october 9 2007

the greffier's paw

it was a course without the Master of Chess (MC) but with Pierre to compensate (in another register of course).
The session was also well watered, but with fewer snails than last week, the greffier having already crushed a large number of them.
The Master's electronic report is below.

The next session will take place in 2 weeks, i.e. on 23/10

To start with, a real warm-up with the following position.

1 - white to play and draw

W.: Kg1, Bd8, Nh8, pf6
B.: Kg5, Rh3, Nd5, pe6, g2 and g6

It's not all about promoting yourself, you also have to know how to move.

A very nice pawn study for the next one composed by A.Pallier

2 - White to play and win

W.: Kf3, pe4 and h2
B.: Kh4, pg7 and h3

Very refreshing.
To be sought without preconceptions

And now, the strongest move in the world

3 - White to play and win

W.: Ke3, Bb8, Na7 and c7
B.: Kg2, Bf5, ph4

Master's words

Last week's forgotten study with Queen against two pawns.

Continued training with three helpmates: a very easy one if you diagnose the mat well, another one (from Paros) given at the European Solving Championship, a third , long one, with a clear introduction, so that it is really an helpmate 6#..

Four selfmates: one from the great B. Stipa that you discovered a week ago (well... the pb pros knew it a long time ago), a Pauly tribute, a Pauly (those two easy ones), and finally a curious problem with the (well, the pros of the pb knew it a long time ago), a Pauly tribute, a Pauly (those two easy ones), and finally a curious problem that I took the liberty of restoring to my mind. I have taken the liberty of restoring it by the addition of the pawns "h".

Four direct : a curious 6-move by the most brilliant octogenarian I know, a classic by the great Loschinsky
(also given at the European Championship), and finally two 4-move from Pachman (Vladimir, Ludek's brother) : the easy one and the other... euh ... let's talk about something else.

Finally two stories: a traditional one from our national super-GM and an Uzbek PG with all "32 personnaggi" (e un autore).

Solution of all these problems on request, if you suffer too much...

A curious study illustrating Nimzo-Rubin's 1926 "World's Strongest Move" at the other end of the spectrum. Two modern studies that one would think were ahead of their time, but are not. This shows that there are still some gaps where a creator can slip through. And the shortest study in the world (one shot) which was still being performed; a classic from Saint-Lazare.

The solution to the exercise given a few months ago: an illustration of luck in chess (indeed, according to J.-H. Donner, but a listener is spiritually aware that in chess there is luck, but no bad luck) or how to get a title through double blindness. About another title (and another example of luck): the problem I mentioned above (of Pachman and Zepler) made me feel very sorry for myself, although I had solved it thirty years ago (as evidenced by the asterisks in my albums), and above all, it looks very much like Pradignat 3-shot to which. ... I have taken Michel from 2mn 30 in 2005 ! I enclose it so that you can judge for yourselves.

A game with Daniel (who plays the black goal better) on the theme: it is not enough to think (and rightly so) that a goal is bad, one must also be able to cover its ruthlessness. And another one with the same White driver, but in blitz. What idiot once said that blitzes should not be analysed ?

Have a nice meal

Master's diagrams

Impressive

As the solutions are not given in this report, you will not be allowed to solve the exercise set by
the Master before the holidays and we move on to the first game of the day.

4 - first game of the day

1. e4 d5 2. ed Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd8 (3. ... Da5 is the usual move or Dd6 more fashionable) 4. d4 g6 5. Bf4 (to drop a pawn) Bg7 6. Qd2 Nf6 (6. ... Qxd4 7. QxQ BxQ 8. Nb5 Bb6 9. Nxc7+ Bxc7 10. Bxc7 with equal equipment but the pair of bishops or 6. ... Bxd4 7. 0-0-0 Nc6 8. Bb5 Bd7 9. Nd5 ! e5 10. Nf3 ! f6 11. Rhe1 Kf7 12. Nxf6 ) 7. 0-0-0 c6 8. Bh6 0-0 ? (8. ... Bxh6 !) 9. h4 ! Qa5 10. h5 ! gh (10. ... Nxh5 11. Be2 Nf6 12. Bxg7 Kxg7 13. Qh6+ Kg8 14. Ne4) 11. Bd3 Nbd7 12. Nge2 Rd8 13. g4 ! Nf8
(13. ... hg 14. Bxg7 Kxg7 15. Qh6+ Kg8 16. Bxh7+ or 13. ... Nxg4 14. Rdg1) 14. gh Ne6 15. Rdg1 Kh8 16. Bxg7 Nxg7 17. Qh6 Rg8 18. Rg5 Qd8 19. Rhg1 Nf5 ? (19. ... Qf8 20 d5 Bd7 21. d6 Nf5 22. QxQ RaxQ 23. Bxf5 Rxg5 24. Rxg5 h6 25. dxe7 Rb8 26. Rg3 or Ne4) 20. Bxf5 resigns

