Ed Van De Gevel Trying to Figure out the Rules of a Futuristic Chess Set
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No. 143 -(VoJ.IX) ISSN-0012-7671 Copyright ARVES Reprinting of (parts of) this magazine is only permitted for non commercial purposes and with acknowledgement. January 2002 Ed van de Gevel trying to figure out the rules of a futuristic chess set. 493 Editorial Board EG Subscription John Roycroft, 17 New Way Road, London, England NW9 6PL e-mail: [email protected] EG is produced by the Dutch-Flemish Association for Endgame Study Ed van de Gevel, ('Alexander Rueb Vereniging voor Binnen de Veste 36, schaakEindspelStudie') ARVES. Subscrip- 3811 PH Amersfoort, tion to EG is not tied to membership of The Netherlands ARVES. e-mail: [email protected] The annual subscription of EG (Jan. 1 - Dec.31) is EUR 22 for 4 issues. Payments Harold van der Heijden, should be in EUR and can be made by Michel de Klerkstraat 28, bank notes, Eurocheque (please fill in your 7425 DG Deventer, validation or garantee number on the The Netherlands back), postal money order, Eurogiro or . -e-mail: harold van der [email protected] bank cheque. To compensate for bank charges payments via Eurogiro or bank Spotlight-column: cheque should be EUR 27 and EUR 31 Jurgen Fleck, respectively, instead of 22. NeuerWeg 110, Some of the above mentioned methods of D-47803 Krefeld, payment may not longer be valid in 2002! Germany Please inform about this at your bank!! e-mail: juergenlleck^t-online.de All payments can be addressed to the Originals-column: treasurer (see Editorial Board) except those Noam D. Elkies by Eurogiro which should be directed to: Dept of Mathematics, Postbank, accountnumber 54095, in the SCIENCE CENTER name of ARVES, Leiderdorp, The Nether- One Oxford Street, lands. Harvard University It is of course possible with any kind of CAMBRIDGE payment to save bank charges by paying Mass102138 for more years or for more persons U.S.A. together, like some subscribers already do. e-mail: [email protected] Treasurer: Harm Benak, Kamperfoeliezoom 50, 2353 RS Leiderdorp, The Netherlands e-mail: [email protected] 494 • , • • . .• " 3.Kxg2, and what now? recently found a way to ORIGINALS - 13 After 3...Kxe2 we reach a combine this challenge editor: Noam Elides standard draw: Black can with extended Zugzwang only relieve the Knight play, and by coincidence Our last column, dedicated from his guard duty by sent the resulting stalemating White on hi. to the WCCT-7 Studies study for this column (via Black can try to avoid this theme, included an by leaving White's pawn post to AJR) as the last arguably thematic original on the board, but after column was going to print. that stretches the theme 3...Kf4 4.e4! (but not By a further coincidence, definition. 4.Khl?Kg3or4.e3+?Ke4 Harold van der Heijden The merits of that study, 5 .KM Kf3) Ke5 5.KM had just completed a such as they be, do not Kf4 6.Kg2!, or 3...Ke4 different miniature based 4.e3! Black must concede include economy of on the same mutual the draw. material: it uses 15 men, Zugzwang when I sent In this last line White including all but one of him the van Tets diagram avoids 4.KM? Kf4! 5.Khl for testing. It is a pleasure Black's pawns. Putting the Ke3! 6.Khl Kf2 and mate to welcome Harold to this WCCT-7 aside, we turn to in three. This is getting column as a composer Albert van Tets for an more interesting: the after all the work he has economical setting of a position after 3.Kxg2 is contributed in testing other similar drawing device: mutual Zugzwang. Can Black lose the move? composers' studies for Yes, by 2...Be4! 3.Qxe4+ soundness and originality: No 12077 Albert van Tets Kxe4 4.Kg2Ke3. So, 3.Q£3+ Bxf3+ 4.exf3 - No 12078 H van der Heijden - but an f-pawn still dooms White to 4...Kf2! and mate in 3. What else can we do? The one hole remaining in our analysis is the very first sentence: l.g8R!! Bb7+/i 2.Rg2 Bxg2+/ii 3.Kxg2/iii and it's a draw as above hle3 0033.21 3/4 Draw after Ke4(f4) 4.e4(e3+)! A remarkable use of a 5- No 12077 Albert van Tets man mutual Zugzwang. hlh4 0004.12 3/4 Draw The introduction seems For some time now No 12078 Harold van der clear: White will Queen van Tets has been Heijden l.Sf3+!/i Kg4 just in time to interpose investigating economical 2.Se5+!/ii Kf5 3.fxe3/iii the threatened Bb7#. settings for drawing Kxe5 4.Kgl!/iv h2+ Lg8QBb7+2.Qg2Bxg2+ R-promotions. He has 495 5.Khl!