Chess 23 Jan 1960, Sat Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Newspapers.com
Petitions Bombard Congress For U.S. to Sponsor Fischer
By T. M. Cherington, Chess Editor
Congress is being bombarded with petitions to sponsor chess master Robert Fischer in his trips abroad.
That he is a tremendous asset to American good will is without question. He is so popular in Europe and South America that there is the chance he may receive assistance from foreign countries before Congress gets around to acting on the petitions.
The money involved is very trifling but it is of much greater concern that the youth be kept under close supervision by our foreign service.
WHAT IS THE longest thrust for a successfully announced mate? Beautiful is the famous predicted mate in eight moves by Paul Morphy, but there is a documented declaration of checkmate in 16 moves by Blackburne of England.
Even more remarkable was the fact that Blackburne played the white pieces in a blindfold exhibition and the announced mate in 16 moves involved two completely separate variations involving a sacrifice of the exchange and a subsequent sacrifice of the Queen.
At announcement, the position in Forsythe notation, Black in lower case, White in caps: r5r1/p4p2/2ppb1kp/7N/qp2RPB1/7P/PP1Q1B2/n5K1. Scott played Black.
BLACKBURNE announced the sixteenth move mate and played 1. RxB check K-R2. Had Scott played 1. … PxR, mate in eight would follow. 1. P-B3 would mean mate in four. 2. Q-Q3 check R-N3; 3. QxR check PxQ; 4. R-K7 check K-N, 5. B-K6 check, K-B, 6. R-B7 check, K-K.
No. 315
FEN 3B4/8/4K3/2k5/3p4/1R1R4/8/8 w - - 0 1
R. Collinson, composer of 315, a three-mover, has a Pawn to defend the Black King. White must carry the affirmative with King, matched Rooks and Bishop.
Solution:
1. Bh4 Kc4 2. Bf2 Kc5 3. Rdc3#
Solution to No. 314 is Bishop to King Rook.
