Chess

By PHILIDOR No. 156. A. ELLERMAN (1st Prize, Guidelli Memorial Tourney, 1925) BLACK (6 men)

WHITE (9 men) WHITE to play and mate in two moves: solution next week. This is thought by some to be the finest two- mover ever composed. Solution to No. 155 (Hartong): Q-B 8, no threat. 1 . . P-K 8=Q; 2 B-Kt 2 (set Q-Kt 2). 1 . P-K 8= Kt; 2 R-B 2 (set Q-B 2). 1 . . . Kt-K 5; 2 Q-Kt 4 (set Q x Kt).

1 Kt-Q 2; 2 Q x P (set Q-K 4). 1 ... Kt x B;

2 Q x Kt (set Q X P). 1 . P-Kt 4; 2 .Q-B 5. Fine mutate in which all but one of the 'set' mates (i.e. mates that would occur if Black, not White, moved first) are changed.

The second Friday of each month I shall give a game from the past : this week's is taken from Murray's Short History of Chess (O.U.P., 18s.), which I can warmly recommend to anyone interested in chess as well as in games of chess, It is worth reading if Only for the names of the openings in the Muslim game- Sayyal ('The Torrent'), Saif (The Sword'), Muwashshah (The Richly Girdled')—and of the great champions Rabrab,

1 P- 4 P- 4 2 P-QQ Q B 4 P x P 3 P-K 4 . . . better 3 Kt-KB 3 preventing Black's P-K 4. 3P-K 4

4 i,:() . 5 P-KB 4. 4 . . . Kt-KB 3; 5 B-QB 4, B-QB 4 is stronger.

5 Kt-QB 3 Kt-KB 3 6 11 x P B-B

7 Kt-B 3 Q-K 4 2

8 B-KKt 5 B x P eh!?

9 K-B 1?. . very weak: 9 K X B, Q-B 4 ch; 10 K-K I. Q X B; 1l Kt x P gives White an excellent game.

ID Q-K 2 P-B 53 11 R-Q 1 B-Kt 5 12 P-Q 6 P P

13 Kt-Q 5 Ktx x Kt! Obviously good—once you think

of it! 14 B x Q Kt-K 6 ch 15 K-K 1 . . 15 Q x Kt, B x Q; 16 B X P, B x Kt; 17 P x B, 13-Q 5'is also good for Black.

15 . . K x B

16 Q-43 11-Q 1 His Kt is worth more than White's rook. 17 R-Q 2 Kt-B 3 18 P-QKt 3 . . . better chance is P-QR 3.

19 P-ER 3 QR--Q B 1

20 R-Kt 1 P-QKt 4! 21 B x P B x Kt

22.1) x B . . or 22 B x Kt R X B; 23 P X B, R-B 8 ch; 24 K-B 2, B x 11 and wins for if 25 Q X B then 25 . . , R.11 7. 22 . . . Kt-Q 5

23 I3-B 4 Kt x P ch 24 K-B 2 Kt x QR 25R x P ch K-B 3 26 R-B 7 ch K-Kt 3

27 R-QKt 7 Kt (Q 7) X B

28 P x Kt RXP 29 Q-Kt 1 B-Kt 3! 30 K-B 3 . . . 30 Q-Kt 1 ch?, Kt-Kt 5 dbl chi 30R-B 6 .31 O.:Ii 2 Kt-B 5 ch ' 32 K-Kt 4 . . . if 32 K-K 2 then 32 . . . P-B 6 ch; and wins quickly.

32 .. R-KKt I. Now White could resign. The game finished' 33 R x B (otherwise P-11 4 ch and 13-Q I ch), P x II; 34 K-13. 4, K-B 3; 35 11)-K 2, 11-Kt '3; 36 Q-R 5 Kt-K 6 and there is no defence to Kt-Kt 7. Fine queen sacrifice by Black but the game lacks the sureness and technique of a modem

mastergame. . Abdalghaffar al-Ansari and Ala'addin (whether with the help of his lamp is not stated).

However, the game is from more recent times—. one of the famous series of games played between the French champion De la Bourdonnais and the Irishman Alexander MacDonnell in 1834 at 'a time when France and England dominated the chess scene. De la Bourdonnais won 44 to McDonnell's 28, with 13 drawn—but he didn't win this one.

White, DE LA BOURDONNAIS; Black, MACDONNi Opening, QUEEN'S GAMBIT.