Chess
BY PHILIDOR
No. 58. Specially contributed by C. MANSFIELD
1 . K x Kt eh;
One of the great figures in chess—both as a player and as a personality—in this century was Dr. Savielly Tartakower, who died in February of this year. Cultured, witty, erudite, he had the intellectual ability to be a world champion; an erratic, wayward streak in his make-up (which also showed in his passion for gambling) pre- vented him from ever being a serious challenger, however. The cynical good humour with which he regarded himself as well as others appears in this comment on his failure in the Hastings 1953/4 tournament: 'According to the opinion of a far-sighted expert, my old tendency towards making unusual moves had degenerated—under the influence of age—to a disposition towards making erroneous moves.' This remark, and the following game, are taken from the second volume of his games, My Best Games of Chess, 1931-1954 (Bell, 215.), in which H. Golombek's translation has succeeded in preserving the authentic flavour of Tartakower's personality, White, A. S. BARATZ Black, S. G. TARTAKOWER Opening, RUY LOPEZ.
1 P-K 4 P-K 4 15 Q-R 3 P-B 5 2 Kt-K B 3 Kt-Q B 3 16 Kt-B 3 Q-B 2 • 3 B-Kt 5 B-B 4 17B-Q2 BxQP 4 P-B 3 K Kt-K 2 (a) 18 K R-K 1 Q R-Q 11
50-0 B-Kt 3 19 Q R-Q (f) R-Q 3
6 P-Q 4 P x P 20 Kt-Kt 5 R-K R 3 7PxP P-Q 4 21 Q-Q Kt 3 B-Q 4
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