CHESS

By PHILIDOR

No. 136. A. BOTTACCHI (New York Sun, 1921)

BLACK (5 men) WHITE (7 men)

WHITE to play and mate in two moves: solution next week. Solution to last week's problem by Levett: Q-R 2!, no threat. 1 . • . R x P; 2 Q x R. 1 . .

R (2) any other; 2 B-Kt 7. 1 R-Kt 1; 2 P x R=Q. 1 ... Kt any; 2 Q x B. 1 . . . B any; 2 B-Q 7 or Q-Kt 8 accordingly. Mr. Levett was eighty-seven yesterday and is to be congratulated on the continuing skill he shows as a composer.

To make up for a slight excess of articles in previous weeks, 1 am giving another game this week, won by Golombek in the recent Paignton tournament in which he was first. Three times (so far) British champion, Golombek has been one of the foremost players in the country for the past twenty-five years and this game is an excellent example of his play. His style, modelled on that of Capablanca, is lucid. and simple and he shows to best advantage in games with a clear strategic theme; he is also very good in defence. On the whole he is weakest in games in which strong tactical initiative' has to be shown and he is rather inclined to underrate die dynamic . elements in a position and to overrate correspondingly static advantages, e.g., he may wrongly prefer a solid position with good pawn forniation to a position with broken pawns but open lines for attack.

White, B. H. WOOD Black, H. GotomBEK

Opening, Queen's Pawn, Nimzo Indian Defence.

(Notes based on those by the winner in the December British Chess Magaeinc.)

1 P-Q 4 Kt-.K B 3 20 P-B 3 (g) P-B 4 2PK-Qt_QB3 B

B4P-K 3 21 P x P R x P '

3

-Kt 5 22 R-K 1

QQP--BB-25 5 P.-Q R3 1C1 B 1 Us)

4 Q-B 2 0-0 23 R-K 2 B x IC.1 ch 24 R-11 3

6 x B P-QKt 3 25 Kt x P ( / ) Kt x BP -

7 t-B 3 B-Kt 2 26 R-R 4 Kt (Q 2)-K 4 8 P-K Kt 3 (a) P-Q 3 27 Q-R 2 R x P (J)

9 B-Kt 2 Q Kt-Q 2 298 13-B-1 1 4 P-Q 6

10 011-0 Q-K 2 2 Q-Q 4! 11 P-Q Kt 4? (b) P-B 41 30B x Kt R-B 7 ch

12 Q P x P (c) • Kt P x PI (d) 31 Q x R R x Q ch

Kt x B 14 Kt-Q 2 ch x

15 P-Q 5 33 Kt-B 3 (k) Q-B 6 e

5 Q-B 2 16 K x B B x B 34 K-Kt 1 P-Q 7 P-K 4 35 R-Q 1 P Kt-K 36 P-Kt 6

Kt-Q3 37 P—R 6 Q - x P 18 P-Q R 4 6K ch

Kt 17 P-K 4 I.

19 P-R 5 (e) Q-K 3 ( f) 38 K-B 1

Q-B 6 ch 39 Resigns ( i) (a) White has chosen rather a slow form of opening development and this puts him further behind. Better B-Kt 5.

(b) Positional error: as Golombek points out, he must not weaken Q B 4 since if Black opens the file.he can set up uncomfortable pressure along it with his rooks. Better II P-Kt 3. (c) There is no really satisfying move. B-Kt 2 is relatively best, but Black remains with a strong initiative because of weakness a White Q B P.

(d) His centre pawns are much stronger than White's flank

ma?orIty. e) Better 19 B-R 3, completing his development. J') Black's play is beautifully clear and consistent-he centralises his pieces and then advances pawns. (g) Here again I4.refer 20 B-R 3, P-B 4; 21 P-B 3 and If 21 ... P x P; 22 P x P. -Kt 5; then 22 Q-Q 3. White's position is very uncomfortable but it is a little better than in the game. (h) Threat 23 . . . P-K 5;'24 P x P, II-B 7 ch; 25 K-Kt 1, Q-R 6 or 24 Kt x P, R x P threatening Kt x Kt followed by R-B 7 ch, also Q or Kt x B P.

(1) 23 P x P; R.-13 7 eh' loses quickly. (J) Threat 28 ... R-R 6l; 29 13 x R, Q-B 8 mate. (k) Rapidly fatal, but he is defenceless against pawn advance, e.g., 33 Kt-Q 2, P-B. 5 and he cannot even escape with exchange sacrifice 34 R .x Kt, Q x R; 35 Kt or R x P because of Q-K 7 eh.

( I) He loses both rooks and Black gets another queen into the bargain.