Chess no. 442

PHILIDOR

Black White

8 men 12 men C. W. Sheppard (1st Prize, Good Companions, 1921). White to play and mate in two moves; solution next week.

Solution to no. 441 (ten Cate): B - Kt 3, threat Kt - B 4. 1 . . . Kt x Q P; 2 Kt - B 7. 1 . . . Kt - Q 6; 2 P - Kt 4. 1 ... Kt - B 2; 2 Kt - Kt 7. 1 ... Kt (4) else; 2 Kt - B 5. 1 P - B 4; 2 KtP x P.1...Q x Kt; 2P x R=Kt. Attractive knight correction theme; if Kt moves at random Kt - B 5 is mate - attempts to correct this allow other mates instead. ,

This week's best buy is Grandmaster Geller at the Chessboard (The Chess Player, 12 Burton Avenue, Carlton, Nottingham 25s.) - for its games, its view of Soviet chess and its picture of the western chess world seen through unsympathetic and blinkered, but intelligent, eyes. Here is one of the games, played when Geller was only twenty-one, comments taken from his own in the book.

White, Geller. Black, Kogan. Opening, Sicilian Defence. (Odessa, 1946.) 1 P-K4 P-QB4 2 Kt-KB3 P-Q3 3P-Q4 P x P 4 Q x P Kt-QB3 5 B-QKt 5 B-Q 2 6 B x Kt B x B 7 Kt-B3 Kt-B3 8 B-Kt 5 P-K 3 90-0 B-K 2 10 QR-Q1 0-0

11 KR-K1 Q-B 2 .12 P-KR 3 ... Geller comments that Black has played well and that White's twelfth move is the introduction to an 'original but unfortunately artificial plan of direct. attack on the enemy king'. I find this game interesting as showing the development of a player of great attacking genius; one can see- both the genius and the immaturity which would have led to defeat against a stronger opponent.

12 ... KR-Q1 13 Kt-R2

'Nowadays I would play P - R 3 so as to answer 13 . . . P - Kt 4; by 14 P - K 5,P x P; 15 Q x KP' [Geller].

13 ... P-Kt 4! 14 R-Q 3 'Typical romantic play' [Gelkr].

14 ... P -Q R 4 Better Q R - Kt 1, which would have nipped the White attack in the bud.

15 R - B 3 P - Kt 5 16 R x Kt ... If 16 Kt- Q 1 then 16 . . . P - K4 followed by P - Q 4; White must go for his attack, good or bad.

16 ... P x Kt? Geller gives 16 . . . P x R!; 17 Kt - Kt 4, P - K4; 18 Q - B 4, P x Kt!: 19 Kt - R 6 ch,K- R I; 20 Kt x P ch, K - Kt 2; 21 B - R 6 ch, K - Kt 3 when Black should win.

17 Kt-Kt4! P-R 4 18 B-R6! P-K4

18 . . . P x Kt; 19 R - Kt 6! and wins. A fantastic position has now arisen with four White pieces en prise and a dangerous Black pawn two squares away from queening.

19Q-K3 P x Kt 19...P x R?; 20Q-B31 and wins.

20 B x P! K x B? He must play 20 . . . BxR; 21 B X B,K-B1!;22Q-Kt 5 BPxPI 23Q-107 ch,K-K 1;24Q-Kt8ch,K-Q 2; 25 Q x Kt P ch and draws by perpetual check.

But - not surprisingly - Black thinks that he should win.

21 Q-R6ch K-Ktl 22 R-B5 B-K 1 23 R-R 5 P-B3 24R-R4! Q-Bl Intending to meet 25 12 x P ch? with 25 . . .

Q x R!

25 Q-R8ch! K-B 2 26 R-R7ch K-K 3

27 Q - Kt 7 K - Q 2 Forced by the double threat of Q x B mate and Q x Kt P ch.

28 R - K 3! ... And not 28 Q x B ch, K-B3; 29R-K3,Q-Q 2! PXKtP 29 Q x Bch K-B3 30 R-B 3 ch K-Kt 331 R x Q P-Kt 8-- Q ch Remarkable—to queen with check and still lose.

32 K-R 2 R-Q 2 32 . . . R (either) x p.

33 Q - Kt 7 ch and 34 Q x Q leaves White a comfortable win.

33 Q x B R(2) x R 34 Q -B 6 ch Resigns 34 ... K - R 2; 35 R x R mate. Only a plaier of very great attacking gifts could play such a game. Good or bad, 12 P - K R 3 was a more of outstanding imagination.