Chess no. 374

PHILIDOR

13:ack White 12 men 9 men C. GuideIli (Guidelli-Ellerman folder, 1917). White to play and mate in two moves; solution next week. Solution to no. 373 (Abdurahmanovic): Kt - K 4, no threat. 1 . K X Kt; 2 Q - B 3. 1 K - B 5; 2 Q-B 7. I K - B 3; 2 Q - Q 6. 1 K -K 3;• 2 Q -B 7. The WP on B 7 is there to mislead the solver and provides four unsuccessful tries, viz.

1 P -B 8 = Q? stalemate, 1 P - B 8 = R, K -K 31, 1 P - B 8= B, K - B 31, 1 P - B 8= Kt, K - B 5! To quote the Problemist's comment, 'An inspired

joke.' The Yugoslav master Matulovic is in bad odour at present because of his extraordinary action in withdrawing a move (and getting away with it!)

under the pretext of adjusting the piece's position: this incident—earning him the name of Tadou- bovic' ('iadoube' being the standard expression used when making a genuine adjustment of a piece)

—occurred at Sousse against Bilek and secured him an undeserved extra point. However, whatever one thinks of his ethics, his chess is all right, as the following game shows.

White, Matulovic. Black, Tatai. Opening, Sicilian. (Palma, 1967.) I P - K 4 P - Q B 4 2 Kt-K B 3 P-Q 3 3 P - Q 4 P X P 4 Kt x P Kt - K B 3 5 Kt-Q B 3 P-Q R 3 6 B - Kt 5 P - K 3 7 P - B 4 B - K 2 8 Q - B 3 Q - B 2. If Black plays first 8 . . .

Q Kt - Q 2, anticipating White's next move. White can play 9 B - B 4 with the threat of B x K P.

9 P - B 5 . . An interesting idea; 9 0 - 0- 0, Q kt - Q 2 is normal after which 10 P - B 5 is met by P - K 4 (11 B x Kt, Kt x B). Now however 9 . . . P-K 4?; 10 B x Kt, B x B; 11 Kt -Q 5!, 0- R 4 eh;

12 P- Kt 4 is good for White and 9 . . . Q Kt - Q 2 is not playable because of 10 P X P. So Black has to adopt a different system from the one he had planned. Kt - B 3 10 0 - 0 - 0 B- Q 2 11 B- K 2 R-Q B 1

12 K - Kt 1 Kt - K 4? An instructive error. White's Kt on Q 4 proses a better piece than the Black knight on K 4 and it would be better to play 12 . . . P -Kt 4 followed by Kt x Kt and B - B 3.

13 - R 3! 0-0. White threatened 14 P X P. P X P; 15 Kt x P, Q moves; 16 Kt x P ch (or 15 . . B X Kt: 16 Q X B) and 13 . . . P x P concedes Q 5 to the White knight. So castles is necessary—but then White's attack is very quick. 14 P-K Kt 4 . . . 14 P x P, P x P; 15 Kt X P.

Q - R 4 is now inferior as the White knight is in trouble.

14 . . P - Kt 4 15 P 3 Kt - B 5 16 R - Q 3 Q - Kt 3 17 B- R 4 . . . The merit of this move (of which

I am unsure) turns on the variation in the next note.

17 B -Q B 1 looks stronger to me. 17 . . P - Kt 5 18 P x P P- Q 4? Better to play the straight- forward 18 . . . Q x P; e.g. 19 Kt - Kt 3, P - R 4!: 20 P - Kt 5, P - R 5: 21 P X Kt, P x Kt and White is in trouble. Or 20 R - Q 4, P - R 5; 21 R X Kt, R X R;

22 B X R, Q X B and Black has a good game. But White may be able to do better.

19PxQP B x P 20 Kt - Kt 3 PxBP

21 P x P K R-K 1 22 P - Q 6! Kt - K 5 22 . . . B x Kt; 23 R x B.

R x B; 24 B x Kt is also lost for Black.

23 Kt - Q 5 Q - Kt 2. Setting a curious little trap-

24 Kt - K 7 ch?, K x Kt; 25 P x R, Kt (5)- Q 7 ch!: 26 Kt X Kt. B x Kt and Black threatens Q x P mate as well as Q x R ch. But White is not to be caught.

24 R - Kt 1! BxQP 25 B - B 6! B - 1. 25 . . . Kt X 13; 26 Kt x Kt ch.

K - B 1:27 Kt x P cht K - Kt 1:28 Kt - B 6 ch. K - B 1 and 29 Kt x R will win if there is nothing better.

26 B x P! B x P 26 . . B x Et; 27 Q - R 6.

27 Q X B . . . Not 27 B x B ch, B - Kt 3!

27 . . . B x B. The rest is easy for White. 28 Kt - B 6 ch K - B 1 29 Kt x P ch K - Kt 1 30 Kt - B 6 ch K - B 1 31 Kt - R 7 ch . White is in great time trouble, hence the repetitions. 31 . . . K - Kt 1 32 R - Q 7 Kt (B 5)- Q 7 ch. You never know .

White in the time scramble might play 33 Kt x Kt??.?, 0 x P mate.

33 K - R 2 . . . Too bad, so .

33. . Resigns.