november 28 2006
3 times 3. A strange 3# that is actually a 2# in disguise. Why is that? An helpmate 3#: 3 solutions but only 2 types of mate. A selfmate 3#: a bit tortuous in appearance but has two nice variants.
Study dating back 30 years but given at this year's European Solving Championship. The white king strangely flees the centre, as it has to control... an angle! Then a Romanian study which made dry two prestigious solutionists in the same event. Details on request.
A middle game by the brilliant Ukrainian Didukh. An apotheosis of the well known theme of the staircase, with black counter-staircase, plenty of stalemate and... antipat!
A most acrobatic variation in the day's game, where White's pawns fly away, replaced by threats of mate on black squares against the home bK. Later, White has a Queen against two rooks, with 3 passed bound pawns, yet this requires him to have flawless technique.
Following a drunken table conversation (the conversation, the table too, though my legendary clumsiness has the tact to spill only water), a series ending in a quadruple pinning.
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