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Chess 12 Mar 1959, Thu The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Chess
The Guardian, Chess, Thursday, March 12, 1959, Greater London, England Problem No. 516 By J. L. Peake...
Posted by Bobby Fischer's True History on Saturday, May 7, 2022
Problem No. 516 By J. L. Peake (Chesterfield).
Black (4)
White (6)
White mates in two moves.
FEN 2RB4/b7/8/8/K2kpQn1/8/B3P3/8 w - - 0 1
Solution: 1. Bc7 Bc5 2. Qd2#
Judging a Brilliancy
Readers who played over the game Kholmov-Keres last week may like to compare it as a brilliancy with the one below, also from the Russian championship. The judges probably did not award the prize to Tal because White's bishop sacrifice on K6 has occurred before in similar positions in this line of the Sicilian. However, on balance I prefer the present game owing to the depth and complexity of the variations and because of Black's ingenious resistance.
Mikhail Tal vs Lev Polugaevsky
USSR Championship (1959), Tbilisi URS, rd 3, Jan-13
Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation (B94) 1-0
1. Probably this move is a little inferior to 6. … P-K3, although then the outcome of complications in the two main lines 7. P-B4 Q-N3; 8. Q-Q2 QxP; 7. P-B4 B-K2; 8. Q-B3 P-R3; 9. B-R4 P-KN4; 10. PxP KN-Q2; are far from being settled.
2. Castling on the queen's side has now been abandoned by masters in this position since in practice Black's attack is the stronger.
3. Not 9. P-N4; when White has the surprising reply 10. B-Q5 PxB; 11. N-B6 Q-N3; 12. PxP N-K4; 13. QR-K1, with a powerful attack.
4. Here 10. … Castles is bad because of 11. N-Q5.
5. Refuting Black's queen [illegible] and throwing doubt on Black's entire opening strategy beginning with 6. QN-Q2.
6. Now begins a typical phase of combination a la Tal. If 13. … QxNP; 14. NxN QxB; 15. BxN PxB; 16. N-KB5 PxN; 17. NxPch, or 13. … P-N4; 14. N(Q4)xNP PxN; 15. NxP BxN; 16. BxBch N(B4)-Q2l 17. P-K5. Finally, if 13. … R-OB1; 14. PxN QxP; 15. P-K5 QxB; 16. PxN PxP; 17. N-K4 PxB; 18. N-KB5. In every case, White has a clear advantage.
7. The fatal square for Najdorf variation combinations!
8. Otherwise White plays 18. NxPch, followed by 19. N-B5, or 18. R-QB1, followed by N-B7ch.
9. Another fine stroke. If 19. … QxN; 20. PxN BxP; 21. BxB QxB; 22. Q-Q5ch K-B1; 23. QxNP R-K1; 24. QxP, and, in spite of White's nominal material minus, his passed pawns would be too much for Black's disorganized forces.
10. Even this resource does not get Black out of trouble. The other defence to the threat of 21. … NxP; 20. KR-K1; falls to 21. BxN BxB (PxB; 22.
Q-R5ch K-N1; 23. Q-N4ch); 22. R-B7ch R-K2 (K-N1; 23. RxPch); 23. RxRch KxR: 24. Q-B7ch K-K1; 25. QxQNP R-Q1; 26. NxRdis.ch. KxN; 27. Q-N8ch K-Q2; 28. Q-KBch and wins.
11. If 23. … QR-QB1; 24. R-B1ch B-B3; 25. NxP and wins.
12. If 24. … K-B3; 25. R(B1)-B5 (threat R-K6 mate), KR-K1; 26. N-K4ch K-N3; 27. R-N5ch K-R3; 28. R-R5ch K-N3; 29. R(B5)-N5ch K-B2; 30. N-Q6ch. Black's best chance is 25. … B-Q2 (instead of KR-K1); although White still wins a pawn with a continuous attack by 26. N-K4ch., K-B2; 27. N-Q6ch.
13. Apparently Black has escaped the worst, but even here Tal finds a mating idea.
14. If 29. … RxR; 30. NxR RxN; 31. KxB with a won ending, since Black's king is cut off from the centre and White's king eventually catch the queen's side pawns.
15. White threatens 35. R-R5 mate, and if 14. … R-KN3; 35. N-B5 mate.
Check to Oxford Chess Team Aspirations 16 Mar 1959, Mon The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) Newspapers.com
Check to Oxford chess team's aspirations
By our Oxford Correspondent
Oxford University Chess Club, which will play its seventy-seventh annual match against Cambridge University on Saturday, will go into the contest with a check imposed by the Oxford Blues Committee. The club's annual appeal that a half blue should be awarded for the game once again drew from the committee the reply that it was not satisfied that chess was a sport “whose practice demands the performance of physical skill.”
Mr David Walker, of Keble College, the secretary of the club, said members felt that chess was in a unique position. He went on:
“It is a game which requires considerable mental effort. The number of calories expended in a six-hour game is equivalent to those needed for a game of Rugby football. The committee's decision is most disappointing. We have asked that a half blue should be awarded at least three times in the last four years, and the answer has always been the same.”
A half blue is awarded in Cambridge, and has been for about 50 years. Mr Walker pointed out that even after the war, when the Cambridge Blues Committee changed its rules to come into line with Oxford, a special concession was made for chess.
In spite of conceding Cambridge a psychological advantage the Oxford chess players are hopeful that they will end the tie score of 32 wins for each side and twelve draws. The Oxford players are considered to have a very good chance and to be stronger than Cambridge, especially in the lower boards. “But whatever happens we shall certainly renew our application,” Mr Walker added.
