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Shelby Lyman: On ChessIronically, the endgame often features some of the sharpest attacks on the king. This happens though there, are fewer pieces in total and therefore fewer pieces for offense, because the would-be defenders of each side are usually carrying on their own aggressions across theboard.The game may then take the shape of a race. In extreme cases, there is sometimes a sudden breakthrough with threats to win material, threats against the king, threats to queen a pawn, etc.For example, in Diagram One, from the recent Soviet-Yugoslav matchBLACKPALATINKWHITEIrresistible Breakthroughs(won by the U.S.S.II. in Belgrade by 19’2-16'2 ), black seems to be making impressive headway on the queenside and white seems stymied by black's pawns on the kingside.Butblack’s kingside defense is an illusion, and his stubby-legged knights are grounded dangerously on the rim of the board. In an emergency, they will have at best an agonizingly slow' trip back to the kingside. As if to prove that point Gligorich (white) dramatically sacrificed his knight for two of Palatink’s (black’s) kingside pawns and a conclusive attack.Indeed it is easy to see that after 1. NxP, PxN; 2. BxP, black is seriously compromised. VV h i t e already is threatening 3. B x K P and then t h erema in i ng queenside pawns, as well as a kingside pawnroller.Palatink futilelv tried 4 ... K-Bl after a few “spite” checks with his rook at N6 and N7, which only seemed to worsen his position by nudging the white king in the attacking zone, where itcon Id cnsilv he ncpfnlWhite’s bishop then shifted its attack with 5. B-R6 check, K-Nl (5 ... K-Kl leaves the white knight pawn unimpeded in its advance). And therefollowed (i. R-KBl, and 7. P Nf ( alter 6 ... N-B2), causing Palatink to resign (see Diagram Two). For the KBP is unstoppable.BLACKPALATINKHO NO BO O 1 9X NX HX8765321QR QN QBKB KN KRGLIGORICHWHITEBlack’s extra piece is uselessAlmost half a century earlier (1027), a different kind of breakthrough (see Diagram Three) took place in the game Capablanca-Alnlrhmti llurnBLACKALEKHINEHO NO BO O X BX NX HX8r*'*5. §t□onzQR QN QB QKB KN KRCAPABLANCAWHITEWhite's mate threat Iwhite’s minor pieces and queen swarmed over a sparsely defended king position (the black queen was excluded from the kingside action until the first blood had been drawn )• A •In the given position, Capablanea has just played1. B - K 5 a n d a 1 r e a d v*threatens 2. BxP check, KxB; 3. N-B5 check. K-Nl;4. Q-BO and mate.The game continued with1 ... P-B3; 2. N-K6, R-KNl;3. B-Q4, P-KR3; 4. P KR4, Q-n\!w • cl \! v P * 1 c aoThethen 6. QxBP, Q-R2; 7 Q-B8 check, Q-Nl; 8. BxR check, finis) 0. P-Rr. Q B2; 7. N B5,K-R2; 8. Q-K4, R-Kl; 9 Q B4, Q-Bl; 10. N Q6, R-K2; 11. BxBP, Q-QRl check; 12. P Kr, R-KN2; 13. BxR, KxB; 14. N-B. check, K B2; 15. Q-B7 check, resigns.As you see, once the breakthrough was made with 5. NxNP, the game w as a rout, despite the reentry of the black queen.This beautiful ending features a varietv of tacticalmotifs as the white pieces maneuvered the blackGLIGORICHDiagram Four) ... Q K.\3; (if 5 ... RxN ;BLACKALEKHINEHO NO 90 O X BX NX dXCAPABLANCAWHITE
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Glens Falls Post Star
Glens Falls, New York, US
Sat, Jan 11, 1975
Page 32
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Los A.
CA, USA 03 Jan 2023
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