Compounding an Error in Renaud and Kahn

The Art of the Checkmate by Georges Renaud and Victor Kahn is a terrific book. Originally written in French and published as Les Échecs by Nouvelle Académie des Jeux (New Games Academy) in 1947, it has been twice translated into English. A translation by W.J. Taylor was brought out by Simon and Schuster in 1953, and then a Dover edition of this text appeared in 1962. This edition is the one I have used for more than two decades. In 2015, a new translation by Jimmy Adams was brought out by Batsford. Adams corrects a few historical errors and some oversights in the analysis. The edition also offers a few examples that are missing from the 1953 translation.

In the light of these improvements, Exercise 24 is curious. This position from Robinson,M. -- Chatard,E., Paris 1920 is presented as Black to play and win in both editions, but the White queen is placed differently. A note in the solution in Adams' translation identifies the placement of the queen on d2 as having appeared in the game.

Black to move

1953 Edition

Black to move

2015 Edition

Stockfish 14 assures me that Black is not winning from either position. The line given in the solution offers better prospects in the version given in 1953 than in the 2015 edition. In the older version, White has a slight advantage. In the 2015 edition, White has a decisive advantage. Adams note "improving" the solution offered by Renaud and Kahn omits the critical defense that refutes Black's intent.

The Adams translation presents the solution as beginning 12...Qh5, while Taylor's translation begins every game fragment at move one. Has Adams seen the original game?

I cannot find it. ChessBase Online offers two games played by Eugene Chatard (a loss to Pillsbury in a simul) and a win against Wladimir Bienstock, who has thirteen games in the database, including a draw with Georges Renaud. Most databases have only the loss to Pillsbury. The database contains no games by an M. Robinson who would have been playing in 1920, but there is a Robinson (no given name or initial) who drew Emanuel Lasker in a simul in 1902. However, that game was played in the US.

It seems strange that so few games of Chatard have found their way into the database.

Not able to access the game, I imagine that it ended in the manner described in the solution.

1...Qh5 2.Be2

"Or else ...Qh3, followed by mate." (Both editions)

Adams adds: "This is a modified position. In the actual game the White queen was on d2 thus allowing the defense 13.Re1, to meet 13...Qh3 with 14.Bf1. Then 13...Ng4 14.Qxh4? 15.gxh4 Bh2+ 16.Kf1 and there is no mate."

My hunch is that while correcting small errors in the text, he moved the queen to e1 to take away the king's escape via f1. However, in doing so, he created a new opportunity for White:

2...Nd2+-

There is no longer a mate threat with the queen going to h3 because White simply snatches the bishop on f3, and absent this threat, there is no reason for the weakening h2-h4 move that leads to Blackburne's checkmate.

For the most part, Adams' editorial comments add a useful layer to the instructive value of this fine text, but changing Exercise 24 took an oversight and compounded it in the name of correction.