october 21 2008

For this session, we deplored the absence of Daniel, who was excused (but he will probably be back for the course of 18 November), but to compensate, there was the return of Abdel and the arrival of a newcomer whose talents as a solutionist are no longer to be boasted (welcome Jean-Louis).
As usual, the enriched electronic version is at the end of this email. Thanks to the Master.
The next course will be held at the usual location on 18 November.

To warm up the neuron, a little light position.

1 - Do White, which have the move, succeed in drawing ?

W.: Kc3, pa4
B.: Ke4, pa7 and b6

As an interlude, Abdel presented a mate position in 9 moves, but the rules of publication forbid a detailed statement.
Nevertheless, it is a problem with a very nice mechanism to look for when it comes out.

A small position with a surprise from the boss.

2 - White to play and win (find especially the 3rd white move)

W.: Kg1, Qd1, Ra1 and e1, Bf3 and h2, Nc5 and e5, pa2, b2, c3, d4, f2, g2 and h3
B.: Kg8, Qd8, Ra8 and f8, Bc8 and h8, Nd6 and e6, pa7, b7, c6, e7, f7, g6 and h7

Four helpmates for the convalescent Daniel: none of them are difficult. The Indian helpmate is even obvious. Then a study-problem by our friend Abdelaziz, a regular at Saint-Lazare and present this evening (but I had selected this problem before I knew it!).
And two direct 3# (the Dutch can trap). A selfmate 8# (with solution) showing a maximum of effects, which should therefore please Guy. And a s#6 (Gamnitzer) to look for where Black wakes up himself the figure that will play the main role.
Finally an Uzbek PG, a real Bishops story...

An elementary pawn endgame as a run-in. A mini-combination whose first move is obvious but... had you foreseen the third, rather atypical one?

Some time ago, we had seen a curious reversal in a tournament game, which could be avoided by a rook sacrifice disrupting the promotion of an opponent's pawn. I confessed that I did not know of any study on the subject, but that some certainly existed. Indeed : Mattison had already thought of it.

This defence will be turned by a "Roman deviation" (does anyone know the origin of this expression: "Roman theme"?). Two other reasons make this study topical: a similar offensive procedure was found in the 3rd study of the championship in Jurmala. And the composer is... Latvian!

Finally, a bizarre and rather simple B/N ending, starting with a rather surreal move, and ending with a decentralising King move.

An exemplary game of "if I can't win a position like this, I'll never beat that guy" defence. The guy in question was not just anyone... but neither was his opponent. White's player essentially makes three mistakes, by playing his knight on... the same square. And a fourth one by putting the same Knight on another square... of the same file!

Have fun, and take a breather: see you on November 18th.

A combination that starts well, but black has a defence on which it is necessary to take the sledgehammer blow

