py_20180306

1 - a) #2 b) s#2 c) h#2 d) h=2

Myllyniemi, M.
1966

white Pg5c6e7e2 Sc4 Ba4 Kd3 Rf6 black Pe3d4c5c7d6e6f7g6 Kd5 Sh8

#2(8+10)
b) s#2
c) h#2
d) h=2

Solution

{

} a) {#2
} 1.e7-e8=S ! {followed by} 2.Se8*c7 #{

} b) {s#2
} 1.e7-e8=B ! zugzwang. 1...e6-e5 2.Ba4-c2 2...e5-e4 # {

} c) {h#2
} 1.e6-e5 e7-e8=Q 2.e5-e4 + Qe8*e4 # {

} d) {h=2
} 1.e6-e5 e7-e8=R 2.e5-e4 + Re8*e4 {=
AUW.}

2 - White to play and draw - circé

Tar, G.
2018

white Pf3h7 Kf1 Bf4 black Qe3 Ph3 Kh4 Rf7g7 Bc8

= Circe(4+6)

Solution

{

} 1.Bf4*e3[+bQd8] ? Rg7*h7[+wPh2] {
} 1.h7-h8=Q + ? Rg7-h7 ! 2.Qh8*h7[+bRa8] Rf7*h7[+wQd1] 3.Qd1-e1 + Kh4-h5 ! {

} 1.h7-h8=R + ! 1...Rg7-h7 2.Rh8*h7[+bRa8] + 2...Rf7*h7[+wRh1] 3.Rh1*h3 Bc8*h3[+wRh1] 4.Rh1*h3[+bBc8] Bc8*h3[+wRh1] {
Perpetuum mobile.}

3 - s#2 sat with royal Grasshopper

Turner, N.
2017

white Qh4 Pb5 white Royal WGf4 black Qa1 Pf7f6a2b7 Sa8h8 Bb3 Rc2 black Royal BGa4

s#2 SAT(6+14)
🨟f4, 🨥a4: Royal Grasshopper

: In "SAT", a King is in check when... it threatens to play on a square where it is not in check in the traditional sense! Thus, bQ, bR & bB are pinned, because the royal grasshopper must not have access to a1, c2 & d1. It is checkmate if the King cannot deny himself this "free" square. SAT was invented by the Slovakian problem solver Ladislav Salai (hence "sa", the "t" being the end of the word "mat") at the end of the 20th century.

Solution

{

} 1.b5-b6 ! {blocus
} 1...kBGa4-g4 ? {is illegal because the Royal Grasshopper would have an uncontrolled escape on e4.
} 1...Sa8-c7#? {because the white royal grasshopper cannot be prevented from having the b8-square;
and 2 Kb8 immediately is a self-check (d6-square), like Kxf7 (b7 & f5-squares)

} 1...f6-f5 2.Qh4-d8 + {(essentially check d1 & d4)} 2...Bb3-c4 # {(...Rc4+ illegal); it's mate because} 3.kWGf4-b4 {cannot be prevented
} 1...Sh8-g6 2.Qh4-f2 + {(essentially check c2 & d4)} 2...Rc2-c4 # {(...Bc4+ illegal); it is mate because} 3.kWGf4*f7 {cannot be prevented
} 1...Sa8*b6 2.Qh4*f6 + {bK has access to the uncontrolled square g4.} Sb6-c4 # {Legal because ...d4 is a leak for RNa4, but controlled by the wQ. And it is mate because} 3.kGf4-b4 {cannot be prevented.}

4 - s#2 patrol with set play

Cheylan, Y.
2005

white Kb1 Rg7c2 black Pc4 Ka1 Bh8

s#2 Patrol(3+3)
set play

: a piece can only capture if it is patrolled (observed) by a piece of its side

Solution

{

Rg7 is pinned: its departure would activate the bR and therefore be a self-check.

Apparent Play :
} 1...c4-c3 2.Kb1-a2 + 2...Ka1-b2 # {

Real Play :
} 1.Rc2-g2 ! zugzwang. 1...c4-c3 2.Rg7-b7 + 2...Ka1-b2 # {

After the key, we would apparently have a new s#2 whose key would be 1 Rc2! (souitche baaaaaack)}

5 - h#5 2 sol with set Play köko marin mao

Loerinc, J.
2001

white NAd5 Kc3 black Ke4 Rd6

h#5 Köko(2+2)

set play
2 sol.
🨷d5: marine Mao

: Knight creeping with first 1 rook step and then 1 bishop step
marin Mao : moves like a Mao, but can capture the opponent's piece on the rook step
. A particular kind of Locust with a Knight twist
. For example, if we were not in köko, there could be MMd5(xd6)-e7 or c7.
: at move landing, a unit must be in contact with another unit

Solution

{

Set Play :
} 1...NAd5-f4 + {(via e5 ; checks because threatens MMf4(xe4)-d3 or d5)} 2.Ke4-d3 NAf4-e2 + {(threatens } 3...Kc3*d3 {)
} 3.Kd3-c2 NAe2-c1 + {(double check either by the King and by marin Mao)} 4.Kc2-b1 {(legal as } 4...NAc1*b1-a2 {is illegal in köko !)} 4...NAc1-b3 5.Rd6-d3 + ! NAb3-a1#! {
And not} 5.Rd6-d2 NAb3-a1 + 6.Rd2-c2 ! {(preventing MMa1(xb1)-c2. Ni} 5.Rd6-d4 NAb3-a1 + 6.Kb1-c2 ! {)

