Chess

By

PHILIDOR

No. 276. A. R. GOODERSON (Problemist, Sept., 1965)

BLACK (4 men) wurra (9 men)

For anyone of my generation who saw (or, still more, suffered from) the genius of Paul Keres when it first broke on the chess world in the 193os, an 'early Keres' is still an irresistible draw. Here is a game from the Semmering 1937 tournament ; Keres was then twenty-one and his opponent Erich Eliskases, then an Austrian now living in the Argentine, must have been much the same age. Like Keres, Eliskases is still active in top-class chess.

White, P. KERBS Black, E. ELISKASES Opening, SICILIAN (Wing Gambit) (Semmering, 1937)

P—K 4 P—Q B 4

2 Kt—K B3 P—Q 3 3 P—Q Xi 4 . The play of both players throughout this game is typical of their ages—aggressive, and dangerous to themselves as well as their opponents. This move, objectively inferior, gave the kind of game the young Keres wanted.

P x P Accepting the challenge; 3 . . Kt—K B 3; 4 P x P, Kt xP is safe—but Black too is playing to win.

4 P—Q 4 Kt—K B 3

5 B—Q 3 P—Q 4 Again bold; 5 . . . p-- K Kt 3 is more solid and perhaps better.

6 QKt—Q2 Px P

7 Re P Q Kt—Q 2 8 Kt (4)'—Kt 5 Q—B a 8 . . . P—K R 3; 9 Kt— K 6, Q—Kt 3 is an alternative. 9 P—B 4! P—K R 3 9 .. P x P cp.?; ro Q— Kt 3, P—K 3; rs Kt x B P, K x Kt; 12 Kt—Kt 5 wirming. NOW booms White's Quad Q B pawns give him a strong oenlral

grip and it will be a long time befog: Black can utilise his Q side majority.

so Kt—R 3 P—K Kt 4 al Kr 'R3,—Kt 1 B—Kt 2 12 Kr—K 2 P—K 4 If T.2 . . . P—Kt 3; thea 53 13—Kt 2, B—Kt 2; t4 Kt—Kt 3—or even P—Q 5—with increased control of the centre.

r3 Kt—Kt 3 0-0

r4 0-0 P—K g R—K / is rather bettes; Black overestimates the value of h:s own attack on the Q P and underestimates his K side danger. rs Kt :. K P Kt x Kt r6 Br KtRx!....

17 B—Q 3 4

r8 R—K r P'4:::g t 5 Further loosening his posi- tion. I think Kt—Kt 3 at once is bet:tr. ro Kt—R 4 Kt—Kt 3 19 ... gy P; 20 Kt—B 5!, 2), R; 21 Q :‘, P, Kt—B 4; 22 Kt x P eh, IC—R 1; 23 Kt x P dm, —Kt r: 2.4 Kt-12 6 ch, K—I2 t; =5 Q—R 5 winning. 20 R—Kt 1 B—Q 2 21 R—K 4 K R—K 1 22 R—B 4 Q—Q 3 32 • • . P—Q R 4 'Mali better—the queen is stronger on Q 4 than Q 3. 23 B—Q 2 Kt—Q 4 24 R •K KIP! BxR 25 Q- B Q—K B 3 Threat was z6 Q x B eh and 27 Kt—B 5 ch. 26 Kt—B 5 K—I 3 1 B x R P was threatened.

27 Kt - B Q , Kt 28 Q—R g Kt—B 3 29 Q—R 4 P—K R 4

3o R•P Q R—BI 31 P—K R 3 —B2 32 R—Kt 51. . . Threat 33 B—Kt 4 411„ K—Kt 1; 34 It —K Kt 5!

32 - - • R—K 3

33 R.KRP Rordarsa 33 ... Kt x R; 341Q-1,1: 414 R—K, ;_35 B—Ks 4 ch and mate m three more moves. 33 • • • K—IC 2; 34 R—Kt 5> Q—B 1 ; 35 li—Kt 4 ch and wig&