Chess no. 401

PHILIDOR

Black White 7 Men 8 men

E. Holladay (American Chess Bulletin, 1956). White to play and mate in two moves; solution next week.

Solution to no. 400 (Langstaff): R - Kt 3, threat

41- Kt 5. 1 B X R ch; 2 R - Kt 5 (set B x 1 . . . K x R; 2 R - Q 3. 1 . . . P - Kt 4; 2 R-B 5.1 ...Kt-Q 6;2R-Q 4.1 ...Kt-K 3; 2 Q - K 4. 1 . R - B 1; 2 Kt x P. Fine key and varied play.

For the first time that I can recollect, Moscow has lost a match to a city outside the USSR; in April this year, playing at the Central Chess Club in Moscow, Prague won I14-81 in a two-round match. The following game, played on Board 9, won the brilliancy prize.

White, Aister (Prague). Black, Balashov (Moscow). Opening, Queen's Pawn. (Moscow, 1968.) 1 P-Q4 Kt-KB3 2 P-QB 4 P-K3 3 Kt-KB3 P-QKt3 4 Kt-B3 B-Kt2

5 B-Kt 5 B - K 2. If Black is going to play

P - K R 3, he would do slightly better to play it now--because if 5 . . . P- K R 3; 6 B- B 4 he can then play B - Kt 5 followed by Kt - K S.

6 P-K 3 P-KR 3 6 . . Kt - K 5 may be better.

7 B-B4..7B-R4,Kt-K5. 7. 0. - 8B-Q3 P-Q4 8...P-B 4 isagood alternative.

9PxP PXP 100-0 P-B4

11 Kt- K 5! P - Q R 3. He rejected the natural 11 . . . Kt - B 3 because after 12 B - Q Kt 5! (Botwinnik). R- B I; 13 Q- R 4.

12 Q - B 3 Kt - B 3 12 . Q Kt - Q 2 avoids the coming sacrifice, but leaves White a clearly superior position in which he can build up the attack more gradually.

13 B x KRP! P x B 13 . P X P; 14 P X P, Ktx P; 15 Q - Kt 3, Kt K 1 (15 . . . Kt - K 3; 16 B - B 5); 16 B - K 3; Kt - K3;

17 Q - R 3 with a winning game.

14 Kt-Kt4! B - B 1! Best. Otherwise Q - B 5 is a deadly threat by White.

15 Kt x Pch K -Kt 2

16 Q - Kt3 ch! K x Kt 16 . . . K - R I; 17

Q - R 4, K - Kt 2; 18 Q - Kt 5 ch, K - R I; 19 P - B 4! and the threat of R - B 3 followed by R - Kt 3 or R 3 will win (19 . . Kt - K 5; 20 Q - R 4).

17 Q -B 4 ch lc- Kt 2? Natural but wrong. The only hope is 17 . . . K- R 4! when there seems to be nothing better than 18 Kt - K 2, Kt - K 5;

19 B X Kt, P X B; 20 Q X K P (threat Q - R 7 ch), K - R 3; 21 Q X Kt ch and Black can still fight.

18 Q-Ktsch K-R1 19 Q.“(6ch K-Ktl

20 P-B4! Kt x P 20 . . . B - Kt 5; 21 R - B 3!, B x R; 22P X B and 23 K - R 1! or 20 . . Kt - K 5; 21 Kt X Kt, P x Kt; 22 R - B !, B - R 5; 23B X P, P - B 4; 24 B X Kt and 25 R- R 3 winning.

21 P x Kt Kt - K 5. Now 22 Kt X Kt, P x Kt; 23 R - B 3, Q x P chi; 24 K - R 1, B - B 4!

22 R-B3!- 23 R-Kt3! B-Kt5 P'-B4 24 Kt X Kt! R - B 2. He dare not recapture. 24 . . . Q P x Kt; 25 B - B 4 ch.

25 Kt-B2 B- R 5 25 . . . R - R 2?;. 26

R X B ch!

26 KtXB BXR

27 Q-Kt6ch R-Kt 2 27 . . K - B 1; 28 Kt - K 5, R - Kt 2; 29 Q X P ch.

28 Kt-B6ch K-B 1 29 Q X P R-B2 30 Kt-R 7 ch K-Kt 1 31 Q-Kt6 ch R-Kt2

32 Q -K 6 ch Resigns. 32 . . . K - R 1; 33 P x B. R X Kt; 34 B X R, K x B; 35

Q - B 7 ch, K - R I; 36 K - B 2! and voila.