Chess 478

PHILIDOR

A. Fossum (1st Prize, Postsjakk, 1967). White to play and mate in three moves; solution next week.

Solution to No. 477 (Neukomm 7n/2p2p2/ 2P2Qp1/3R2K1/3P4/pBkP4/P7/2B5): R-K5, no threat. I . . . K x P(Q5); 2 R-Q5. 1 . . . K x P

(Q6); 2 R-K3. 1 . K-KtS; 2 B-Q2. Surprising key, not too easy to find.

Hastings fans will remember the young Czech master Jan Smejkal in the Premier a few years ago. A very dangerous attacking player, he put up a first-class performance in tying for 2nd to 5th place in the Central Europe Zonal tournament at Raach. The following fine game is typical of his style.

White, Westerinen. Black, Smejkal. Opening, Ruy Lopez. (Raach, 1969) 1 P-K4 P-K4 2 Kt-KB3 Kt-QB3 3 B-Kt5 P-QR3 4 B-R4 Kt-B3

5 0-0 B-K2 6 Q-K2 . . . The Worrall attack. one of the lines adopted by players who want to avoid the heavily analysed R-Kl variations, while quite playable it is, however, less strong than R-Kl.

P-QKt4 7 B-Kt3 P-Q3 8 P-B3 Kt-QR4 9 B-B2 P-B4 10 P-Q4 Q-B2 11 PxKP PxP 12 Kt-R4 . . Starring an over-optimistic attack before he is sufficiently developed. Better 12 B-Kt.5 followed by QKt-Q2 and later trying to get a knight to Q5 or KBS.

12 . . . 0-0 13 P-KB4 R-Kl 14 P-B5 B-Kt2 15 Kt-Q2 P-B5 16 P-KKt4 P-R3 17 Kt-Kt2 QR-Q1 Classic play by Black—countering the flank attack by central pressure. It is generally true that if the centre is open, a central attack will defeat one on the flank—because control of the board flows largely from control of the centre.

18 P-KR4 R-Q6! A fine positional sacrifice. If White accepts it then after 19 B x R, P x B; 20 Q x P. Kt x KIP; 21 Q-B3, P-KR4 Black has ample play for the exchange as the White KP will probably fall in due course— nevertheless I think that White should have taken it, as he has to suffer the attack anyway.

19 P-Kt5? R-R61 20 R-B3 . . . 20 P x Kt loses to 20 . . . B-B4ch; 21 R-B2, Q-Kt3 and 22 . . B x Rch (23 Q x B?, R-R8ch!) and if

20 K-82 then 20 . . . PxP; 21 PXP, Kt-R4 with threats of Kr-K16 and B x KtP.

B-B4ch 21 Kt-K3 B x Ktch 22 Q x B . . . 22 R x B. Q-B4; 23 Kt-BI (23 K-B2?, Rx R; 24 Qx R, Kt-Kt5ch), PxP; 24 P x P, Kt x P with a winning game.

22 . . . Kt-Kt5 23 Q-Kl Q-Kt3ch A pity. 23 . . . R-R7 threatening Q-Kt3ch would have won in a very few moves. The text move is nevertheless quite good enough to win.

24 K-Kt2 Kt-K6ch 25 K x R Kt x B

26 Q-Kt3 Kt xR 27 PxP QxP 28 Kt-Kt3 Q-R4 29 P-B6 P-Kt3 30 Kt xKt(R5) B x P 31 R-B2 R-Q1 32 Q-Kt5 R-Q6ch 33 K-R2 Q-Q8 34 Q-K3 ... Better 34 Resigns. •

34 . . . Q-R8ch 35 K-Kt3 Q-Kt8ch 36 K-R3

Q x R 37 Resigns.