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Section 7-8 Friday, September 28, 1973THE HERALDShelby L yman on ( hessCheckmate threat often causes lossesAlthough middle-game checkmates are rare in grandmaster chess, threats of checkmate or threats of threats of checkmate appear and reappear in many games. Sometimes the threat will force a weakness in the defender’s pawn position and/or the threat will gain time to position an attacking piece.Infrequently the attacker’s checkmate cannot be countered satisfactorily and the defender must lose heavy material to avoid it. The attacker will make a drastic sacrifice or sacrifices if he sees that a costly (for his opponent) mate threat can be achieved.( Diagram 1)For example, Bent Larsen (white) reached the position in diagram one against Donald Byrne at the San Antonio “Fried Chicken” Tournament lastyear. Habitually tuned to sharp moves, Larsen made the necessarv sacrifice atwrthis point to achieve a winning mate threat.Be directly played 1) RXPch!! After. . RPxR the game continued with 2) QxP check K-Rl: 3) Q-R6 check, K-Nl; and 4) R-Q3 threatening checkmate. The black king is exposed and the black pieces have limited availability for defense.Byrne was able to stop the mate with .. . Q-N5 check, but lost his queen after5) R-N3, QxR; and 6) KBPxQ.Material is now roughly even but black’s ordeal, commencing with 1)RxP check, is not over. Larsen’s threat of 7) Q-N6 check. K-RI.; 8) BxP withthe danger of Q-R6 mate among otherscompelled black to play . . . B-K5 to control key white squares needed by the black king.( Diagram 2)White was then able to pick up the bishop by a series of checks (7) Q-N5check. K-R2; 8) Q-R4 check, K-N2; 9)QxB and black resigned because of his material disadvantage. Black’s return of material by the queen sacrifice had not stopped white’s threats. It was Byrne who made the ultimate sacrifice.Even such meager and ultimately futile defense as Bvme had was not avail-able to Sammy Reshevsky in the following position reached in the Interzonal tournament at Petropolis. Brazil against Lajos Portisch.(Diagram 3)Portisch, with all his pieces massedagainst the black king, has an immediate and straightforward win as against the defending pieces are cut off from effective defense of the king.What is the winning move? Answer: BxP achieves the breakthrough as PxB leads to a forced mate by white. Try to work it out.LYMANISMSometimes it is better not to identify with one’s position, considering what is going to happen to it.Copyright 1973 by Shelby Lyman Address your questions in care of this column to Paddock Publications, P. O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, 111. 60006.DiOS'S'T! 1HI \t kIvrr:QR QN Q§ Q X KB KN KiLorscn*11111lit \« k l*mead nC 30 d x ax nx axQR QN QB Q K KB KN KRLarsen u III I KDio^rom 3ItL YCk Reske^skfad Ndx ix nx axQR QN QB Q KPortisch * III I KKN KRMow docs white break through*What is whites -ro*»ttnematerial*in otRortitch has tho move a«td thot* I oHhe weedsUse The ant AdsPays
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Wheeling Herald
Wheeling, Illinois, US
Fri, Sep 28, 1973
Page 68
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CA, USA 26 Dec 2022
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