-K Kt 4 R--Q5 27 R-B 8 ch K-R 2 28 RtP K-Kt31. 29 R (8)-B 7 R-Q 6 ch 30 Resigns....

(a) 30 B-Kt 3?, RxP mate (b) 30 K-R 4, B-B 7 ch; 31 B-Kt 3, Bt B ch; 31 PxB, R- R7 mile.