Chess 499

PHILIDOR

Specially contributed by R. W. Searley (Romford, Essex). White to play and mate in two moves; solution next week.

Solution to No. 498 (Goethart-4K3/3n1nB1/ 3plppN/6k1/3QB3/1b2p1P1/2p4R/br2r2N): Kt- B2!, threat 2 Kt-R3ch, K-R4; 3 B-B3. A 1 . . .

B-K3; 2 B-Kt7! and 3 Q mates. B 1 QKt-K4; 2 B-B6! etc. C 1 . . . KKt-K4; 2 B-Q5! etc. D 1 B-Q4; 2 Q x Bch and 3 Kt-B7 mate. E 1 ... PxKt; 2 Q-Q2ch. Good key and neat proph- lactic play by the White bishop.

The quickness of the hand

one of the minor sensations of Bobby Tischcr's performance in the USSR v The Rest of the World match was his play in the lightning tournament that took place shortly after the match. Eleven Grandmasters and one International Master took part in a double-round event, so that each played twenty-two games; a player was allowed five minutes' time on his clock for the entire game, i.e. the game could not last more than ten minutes in all. Fischer rarely used more than two and a half of his five minutes, was never in time trouble and scored seventeen wins, one loss and four draws, finishing four and a half points ahead of Tal who was second.

The following was one of his wins—a game most strong players would be very satisfied to play at forty moves in two and a half hours, a longer time per move than Fischer takes for the whole game.

White, Fischer. Black, Matulovic. Opening, Ruy Lopez (Schliemann Defence).

I P-K4 P-K4 2 Kt-KB3 Kt-QB3 3 B-Kt5 P-B4 4 Kt-B3 P x P 5 QKt xP P-Q4 6 KtxP PxKt 7 Kt x Kt Q-Kt4 All this is a complex and tricky book variation, probably rather in White's favour.

8 Q-K2 Kt-B3 8 . . . QxKtP?; 9 Q- RSA! and White wins.

9 P-1034! . . . There is no hurry to move the It on B6, which cannot be taken without loss of the QR.

Q x BP 10 P-Q4 Better first 10 Kt-K.Sch!, P-B3 and then 11 P-Q4.

10 . . . Q-R5ch? For now Black could play 10 . . . Q-Q3! with better defensive chances.

11 P-Kt3 Q-R6 12 B-Kt5! P-QR3 13 B-R4 B-Q2 14 BxKt PxB 15 Q x Pch K-B2 Now Black wins a piece, but the cost proves too great.

16 Kt-KSch . . . Forced, but strong. 16 . . . P x Kt 17 R-Blch K-K2 18 BxB K xB 1118... QxB then 19 0-0-0 (not 19 Q x Pch? Q-K37 and White has more than value e.g. 19 . . . B-R3ch; 20 K- M and now Q-R4ch is threatened, also P x P or Q xPch or Q x KIP according to circumstances.

19 R-B7ch K-K1? 19 . . . B-K2 is better and is probably Black's last chance of offering a serious resistance. • 20 R x BP B-Q3 21 R x KtP R-QB I 22 0-0-0 Q x RP 23 P x P B-K2 24 RxBch! K x R The Black King is now stripped of all protection.

25 Q-Kt7ch K-K3 26 Q-Q7ch K x P 27 Q-QSch K-B3 28 R-Blch K-Kt3 29 Q-K6ch K-Kt4 30 R-B5ch K-Kt5 31 R-B4d.ch . There is no more mercy in him than milk in a male tiger.

31 . . . K x P 31 . . . K-104; 32 Q- B6ch, K-R4; 33 P-Kt4 mate.

32 Q-Kt4 mate.