/v ' Ke4/vi 6.Kg2, treatment of the 50-move Black's material advantage and having successfully rule. This rule is generally is winning (L.Stiller), lost the move White has ignored by composers, but here White has secured the draw, who recognize it as counterplay. Is it enough? i) Black wins easily after an arbitrary and imperfect A) By default the l.Sxfl? e2 or I.fxe3? approximation to the idea stipulation means "WTM Sxd2 that the game is drawn if and Draw", which is done ii) Other normal Knight neither side can make by l.Kb4! Bc2 2.Kc3! moves lose to exf2, progress. simplifying to a 0301 including the stalemate try But there is a genre of draw, e.g. Bb3 3.Nb4+ or 2.Sgl? exf2 3.Sxh3 due to remarkable positions that Nc4. According to Sg3+!. can be retroanalytically Thompson's online iii) 3.Sd3? e2 wins proved to have reached or database, White's first two technically, e.g. 4.Sel Sd2 be on the verge of moves are unique; White 5.Kh2 Kg4 and SD reaching the 50-move has several inferior iv) Not yet 4.e4? Kf4 or limit. The Codex alternatives on move 2 or even Kxe4 5.Kgl Kf3! recognizes this by stating: 3, such as 2.Kc4?, that v) The thematic Zugzwang "Unless expressly lose in some 200 moves, try is 5.Kg2? Ke4, and stipulated, the 50 moves but the fact that this is well now 6.Khl Kf3 7.e4 Kg3 rule does not apply to the beyond the 50-move limit and mate in two as in the solution of chess is irrelevant. van Tets study compositions except for B) A familiar paradox: vi) 5...Kf5(d5) 6.e4+! and retro-problems." What despite appearances, this is 7.Kg2, again avoiding Andrew discovered was an not equivalent with (A), 6.Kg2?Ke4 unintended consequence since Black has no last of this convention. move (0...cxbl=B works We have no Unoriginals No 12079 Andrew Buchanan only on White's side of the this time, but our final board). So it is Black's Original is rather turn, and l...Bf7+ heterodox. Its author, disentangles and wins. Andrew Buchanan, is the But now the new twist: inventor of "Dead since we have invoked Reckoning", which hinges retroanalysis, this is a on the FIDE rules "retro-problem", and for "dead positions" (see White still draws Andrew's recent articles starting -2.Kg5! Kg8! in the Problemist and 3.Kf5(f6)! as long as he StrateGems, or his tutorial can hold Black at bay at <http ://www. geocities for at least 50 moves. .com/anselan/deadreckoni a4a2 0332.00 3/3 Draw Several more examples ng.html>). (a) Diagram (b) rotated can be found at 180 degrees More recently Andrew <http ://www, geocities No 12079 Andrew noticed a similar . com/anselan/CFM.html>. Buchanan Generically opportunity in the Codex Andrew's No 12079 is 496 the only example so far No 12080 D.Makhatadze No 12081 V.Neidze with no captures before 1st prize "Nona-60" (Tbilisi). l.e8Q blQ the 50-move span. It is (Qxa4+;Re4) 2.Rxbl also the only one Qxa4+/i 3.Kh3 Kxbl with a 180-degree twin, 4.Qel+ Kc2 5.Sb4+ Kb2 which raises a further 6.Qd2+ Kbl 7.Qdl+ Kb2 conundrum: 8.Qd4+, with: to check that White may - Ka3 9.Qc3z Qb5 move in (A), we must find (Qxb4;Qal mate) 10.Sc2+ the unusual O...cxbl=B; Ka4 ll.Qal mate, or doesn't that make (A), too, - Kbl 9.Qe4+ Kb2/ii a retro-problem, to which 10.Sd3+ Ka3 ll.Qe7+ d6 the 50-move rule applies?.. 12.Qxd6+Ka2 13.Qh2+/iii b8c6 3354.13 5/8 Win Ka3 14.Qb2 mate. No 12080 Dzhemal i) Kxbl 3.Qel+ Kc2 DIAGRAMS AND Makhatadze (Zestafoni). 4.Sb4+Kb2 5.a5 Qa4 6.a6 SOLUTIONS T.e8Q+ Qd7 2.Sd8+ Kd6 Qb5 7.a7 Qc4+/iv 8.Kh3 editors: John Roy croft 3.Sb7+ Kc6 4.Sxa5+ Kd6 Qc8 9.Qe5+ Kcl 10.Qal+ Harold v.d. Heijden 5.Sb7+ Kc6 6.Bd5+ Bxd5 wins. 7.Sd8+ Kd6 8.Qxe5+ ii) Kal 10.Sc2+ bxc2 Gaprindashvili-60JT Rxe5 9.Ba3+ b4 10.Bxb4 ll.Qxa4+wins. "Nona-60" 2001 mate. iii) If we had wondered "A mating position we see about White's choice of This tourney, apparently in a helpmate! Elegant." square with 3.Kh3, we for Georgians only was To our taste, too many need wonder no longer. judged by David checks for a first prize - iv) 7...Qb7 8.Qd2+ Ka3 Gurgenidze. 42 studies though the Georgian 'style' 9.Sc6 wins. entered by 13 composers, does go in for checking "Three checkmates with all, it seems, from Georgia sequences. active self-blocks by bQ." AJR remarks: a typical No 12081 V.Neidze No 12082 Sh.Tsurtsumia, Georgian initiative =2nd/3rd prize "Nona-60" R.Tsurtsumia oodles of talent, character, =2nd/3rd prize "Nona-60" assertiveness and energy, and a consistent absence of conformity, adherence to formality, objectivity, rules or regulations! Well, what do you really want?! Do actual prizes and knowing what they were matter all that much?! section for wins g4a2 3101.23 5/5 Win d2b5 0000.57 6/8 Win 497 No 12082 Sharko "A 'logical' systematic No 12085 E.Chumburidze Tsurtsumia, Romanoz manoeuvre." 1st hon men "Nona-60" Tsurtsumia (Georgia).