February 08, 1959 Chess Chats by George Koltanowski, Press-Democrat, Santa Rosa, California

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Chess Chats 08 Feb 1959, Sun The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California) Newspapers.com

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#

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.

Descriptive 1. P-K4 P-K4 2. N-KB3 N-QB3 3. B-N5 P-QR3 4. B-B4 N-B3 5. P-Q3 B-B4 6. B-K3 P-Q3 7. QN-Q2 B-K3 8. BxB PxB 9. BxB PxB 10. N-B4 N-Q2 11. P-QR4 Q-B3 12. P-B3 0-0 13. 0-0 R(R)-Q 14. P-R5 N-K2 15. Q-N3 N-KN3 16. QxP N-B5 17. N-K Q-N4 18. K-R R-B3 19. N-K3 R-KB 20. QxBP R-B2 21. Q-B8ch N-B 22. QxBP Q-R4 23. R-KN QxPch

Algebraic 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. d3 Bc5 6. Be3 d6 7. Nd2 Be6 8. Bxe6 fxe6 9. Bxc5 dxc5 10. Nc4 Nd7 11. a4 Qf6 12. c3 0-0 13. 0-0 Rd8 14. a5 Ne7 15. Qb3 Ng6 16. Qxb7 Nf4 17. Ne1 Qg5 18. Kh1 Rf6 19. Ne3 Rdf8 20. Qxc7 Rf7 21. Qc8+ Nf8 22. Qxc5 Qh5 23. Rg1 Qxh2+

(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);

Descriptive 24. KxQ R-R3ch 25. K-N3 N-K7ch 26. K-N4 R-B5ch 27. K-N5 R-R7 28. QxNch KxQ 29. N-B3 P-R3ch 30. K-N6 K-N 31. NxR R-B4 Resigns

Algebraic 24. Kxh2 Rh6+ 25. Kg3 Ne2+ 26. Kg4 Rf4+ 27. Kg5 Rh2 28. Qxf8+ Kxf8 29. Nf3 h6+ 30. Kg6 Kg8 31. Nxh2 Rf5 0-1

(Threatens both R-N4 or N-B5 mate). White resigned.

Alexander Alekhine (white) vs. Hugo Hussong (black)
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense
Submitted to chessgames.com on 03/30/2025

Descriptive 1. P-K4 P-K4 2. N-KB3 N-QB3 3. B-N5 P-QR3 4. B-B4 N-B3 5. P-Q3 B-B4 6. B-K3 P-Q3 7. QN-Q2 B-K3 8. BxB PxB 9. BxB PxB 10. N-B4 N-Q2 11. P-QR4 Q-B3 12. P-B3 0-0 13. 0-0 R(R)-Q 14. P-R5 N-K2 15. Q-N3 N-KN3 16. QxP N-B5 17. N-K Q-N4 18. K-R R-B3 19. N-K3 R-KB 20. QxBP R-B2 21. Q-B8ch N-B 22. QxBP Q-R4 23. R-KN QxPch 24. KxQ R-R3ch 25. K-N3 N-K7ch 26. K-N4 R-B5ch 27. K-N5 R-R7 28. QxNch KxQ 29. N-B3 P-R3ch 30. K-N6 K-N 31. NxR R-B4 Resigns

Algebraic 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. d3 Bc5 6. Be3 d6 7. Nd2 Be6 8. Bxe6 fxe6 9. Bxc5 dxc5 10. Nc4 Nd7 11. a4 Qf6 12. c3 0-0 13. 0-0 Rd8 14. a5 Ne7 15. Qb3 Ng6 16. Qxb7 Nf4 17. Ne1 Qg5 18. Kh1 Rf6 19. Ne3 Rdf8 20. Qxc7 Rf7 21. Qc8+ Nf8 22. Qxc5 Qh5 23. Rg1 Qxh2+ 24. Kxh2 Rh6+ 25. Kg3 Ne2+ 26. Kg4 Rf4+ 27. Kg5 Rh2 28. Qxf8+ Kxf8 29. Nf3 h6+ 30. Kg6 Kg8 31. Nxh2 Rf5 0-1

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

Descriptive 1. P-K4 P-QB4 2. N-KB3 P-K3 3. P-Q4 PxP 4. NxP P-K4 5. N-B5 P-Q4 6. B-N5ch N-B3 7. QxP B-Q2 8. BxN PxB 9. QxKPch N-K2 10. N-Q6 mate

Algebraic 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nf5 d5 6. Bb5+ Nc6 7. Qxd5 Bd7 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Qxe5+ Ne7 10. Nd6#

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.”

Chess Festival To Be Aug. 9 08 Feb 1959, Sun The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California) Newspapers.com ★ ★