October 22 1983
Daily Post: The Paper for Wales, Wrexham, Clwyd, Wales, Saturday, October 22, 1983
Chess Nigel Davies
The Best of British
DURING the Second World War a number of chess players including Alexander, Golombek and Milner-Barry found useful employment at the Foreign Office at Bletchly Park. Their job was to break German naval codes and they performed this task with great success. At the time these three were considered the cream of British chess talent and a dangerous proposition for anyone in the world.
Stuart Milner-Barry stayed on in the Civil Service after the war and eventually attained the rank of Undersecretary in the treasury. In 1975 he was knighted for his services.
Although his chess career undoubtedly suffered because of his amateur status, Sir Stuart's contribution to the game has been far from insignificant. At the age of 76 he is still involved in a competitive chess and plays on a high board for Kent, the reigning county champions. He complains he has trouble concentrating for a full four-hour session but to this very day has a BCF grade of over 200.
His style of play is a curious mixture of strictly conservative strategy and brilliantly inventive attacking schemes. The originator of many new ideas in the openings his most notable achievements are the Milner-Barry variation of the Nimzo-Indian Defence. (1. P-Q4 N-KB3; 2. P-QB4 P-K3; 3. N-QB3 B-N5; 4. Q-B2 N-B3) and the Milner-Barry Gambit in the French Defence (1. PK4 P-K3; 2. P-Q4 P-Q4; 3. P-K5 P-QB4; 4. P-QB3 N-QB3; 5. N-KB3 Q-N3; 6. B-Q3 PxP; 7. PxP B-Q2; 8. N-B3 NxQP; 9. NxN QxN; 10. O-O.
The following game illustrates the two striking facets of Milner-Barry's play. A strict classical build-up is followed by an exuberantly conducted attack.
Philip Stuart Milner-Barry vs Eugene Znosko-Borovsky
BCF-ch 21st Major Open (1928), Tenby WLS, rd 7, Jul-09
Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange. Rubinstein Variation (B13) 1-0
4. B-Q3 The simple classical approach 4. P-QB4 would have introduced a more complicated treatment popularized by Botvinnik.
8. Q-N3! Q-B1
After 8.…BxN; 9. QxNP BxP; 10. QxN ch N-Q2; 11. R-Nl R-Rl; (if 11.… B-KR6 then 12. B-QR8 is strong) 12. Q-R4 B-KR6; 13. B-QR6, white wins the exchange.
11. PKR3
Both 11. N-K5 and 11. QR-K1 were good alternatives.
17. BxN Q-B3
Fiddling while Rome burns. Black should have tried B-B3 either here or on his next move.
20. P-KR4!
The attack begins in earnest 20. … BxP favours White after 21. PxP B-K2; 22. P-R3 although in view of what now happens this was probably Black's best course. Milner-Barry conducts the remainder of the game with tremendous artistry and precision.
23. P-R6! (See diagram).
23.…P-B3
Alternatives would hardly improve Black's prospects. After 23.… P-N3?; 24. P-R7ch KxP; 25. R-R3ch K-Nl; 26. R-R8 is mate and 23.…B-B3; 24. Q-R5 P-N3; 25. P-R7ch K-N2; 26. QxP/5 BxB; 27. PxB wins for White.
24. Q-R5! B-Ql
In the variation 24.…PxB; 25. Q-N6 R-B2; 26. P-R7ch, Black loses a rook.
25. Q-N6! Q-N2; 26. R-B7! Black resigned.
