Chess no. 420

PHILIDOR

Black White

5 men

9 men C. Mansfield (British Chess Magazine, 1915). White to play and mate in two moves; solution next week.

Solution to no. 419 (Searley): K - K 3!, no

ihreat. K - B 4; 2 K - K 4. 1 . K - K 3; 2 K - Q 4. 1 . . . K - K 4; 2 Q - B 5. 1 . . .,Kt may; 2 Q - B 5. Ingenious key and good play.

Just over a hundred years ago (on 24 December 1868) Emanuel Lasker was born in Berlin. He became a master in 1889, was world champion from 1894 to 1921 and at the age of sixty-six came third in the great Moscow tournament of 1935 without loss of a game. He died in New York, aged seventy-two, in 1941.

His play was distinguished by his great resource- fulness and fighting spirit and his extraordinary ability to make his opponents play the kind of game they wished to avoid. In my opinion, taking into account the unequalled length of his career and its sustained success, he is the greatest player that the chess world has seen.

White, H. N. Pillsbury. Black, Dr E. Lasker. Opening, Queen's Gambit.

1 P-Q 4 P-Q 4 2 P-QB4 P-K 3 3 Kt - Q B 3 Kt-K B3 4 Kt-B3 P - B 4 5 B-Kt5 PxQP 6QxP? Kt-B3 White's rather passive opening play has allowed Black fairly easy equality. White's reply Q - R 4 in the long run turns out badly and 7 Q - Q 2 may be better.

7Q-R4 B-K 2 80-0-0 Q-R4 9 P-K 3 B-Q 2 10'K-Kt1 P-KR3 11 P x P P x P 12 Kt -Q4 0-0 13 B x Kt B x B 14 Q - R 5 Kt x Kt 15 P x Kt B - K 3 16 P - B 4 . . .

A critical moment; this apparently strong move is very finely refuted by Lasker and it would be better, 1 think, to play 16 B - Kt 5 (threat Kt x Q P) e.g. 16 . . . P - R 3; 17 B - R 4 and 18 B - Kt 3 with pressure on Black's centre and also better defensive pros- pects on the queen's side.

16. . QR-Bl! 17 P-B 5 R X Kt!

18 P x B . . . or 18 P x R. Q X P; 19P x Q - Kt 5 ch: 20 K - R I, B x P eh:

21 R X B, Q x P ch and 22 . . . P x P, when Black has all the winning chances.

18 . . . R-QR 6!19 PxPch

or 19 P - K 7. R - K I; 20P x R, Q - Kt 3 ch: 21 K - B 2 (21 K - R I. B x P ch; 22 R x B, Q x R ch: 23 K -Kt 1, R x P), R - B I ch: 22 K-Q 2,B xQPandwins [Lasker].

19 . . . R x P 20 P x R Q-Kt3ch

21 B - Kt 5! . . . The only chance. 21 K - R I, B x P ch and 21 K - B 2. R- B 2 ch each lose quickly.

21 . . . QxBch 22 K-R 1 R-B2?

22 . . . Q - B 51 is correct [Lasker]; Lasker was short of time here. Now White has time to defend himself.

23 R - Q 2 R - B 5 24 KR-Q1 R - B 6

25 Q-B 5 Q-B5 Threat R - B 8 ch.

26 K-Kt 2? . . . This natural move Is fatal. K - Kt 1 is correct, when the game is still in the balance.

26 . . . R x P1 27 Q-K 6ch K - R 2

28 K X R. . Or 28 K - Kt 1. B X PI;

29 Q - B 5 ch, P - Kt 3; 30 Q - Q 7 ch, B - Kt 2 and Black wins [Lasker].

28 . . . Q-B6ch 29 K- R 4 P-Kt4ch

30 K X P Q-BSch 31 K - R 5 B-Q1ch and mate next move.