july 1st 2025

This last lesson before the summer break saw the arrival of a newcomer who happens to be a former pupil of the Master's from the days when he used to tease mathematics!
Welcome to him.

As usual, the correction of the first exercise took us a few hours, to which must be added those spent by the Master in writing the report on this specific exercise, another big piece, therefore, even if the position seems simple.

As for the rest, the correction of the exercises was quickly cleaned up to leave time for the day's game (actually 4), which was quite abundant, to be dissected.

To round things off, a beautiful fairy wave to prepare for summer surfing.

No exercise for the next session, as the neurons need to rest.

We hope you enjoy the rest of this issue and look forward to seeing you in September, when we'll be announcing the date in due course.

Master's word

"Yesterday it was to protect you, today it's to look after you. I don't want it" (Gabin to BB in "En cas de malheur" de Cl. Autant-Lara, 1958).

"There's a rose in a fisted glove And the eagle flies with the dove And if you can't be with the one you love Love the one you're with" (St. Stills, 1970). https://youtu.be/cZyj6GECjZ0

"Lilywhite, I never knew her name but she'll be passing my way sometime again" (Cat Stevens). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otTb77zJUxU

"This is my whole doctrine: the natural triumph of evil over good and the supernatural triumph of God over evil. Therein lies the condemnation of all progressive systems, by means of which modern philosophers, deceivers by profession, lull the people to sleep, those children who never leave childhood." (J. Donoso Cortés).

"The worst threat to freedom is not that we let it be taken away - for whoever has let it be taken away can always win it back - it is that we unlearn to love it, or that we no longer understand it.“ (G. Bernanos, 1947).

"Freedom is a target, an abstraction that is valid as long as action is governed by it. If we achieve it, boredom will kill us." (M. Krleža).

"The French have made a name for themselves as the most skilful architects of destruction that have yet existed in the world. In this short space of time, they have completely destroyed the very foundations of their monarchy, their church, their nobility, their laws, their public revenues, their army, their navy, their trade, their arts and their manufactures... Had we conquered France, we should be ashamed that an English commission, sent for its government, imposed on the French laws as harsh, as destructive of their national importance, as those they have imposed on themselves." (Ed. Burke, speech of 9-2-1790).

"El Salvador regrets that an ageing, over-regulated, energy-dependent bloc, lagging behind technologically and run by unelected bureaucrats, continues to want to give lessons to the rest of the world." (N. Bukele). Superb reply to "la hyène", a thousand bravos Nayib.

"Couldn't we have avoided a bloodbath? -- Tell that to his mother" ("Cobra", 1986).

"Why aren't these criminals locked up? -- You have to tell the judges: we lock them up, they let them go." (ibidem).

"Come, the evening will be paved with beautiful women -- I'll come belly down" (S. Guitry).

Today's endgame is linked to the first course of the year https://lecoursdumaitre.e-monsite.com/en/pages/lessons/cat-2025/january-7-2025.html Depending on the location of the Black King, White (twice), then Black, must play differently. A lot of mini-studies to savour slowly this summer.

Then a case of double harassment with one less Rook, finally a heroic Queen in front of the Black army. No holiday homework, it's the last lesson before the summer!

Today's game is a four-game in one, on one of my favourite openings, of Austro-Hungarian origin. he opening presentation is much more developed than usual. But that's nothing compared to the complexity of the middle game, in which one of the best players in the world is pushed to the limit, twice within 3 years of each other. Hold on tight!

A curiosity: the move g3-g4!! is decisive 4 times, to give air to the White King, then to take some away from the Black King, but also for a different reason.

I'm currently looking through a marvellous book entitled “Problemschach”, published in Berlin in 1984, at a time when the “DDR” still existed and its “democratic-sic” character was well known. It contains 407 problems and studies (320 of them by East German composers), remarkably selected and commented on. At the last course, we gave a few extracts from it, and we'll be continuing with more (you've got all summer!).

In the book, without my knowing it: Brehmer (courses of 12-1-2010, of 3-7-2018), Hegermann (27-11-2018), Leopold (2-10-2018), Weber (28-4-2020 & 21-6-2022) and Vetter (16-2-2010, in addition to the one mentioned in the last course).

I found the 2# easy, except for the 5th. The 1st shows us a curious AB-BC-CA cycle, but where? The 7th is a record, the 8th has 6 attempts like the 9th, the 10th only 3. In the last two, the key piece is obvious, but where to play it?

Of the 3#, only the 4th & 5th will take you a little time. I'll leave you with the solution to the first 4# and the last 5#, which you really need to know. And a few others too. Finally, two "maximum-selfmates" (Black is constrained to the geometrically longest move) and a circe, for once outside the fairy section.