LIFE
Rc4 Kf6 29 Rxa4 c5 30 Bf1 cxd4
Desperation but by now everything is hopeless.
31 Rxa6 dxe3 32 Rxe6+ Kxe6 33 Bh3+
Kd5 34 Kf1 Kc4 35 Ke2 Kb3 36 Be6+
Kxb2 37 Bg8 a5 38 Bxh7 a4 39 Bxg6
Black resignsThis was a famous game played by two
world champions at a major competition,
where the world’s top grandmasters all had
an opinion. It is revealing to what extent
modern computer analysis, which I have
consulted, revises the opinions of the
greats of the day.This month, watch out for unidentified fleeing
presidents. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, president of
Fidé, the World Chess Federation, and a self-
confessed alien abductee, seems to have a
revolution on his hands. Several of his closest
lieutenants, such as Giorgios Makropolous
and Nigel Freeman from the Athens HQ, are
insisting that Kirsan has resigned, while
Kirsan himself is insisting that something has
been lost in translation.
We shall know more about whether the
president has been blasted into outer space
after a board meeting which is due to take
place soon.
This week’s game and puzzle feature
Dr Max Euwe, Fidé president from 1974-
- Oh for the days when the Fidé
president was a widely respected former
world champion, with no personal axes to
grind or enterprises to promote.
Euwe-Capablanca: AVRO Netherlands 1938;
Queen’s Indian Defence
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 g3 Bb7 5 Bg2
Be7 6 0-0 0-0 7 Nc3 d5 8 Ne5 The pin on the
d5-pawn is now unpleasant for Black. 8 ... Ne4 9
cxd5 exd5 10 Nxe4 dxe4 11 Qc2 Black is
obliged to play the weakening move ... f5. 11 ... f5
12 Be3 Na6 This has never been repeated, with
12 ... Bd5 and 12 ... Bf6 being preferred. 13 Rac1
Qd5 14 Nc6 It is vital to prevent Black from
playing ... c5 when he would have nothing to
complain about. 14 ... Bxc6 15 Qxc6 Qxc6
16 Rxc6 (see diagram 1) The bishop pair gives
White a small advantage but he is only likely to be
able to exploit this if he can arrange to break the
f5-e4 pawn chain in an effective manner. 16 ...
Rf6 17 Rfc1 Rxc6 18 Rxc6 Bd6 19 a3 Re8
Preventing both 20 f3 and 20 f4. 20 Bf4 Bxf4
21 gxf4 Kf7 22 e3 Re6 (see diagram 2) 23
Rc4 A mistake. White should play 23 Rc3 in order
to meet 23 ... c5 with 24 Bf1. 23 ... b5 Missing his
chance. 23 ... c5 led to an equal position. 24 Rc3
c6 25 f3 After this classic undermining move,
Black is in terrible trouble as his pawns are so
weak. 25 ... g6 26 fxe4 fxe4 27 a4 bxa4 28
In Competition No. 2992 you were invited to
submit a Dear John letter, in prose or verse,
in the style of a well-known author.
My, you were good this week — good
enough to make being jilted seem quite the
thing. Even that most maddening of break-
up clichés ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ has a cer-
tain charm when filtered (courtesy of Chris
O’Carroll) through the whimsical lens of
Ogden Nash.
Douglas G. Brown, Paul Freeman, Mar-
tin Parker, R.M Goddard and Bill Green-
well are highly commended. The winners
earn £25 each. D.A. Prince takes £30.If you could listen and not aim to wrangle —
Remember that to tango it takes two;
If you could see things, sometimes, from my
angle,
A little more of me and less of you;
If you had sometimes been a little kinder,
If complimenting hadn’t been so hard
Or when my birthday fell (without reminder)
You’d turned up with both flowers and a card.If you could mute your urge to godlike glory
And take on board that you have feet of clay;
If you could see that I, too, had a story,
That your attention might have made me stay;
If you had grasped that equal still meant equal
And being top dog wouldn’t do — Of course,
our earlier lives would have a happy sequel.
But as it is we’re heading for divorce.
D.A. Prince/KiplingDear fotherington-tomas.
Enuff is enuff. You have compleetly the rong end
of the stick. Wot hapend is that Peason in plaful
mood bet me five cigs I wood not hold your hand
on matron’s nature walk. Peason is a bad loozer
so then bet another five I wood not rite you a
luv poem. He thort my currage must fail at this
hidyus task but giving in to Peason is even more
utterly wet than riting a poem even one that says
e.g. thou art like a flagrant blossum ugh pass the
sickbag. Whoever said poetry makes nothing
hapen did not kno you. The gastly consekwences
are even soppier than gurls. Stop bringing me
flowers which is a torcher worse than prunes.
And if you call me darling again I will have to
rezort to violents.
Singed Molesworth 1
Hugh King/MolesworthMy dear, as you read this letter I beg you to
understand that it is written with a full heart and
a fervent sense of where duty lies. For I have
come to see, deeply to my regret, that I can no
longer lay just claim to your affections. For a
blessed while, I did rise, as I imagined, to be
worthy of you. But those are heights I cannot in
truth sustain. What beautifully was I must now
treasure in the amber of memory, safe from the
sad mutabilities of time. If I could dare to hope
you might, in some part, share that golden
recollection, it would be immeasurable
consolation to me. Meanwhile, all that is in my
power is to release you from whateverPUZZLE NO. 452
White to play. This position is from Euwe-Fischer,
New York 1957. White has two winning moves
in this position. Can you find both of them?
Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 18
April or via email to [email protected].
There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer
out of a hat. Please include a postal address and
allow six weeks for prize delivery.
Last week’s solution 1 Qxh7+
Last week’s winner Kevin Jones, Hertford
Chess
Presidential panic
Raymond Keene
Competition
Dear JohnLucy Vickery
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DWDWDWIWWDWDWDkD
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pDpDWDrD
DWDpDWDW
PDW)W)WD
DRDW)WDW
WDQDK$qD
DWDWDWDrrDWDW4kD
0W0WgW0p
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DWDWDRIWDiagram 1Diagram 2