Chess Chats By George Koltanowski, International Chess Master
Problem No. 166
White to play and mate in two moves.
FEN 4R2q/4QpB1/1r2n2p/7b/1p1p2n1/4k1p1/1K5p/1NN2R1B w - - 0 1
Solution: 1. Qh4 Qxe8 2. Qxg3#
The Press Democrat Chess Chats by George Koltanowski, Sunday, February 08, 1959, Santa Rosa, California Problem No....
Posted by Bobby Fischer's True History on Sunday, March 13, 2022
CALLED IT IMMORTAL
To have played a game that was likened to Andersen's and praised for the unsurpassed beauty of its sacrificial combination must have been pleasing indeed, more so when such fulsome praise came from Alexander Alekhine, reigning world champion at the time the game was played.
That was in 1930, and the winner was one Hussong, a gifted young player, to be sure, but nowhere near grandmaster rank and thereby providing the delightful thought that, with a bit of luck, any one of us may yet be blessed by some such glory.
(What Alekhine found so fascinating about this game was not the fairly conventional Q-sacrifice but rather the logic and the beauty of its consequences appearing about half a dozen moves later);
(Threatens both R-N4 or N-B5 mate). White resigned.
Fritz Herrmann (white) vs. Hugo Hussong (black)
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense
This game is actually Fritz Herrmann vs Hugo Hussong, 1930
SHORT AND SWEET
Simultaneous. Munich, 1958
Mikhail Tal (white) vs. Boehme (black)
Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open
Submitted to chessgames.com on 03/30/2025
This actually happened.
Recently Mark Taimanov, the Russian Grandmaster was stopped by a Moscow Cop for speeding, Mark looked the officer right in the eyes when he gave him his name, hoping he would recognize whom he was writing out a ticket to. It didn't bother the cop in the least.
“But man,” cried out Taimanov, getting a bit desperate, “Don't you see who is my passenger in the back seat? That is the world champion, Botvinnik!”
“In that case you will get a double ticket—you have to be careful how you jump around with a world champion in your car, comrade.”
Chess Quote of the Day
Richard Reti's description of the late, great Tartakower: “His objective was indefatigable search for truth with which to overcome an inborn scepticism.”