french championship 2018

What a dynamism! Usually we wait a month to get the problems of the French championship (ex-Messigny). This year, it is... the same evening! Is this due to Alain Brobecker, the "main judge"?

I think Michel would have been hot under the collar if I had been there, as I recognised the 4# (which I remembered the key), the 5# (I only recognised Giegold, who we were talking about recently), the selfmate 5# and the second 2# (by a Croatian author), which I couldn't remember the solution for, but still... I'll do the others tomorrow and keep you posted.

The other 2# is easy: no vicious tries. The 3# has no interest but is easy. Helpmate 2# is fun, the correct method is, as often, to start with the twin (b). The selfmate 2# also has an obvious key; all that remains is to examine the black lines and not forget anything. The 8# helpmate is very difficult but has not been solved by anyone anyway. The serial help-stalemate is not very difficult, I wasted time not reading the statement and looking for a serial helpmate, which clearly requires less than 14 moves!

I don't know if I would have looked at the isardam in the 2.5 hours allowed (I would have done the study instead, affordable for once). But I noticed that it was shown in Saint-Lazare, the... centre of the world! I don't know when.