To follow, a very nice study with some traps

3 - White to play and win

W.: Kd1, Nh6, pa6, b5 and d2
B.: Kh8, Re6, Bg7

There is no possibility to switch the first and second white move

And a little exercise to finish the studies

4 - White to play and win

W.: Kg1, Be4, pe5
B.: Ka8, Nc1, pc6 and g3

5 - game of the day

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 ed 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bc 7. Bd3 d5 8. ed Qe7+ 9. Qe2 QxQ+ 10. KxQ cd 11. Nd5 Kd8
(11. ... Ba5 12. Bf4 Kd8 13. Rhc1 Bd7 c4 Re8+ 15. Kf1 dc 16. dc Re4 is better for Black)
12. Rd1 c6 13. c3
(13. Nd4 is cleaner)
13. ... Re8+ 14. Kf1 Bf8
(a nice retirement with recycling planned on g7)
15. Nd4 Kc7
(a bit provocative, well in the habits of the black player, Bd7 was the most reasonable)
16. Bf4+ Kb6
(he puts a layer the bugger, 16. ... Bd6, 17. Bxd6+ Kxd6 18. b4 a5 19. a4 Ne4 20. Nxc6 Nxc3 21. Rdc1 ab and everything seems to be in order)
17. a4 a5 18. b4 ab 19 a5+ Kb7
(19. ... Rxa5 20. Rxa5 Kxa5 21. Bc7+)
20. cb Ne4
(20. ... Bxb4 21. Rcb1 c5 22. Bd6 is bleeding but 20. ... Bd7 21. b5 c5 22. b6 c4 23. Bf5 BxB 24. NxB c3 25. Rdc1 Ne4 26.
f3 Nd2+ 27. Bxd2 cd 28. Rcb1 g6 29. Nd4 Rxa5 30. Rxa5 Bb4 holds up)
21. Nxc6 ?
(White's player is a sacrifice player, there was better: 21. a6+ Kb6 22. Rdc1 Bd7 23. Be3 Bxb4 24. Rab1 c5 25.
Rxb4+ cb 26. Nb3+ allows to conclude)
21. ... g5! 22. Bxe4 Rxe4 23. Nd8+ Ka6 24. Bxg5 Be6 25. Nc6
(25. Nxe6 fe 26. Rdc1 Kb5 27. Rc7 Bxb4 28. Rb1 and it's a little tight in the thong for black)
25. ... Bg7 26. Rac1 Rc4 27. Be3 Kb5 28. Na7+ Kxb4
(28. ... Ka4 29. Rb1)
29. Bb6
(29. Rb1+ Ka3 30. Rd2 Rxa7 31. Bxa7 Bc3 and the Bishops begin to talk)
29. ... Rc3?
(29. ... Bf5 or Bb2 were still better)
30. Rb1+ Rb3 31. Nc6+ Ka4 32. Bd4 Bxd4 33. Nxd4 Ra6 34. Ra1 Kb4 35. Ke2 Bd7 37. Nc2+?
(Zeitnot, 37. Kd3 or Ke3 would have been better)
37. ... Kc3 38. Ne3 Bb5+ 39. Ke1 d4 40 Rc1+ Kd3 41. Rd1+ and draw was agreed.

A nice old-fashioned fight.

To finish your brain, a bit of Peter Harris seen during the meal.
Fasten your seatbelts.

6 - serial h#6 ultra-patrol, opponent's pawn sentinels , Einstein Chess (it's enough ?)
serial helpmate 6 moves : black plays 6 moves in a row and white checkmates in 1 move (or rather half a move)
Ultra-patrol : for any movement, it must be controlled by a piece of its own side
opponent's pawn sentinels : any moving piece deflates an opponent's pawn on the starting square of the move (pawn movements are not affected)
Einstein Chess : according to the p-N-B-R-Q cycle, pieces progress or regress depending on whether or not they capture

W.:
B.: Kg4, Nf6

Yes, you are not dreaming, there is no white piece, they will come with the successive defecations.

In the same vein and by the same author.

7 - serial hs#5 ultra-patrol opponent's pawn sentinels Andernach (the belt withstood the frontal impact ?) 2 solutions (that's all)
serial hs#5 coups : black plays 5 moves in a row after which white plays and forces black to mate in 1 move
Andernach : when a piece is capturing, it changes colour
2 solutions : there are 2 distinct ways to satisfy the statement

W.: Kd5, pc6
B.: Rc8, Ba8, pb7 and b5

To help you, there are only 2 possible black moves 1. b6 and 1. bxc6 (=pbc6)
It does not seem that there is any problem of legality of the position thanks to the Andernach characteristic

That will be all for today with an unusual Harrisian density.
"Harris sonne fort" (for friend Pascal Depyl) said the clerk who for the occasion was dressed in the Indiana hat.

Of course, friend Guy presented some of his work, and you can only enjoy it if you subscribe to the 50 problem magazines in which he officiates!

I hope you are still alive after these alien statements and wish you all a good read.

Yours sincerely

Le greffier