January 18, 1959 Chess Chats by George Koltanowski, Press-Democrat, Santa Rosa, California

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Chess Chats 18 Jan 1959, Sun The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California) Newspapers.com

Problem No. 163
White to play and mate in two moves.
FEN 7Q/4N3/B2Np3/4P3/1P1k1BK1/r3p1p1/1P2n3/2r1R3 w - - 0 1
Solution: 1. Qh7 Rxa6 2. Qe4#

The Press Democrat Chess Chats by George Koltanowski, Sunday, January 18, 1959, Santa Rosa, California Problem No....

Posted by Bobby Fischer's True History on Friday, March 11, 2022

MUST BRILLIANCY BE SOUND?
I wonder. From time to time some of my more diligent readers remind me of this or that flaw in some celebrated combinations and deplore the fact that even Anderssen's “Immortal” isn't quite flawless. But is it really so deplorable?
It was, after all, a game, not a study or problem and, as likely as not, apart from the brilliant main variation, there are one or two subvariations, no less brilliant and unanswerable. What if a post mortem discovers yet another variation to refute the entire combination? Should we let it spoil the pleasure we used to have in it?
Indeed not! I think it should enhance rather than spoil it. Take another famous game of Anderssen's, “The Evergreen.”

Another Classic (Against Dufresne, 1852)

Adolf Anderssen vs Jean Dufresne
Berlin (1852), Berlin GER
Italian Game: Evans Gambit. Pierce Defense (C52) 1-0

It took 46 years for the first flaw to be discovered, for in 1898 Lipke found out that by 19. R-N5 Black could have secured at least a draw. Since then a Hamelin player (and no mean piper either) discovered that by 19. RxPch; followed by N-K4; Black could actually force a win, look it over, and see what you find.

Another Brilliancy
In the meantime here is another brilliancy played 100 years ago and refuted a mere 50 to 60 years later. Here, then, is Bird-Morphy, London, 1858.

Henry Bird vs Paul Morphy
Casual game (1858), London ENG, Aug-??
Philidor Defense: Philidor Countergambit. Zukertort Variation (C41) 0-1

19. P-B3, (best) OxRP; 22. K-N2? (and here Maroczy has proved that K-B1 Bird could have forced Morphy to be content with perpetual check.) 27. R-Q3 (best), 29. K-Q1 Q-N8ch and soon won.

And now we can show you the latest brilliancy, played at the Southwestern Open at Houston, recently. You may find flaws in Black's play, and even after White's combination you might find a way out for Black, but we were highly pleased with White's efforts that we did not hesitate a moment to hand him the book prize.

Robert Brieger (white) vs. Ibrahim M. Bahgat (black)
Zukertort Opening: Tennison Gambit

Descriptive 1. P-K4 P-Q4 2. N-KB3 PxP 3. N-N5 N-KB3 4. B-B4 P-K3 5. N-QB3 P-K6 6. BPxP P-QB4 7. O-O N-B3 8. B-N5 B-Q2 9. P-Q4 P-QR3 10. B-Q3 PxP 11. PxP R-B1 12. QN-K4 B-K2 13. RxN PxR 14. NxBP KxN 15. Q-R5ch K-N1 16. B-R6 P-B4 17. QxP N-K4 18. QxN B-B1 19. Q-N3ch K-B2 20. N-Q6ch K-K2 21. B-N5 mate

Algebraic 1. e4 d5 2. Nf3 dxe4 3. Ng5 Nf6 4. Bc4 e6 5. Nc3 e3 6. fxe3 c5 7. 0-0 Nc6 8. Bb5 Bd7 9. d4 a6 10. Bd3 cxd4 11. exd4 Rc8 12. Nce4 Be7 13. Rxf6 gxf6 14. Nxf7 Kxf7 15. Qh5+ Kg8 16. Bh6 f5 17. Qxf5 Ne5 18. Qxe5 Bf8 19. Qg3+ Kf7 20. Nd6+ Ke7 21. Bg5#