Chess no. 427

PHILIDOR

W. A. Shinkman (Westen und Duheim, 1910). White to play and mate in two moves; solution next week. Solution to no. 426 (Bartolovic): 1 B - R 1!; 2-7 K-Kt 2 -B 1 -Q 1 -K 1 -BI-Kt 1;

8 B - Kt 2 mate, Black's moves being irrelevant. Not, however, 1 R - Kt 2?; 2-6 B-B I -Q2-

K 1 - B 2 - Kt 1; 7 R moves; 8 B - Kt 2 mate

because of the defence 1-5 B - Kt 2 - B 1 - Q 2 - K 1 - R 4! and 6 . . . P - Kt 3! stale- mating himself.

The following game is a good example of play against an over-passive defence. Black never really breathes properly—even in the ending.

White, Parma. Black, Mesing. Opening, French Defence. .

1 P-K 4 P-K 3 2 P-Q 4 P-Q4 3 Kt - Q 2 Kt-K B3 4 P - K 5 K Kt-Q2 5 P-K B4 P-Q B 4 6 P - B 3 Kt-QB3 6. . . P - Q Kt 3 followed by B - R 3 may be better.

7 Q Kt- B3 P - B 4 / don't greatly care for this whole variation for Black. More scope is given by 7 ... Q - Kt 3; 8 P - K Kt 3; P X P; 9 P X P, B - Kt 5 ch; 10 K - B 2, P - B 4; another possibility Ls 7 . . P - B 5.

8 B - Q 3 Q-Kt 3 9 KKt-K2 B-K 2 10 0 - 0 Kt - Q 1 /0 . . . 0 - 0; is better. Black spends an unhappy game of marching and counter-marching his knights.

11 P-KR3 Kt- B 2 12 K-R 2 P-B 5 13 B- B 2 Q - B 3 14 P-KKt 4 ... White's advantage is now clear; the only ques- tion is whether he has enough room to break through or whether Black can block the position completely.

14 . . . P-KKt3 15 B - K 3 Kt-Kt 3 16 B- B 2 B-Q 2 17 P x P KPx P 17...KtPxP;18R-KKI 1,8-KB 1 (to stop R - Kt 7); 19 B - R 4.

18 B-R 4 B x B 19 Kt x B Kt - Q 1? First Kt-BI-K2 andthenKt-Q 1 -K3 is better, to prevent the coming sacrifice.

20 Kt - Kt 3 Kt-B1? Too late; he must try O - 0, though after 21 R - K Kt 1. K - R 1 White should break through in the end, e.g. by Kt - B 3 and P - R 4 - R5.

21 Kt(3)xP A fine positional sacrifice, correctly judging that his two passed pawns will be more than worth a knight.

21 . . . BxKt 22 BxB PxB 23 Kt x P R-KKt1 24 Q - B 3 Q - Q 2 25 Kt - K 3 Kt-Kt 3 26 Kt - Kt 4 R-K B I 27 Kt-B6ch R x Kt 28 P x R Q-B 4 29 QR-K I ch K - B 1 30 Q - Kt 4! Ox Q 30 . . Q X P; 31 R - K Kt 1, Q - B 2;

32 Q - Kt 5 and wins.

31 P x Q Kt - B 3 32 K - Kt3 Kt - Q 2 33 P - Kt 5 R - K 1 34 R x R ch K x R Now the unhappy knights embark on an in- glorious struggle against the rook; to function effectively knights need secure, well-advanced central squares—and this is just what they can- not achieve here.

35 R-KR 1 Kt-BI 36 K-Kt 4 K-B2

37 K - R 5 K - K 3 37 . . . Kt - Q 1:38 P - B 5. White's Winning plan, if black does

nothing. is P - B 5, R - K Kt I and P - Kt 6 - Kt 7 - Kt 8.

38 R-K 1 ch K - B 4 or 38 . . . K - B 2; 39 P- B 5 etc.

39 R - K 8 Resigns. 39 . . . Ki - Kt 3; 40 P - B?.