Chess

By PHILIDOR No. 281.

D. G. McIrrrvRE (Cape Times, 1935) WHITE to play and mate in two moves ; solution next week. Solution to No. 280 (Shinkman) : K- R 1 !, no threat. Wherever Black now plays (except for obviously fatal moves such as BLACK (7 men) WHITE (1r men) Chess has recently given a very interesting ranking list of sixty world masters, taken from Engelhardt's Chess Year Book of 1966 ; this ranking is compiled on the Ingo system which uses all tournament perfor- mances to produce an index figure of merit. To pick out some highlights, we have : (a) seven of the top eight places occupied by Russians—only Bobby Fischer (third behind Tal and Spassky) breaking the monopoly; (b) the world champion Petrosian only fourth ; (c) in the top 3o, there are 15 Russians, 5 from US, 3 Ger- mans, 2 Argentine, 2 Yugoslav and 1 each from Hun- gary, Denmark and Iceland ; (d) the only British player in the top sixty is Jonathan Penrose who is fifty- fourth. Here is a game between two of the (chess-wise) master race ; the winner is fortieth in world ranking, the loser unplaced.

White, GOLDENOV Black, LUTIKOV Opening, RORATSCH DEFENCE (USSR Championship, 1966)

r P—K 4

2 P—Q 4 3 Kt—K B3 B—Ktz 4 P—K R3? Unnecessary, P—Q B 4 or Ft

developing move — Kt—B 3, B—K 3, B—Q 8 4 are all satisfactory — is better.

P—Q R3 Far be it from me to criticise the fortieth player in the world but this also seems unnecessary. An immediate Kt—K B 3 or even 4 . . . P—Q B 4 (5 P x P, Q-R 4 Ch ) looks better.

5 P—Q R4? . . . Justifying Black's previous move: he should develop and allow Black to play P—Q Kt 4— which will weaken his own pawn formation=if he likes. Kt—K 8 3

6 Kt—B 3 0-0

7 B—Q B 4? . . . After this he gets a clearly inferior game. B—Q 3 or B—K 2 is correct. 7 . Kt x P! Naturally.

8 Kt x Kt P—Q 4 9 B—Q 3 PxKt

zo fixKP P—QB4

✓ r PxP Q—R 4 ch

12 P—B 3 QxBP 13 0-0 Q—B z 14 B—K 3 Kt--Q 2

73 P—R . . . White will really have to learn to handle his rook pawns better. His position was already inferior because he had little chance of using his Q side majority and Black was likely in the end to use his extra central pawn and/or to use his open lines to bring pressure on the queen's aide. By the text move White `fixes' his own pawns still further: correct was a centralising manoeuvre such as Q—K 2 and K R—Q t.

Kt—B 4

16 B—B 2 . . . x6 BxKt,Qx8; 17 Q—Q 5 is better though Black has the advantage anyway. B—K 3 • P—Q Kt 4 • • If he doesn't do this, the knight will be a permanent thorn in his-flesh—but if he does then his queen's side pawns are terrible.

Kt--42 2

• Q R—B r K r Rightly avoiding the com- plications of x8 Q xP?; 59 B x Kt, which would give White a strong attack. rg B—Q 3 B—Q 4! Threat zo . . . B x Kt; and 21 . Kt—K 4.

so Kt--K z B—B5 21 Q—K 2 Kt—I( 4!

22 B x B QxB 23 Q—B z . . . After 23 Q x Q, Kt x Q Black has a very bad endgame, being very weak on the white squares and having a wretched queen's side pawn formation: so he prefers to lose in the middle game. 23 . . . R—Q 4

24 Q—Kt r Q R---Q r

25 Kt—B a? . . . Setting a little trap—which

doesn't work. 25 B—Q 4 looks best, but after 25 B—R 3 and 26 ... Kt—B 3 Black should still win.

Q x B P! Falling into the trap. 26 B—Kt 6 ... With the idea 26 . . . Q R moves; 27 Kt—K 3 winning the exchange, but .. . Kt—B 6 ch! 27 Resigns 27 P x Kt, R—Kt 4 ch; 28 K—R 2, B—K 4 ch and mate follows—or 27 K—R Q—K 4! and now 28 P x Kt, Q—R 4 wins quickly or 28 P—Kt 3, Kt—Q 7; 29 Q—R 2, Q—K 5 ch; 30 P-8 3, Kt xP and wins at least the