AMay 06 2009
Evening Standard, London, Greater London, England, Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Chess by Leonard Barden
Fedor Bohatirchuk vs. Nikolay Kopaev, Kiev, 1938. Bohatirchuk was USSR champion, had beaten the later world No. 1 Mikhail Botvinnik three times, and competed in the legendary Moscow tournaments of 1925 and 1935. But when he worked as a radiologist in German hospitals in World War Two he became a public enemy. After escaping to the West, he had to take a false name to avoid repatriation and certain execution. His name was edited out of tournament reports, his image brushed out of group competitor photos. So Bohatirchuk's most brilliant finish, featured in today's puzzle, disappeared from the archives for decades until it was rediscovered. As White (to move) he has a promising attack, but Black's last turn menaced the queen. What should White play?
