Chess no. 355

PHILIDOR

5 men N. Petrovic (Special prize, Sportowiec, 1957). White to play and mate in two moves; solution next week. Solution to no. 354 (Zaldo): Q - R 6, threat

Q x Kt. 1 Kt- B 5; 2 Kt - Q 6. 1 ... Kt -Q 5; 2 Kt-K 3. I . . . Kt-Kt 4; 2 R-K 5. 1 . . . Kt (3) else; 2 P - Q 4. I . . . Q - B 5 ch; 2 P - Kt 4. 1 . . . R - Kt 3; 2 Kt - K 3. 1 . . . B - Kt 3;

2 R - B 7. Superb unpinning problem.

'Mirror, mirror on the wall . .': asked this question about chess the mirror nowadays would certainly have to give what always seemed to me the sensible answer; it all depends what you are looking for. In a world championship match Tlgran Petrosian-by nature, I think, a lazy player-has the extreme incentive needed to rouse him; this he showed clearly in his victory over Boris Spassky. But in tournaments he is quite a mediocre grand- master; it is not that he just draws-he loses, horribly sometimes. So while he may fairly claim to be match play champion of the world he is very far from being tournament champion: perhaps we need two titles (or one Alekhine?).

White, Portisch. Black, Petrosian. Opening, Queen's Gambit (Slav Defence). Moscow, 1967.

1 P - Q Q

2 P- Q B 4 P- Q B 3

3PXP P x 4 Kt Q B 3 Kt K B 3

5 Kt -13 3 Kt - B 3 6 B- B 4 P- K 3. 6. . B- B 4 is a simpler equalising line; Petrosian, badly beaten several times by Portisch, may have been unwilling to draw-if so, he chose the wrong occasion to try to redress the balance.

7 P - K 3 B - Q 3 8 B - Kt 3 0 - 0

9 B - Q 3 R - K I? 9 . . P - Q R 3; 10 R - Q B 1, Q - K 2 is better; in taking the line be does Black may have overlooked White's 13th move.

10 Kt - K 5! B X Kt 11 P x B Kt - Q 2 12 P - B 4 Q - Kt 3. Black may have thought this forced 13 Q - Q 2 (or 13 Q - K 2, Kt - B 4) and that he would have time then for 13 . . . P - B 3; 14 P X P. Kt x P followed by P - K 4 or P - Q 5. But White finds a much better move.

13 0 -0! Q x P ch 13 . . Q X Kt V; 14 Kt - Kt 5! with many threats.

14 K - R 1 Q -Kt 3

15 Q -R 5 Kt -B 1 16 R - B 3!. . . Indirectly dealing with 16 . • a Q x P; 17R - Q Kt 1, Q x Kt?; 18 B x 13 ch.

16 . . . Kt-Kt 3 17 B-K B 2 Q-Q 1 17 ... Q X P; 18 R-Q Kt 1, Q X Kt; 19 R -R 3, P -K R 3; 20 B X Kt. P X Kt (20 . . Q moves; 21 B X P eh); 21 Q X Kt P and wins.

18 Kt - Kt 5 Q Kt - K 2

19 Kt -Q 6 B-Q 2 19 R-B 1; 20 R-R 3, P - R 3; 2t B - R 4 followed by B - B 61 will be rapidly fatal. The game is hopeless.

20 B - R 4 Q - Kt 3 21 R - R 3 P - K R 3 22 B - B 6! Q X P. A last fling, hoping for 23

R - Q Kt 1, KR-QB I.

23 R- K B 1! Kt - B 4

24 B X K Resigns. 24 . . . B; 25

KXB;t P x 26QXPch.K-KI I; 27 Q-R 7 ch, B x P. K-B I,

28 Q x P mate.