Chess

(Hon. Mention, Good Companions, 1914) BLACK (6 men)

WHITE (8 men)

WHITE to play and mate in two moves ; solution next week. Solution to No. 232 (Westbury) : R—R 5, threat R—Q 4. r • . R—B 4 ; 2 Kt—B 3. . . . R—Q 6; 2 Kt—B 6. . . . Kt—B 4 ; 2 Q—Kt 8. . Kt x R ; 2 Q—K 6. , . . Kt—B 5 ; 2 R—Kt 5. . . . Kt x B ; 2 Qx Kt. Q—B 7 or Q 7 ; 2 R x P.B x Kt ch ; 2 Q x B. Good key and varied play, the main lines being those unpinning the W Kt.

In the Clare Benedict tournament at Berlin the order of teams, West Germany (t ;)/2o), Spain (121), Holland (lop, England (9), Austria (71), Switzerland (5) confirmed the Tel Aviv ratings. In Berlin Penrose (still not quite his old self) played, but not Kottnauer ; in Tel Aviv Kottnauer, but not Penrose. We need them both to give enough strength at the top to make a reasonable score against the strong teams. The best individual result was Darga's (W. Germany, Board 2) with 34!4. Here is an incisive win by him, the most instructive feature of which is the way in which he allows the exchange of queens in the middle of his attack ; many players would auto- matically avoid this—but a mark of the master is not to do things automatically.

White, DARGA (W. Germany).

Black, KUYPERS (Holland).

Opening, PIRG DEFENCE. (Berlin, April 5965) r P—K 4 P—Q 3 I am reluctantly coming to the ..iew that this defence is too cramped to be good.

P—Q 4 Kt—K B 3

3 Kt—Q B 3 P—K Kt 3 4 B—K 11 4 B—Kt 2 Q—Q.2 Q Kt—Q 6 Kt— R 3 0-0 7 0-0-0 P—B 3

8 P—K Kt—K z

9 P—K R 4! Q-114 zo P—R 51. . . A very imaginative sacrifice. PxKP

zz PxP KtxP z2 Kt x Kt BxKt

r3 PxP BPx13? 13 R P xP, though danger- ous, looks a better chance, e.g. i4 B-12 6 Kt—Kt a or 14 B x13,

Q x11; 5 Q—R 6, Q—Kt 2.

14 13-13 4 ch P—K 3 1'4 . . . K—R x?; 15 R xP ch,

K x R.; t6 R—R I ch, K—Kt 17 13—R 6 ch, K—B 3; i8 Q—Kt 5 mate. :5 lex 121 Q x13

z6 Q—R 6! Q—B 5 ch? Natural but disastrous. x6 . . . Q—Kt 2 is best chance, though after x7 Q—R_3, 2; x11 R—Q 81 (threat R B), Kt—B 2; 19 R xR ch, K x ; 20 Q xP White should win.

172<1 R x Q

z8 81 R x1.3 18 . . R—B i?; 19 RxB!, R X it; 20 B xP ch. ry R x Kt ch K—Kt s Or 19 ... K—B 2; so R—R 8 P—K K 4; at R—Q I and 22 R(1)—Q 8.

20 R—K 7 ch K—B 3

21 ROO x P P—R 4

22 R—K 8 K—Kt 4

23 R—Q 13 7 R—K Kt 5 24 P—K Kt 3 Resigns He loses a piece for nothing.