February 01, 1959 Chess Chats by George Koltanowski, Press-Democrat, Santa Rosa, California

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Chess Chats 01 Feb 1959, Sun The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California) Newspapers.com

Problem No. 165
White to play and mate in two moves.
FEN K5n1/1p1P4/p3N1k1/4r1PR/6Q1/b2R4/2Bp4/q7 w - - 0 1
Solution: 1. Rh7 Rc5 2. Nf8#

BLISSFUL BLUNDERS
The Blunders—as Tartakower wisely observed—are all there, they're just waiting to be made. Even grand-masters, fortunately are not immune, and that's how a reader of ours escaped losing in seven moves against Keres in an exhibition:

1. P-K4 P-K4
2. P-KB4 PxP
3. N-KB3 N-KB3
4. P-K5 N-R4
5. Q-K2 P-KN3?
6. P-K4 B-N2
7. N-B3

? By P-KN4, of course, Keres could have won at once.
But what would you say to a blunder made without making a move? That happened in the following game from the Southwestern Open at Houston, wherein Black resigned…and that was the BLUNDER!

William A Bills (white) vs. R. Terry, Jr. (black)
English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Hedgehog Defense

Descriptive 1. N-KB3 N-KB3 2. P-KN3 P-QN3 3. B-N2 B-N2 4. O-O P-K3 5. P-B4 P-B4 6. N-B3 B-K2 7. P-K3 O-O 8. Q-K2 P-Q4 9. P-Q3 N-B3 10. R-Q1 P-Q5 11. N-QN5 P-QR3 12. N-R3 Q-Q2 13. P-N3 P-K4 14. B-N2 N-K1 15. N-B2 P-QR4 16. P-QR3 N-B2 17. NxKP NxN 18. BxB QR-N1 19. B-N2 N-B3 20. PxP B-B3 21. P-Q5 BxB 22. PxN Q-Q3 23. R-R2 KR-K1 24. N-K3 B-Q5 25. Q-B3 P-N3 26. R-K2 P-QN4 27. N-B2 PxP 28. RxRch RxR 29. QPxP N-K3 30. P-QN4 RPxP 31. PxP PxP 32. NxB NxN 33. Q-Q3 R-Q1 34. QxQN QxQ 35. RxQ Resigns

Algebraic 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 b6 3. Bg2 Bb7 4. 0-0 e6 5. c4 c5 6. Nc3 Be7 7. e3 0-0 8. Qe2 d5 9. d3 Nc6 10. Rd1 d4 11. Nb5 a6 12. Na3 Qd7 13. b3 e5 14. Bb2 Ne8 15. Nc2 a5 16. a3 Nc7 17. Nxe5 Nxe5 18. Bxb7 Rb8 19. Bg2 Nc6 20. exd4 Bf6 21. d5 Bxb2 22. dxc6 Qd6 23. Ra2 Re8 24. Ne3 Bd4 25. Qf3 g6 26. Re2 b5 27. Nc2 bxc4 28. Rxe8+ Rxe8 29. dxc4 Ne6 30. b4 axb4 31. axb4 cxb4 32. Nxd4 Nxd4 33. Qd3 Rd8 34. Qxd4 Qxd4 35. Rxd4 1-0

(a) Black resigned because he felt that after 35. … RxR; 36. P-B7 wins. But he is blissfully mistaken. 36. … RxP wins. Or if 35. … RxR; 36. B-Q5 R-Q8ch; 37. K-N2 R-K8; 38. P-B7 R-Kl; 39. B-N7, P-N6; wins.

Art of Transposition
One of the virtues of the English Opening is its ambiguousness. It might be a true English, or turn into a Queen's Gambit or even a Sicilian reversed!

D. Burdick (white) vs. Daniel Fidlow (black)
English Opening: King's English Variation, Two Knights Variation, Reversed Dragon

Descriptive 1. P-QB4 P-K4 2. N-QB3 N-KB3 3. P-KN3 P-Q4 4. PxP NxP 5. N-B3 P-KB3 6. B-N2 B-K3 7. P-Q4 PxP 8. NxP NxN 9. PxN B-Q4 10. P-K4 B-B2 11. O-O P-B3 12. Q-N4 Q-Q2 13. Q-K2 N-R3 14. R-Q1 O-O-O 15. B-B4 N-B4 16. N-N5 PxN 17. RxQ RxR 18. QxP B-K2 19. B-K3 N-Q6 20. B-R3 R1-Q1 21. QxN Resigns

Algebraic 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 f6 6. Bg2 Be6 7. d4 exd4 8. Nxd4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Bd5 10. e4 Bf7 11. 0-0 c6 12. Qg4 Qd7 13. Qe2 Na6 14. Rd1 0-0-0 15. Bf4 Nc5 16. Nb5 cxb5 17. Rxd7 Rxd7 18. Qxb5 Be7 19. Be3 Nd3 20. Bh3 Rd8 21. Qxd3 1-0

(a) If white wishes to play the Sicilian in reverse, 3. P-Q3 is more precise here.
(b) This move is much better here than in the Sicilian proper.
(c) If 6. … P-QB4; 7.Q-N3.
(d) White must play this move while he has the chance.
(e) This move develops White. 7. … N-Q2 or 7. … NxN are better.
(f) Castling Q-side does not turn out well for him.
(g) Walking into it, but Black is probably lost in any event.

Chess Quote of the Day:
When the famous English veteran Bird was in difficulties in a tournament game he used to say: “It's all in my book I'm sure the answer to that is in my book.”

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