april 14 2009

For this last course before a long period of abstinence until June (among chess players, the abstinence begins after Easter!), 2 guests of mark (and of the marquis at the same time) in the person of a quadruple champion of France and of the mother of a former pupil of the course having discovered the enchantment thanks to the Master.
As you can see, the content of this session was extremely dense and exceptionally rich.

To warm up, a composition by King Arthur.

1 - White to play and win - Arthur Mandler

W.: Ke7, Ra3, Bh4, pa5, b5, g3 and g5
B.: Kb4, Rb8, Bh5, pg4 and g6

Magical!
The inextricable block of bishops and pawns on the right side of the board is there only to reduce it to a 5X8 instead of 8X8

then, another treat with a position imagined by Afek (the Master spoiled us before Lent)

Relative relaxation for Daniel: only two helpmates, a classic Krikheli and a minimal one with a single white pawn.

A few 3-movers (one of which is a trap), a rather witty more-movers and a brilliant selfmate, ridiculously underclassed at the Dresden Olympiad competition.

Finally two traditional retros (the weak point of the new generation) and a PG with a promotion waltz.

A Mandler trick that could be presented on a 5 X 8 chessboard. Then an Afekian doubling of a known idea.

A relatively unknown aspect of Chéron: usually preoccupied with records, he is concerned with the aesthetics of mates, makes an "ultra-Bohemian" theory of it and gives a brilliant example of his own.

A questionable but instructive treatment of a pawn endgame by a so-called specialist. Collective hallucination: after 45...a5? (correct 45...a6!!) 46 Kb3 = a4+? 47 Ka3! Kc4, the spectators, excited by the idea of refuting the analyses of the aforementioned, forgot like him 48 Kxa4 leading to a winning Queen's endgame.

Today's game shows us a great player struggling through the worst of it. They can do that... too! Another hallucination: on 24...Ke8? (instead of the fantastic 24...Rd5!!) White has much better things to do than win the quality, namely 25 Rxa4! then 26 Nxc5 and 27 Rb1.

Rest well, the next course is only a month and a half away, on 2 June. It will be the last orthodox course of the season. It will be followed, the following week, by the traditional fairy tale holiday course.

Enjoy your reading

2 - White to play and win - Yochanan Afek

W.: Kd5, Nd1 et e8, pb7 and g6
B.: Kh6, Rb1

After the intro, the position becomes a "tightrope" kind of mood and we can' t see how to prevent black from calling it off

Decidedly, it was a party, since a magnificent position of Cheron arrived on the wall chessboard.

3 - White to play and win - André Chéron

W.: Kh7, Bh4, Nh3
B.: Kb1, pd5 and e3

A pure marvel

The last position is taken from a game played by the Master where he has black and the move.

4 - black plays and does the best of it - Ladisic vs le marquis

W.: Kb2, pc2, d4, e5, f4, g3 and h4
B.: Kb5, pa7, c4, d5, e6, g6 and h5

The Master in his game did not do the best, you have to improve

The game of the day is a fight between men.

5 - Stein - Bronstein

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. Bd3 c5 6. dc (6. Qg4) Qc7 7. Nf3 Nbd7 (Nbc6 is the theoretical move) 8. 0-0 Bxc3 9. bc Nxc5 (9. ... Nxe5 10. Nxe5 Qxe5 11. Be3) 10. Ba3 Bd7 11. Rb1 (11. c4 is playable and has already been played) b6 12. Re1 Rc8 13. Bf1 Na4 14. Qc1 Qxc3, (Nxc3 15. Bd6 (15. Qg5 Nf5) Qb7 16. Qg5 Bc6 17. 17. Ba6 h6 18. Qxg7 Rg8 19. Qf6 Rg6 20. Bxb7 Rxf6 21. Bxc8 Rxf3 22 gf Nd2 23. Rd1 Nxf3+ 24. Kg2 Nxe5 25. Bxe5 with slight white advantage) 15. Ba6 Rc5 (the blacks being severely burnt out, bring out the big game 15. ... Rc7 16. Bxe7 Kxe7 17. Qg5+ Kf8 18. Qd8+ Be8 19. Bb5. Rc8 20. Qd6+ Kg8 21. Bxe8 Rxe8 22. Qd7) 16. Bd3 (threatens Bb4) Nc6 17 Rb3 Qa5 18. Qg5 Kf8 (18. ... g6 19. Qf6 Rg8 20. Bc1 with idea Bh6) 19. c3 h6 (19. ... Nxc3 20. Rc1) 20. Qd2 d4! 21. cd QxQ 22. NxQ Nxd4 23. Rb4 Nf5 24. Ne4 (24. Nb3!) Rd5! (the whites having released the tension a little, the blacks put on a layer) 25. Bc2 Kg8! 26. Rc4 Bb5 (b5) 27. Rc7 Rd7 28. RxR BxR 29. Rd1 Bc6 30. Nd6 g6 31. NxN gxN 32. Rd6 Bb5 g4 fg Rd4 Nc5 35. Rxg4+ Kf8 and the greffier, in zeitnot too, ended up not noting the moves.
The game ended in a draw.

The least we can say is that the draw was not complacent.

For the dining part we had a touch of Guy, a pinch of Jean-Luc and the Master submitted 2 compositions.
Speaking of catering, an address given by Daniel, who is a master of culinary choices:
La trattoria
46, Rue Marius Aufan, 92300 Levallois-Perret
Tel : 01 40 89 38 26
For its Italian cuisine

A little Petkov to get you going

6 - helped selfmate 3 moves 2 solutions with Leos et Locusts

- helped selfmate : White plays and Black helps him until the penultimate move and at the last move White plays and forces Black to checkmate him
- Leo : piece marching like the Queen and needing a sautoir to capture an opponent piece
- Locust : piece also moving like the Queen but needing an opponent's sautoir to move. It arrives just behind the sautoir which disappears

W.: Kg8, Ra2, Lea1 and h1
B.: Kd1, Nf3, pf4, Lef8, Loh8

Very nice aristocratic problem

To finish, a little Chris Feather (Tuesday night)

7 - serial h#10 Circe with neutral pawn and neutral rook-chameleon

- 10-move serial helpmate : Black plays 10 moves in a row and White checkmates them in 1 move
        - Circe: a captured piece is reborn on its original square
        - neutral piece: A two-coloured piece that can be used by both White and Black
        - Chameleon: A piece that transforms according to the N-B-R-Q-N cycle

W.: Kh1, ph2,
B.: Kf1, pe4
neutrals: RCd2, ph7

Good headshot.

So much for this busy session.
Thanks to the Master for this richness in the game he shared with us and thanks also for his electronic version.

Soon for the corrections, the clerk's paw being a bit feverish at the moment.

Have a good read.
Yours sincerely

le greffier