October 16, 1949 The Press Democrat Chess Chats by George Koltanowski

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Chess Chats 16 Oct 1949, Sun The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California) Newspapers.com

Chess Chats by George Koltanowski Sunday, October 16, 1949 The Press Democrat Santa Rosa, California Problem No. 108 by...

Posted by Bobby Fischer's True History on Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Problem No. 108 by J. Hartong, Holland. White to play and mate in 2½ moves.
FEN 3nBQ1b/3N4/R1b1k3/r7/2P1P1P1/p4Nn1/qp3R1K/8 w - - 0 1

The following game was played in the British championship contest at Felixstowe. W.A. Fairhurst, the champion of Scotland, in his early days won the championship of the Manchester club on several occasions, while H.G. Rhodes is the well-known Southport expert.

William Albert Fairhurst (white) vs. Herbert Gibson Rhodes (black)
Neo-Grünfeld Defense: Delayed Exchange Variation

Descriptive 1. P-Q4 Kt-KB3 2. P-QB4 P-KKt3 3. P-KKt3 B-Kt2 4. B-Kt2 P-Q4 5. PxP KtxP 6. Kt-KB3 Castles 7. Castles P-QB4 8. P-K4 Kt-Kt3 9. P-Q5 P-K3 10. B-Kt5 P-B3 11. B-K3 Kt-R3 12. Kt-B3 PxP 13. PxP R-K1 14. Kt-Q2 P-B4 15. Q-Kt3 K-R1 16. KR-Q1 B-Q2 17. P-QR4 Q-Kt1 18. P-R5 Kt-B1 19. Kt-B4 P-QKt4 20. PxPe.p. PxP 21. B-B4 Q-R2 22. Kt-Kt5 Q-Kt2 23. P-Q6 R-K5 24. BxR PxB 25. Kt-K5 P-R3 26. Q-B7 Resigns

Algebraic 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Nf3 0-0 7. 0-0 c5 8. e4 Nb6 9. d5 e6 10. Bg5 f6 11. Be3 Na6 12. Nc3 exd5 13. exd5 Re8 14. Nd2 f5 15. Qb3 Kh8 16. Rd1 Bd7 17. a4 Qb8 18. a5 Nc8 19. Nc4 b5 20. axb6e.p. axb6 21. Bf4 Qa7 22. Nb5 Qb7 23. d6 Re4 24. Bxe4 fxe4 25. Ne5 h6 26. Qf7 1-0

1. If black intends to play … P-Q4, as in the Grunfeld variation proper (3 Kt-QB3, P-B4), he can equally well play it at this stage.
2. Better than P-K4 at once, as black may in the meantime commit himself to some less favorable course, as indeed happens in this game.
3. 8 … Kt-KB3 would expose him to immediate attack; 9. P-K5 Kt-Q4; 10. PxP, winning a pawn or 9. … Kt-Kt5; 10. P-KR3, Kt-KR3; 11. P-Q5 and black is severely restricted.
4. Instead of the next move, white could safely play 9. PxP, QxQ; 10. RxQ, but the complications conjured up by 9. P-Q5 suit his style.
5. If, instead, 11. … PxP there follows 12. BxP, PxP; 13. BxR QxQ; 14. RxQ, KxB; 15. Kt-Q4, with advantage to white.
6. A very good move which provokes a further weakening of black's position by … P-B4. Now black's game collapses in an astonishingly short space of time.
7. WIth multiple threats: hereafter the white pieces fall into place as smoothly as the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle nearing completion.
8. He cannot allow the white Queen to capture the QKtP. THe alternative, 17. … Q-B1, loses the Knight after 16. P-R5
9. White's play is masterly.
10. If 22, … BxKt; 23. QxB, attacks the Rook, the Knight, and threatens 24. P-Q6!
11. Threatening 26, Kt-B7ch, and mate in two. Of course, on 25. … BxKt follows mate on the move.