Since Chicco's problem, shown in the club a long time ago, we know that the Nightrider is unleashed on a cylindrical chessboard. Imagine him, then, on a toric chessboard! The German sorcerer took up this bet. He shows us a position where both sides are stalemated, while Black, especially, has apparently a lot of moves. And this problem, of venerable age of 32, could not be verified by computer. At least at the time it was composed, because I believe it has been since then.
An anecdote about the famous "nightrider". Some sites, engines or magazines which note in innegliche strangely use the "S" ("springer") to designate the Knight, instead of the usual "N" (from "kNight", but avoiding confusion with "King") which is favoured by all the English players I have faced in my life (Miles, Flear, King, Hebden, Conquest, Kosten, Ward, Howell and all those I forget). And also the favour of the "fen" notation used everywhere to effortlessly create diagrams. Upon investigation, it turns out that some fine minds wished to avoid confusion with the "Nightrider". This is rather laughable, but even more so when one considers that this proposal was made (at least according to my information) at the Piran congress in 1958 by... the future founder of the Endgame magazine ! Can't you see the link ? Neither do I: it's crazy how many nightriders we meet in the endgames...
The rest of the programme will be illustrated extensively (and brilliantly) by our waibe masteur. And maybe Daniel will make, about the growing men, a retro exposé ! In the meantime, to facilitate the access to both points of view (the "partial retro-analysis" and the "limitation of history"), we add the famous problem of Armand Lapierre, mentioned a little everywhere but unreported during the course.
For the retroretives, a strange and serious problem, where past and future... merge.
Finally some training problems. Four #2: don't confuse the try and the key in the first one, in the second one, there is no try, it's just if there is a key, the two others are French, a festival of pins and a 2X3 "Zago". The first #3 is strategic, but ingenious. The 2nd is surprisingly rich for its economy. The 3rd is a masterpiece: Achtung! Hartong! The last one too, with 6 mats models. Let's stay with the two #4: that the Havel has as its theme two model mats in echo, when one expects an orgy of heavy pieces, leaves one stunned.
Two sympathetic helpmates, a selfmate of initiation, finally a harder one just in case you'll be in good shape.
Merry Christmas and appointment if God wills it on January 5th of this year (will she still be happy?) 2016.
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