september 29 2009
This is the first edition of the season's course.
The audience was unfortunately deprived of two important elements held back by some microbes or virus, depending on the situation.
That said, and to take up a comment made by our friend Daniel, Guy's use of WinChloe enables him to produce some very well-crafted works! (sic)
In compensation, we had the right to the visit of Michel and Pierre, accompanied by Eric.
As he is used to do, the Mestre concocted the electronic version of the course before his departure for Brazil from where, we hope, he will bring back (with Michel) some trophies (Brazilian thongs torn off on the beaches?).
To begin with, a few amusements (of choice all the same, the Mestre has good taste in hors d'oeuvres).
Something light to start with
1 - White to play and win
8/6K1/8/8/8/Bk4p1/8/1N6
W. : Kg7 Ba3 Nb1
B. : Kb3 Pg3
(3+2)
It looks simple, but beware!
To follow a very nice looking club player position
2 - White to play and draw
8/k1p5/Pf3p2/8/2R4K/7P/4b3/8
W. : Kh4 Rç4 Pa6h3
B. : Ka7 Bb6é2 Pç7f6
(4+5)
In a slightly finer vein, the following is very interesting
3 - White to play and win
8/8/1NK5/p6P/1p2p3/1k6/8/8
W. : Kç6 Nb6 Ph5
B. : Kb3 Pa5b4é4
(3+4)
The following one is quite serious
4 - White to play and win
1k3Nb1/8/2K5/3P4/8/8/8/8
W. : Kç6 Nf8 Pd5
B. : Kb8 Bg8
(3+2)
And the last one, the bomb!
5 - White to play and win
8/1p3p1p/p5b1/P1PPP1P1/7k/2K1P2P/8/8
W. : Kç3 Pa5ç5d5é5g5é3h3
B. : Kh4 Bg6 Pb7f7h7a6
(8+6)
A fight that seems calm at first, but it gets hot pretty quickly
6 - Game of the day
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6, 3. Nc3 d5 4. cd Nxd5 (ahead of his time) 5. Nf3 c5 6. e3 Nc6 7. Bd3 Be7 8. 0-0 0-0 9. a3 cd 10. cd Nf6 11. Bc2 (Re1 is the usual move) b6 12. Qd3 Bb7 13. Bg5 g6 (it was starting to heat up) 14. Re1 Re8 15. h4 Rc8 16. Rc1 Nd5 (the return Qd6 was suggested without fear of Nb5, the Ra8 having crossed the critical b8 square) 17. Ne4 (Nxd5) f5 (let's go) 18. Nc3 (return) Bxg5 (Nxc3 19. bc Na5 20. Ba4 and after Re7 c7 Black is not so bad) 19.Nxg5 Nf4 20. Qe3 Qxd4 (Na5 21 Be4 and then it's a mess) 21. Nb5 Qxe3 (Qd5 22. Qxf4 Qxb5 23. Nxe6 Qxb2 24. Qh6 with the idea Bxf5 or 21. ... Qxb2 22. Qxf4 Qxb5 23. h5 Qb2 24. Nxe6 Ne7 25. Qg5 and it makes sense with a large volume of space and tactical possibilities for White) 22. fxe3 Nxg2 !? 23 Kxg2 Nd4+ 24. Be4! Bxe4+ 25. Nxe4 Nxb5 26. Nf6+ Kf7 27. Nxe8 Rxe8 28. a4 Nd6 29. Rc7+ Kf6 30. Rec1 h6 31. Rxa7 Ne4 32. Ra6 Rd8 33. Rc2 (Fearless Rxb6 was fine, but White is starting to be "short of time" for the 40th move) Rd3 34. Rxb6 Rxe3 35. a5 f4 36. Rf2? (Rb4 solves potential problems) Nxf2 37. Kxf2 Re5 38. b4 Re3 (switchblack) 39. a6 Ra3 40. Rc6? (b5) g5 41. hg hg 42. b5 g4 43. Rc8 Kf5 44. b6 g3+ and the clerk ended up in zeitnot(e) but if you want more info it's in the Mestre's electronic account or in "My 60 best games" of who you know.
For dessert, taken at the table, an interesting genre with bicolour chess.
Bicolour chess: the pieces behave normally, except that the squares they control are not accessible by their own King
example : if the white King is on e1 and the white Bishop on f1, Re2 is impossible
To begin with, pure Michel
7 - h#3
8/B4p2/8/1k6/7p/P4p1B/3Pp2p/4K3
W. : Ké1 Ba7h3 Pa3d2
B. : Kb5 Pf7h4f3é2h2
h‡3 (5+6)
Bicolore
2 solutions
A real little gem!
A little heavier
8 - hs#2,5
1r6/4Q3/2K4B/5k2/2b4p/8/6R1/6n1
W. : Kç6 Qé7 Rg2 Bh6
B. : Kf5 Rb8 Bç4 Ng1 Ph4
hs‡2,5 (4+5)
Bicolore
2 solutions
And the last dessert
9 - #2
8/1P1pp3/3Pp1BK/2p1B3/1P2n3/R1pK4/2RNO3/6N1
W. : Kh6 Ra3ç2 Bg6é5 Nd2g1 Pb7d6b4 Oé2
B. : Kd3 Né4 Pd7é7é6ç5ç3
‡2 (11+7)
Bicolore
Anticirce
h=Rose
Just to clarify, these 3 positions are from the same competition and Michel won the first prize.
It remains for me to wish you all a good reading.
See you on October 27th with some Brazilian accents brought back by the Master
Yours sincerely
Welcome to this new school year, as they 
say. We're sticking to tradition with a few problems we've found during the summer that will make your clothes a bit messy after the beach and, worse, the return to the office. A lot of helpmates for Daniel: only the Navon and the Garai can give some trouble. Don't miss the eight (!) solutions from Abdu.
A few directs too: a festival of "Novotny" in 2 moves. Then a superb classic with four mats changed, compared to a plausible, unavoidable attempt, rather than an abstruse "set play"... à la Lacny (I'll make enemies, but I don't care). A beautiful cyclic 3-moves by an author (Gafarov) I had never heard of, two more light ones. An easy strategic 4# and an easy spiritual 5# by Dr. Speckmann.
Two selfmates of a genius. The one in 3 is not difficult, if you think that batteries are very useful in selfmate. But it is extraordinary. The second one is a fantastic intellectual adventure: if you need help, don't hesitate: the "fake-master" knows how to be paternal, some say even "paternalistic".
Finally, two retros for Eric, including a masterpiece (in traditional style) by our former world champion.
The studies were deliberately chosen to be very easy, to allow time to study the game, which is monstrously complex. The opposite will be true for the next course (in almost a month, God willing, after a trip by Copacabana).
The first one is a one-move deal. It was presented on a forum where the best and the worst meet. Then follows: a Kubbel echo stalemate (or almost); two pleasant sub-promotions; and finally an orgy of pawn breakthroughs.
To make you laugh again, a game that was described as a pure fireworks display. Of course, Fischer was not doing well, but what superhuman energy... The middle of the game is colossal, but the final even more so.
See you on Tuesday 27 October.
Have a good time.
AV
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