Chess 466

PHILIDOR

M. Zucker (Schoch, 1959). White to play anp mate in four moves; solution next week.

Solution to no. 465 (Markwick): Kt-B5., threat Q x B. 1 . . . Q xPch; 2 Kt(5)x Q (set Kt(8) 1 . . . Q x Kt; 2 P-Kt8=Q. 1 . . .

RxKt. 1 K-Q4; 2 Q-R2. 1 . . . P-Q4:2 Kt-Q4. 1 . . . Q x R or Q x P; 2 Kt-Q4. Vety fine key and play.

Vassily Smyslov, now approaching fifty, is showing his best form since he won the world title from Botwinnik in 1957; it is only in the last few years that his play seems to have fully recovered from the effects of his unexpected loss in the return match in 1958. In this year's Soviet champion- ships he was third equal with Geller and Taimanm, I point behind Petrosian and Polugaievsky and thus qualified for the next world championship Interzonal tournament. The following superb game won by him was overwhelmingly voted, by a group of eight grandmasters, to be the best game in Informator No. 6 i.e. the best game played in the second half of 1968.

White, Smyslov. Black, Liberzon. Opening. English. (Riga, 1968.)

1 P-QB4 P-K4 2 Kt-QM Kt-033 3 P-KKt3 P-KKt3 4 B-Kt2 B-Kt2

5 R-Ktl P-Q3 6 P-QKt4 p-0.3

As he cannot stop P-Kt5, it is better not to play this move which leads to opening the Q!

file later on and increasing White's queens side pressure. P-B4 at once (or Kt-R3, 0-0 and then P-B4) is preferabk.

7 P-K3 P-B4 8 KKt-K2 Kt-B3

VP-Q3 0-0 10 0-0 B-Q2 p-QR4 R-Ktl 12 P-Kt5 RPxP ;RPxP Kt-K2 14 B-R3...

This strong move threatens P-Kt6, a threat which induces a further deterioration in Black's queen's side position.

4... B-K3 15 Q-Kt3 P-Kt3? von, White dominates the white squares; Kt-Q2 was better.

P-Q4! P-K5 17 P-Q5 B-B2 Kt-Q4 Q-Q2 19 B-Kt2 P-Kt4 This move has been critised as starting an un- successful counterattack and leading merely to !wakening the king's side as well but 1 do not believe that in the long run Black will be able so prevent White from winning on the queen's side if he plays passively; White has QR, QB6, QR6 for his knights, will sooner or later capture the QR file and when ready also has P-KB3 available. Therefore 1 think Black is right to try P-Kt4.

it Kt(B3)-K2! K-R1 21 R-Ri Kt-Kt3

P-B41 PxPe.p 23 RxP Kt-K2

Kt-B6 QR-K1 24 . . . KtxKt?; 25 KtPx Kt, Q-BI; 26 ;Kt-Q4, B-Kt3; 27 10-K6 and wins.

5 Kt(2)-Q4 Kt(3) x P! . . . The best chance— although not good enough. White threatened Ki x Kt followed by Kt x 13P; the only alternative is 25 . Kt(3)--Kt1 and then 26R(Rl)—KBI is decisive; 26 . . . B-103 or R4 ?; 27 Kt-K6!

PxKt BxP 27 KtxP! RxKt! 27 . Bx Q 28 Bx Bch (28 Kt x B?, K-Ki 11), K-Ktl ; 29 Kt(6) x Ktch, R x Kt; 30 Kr x Rch, Qx Kt; 31 Bx R with a winning game.

Bx Bch K-Ktl ! . . . Again the best chance. 28 . . . Kx B; 29 Q-B3ch, K-Ktl (other moves also lose); 3Q R x R, Qx 31 R-KBI ; Q-K3; 32 R-B6, Q moves; 33 Kt x Ktch, R x Kt; 34 Bx Bch and wins.

RxR! BxQ 30 R x P Kt-Kt3 B-R6! Q-K3 32 P-R4! Q x Pch

K-R2 Q-QB6 White threatened bath 34 P-R5 and 34 R x Ktch, Px R; 35 B Q. 34 R-KBI B-B5 35 R-B2 Q-K8 36 R(5)-KB5 B x P . Losing at once, but he has no defence anyway against the threat of P-R5.

37 B-Q2 Q-QKt8 037... Bx Kt;

38 Bx

38 B-QSch K-RI 39 B-B3ch Kt-K4

40 KtXKt PxKt 41 R x P Resigns. A devastating finish to a marvellous game; mate is unavoidable.