December 03, 1959 The Guardian Chess, London, Manchester

< Prev Index Next >

Chess 03 Dec 1959, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com

Chess

Problem No. 553 R. C. Lyness (Blackpool)
Black (7)
White (7)
White mates in two moves.
FEN 6K1/6B1/pp1p4/5Q2/p1kP2p1/1bP5/1R2P3/8 w - - 0 1
Solution: 1. Qe4 Kxc3+ 2. d5#

Long-distance chess
Correspondence games are ideal for trying out complicated openings which are too risky for over-the-board play; they are also admirably suited for increasing the ability to calculate many moves ahead. The following illustration was played in a telegraph match between Stockholm and Moscow, and Flohr comments that after White's twenty-fourth move he was able to forecast to his friends the final position eighteen moves later.

Gideon Stahlberg (white) vs. Saloman Flohr (black)
Semi-Slav Defense: Botvinnik Variation, Lilienthal Variation

Descriptive 1. P-Q4 P-Q4 2. P-QB4 P-QB3 3. N-KB3 N-B3 4. N-B3 P-K3 5. B-N5 PxP 6. P-K4 P-N4 7. P-K5 P-KR3 8. B-R4 P-N4 9. NxKNP PxN 10. BxNP QN-Q2 11. P-KN3 Q-R4 12. PxN P-N5 13. N-K4 B-QR3 14. Q-B3 O-O-O 15. B-K2 B-QN2 16. O-O Q-Q4 17. Q-N2 QxP 18. QR-Q1 QxNP 19. R-Q2 Q-R6 20. BxP N-K4 21. RxRch KxR 22. B-N3 P-B4 23. R-Q1ch K-B1 24. P-B4 P-B5 25. Q-K2 N-B6ch 26. K-B1 NxPch 27. K-N2 PxB 28. Q-B4ch B-B4 29. QxBch K-N1 30. Q-Q6ch K-R1 31. Q-Q8ch RxQ 32. RxRch B-B1 33. RxBch K-N2 34. N-Q6ch K-R3 35. R-B6ch K-R4 36. N-B4ch K-N4 37. NxQch KxR 38. P-B5 PxBP 39. PxP PxN 40. B-B1 P-R7 41. B-N2 N-N5 42. K-B3 K-N4 Resigns

Algebraic 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nd7 11. g3 Qa5 12. exf6 b4 13. Ne4 Ba6 14. Qf3 0-0-0 15. Be2 Bb7 16. 0-0 Qd5 17. Qg2 Qxd4 18. Rd1 Qxb2 19. Rd2 Qa3 20. Bxc4 Ne5 21. Rxd8+ Kxd8 22. Bb3 c5 23. Rd1+ Kc8 24. f4 c4 25. Qe2 Nf3+ 26. Kf1 Nxh2+ 27. Kg2 cxb3 28. Qc4+ Bc5 29. Qxc5+ Kb8 30. Qd6+ Ka8 31. Qd8+ Rxd8 32. Rxd8+ Bc8 33. Rxc8+ Kb7 34. Nd6+ Ka6 35. Rc6+ Ka5 36. Nc4+ Kb5 37. Nxa3+ Kxc6 38. f5 exf5 39. axb3 bxa3 40. Bc1 a2 41. Bb2 Ng4 42. Kf3 Kb5 0-1

1. Black's opening system was introduced by Botvinnik some fifteen years ago; but it has recently fallen into disuse, partly because of its complexity and also because it can be easily avoided. The most promising continuation for White here is 14. P-N3 N-N3 (if 14. … P-B6; 15. BxB QxB; 16. Q-K2 and White consolidates his extra pawn); 15. Q-B2 O-O; 16. B-K3 K-N2; 17. R-B1, with attacking chances on the queen's side.
2. A recommendation of Euwe's, which had not previously been attempted in match play. If instead 15. B-N2, Black has the powerful reply 15. … P-B6; 16. NxP N-N1 (not 16. … PxN; 17. QxPch K-N1; 18. Q-R8ch K-B2; 19. QxPch with an overwhelming attack).
3. Now that White has committed his bishop to K2, counterplay on the diagonal QR1-KR8 is logical.
4. 16. BxP would be inferior owing to 16. … P-B4.
5. The most difficult move of the game, according to Flohr. If instead 16. … P-B4; 17. KR-B1 gives White a powerful attack, e.g., 17. … PxP; 18. RxPch K-N1; 19. RxQP BxN; 20. QxB QxB; 21. B-B3.
6. This pawn sacrifice looks promising, but should only lead to a draw with best play. Flohr's main variation was 17. B-K3 R-N1; 18. KR-B1 P-B4; 19. N-Q2 PxP; 20. QxQ PxQ; 21. QxQP K-N1; when Black is a pawn down but (after … B-B4) retains excellent scope for his minor pieces.
7. White had aimed at this position with his seventeenth move: Black's king is exposed and his queen out of play. However, White's own queen is awkwardly pinned, and in trying to free her he weakens his king's position. Flohr recommends 24. B-KB4, when 24. … P-B5 falls to 25. BxN PxB; 26. Q-B1, with a winning attack; Black would therefore reply 24. … Q-N7; 25. R-Q2 Q-N8ch; 26. R-Q1 Q-N7 with a draw by repetition of moves.
8. Now comes a remarkable series of forced moves which leads to a winning position for Black. If 25. PxN B-B4ch; 26. K-B1 PxB; 27. PxP QxP.
9. Again, if 26. QxN, the intermediate move 26. … B-B4ch before capturing the bishop gives Black a winning attack.
10. After 27. K-B2 Q-R3; 28. BxP Q-N3ch the white king comes under crossfire from all the black pieces (29. Q-K3 N-N5ch).
11. Now begins a king hunt with a quite unexpected denouement: White gives ten successive checks, sacrifices his queen and regains her, and emerges a piece ahead; but he is still left with a lost ending.
12. A desperate trap: if 38. … NPxP; 39. N-B2 P-N6; 40. PxP PxN; 41. PxP P-R8(Q); 42. P-B8(Q), and White can still fight on.
13. White is overwhelmed by the passed pawns after 39. N-B4 PxP; 40. N-R5ch K-N4; 41. N-N3 K-B5; 42. N-R1 P-N6.
14. For if 43. B-B3 P-R4; 44. K-B4 N-B7; 45. KxP N-Q8; 46. B-R1 N-K6ch; 47. K-N5 N-B8; 48. B-B3 P-R8(Q); 49. BxQ NxB; 50. K-R6 NxP; 51. K-N7 N-B4; 52. KxP N-K5; 53. K-K7 NxBP; 54. KxN P-R5 and Black queens with check.

A Guide To Chess Endings by Euwe and Hooper 04 Dec 1959, Fri The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com