june 17 2008

For this last session of the season devoted to fairy chess, we deplored the lack of continuity in transport which delayed the start of the lesson, with Daniel (the Key Master) obliged to take his car (the last straw for a retired SNCF employee) to compensate for the work stoppage of a certain category of staff.
One would think that everything possible was being done to sabotage the intensive intellectual exercise that is the Master's course. To crown it all, there was a hecatomb with the absence of Guy, Pierre and a certain number of other fairy-tale lovers.
The Grand-Master was nevertheless present accompanied by Eric to complete the audience.

You will find at the end of this report some holiday homework concocted by the Master. Thanks to him

We start off very strong with a very attractive (or repulsive depending on the camp) genre.

1 - #1 (!) magnetic chess

     magnetic chess : a moving piece attracts the opponent's pieces and pushes away the pieces of its side that are on a horizontal or vertical line. Kings are not attracted or repelled.

W.:   Kc3, Bd7, Ne3, pb4
B.:   Kb5, Bc6, Na6

Very disturbing rule

Another very suspicious rule

2 - #2 Single Combat

      Single Combat : a piece that has played continues to play the next move (after the opponent's move, therefore) until a legal impossibility prevents it from doing so.
 

A little training for the holidays (and in case you come to Jürmala).A few helpmates, a remarkable long helpmate "with Set Play", which means that besides the 10.5 moves solution, there is also a 10 moves solution; then a festival of the great
Christopher ("you know something is happening but you don't know what it is, do you, Mister Jones ?").


A 6 moves selfmate from the double battery specialist: both thematic variations are easy and indicate the key, the threat is a bit harder. As for the Gamnitzer, it is difficult, of course, but rather less than usual, the key and the first two moves of the threat being found rather quickly by elimination. I leave the solution for the less alert (click on "training" anyway).


Directs : a 4# warm-up with Set play (make Black play their only move, then mate in three). A curious "Christmas tree" in 5 moves by Pauly, easy but less than you would think. Another one (in 4#) by Pauly, a little miracle of pretty
mates. A fun and easy 5# from a famous 19th century duo. Two three-moves: one classic and one modern. Finally three problems #5 rather complex moves where, again (I'm too kind) I omitted to remove the solution. The austrian
Problem is a blockade after the key (i.e. there is no threat, Black is expected to weaken) but also after the 2nd move, which is rarer. And in the Russian problem, it seems incredible that the key also establishes a
blockade. What may well be the weakening of the move 1...h3, for example?


Finally two retros from the latest FIDE album, a PG (from our national super-grand master) and a traditional one. The PG is more difficult than the tradi, but nowadays, few people continue to cultivate the traditional retro, so for most of them,
it can be the opposite.


The master greffier will tell you about the fairy part, and in particular about the continuation of the tribute to Jean Oudot.


At dinner, an albione-like book was mentioned, not as bad as one might think, a sort of replica - albeit less successful - of the famous "Spectacular Chess" by Fornasari and Haik, published a quarter of a century ago. The English work dates from 1995, but
it has just been republished, which perpetuates serious errors, a wrong study, a wrong problem, absurd combinations of games, but has two merits: the number of diagrams is increased, which makes it easier to read on the bus, and a tenth chapter is published, containing a PG of our national super IGM mentioned above MC. I rather extract a "bohemian" 4# from Vladimirov which seemed difficult to me. We know that there are echo-mates, but which ones?


See you at the beginning of October, and may God bless you.


AV

Some retro analysis to support the solution

Chess changes its soul (as Philidor might have said) in the following problem.

3 - h#8 with Berolina pawns

      Berolina pawns : pawns advance diagonally and capture by advancing vertically

W.:   Kh1, Bf1, pba2, c2, e2 et g2
B.:   Kg6, pbb3, d3, f3, g7 et h3

Nice footwork in this rather disturbing kind of rule.

A small diversion through the geo-political news.

4 - h#2 Circe TibetCirce Tibet with twin

In the tradition of the fairy session, here is the theme of the evening: a tribute to the creativity of Jean Oudot.

To begin this homage, the start of the Circe rule

5 - h#2  Circe with 8 variants

A very nice initiation problem

A major problem to follow

6 - #2 with Grasshopper

A wonder

A small ride through the selfmate.

7 - s#2 maximum with Grasshopper, Nightrider and Meharis

a direct mat now with an "Andersenian" theme

8 - #6 with Grasshopper and NightRiders

Very clean

The privilege of youth (the right reflexes) to conclude the tribute.

9 - reflex 2 moves with Grasshopper and Camel

This was the end of the tribute to Jean Oudot.

A small riding tour now.
10 - h#2 with English Equihopper 3 solutions

A few Chinese pieces to counterbalance the Tibetan Circe (a bit of equality of expression !) 

11 - h#2 2 solutions with Paos and Vaos

Wonderful 

At the restaurant, Daniel took out of his pocket 2 completely normal positions

To start a kasparyan study :

12 - White plays and wins

W.:   Kb3, Rh3, Bd3, pa6 and b4
B.:   Kc8, Rb6 and d6

Very pleasant to look for, with a beautiful final picture

Then one by Rinck

13 - whites play and win

W.:   Kd6, Qb6, Bc7, pc5
B.:   Ka8, Re8, Bb5, pa6, c6 and e2

To help you a little, we can ask a question like "which piece surely not mate".
I have told you too much
To close this part of the dinner course, Eric showed us one of his creations that I unfortunately cannot reproduce because it has not been published beforehand, but which will make its way because his idea is really original.

That will be all for this season.
See you tomorrow for corrections.
Good reading to all and happy holidays.

Yours sincerely.

The greffier

Zebra hair

In problem 7, it is a white zebra in b1, not a nightrider. You'll tell me that it will disappear very quickly. Yes, but
The blacks are thus allowed, in addition to making meharis, to make zebras too, finally, to promote as zebras.

I haven't detected any other hair, but who knows?

Happy holidays

AV