5 - game 2 (en blitz)

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5 4. Nc3 fe 5. Nxe4 d5 6. Nxe5 de 7. Nxc6 Qg5 8. Qe2 Nf6 9. f4 Qxf4 10. d4 (10. Ne5+ c6 11. d4 Qh4+ 12. g3 Qh3 13. Bc4 Be6) Qh4+ g3 Qh3 12. Bg5 a6 13. Ba4 Bd7 14. Bxf6 gf 15. Qxe4+ Kf7 16. Ne5+ fe 17. Rf1 Ke7 (17. ...
Kg8 de !) 18. Bxd7 Kxd7 19. Rf7+ Ke8 (Be7) 20. Rxc7 Bd6 21. Rxb7 Rc8 22. 0-0-0 Qxh2 23. de Be7 24. Rxe7+ (Qa4+ Kxe7 25. Qb7+ Ke6 26. Qd7+ Kxe5 and the whites will mate a few moves later

For the restoration part, the audience went to its new usual address and, friend Guy having forgotten his ammunition papers, the Master brought out his equipment (in all honour, of course)

A bit of Masand to start with

6 - PG 11 moves Masand
proof game : from the starting position with all 32 pieces to the position of the statement in the required number of moves
Masand : a piece that checks causes all the pieces it controls to change colour

B.: the 16 pieces on their initial square except e2 --> e3 and g2 --> h4
B.: the 16 pieces on their initial square except e7 which has disappeared, d7 --> d6 and f7 --> f4

It's an MC, so it's elegant in a relaxed way.

a reverse help to follow

7 - hs#2 Masand 2 solutions
helped selfmate : white plays and black helps him to build up a position where he himself will be forced to checkmate them (W-B-W-B# to be clearer)
2 solutions : there are 2 distinct ways to satisfy the statement

W.: Kb4, Qg6, Nd5, pc4
B.: Ke5, Qd1, Ra5 and e1, Bb2 and b8, pb3

Wonderful

Now you have to take a bottle out of the Grandpa's drop.
We're approaching the Moebius strip, which means we need to have brutal to drink.

8 - PG 4,5 moves vertical Möebius
vertical Möebius : this is achieved in a home-made way by connecting the corners a1 h8 and h1 a8 but it should be possible to explain it in a more scientific way

W.: all pieces on their initial square
B.: all the pieces on their initial square except b7 --> b5 and g7 --> g4

a) la position de l'énoncé
b) = a) without pg4

Very interesting but a bit hard to swallow

To finish a little trip in the transmuted Kings

9 - h#2 Transmuted Kings
helpmate : blacks play and help whites to checkmate them

W.: Ke6 Qh3, pc7
B.: Kc8, Qa5 and h8, Rf2 and g7, Bf8 and g2, Nc4, pb5

a) position
b) = a) without Bf8

Very elegant

It remains for me to wish you a good reading.
And see you soon for the hairy bits that are sure to stick out.

Yours sincerely

hairless 1

1st game of the day: variant 10...Nxh5: I still prefer (perhaps wrongly) 14 g4! (simpler) to 14 Ne4 Re8.

2nd game of the day: variation 10...Kg8: the continuation is 18 Rf6! (18 dxe5 Be6) Re8 19 Bb3+ Kg7 20 Rf7+ Kh6 and only
now 21 dxe5.

In sum, a quasi faultless performance of the master-greffier.

Two clarifications concerning the "restaurant" part:

-- There was a second "Moebius strip" more elegant than this one.

-- It is a mistake to believe that Guy is being arrested because he is "undocumented". His prodigious memory has given us a good dozen works,
varied and fascinating (although sometimes very "intellectual", much more so in my opinion than the aforementioned ribbon).

Have a good time

hairless 2

as the Master pointed out in his correction, some were missing on the restoration part.
two positions made "remaining pocket"

In the Möebius first.

P.G. 4 moves vertical Möebius

W.: all pieces on their starting square except Ng1 which has disappeared
B.: all pieces on their starting squares except pb7 and Bf8 which have disappeared and been replaced by the King, and pe7 --> e6