Chess
BY PHILIDOR Nu. 26. C. MA.NSFIEGH
WHITE, 8 meo.
BLACK, 5 meo. WHITE to play and
solution next week.
. Solution to last week's problem by Heathcote: B-R threat R-R 5. 1 . • • P-K 4; 2 Q-R 7.; I . . . Kt-K 4; Q-Kt 1. 1 . • Kt-Q 5; 2 Q X P. 1 . . P-Kt 6; 2 Q x B. 1 . • : B-Q 4; 2 Kt(4)-Q 3: Beautifully open setting—a fine example 0 Black interferences resulting in unpin of White.
ACCENT ON YOUTH
In the last few years the Hastings Christmas congress, thanks to the energy and imagination of the congress organiser, F. A. Rhoden, to; regained its pre-war position as the best and best known of all the smaller tournaments. 1-0 year's entry, headed by Smyslov and Keres, was one of' the strongest there has ever been: year, although not quite so formidable, the premier tournament will be of particular interest, as nine of the ten competitors (the exception being H. Golombek, the British champion) are under 30, with an average age nearer to 20. V. Korchnoi and M. Taimanov (USSR) are —need one say it?—the strongest entrant'' Taimanov was equal first with the world challl' pion Botwinnik in the 1953 USSR champion' ship; Korchnoi, younger (23) and less exper'i enced, is possibly even better—he won the 195' Leningrad championship (a very strong tourna- ment) with the phenomenal score of 16 will''
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1 loss, 2 draws. B. lvkov (Yugoslavia) is lat.' behind the Russians; world junior champion I." 1951, he has won two major tournaments year in South America, ahead of Najd°,1,' Gligoric, Pachman, Szabo, Panno. None of the remaining foreign players are as strong as the'er three, but they are far from negligible. I knurl nothing of Diez del Corral (Spain), but K. Dark'. who recently won the West German champion ship without loss, and F. Olafsson, the Icelandic champion, are both strong and improvlett players. Finally, there are our own plaYe,r'; H. Golombek, J. Penrose and J. A. Fuller' with R. Persitz (Israel and Oxl°1`,. University), whom we all regard as one of et' own and regret that we cannot keep over tet`i Golombek has the best record of these four a') is the most reliable, but I think that Penrose ailt Persitz, should they happen to strike their be s, form, are capable of reaching greater heightsi Fuller, a gifted player whom ill-health has 14..1), out of the game for some years, has tbe ahhh;i. to do very well, but in view of his lack tournament practice this is hardly to be expecte„, this year—he should treat this tournament ' experience and not worry if he does badly. a Altogether a fascinating tournament 3hir; young players being always very uncertaili quantities, difficult for the prophet. Still, I °'(I) venture on the following partial forecast: Korchnoi, (2) Taimanov, (3) lvkov, (4) Dart and the best of the home contingent (inchlo,In Persitz). Winning score 7/9, bottom place 2/7"
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