September 02, 1956 The Press Democrat Chess Chats by George Koltanowski

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Chess Chats 02 Sep 1956, Sun The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California) Newspapers.com

Chess Chats by George Koltanowski Sunday, September 02, 1956 The Press Democrat Santa Rosa, California Problem No. 39...

Posted by Bobby Fischer's True History on Sunday, February 9, 2020

Problem No. 39 by M.E. Nordblom, Denmark. White to play and mate in two moves.
FEN 8/8/8/r3p3/7k/7r/3QN2p/3BK2n w - - 0 1
Solution: 1. Ng3 Rxg3 2. Qh6#

Played in the Swiss Cup Competition, April, 1955.

Edgar Walther (white) Dr. P. Leiser (black)
Sicilian Defense: Wing Gambit Deferred

Descriptive 1. P-K4 P-QB4 2. N-KB3 P-K3 3. P-QN4 PxP 4. P-Q4 P-Q4 5. P-K5 N-QB3 6. P-QR3 P-B4 7. PxP BxPch 8. P-B3 B-K2 9. P-KR4 B-Q2 10. N-N5 P-QR3 11. B-Q3 Q-B1 12. Q-R5ch P-N3 13. Q-K2 NxQP 14. Q-N2 N-QB3 15. P-B4 P-N4 16. P-R5 BxN 17. PxP B-R3 18. PxP RxP 19. P-N4 NxKP 20. PxN BxB 21. Q-N2 RxRch 22. QxR Q-B4 23. Q-R5ch K-Q1 24. K-Q1 Q-K6 25. K-B2 Q-R3 26. Q-B7 N-K2 27. N-R3 Q-Q7ch 0-1

Algebraic 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. b4 cxb4 4. d4 d5 5. e5 Nc6 6. a3 f5 7. axb4 Bxb4+ 8. c3 Be7 9. h4 Bd7 10. Ng5 a6 11. Bd3 Qc8 12. Qh5+ g6 13. Qe2 Nxd4 14. Qb2 Nc6 15. f4 b5 16. h5 Bxg5 17. hxg6 Bh6 18. gxh7 Rxh7 19. g4 Nxe5 20. fxe5 Bxc1 21. Qg2 Rxh1+ 22. Qxh1 Qc5 23. Qh5+ Kd8 24. Kd1 Qe3 25. Kc2 Qh6 26. Qf7 Ne7 27. Na3 Qd2+ 0-1

(a) Not so good here as on the second move.
(b) Would prefer 7. PxP.e.p. instead.
(c) Protects the weak K3 point and indirectly attacks the weak QB file.
(d) A terrible mistake. Q-Q1 was needed.
(e) An unwilling piece sacrifice. If 17. PxB, NxKP ends matters.
(f) What a terrible knight-mare!
(g) Mate will follow.

New Zealand Championship, 1956

Won by F.A. Foulds. W. Bello was second. The trouble with a gambit is that one casual move may wreck his chances, whereas the defense often has a rather wider choice of satisfactory moves than in other openings.

W. Bello (white) vs. James Rodney Phillips (black)
King's Gambit Accepted: Cunningham Defense

Descriptive 1. P-K4 P-K4 2. P-KB4 PxP 3. N-KB3 B-K2 4. B-B4 B-R5ch 5. K-B1 P-Q3 6. P-Q4 B-N5 7. BxP N-KB3 8. Q-Q3 N-R4 9. B-Q2 O-O 10. N-B3 N-QB3 11. N-Q5 K-R1 12. NxB QxN 13. P-KN3 Q-R6ch 14. K-N1 P-B4 15. Q-K3 P-B5 16. NxKBP RxN 17. B-KB1 RxBch 18. RxR NxQP 19. QxN NxP 20. R-B2 N-K7ch 21. RxN BxR 22. Q-B2 B-B6 23. B-B3 Q-N5ch Resigns

Algebraic 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Be7 4. Bc4 Bh4+ 5. Kf1 d6 6. d4 Bg4 7. Bxf4 Nf6 8. Qd3 Nh5 9. Bd2 0-0 10. Nc3 Nc6 11. Nd5 Kh8 12. Nxh4 Qxh4 13. g3 Qh3+ 14. Kg1 f5 15. Qe3 f4 16. Nxf4 Rxf4 17. Bf1 Rxf1+ 18. Rxf1 Nxd4 19. Qxd4 Nxg3 20. Rf2 Ne2+ 21. Rxe2 Bxe2 22. Qf2 Bf3 23. Bc3 Qg4+ 0-1

(a) The original Cunningham.
(b) Sounder than P-KN3; the Three Pawns Gambit.
(c) The logical move is the counter-gambit 5. … P-Q4.
(d) A serious error, as White could now take quick advantage of Black's temporary entanglement with 8. P-KR3. Better is 7. … Q-B3.
(e) White is now the entangled party.
(f) The combination that wrecks White's hopes. If 17. PxR, B-B6, etc.
(g) A killer.
(h) For if PxN, we have the Epaulettes Mate.
(i) Starting from move 8, a remarkable effort for a 13-year-old. He always found the most punishing move.

Chess Quote of the Day

Chess is Capablanca's mother tongue.—Reti, in Masters of the Chessboard.