Real Play :
} 1.Rd6-c6 {(don't check)} NAd5-e3 + {(checks as threatens } 2...NAe3*e4-d5 { legal in köko)} 2.Ke4-f3 Kc3-d3 {(tempo)} 3.Kf3-f2 Kd3-d2 4.Kf2-e1+ Kd2-d3 5.Rc6-c3+! NAe3-f1#! {

} 1.Ke4-d3 NAd5-e3 + {(double check)} 2.Kd3-c4 Kc3-b4 3.Kc4-b3 NAe3-c2 + 4.Kb3-a4 Kb4-c5 5.Rd6-c6 ! NAc2-a3# ! {
And not } 5.Rd6-d5 ? NAc2-a3+ 6.Ka4-b5! {

Triple echo.
This 5th honourable mention is presented in a conference by Mr Ridley, who points out that the higher ranked works were "complex". A diplomatic way of saying that most of the award-winning fairies are undrinkable.}

6 - h#2 2 solutions back-to-back

Ganapathi, G.
2017

white Sa3 Be4 Ke1 black Kc1 Rb8

h#2 Back-to-back(3+2)
2 sol.

Back-to-back : if two pieces of opposite colour are "back to back", for example a white one on e5 and a black one on e4,
they exchange their roles. Suppose a white knight e5 and a black bishop e4.
White to move, the knight plays as a bishop, black to move, the bishop plays as a knight.

Solution

{

Try :
} 1.Rb8-b2 ? Be4-f5 {(or elsewhere)} 2.Rb2-a2 Sa3-b3 + {(because he caught the Rook's march)} 3.Ra2-b2! {the Knight, moving momentarily as a Rook, no longer attacks the bK
(and not} 3.Kc1-b2 {because the Knight, now King, would put the bK in check)

} 1.Rb8-b3 Be4-d5 2.Rb3-d3 Sa3-c2# ! {
The Knight acquires the King's march, and so is checking,
bK acquires the Knight's march, and so is dominated.

} 1.Rb8-f8 Sa3-c4 2.Rf8-f4 Be4-c2 # {
Bishop acquires the King's march, so it checks;
the bK acquires the Bishop's march, so it is dominated

In each solution, the path of the black Rook is made unique by the figure not checking :} 1.Rb8-d8 ? {&} 1.Rb8-b4 ?

7 - h#2,5 2 solutions take & make

Comay, O.
2017

white Pa7d4e4f3 Ka5 Rh8b6 Bd5h3 black Bb5 Kc2 Qb3 Pe7f7c3d3 Sa4b2 Rc4

h#2.5 Take&Make (9+10)
2 sol.

: When you make a capture the "take"), you must make a second move with the march of the captured piece the second move (the "make") must not be a capture.

Solution

{

} 1...Rb6*b5-c6 {This could have been played directly, but thanks to the "take & make",
the rook was able to capture the black bishop for the same price.} 2.Qb3-b8 Rh8*b8-b3 3.Kc2*b3-b7 Rc6*c4-c7 # {
The bK cannot capture c7, as the subsequent rook move would put him in a hold (...Kxa7 illegal)
. And if wR had not captured his counterpart before landing on c7, there would be 3...Rxc7-c6! parrying the double check.
Finally, the bK cannot capture a7 because the "make" would send it to a8, which the bB controls

} 1...Bd5*c4-c6 2.Qb3-e6 Bh3*e6-b3 + 3.Kc2*b3-e6 Bc6*b5-d7 # {
the bK cannot capture d7, as the following Bishop move would put it in a capture;
and if the bB had not captured his counterpart before landing on d7, there would be 3... Bxd7-c6! parrying the double check

. Invisible" captures;
the piece could arrive directly on the same square, but it has made a small diversions, so that an opponent's piece has disappeared.}

8 - h=3 2 solutions super-transmuted Kings chameleon

Mlynka, K.
2013

white Chameleon Kg3 black Chameleon Pb2g2g4e6

h=3 chameleons(1+4)
Super-transmuted Kings
2 sol.
b) e6-->e5

: a unit (other than the King) transforms with each move according to the N-B-R-Q-N cycle
. : a King in check acquires the march of the piece that puts him in check ...
and retains that march

Solution

{

} a) 1.cPb2-b1=cR cKg3*g2 2.cRb1-b2=cQ + cKg2*g4=Q=rcS 3.cQb2-e5=cS cSg4*e5=cB {
} 1.cPb2-b1=cB cKg3*g4 2.cBb1-e4=cR + cKg4*g2=R=rcQ 3.cPe6-e5 cQg2*e4=cS {

} b) bcPe6-->e5 {pe6-->e5
} 1.cPb2-b1=cQ cKg3*g2 2.cPg4-g3 cKg2*g3 3.cQb1-e4=cS + cKg3*e4=S=rcB {
} 1.cPe5-e4 cKg3*g4 2.cPg2-g1=cR + cKg4*e4=R=rcQ 3.cRg1-b1=cQ cQe4*b1=cS {

3/4 of AUW.}

9 - h#2,5 2 sol with dragon

Rallo V.
2017

white Kh5 DRc5 black Kf8 Bh8h7

h#2.5 2sol.(2+3)
🨢c5: Dragon

: Knight + Pawn

Solution

{

} 1...Kh5-g5 2.Bh8-f6 + Kg5*f6 3.Bh7-g8 DRc5-d7 # {

} 1...DRc5-c6 2.Bh7-g6 + Kh5*g6 3.Kf8-g8 DRc6-e7 # {

Echo chameleon (not related to the previous problem).}

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