Chess no. 328

PHILIDOR

Black White 8 men

8 men C. Mansfield (Lo Scacchisla Tourney, 1921). White to play and mate in two moves; solution next week.

Solution to no. 327 (Millins): R - Kt 6, threat Q - Kt 5. 1 . . . Kt- B 4; 2 R - Kt 4. 1 . . . Kt-Q 5; 2 Kt-R 5. 1 ... Kt-Kt 4; 2 B x B.

I . . . Kt - B 5; 2 R - K 4. 1 . . . Kt (3) else; 2

Q x Q. 1 . . . B - K 5; 2 Q -Q 4. 1 . . . B else; 2 Q - Q 3. 1 . . . Kt - B 6; 2 P -Q 3. Fine example of correction play-`random' moves of Kt and Q B lead to mate by Q x Q and Q- Q 3 respectively and there are five additional mates arising from

efforts to avoid this.

One of the variations that one feels instinctively should be unsound is the Kt - Kt 5 variation against the Two Knights Defence; it ought not to be pos- sible to get an advantage by making a two-piece attack on the fourth move of the game after three centralising and developing moves by the opponent. Analysis has raged inconclusively over the opening for something like a hundred years, however, with- out any conclusive result being reached. Here is a game from what one might call one of the major by-ways of the opening.

White, Kurkin. Black. Estrin. Opening, Two Knights Defence. (Moscow Championship, 1966.)

1 P - K 4 P - K 4

2 Kt - K B 3 Kt - Q 13 3 3 B - B 4 Kt - B 3

4 Kt - Kt 5 B- B 4 The Wilkes-Barre variation; P- Q 4

is the normal move.

5 Kt x B P . . MCO recommends 5 B x P ch. K - K 2; 6 B - Q 5 but after 6 . . . R - B 1; 7 0 - 0.

P - Q 3 Black seems to have plenty of play ..or the pawn.

B X P ch 6 K-B1 . . . 6 K X B. Kt X P ch; 7 K - Kt 1.

Q - R 5; 8 P- K Kt 3. Kt X Kt P; 9 P x Kt. Q x P ch; 10 K - B 1, R - K B I chances are reckoned about equal.

7 Kt X R Q - K 2

6 . . . P - Q 4

8 PxP ... Keres recommends 8 B- K 2. B -Kt 3 and says that Black will pick up the knight and have an ample attack for the exchange-which I can well believe.

9 P- K R 3 Kt - Q P-B-Q-

ch, Kt - Q 21; 11 K x B, Q - R 5 ch with a very powerful attack.

10 P - B 3 B - Kt 6 Kt - B 4

11 Q - R 4 ch .. . Here in a correspondence game Estrin v Nun, the game continued 11 P - Q 4. B - Q 2; 12 Q - K 2? (12 B - K Kt 5!, Q - B 1 with an unclear situation is correct according to Estrin in Chess), B-R 7! 13 K - B 2, Kt-Kt 6; 14 Q - K 1, Kt (B 3)- K 5 ch: 15 K - B 3, Kt - 0 7 chi; 16 Kt x Kt, Q - B 3 ch; 17 Re- signs. It was the crushing defeat that led Estrin to adopt the line as Black in this game. The text is not good, either, and 11 P - Q 4, B - Q 2; 12 B - K Kt 5 seems to be best.

11 . . . B - Q 2 12 B - Kt 5 Q - B 4

14 K - K 2 K. t. x. B14 p _ Q

4, Kt X P; 15 B - K 3

13 B x B ch loses to 15 . .. 0 - B 1 ch (Estrin).

14 . . . Q x Q P! Now White is murdered.

15 R - Kt 1 P - K 5 16 P- 0 4 P x P e.p. ch 17 K - Q 1 B - B 7 20 K - Q 2 Q- Kt 8 ch A neat finesse. Q x Kt P

18 R - B 1 19 R x B Q X R ch

21 K Q x

22 - K B 4 Kt - K 4 dble ch 23 K - K 4 Kt - Kt 6 ch

24 K x Kt Q - B 4 ch OF - Q 4 ch 2265 RKes-icKlas6 ... 26 K - K 7, Q - Q 2 mate.