The Unknown Derek Oldbury

COLUMN NUMBER 37

Problem Number 37: By Derek Oldbury

White to move and win; in this one Black gets held by the tail

Solution To Problem Number 36: ... 1-6; 11-7 6-9; 7-11 9-14; 11-16 (if 13-17, then 18-15 wins) 14-10; 16-19 (if 16-11, then either 18-14 or 10-15 wins) 18-15; 19-23 15-11; 23-18 10-15; 18-14 11-7; 14-9 7-2; 9-5 2-6; 5-1 15-10; 1-5 6-1; 5-9 10-15; 9-14 15-10; 14-7 1-6. White wins.

Game Number 37. 'Irregular' Opening

Another of my games from the 1956 British Championship. My opponent, one of the veterans of the game, Mr J. J. Whitelegge, of Stockport, who played White.

Move: 11-16 22-17; 9-13 (so far as big time play is concerned, this is new to the crowd) 24-20 (when in doubt, copy the masters); 13-22 20-11; 7-16 (I knew my ground, as this move shows) 25-18; 16-19 23-16; 12-19 29-25; 8-11 25-22; 5-9 (starting to mix it up) 27-23; 11-16 18-15; 9-14 22-18; 1-5 18-9; 5-14 15-11 (playing for a trap) Forms Diagram: Black to move

Continue: ... 6-9 (not 3-8, 11-7 and a White win) 31-27; 10-15 27-24; 3-8 26-22 (11-7; 2-11 32-27 is tricky); 19-26 30-23; 16-20 23-19; 20-27 19-10; 8-15 32-23; 9-13 23-19 (the loser; 28-24 would draw quite neatly); 15-24 28-19; 4-8 10-6; 2-9 19-16; 8-12 16-11; 12-16 11-7; 16-19 7-2; 19-24. Black wins. Thus I won my first game of the competition, which proved to be a good omen, as my final score from 19 games read 9 wins to nil and 10 drawn: a record percentage of wins in a British Championship.