The great tradition of the Varsity match rolls on, ringing in the 141st edition earlier this month at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London. Oxford were slight favourites, but the match finished on a knife edge. The game on board 2 was particularly hard-fought, with both sides having winning chances at different stages.
This diagram shows the position after the advance 56 f4-f5, with Jan Petr (Cambridge) playing White. Striving to win the game, he has advanced his pawn to f5 instead of capturing the pawn on d3 (which led to a straightforward draw).
Jan Petr (Cambridge)-Emil Powierski (Oxford)
Varsity Chess Match, March 2023
(See left diagram)
White’s move would be justified by 56…a3 57 fxe6 a2 58 e7 a1=Q 59 e8=Q, with an easy win with the extra knight. But in fact Black was handed a golden opportunity. The correct response was 56…Bxf5! since after 57 gxf5 a3 the pawn duo is unstoppable.
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