May 23, 1948 The Press Democrat Chess Chats by George Koltanowski

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Chess Chats 23 May 1948, Sun The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California) Newspapers.com

Chess Chats by George Koltanowski Sunday, May 23, 1948 The Press Democrat Santa Rosa, California Problem No. 34 by...

Posted by Bobby Fischer's True History on Friday, February 28, 2020

Problem No. 34 by George Mathot, Paris. White to play and mate in two moves.
FEN 4Q1qb/3Nn3/4pP1B/1K3b1R/1RB3kN/2r1rp1p/5P1P/8 w - - 0 1
Solution: 1. Ng2 Qxe8 2. Rh4#

A Chess Fantasy

Fantastic and grotesque positions in the form of problems and end-games are usually fairy creations of a slightly demented brain. Rarely do such positions occur in the course of an actual game! However ... just follow the game here given ... it was played in the championship of the Omaha Chess Club, 1948.

Lee Travis Magee (white). E.L. Holland (black).
French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Closed Variation

Descriptive 1. P-K4 P-K3 2. P-Q4 P-Q4 3. N-Q2 N-KB3 4. P-K5 KN-Q2 5. B-Q3 P-QB4 6. P-QB3 P-B5 7. B-B2 B-K2 8. N-K2 N-B1 9. N-KB3 P-QN4 10. P-QR3 N-QB3 11. O-O P-QR4 12. N-KB4 B-Q2 13. N-R5 R-KN1 14. R-K1 P-N5 15. RPxP PxP 16. RxR QxR 17. B-N5 P-N6 18. B-N1 P-N3 19. BxB KxB 20. N-B6 R-N2 21. Q-Q2 P-N4 22. NxNP N-N3 23. P-R4 NxRP 24. Q-B4 N-N3 25. BxN RPxB 26. N-N4 Q-KR1 27. R-K3 Q-QR1 28. Q-B6ch K-B1 29. R-R3 N-K2 30. R-R8ch N-N1 31. N-R6 Q-K1 32. N-R7ch RxN 33. RxN mate

Algebraic 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 c4 7. Bc2 Be7 8. Ne2 Nf8 9. Nf3 b5 10. a3 Nc6 11. 0-0 a5 12. Nf4 Bd7 13. Nh5 Rg8 14. Re1 b4 15. axb4 axb4 16. Rxa8 Qxa8 17. Bg5 b3 18. Bb1 g6 19. Bxe7 Kxe7 20. Nf6 Rg7 21. Qd2 g5 22. Nxg5 Ng6 23. h4 Nxh4 24. Qf4 Ng6 25. Bxg6 hxg6 26. Ng4 Qh8 27. Re3 Qa8 28. Qf6+ Kf8 29. Rh3 Ne7 30. Rh8+ Ng8 31. Nh6 Qe8 32. Nh7+ Rxh7 33. Rxg8#

13. Threatens; NxP mate. Black by failing to castle, will soon come to grief.
21. … otherwise Q-R6 wins the rook)
31. threatening RxNch, RxR; QxP mate.
31. … futile . . but look at the position!
An odd conclusion to a curious game.