The authors give 24...b5!, calling the position unclear. In their recent book Sicilian Dragon, Schiller and Goldman also give this as Black's "best", citing the earlier book as their source. But, after 25.f5 b4 26.Rdh3! bxc3 27.Qxh7+ Qxh7 28.Rxh7 cxb2+ 29.Kb1, Black can not prevent mate.
James R. West
Kearny, New Jersey
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Answer:
This copycat syndrome is an old story, and your analysis is sound. In the stem game Zambon-Wagman, Italy 1974, Wagman himself recommended 24...b5! in his notes. The actual game was drawn after 24...d5 (in retrospect this looks okay; if 25.exd5 Bf5) 25.Rhd1 b5 26.f5 b4 27.fxe6 bxc3 28.exf7+ Qxf7 29.Qxf7+ Kxf7, draw. It's amazing how we are cowed by those exclams which prevent so many players from looking deeper into the position. The "book" is replete with these phony fossils. Someday analysts will learn to do their homework.
Grandmaster Larry Evans
{This article originally appeared in Larry Evans on Chess in the May 1988 issue of Chess Life. It won "The Best Question" prize.}
