CHESS
Classics
Raymond Keene
The world of chess literature has suf- fered a terrible loss with the death at the age of 57 of Alex Cox, chairman of B. T. Batsford, the most prolific producer of chess books outside the USSR. Under Alex's tutelage Batsford have published over 200 titles, and their most recent venture, reprints of My System and Masters of the Chessboard, has made those classic works once again available to the English- speaking public.
Alex was a big man in every respect, who threw himself into projects with tremendous enthusiasm. He had been jailed in South Africa in the 1960s for opposing the government, had stood as an SDP candidate for Parliament and was, in fact, addressing an SDP meeting on the evils of merging with the Liberals just before he died.
He was also a great ambassador for British chess — any foreign dignitary who came to London was always assured of a hearty welcome at Batsford's, usually fol- lowed by an even more hearty lunch. He helped, too, with the London leg of the world championship last year, for example, chairing one of Campomanes's press con- ferences.
This week's game is taken from Bats- ford's Classics Reprint of Nimzowitsch's My System, the companion volume to Reti's Masters of the Chessboard. The normally egocentric Nimzowitsch was so impressed with this game that it is included in his magnum opus as one of his very few losses.
Blackburne-Nhnzowitsch: St Petersburg 1914; Van': Kruyz Opening.
1 e3 d6 2 f4 e5 3 fxe5 dxe5 4 Nc3 Bd6 5 e4 White is now operating a tempo in arrears, but he has to stake some claim in the centre; 5 d4 exd4 6 exd4 Qh4+ wins for Black. 5 . . . Be6 6 NO f6 7 d3 Ne7 8 Be3 c5 9 Qd2 Nbc6 10 Be2 Nd4 11 0-0 0-0 12 Ndl Nec6 13 c3 Voluntarily accepting a weakness at d3, but he must chase out Black's dominant knight at d4. 13 . . . Nxe2+ 14 Qxe2 Re8 15 Nh4 The portent of future aggression in the 'f' file. 15 . . . Bf8 16 Nf5 Kh8 17 g4 Qd7 18 Nf2 a5 19 a3 b5 20 Radl Rab8 Nimzowitsch
Position after 24 . . . Ra2? prepares a queen's side breakthrough. 21 Rd2 b4 22 axb4 axb4 23 c4 Finally a concession, permitting a renewal invasion of d4, but White had to keep the left wing files closed. 23 . . . Ra8 24 Qf3 Ra2? (Diagram) It was high time to play his trumps and jump in with . . . Nd4! 25 g5! Blackburne was a veteran from the Steinitz era, but he still knew how to attack, when the intended victim placed his head in Blackburne's mouth. 25 . . . g6 26 Ng4!! A brilliant concep- tion. 26 . . . gxf5 27 Nxf6 Nd4 28 Qf2 Qc6 29 Nxe8 QxeS 30 Bxd4 exd4 31 exf5 Bd7 32 Rel White has a slight material advantage, but he must act promptly before Black's bishops be- come dangerous. 32 . . . QC 33 Qh4 Ra8 34 Rf2 Bch 35 Qg4 Re8 36 Rxe8 QxeS 37 Re2 Qd7 38 Re6 Bab 39 g6 hxg6 40 Rxg6 Qh7 41 Qg3 Qh5 42 Rg4 Black resigns. If 42 . . . Be7 43 Qe5+.
Chess returns to television on Saturday (3 October) at 12.00 noon on Channel 4 with the first round of the BIS Group British Speed Championship.
The format adopted for this inaugural TV championship was the same as for Kasparov-Short earlier in the year. Each player had 25 minutes to complete all of his or her moves, but there was one differ- ence. Draws were resolved in the later event by recourse to five-minute games where the players must take all of their decisions within five minutes each on the chess clock, or lose by time forfeit.
On the few occasions when this proved necessary, the games were hectic and exciting, but, understandably, not disting- uished by any particular logic.
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