Nothing minor in musicians’ love for chess

At the risk of getting that insanely catchy theme from “The Good, the Bad and The Ugly” stuck in your head again, we can’t let the recent passing of Italian film composer Ennio Morricone go by without flagging his intense lifelong love affair with chess.

Before writing the first of his 400-plus film scores, Morricone dreamed of a professional chess career. He never quite made it. A draw with former world champ Boris Spassky in a simul was perhaps the highlight of his career. But Morricone, an avid player, joined a long and distinguished parade of musicians with a passion for the Royal Game, including French composer and court musician Francois-Andre Philidor, the greatest chessplayer of the 18th century, down to Bob Dylan, Bono and Jay Z today.

Many were just passionate amateurs (in both senses of the word), but a few famous musicians could orchestrate a credible attack on the chessboard as well as they could orchestrate a symphony. Check out Soviet composer Sergei Prokofiev’s prestissimo attacking skills, playing French rival Maurice Ravel in a casual 1924 game.

White’s piece offer in this Leningrad Nimzo-Indian (9. h4) is a standard idea, but Black was better off declining with 9…Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Re8 11. Bxf6 Qxf6, when White has a strong Stonewall center, but it’s still very much a game. Instead, after Ravel’s 9…hxg5?! 10. hxg5 Re8? (definitely the wrong follow-up; better was 10…Ne4 11. Bxe4 dxe4 12. Qxe4 Bxc3+ 13. Nxc3 f5 14. Qh4 Kf7, though White’s attack flows harmoniously) 11. gxf6 Qxf6 12. 0-0-0, White has recovered his piece with glorious attacking possibilities along the h-file and b1-h7 diagonal.

With just one discordant note, Prokofiev conducts a winning attack: 15. Nf4 b5 (Bd7 16. Ng6+ fxg6 17. Bxg6 Qd8 18. Qe2!, and the queen joins the attack with decisive effect) 16. Rh5!? (Ng6+ was already winning here) e5 (see diagram) 17. Ng6+! fxg6 18. Bxg6 Be6 19. Rdh1? (playing in the wrong key — winning nicely was 19. Rh8+ Bg8 20. Qe2!; e.g. 20…Qe6 21. Qh5 exd4 22. Ng5 Qd7 23. Qf3+ Ke7 24. Rxg8! Rxg8 25. Qf7+ Kd6 26. Ne4+ Ke5 27. f4 mate) Rad8? (missing 19…Qd7!, when White has to reload with 20. Rg5! Ne7 21. Bxe8 Qxe8 22. Rxe5 Bg8 23. Qe2 and there’s still a little work to be done) 20. Rf5+!, leading to a rousing finale.

Ravel is forced to lay down his baton as the White forces crash through: 20…Kg8 (Bxf5 21. Rh8 mate) 21. Qe2! Bxf5 22. Rh8+! Kxh8 23. Qh5+ Kg8 24. Qh7+ Kf8 25. Qh8 mate.

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Thanks to the Pacific Northwest Chess Center for stepping up to organize a virtual World Open when the traditional Fourth of July week extravaganza in Philadelphia was called off because of the coronavirus pandemic. It has a World Open-class field, with more than two dozen grandmasters among the 130 entrants.

Young American GMs Jeffery Xiong and Sam Sevian shared first at 7-2, but Xiong was fortunate not to get knocked out of the running in a wild Round 5 game against Iranian former world junior champ Parham Maghsoodloo.

Out of a Bogo-Indian, Maghsoodloo as White finds himself temporarily down two pawns after 29. Be3 Qe6, but it is the fierce struggle for the initiative that will decide the contest. White draws first blood on 33. Nf4 Qf5 34. Bf6! (the threat is 35. Bxg7 Kxg7 36. Nh5+, and White is also better on 34…Bxf6 35. Nxd5! Qh3 36. Nxf6+ Kg7 37. Qh5 Qxh5 38. Nxh5) Bh6 35. Nxd5 Qh3 36. Ne7+ Kf7 (Kh7?? 37. Qe4+) 37. Nf5! Ke8 (otherwise the discovered check 38…Nxh6+ Qxh6 39. Bg5+).

Now 38. Qg2! looks close to winning for White, in lines such as 38…Qxg2+ 39. Kxg2 Nd5 40. a4, winning a piece as 40…Nbc7? 41. Nd6+ Kd7 42. Nc5 is a very geometric mate. Instead, Black comes off the mat after 38. Nc5+? Nd5 39. Nd6+? (Qg2 was still the better option) Nxd6 40. exd6+ Be3+!, a hard-to-see counter that forces White’s resignation in light of 41. Qxe3+ Nxe3 42. d7+ Kf7 43. Bg5+ Qxf1 mate.

Prokofiev-Ravel, Mont la Jolie, France, March 1924

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bg5 Nc6 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3 d5 7. Nge2 a5 8. Qc2 h6 9. h4 hxg5 10. hxg5 Re8 11. gxf6 Qxf6 12. O-O-O dxc4 13. Bh7+ Kf8 14. Ne4 Qe7 15. Nf4 b5 16. Rh5 e5 17. Ng6+ fxg6 18. Bxg6 Be6 19. Rdh1 Rad8 20. Rf5+ Kg8 21. Qe2 Bxf5 22. Rh8+ Kxh8 23. Qh5+ Kg8 24. Qh7+ Kf8 25. Qh8 mate.

Maghsoodloo-Xiong, PNWCC Masters, World Online Open, July 2020

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Be7 5. g3 d5 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O Nbd7 8. Qc2 c6 9. Rc1 Ne4 10. Be3 f5 11. Ne1 Bf6 12. f3 Nd6 13. Nd2 f4 14. Bf2 Nf5 15. Qd3 Bg5 16. Bh3 Qf6 17. cxd5 exd5 18. Ng2 fxg3 19. hxg3 Nb6 20. f4 Nd6 21. Bxc8 Raxc8 22. Rf1 Bh6 23. g4 g5 24. f5 Bg7 25. Rae1 h5 26. e4 hxg4 27. e5 Qxf5 28. Qe2 Nb5 29. Be3 Qe6 30. Nb3 g3 31. Bxg5 Rxf1+ 32. Rxf1 Rf8 33. Nf4 Qf5 34. Bf6 Bh6 35. Nxd5 Qh3 36. Ne7+ Kf7 37. Nf5 Ke8 38. Nc5 Nd5 39. Nd6+ Nxd6 40. exd6+ Be3+ White resigns.

• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email dsands@washingtontimes.com.