9th TT Chess Composition Microweb C 17.6.2002

One of main goals of CCM is to promote fairy chess, even among newcomers to chess composition or strictly orthodox composers if they find way to this site. Our previous thematical tourneys weren't aimed in this direction, their themes were e.g. change of defence motives in 5th TT, antibattery mates in 6th TT, mates by hopping pieces over enemies in 7th TT, Grimshaw in fairy problem in 8th TT. This all sounds very technically... and although their winning works are regularly very good compositions, they are often too complicated. So here we are with something really different...

Announcement

Chess Composition Microweb announces formal thematical tourney for "popular" fairy problems using either only one type of fairy pieces (e.g. grasshoppers, nightriders, leos, locusts, ...) or only one fairy condition (e.g. Circe, Patrol chess, Andernach chess, Madrasi ...). Popular means that the problem should show some strong idea that catches the eye and provokes positive emotions, so that the problem can be used in some way for the promotion of fairy chess. (That's the reason why only one fairy element is allowed, too many fairy elements tend to repel, you know.) The stipulation is free.

Judge: Václav Kotesovec (Czechia).

Prizes: 3 books Slovensky vyber.

Entries should be sent by email to juraj.lorinc@bigfoot.com before June 17th 2002. (or possibly by snail mail to Juraj Lörinc, ul. CSA 333/27, 018 41 DUBNICA NAD VAHOM, Slovakia, but e-mail is preferred). The award will be published at Chess Composition Microweb.

Please, let know your friends about our competition!

Examples

As the theme is by no means precisely defined, judging will require a lot of experience. That's the reason for choosing Václav as the judge, he is one of people able to compare problems of very different nature thanks to his own composing interests that are very wide.

CCM showing now almost 2000 chess problems contains also a lot of thematical examples for our 9th TT. The inexactness of theme definition means that not all following examples, commented as I see them, can be accepted by some people and the views can be very different. So look at them, if you want, express your opinion, send me other problems that are worth noting, let yourself be inspired and compete in 9th TT CCM. :-)

Fairy direct mates

#2 with Patrol chess by Theodor Tauber & Shlomo Seider - White exposures his king to four checks,
#2 with orphan by Juraj Lörinc - black bishop opens and closes orphan "lines" that run around whole board,
#2 with Circe by Theodor Tauber - White exposures his king to four checks, gives flight and mates 4 times by rook battery,
#2 with grasshopper by Franz Pachl & Markus Manhart - four tries by rook are refuted four possible pawn moves,
#2 with Pocket knights by Ronald Turnbull - the mates are given by pocket knight in complete wheel - fresh idea
#4 with Patrol chess by Michal Dragoun - spectacular parallel walks of two kings are in very different directions,
#5 with Patrol chess by Michal Dragoun & Juraj Lörinc - two walks of white king,
#9 with Double minimummer by Pavel Kamenik - white sacrifices knight and promotes to other one that can be better used for mating.
#10 with kangaroo by André Bantegnie - Onitiu systematical movement is extended to excelsior of two pawns and leaps of three black kangaroos - very well done

Fairy helpmates

h#2 with Mars Circe by Frantisek Sabol - six promotions out of eight played moves,
h#2 with Andernach chess by John Rice - series of captures in two opposite directions,
h#2 with vertical cylindric board by Theodor Steudel - very popular AUW (allumwandlung - promotions of pawns into four orthodox pieces in one problem) uses double checks typical for cylindric board,
h#2 with mao by Petko A. Petkov - reciprocal white promotions to knight and to mao
h#2 with Madrasi by Lev Grolman - army of black queens is made powerless by single white queen
h#2 with Mars Circe by Alexander Bulavka - 12 promotions out of 16 halfmoves
h#2 with grasshopper by Václav Kotesovec - exchange of places of certain pieces is almost always appealing, here it is done 4 times
h#2 with grasshopper by Chris J. Feather - 3 grasshopper promotions and 3 mates by doublecheck by wQ+wG
h#3 with No captures by Juraj Lörinc - the same mate with blocking typical for No captures is repeated,
h#4 with Madrasi by Hans Moser - exchange of places of two rooks of different colour,
h#4 with Circe by László Anyos - selfprotection of white king using captured black pawns closing black lines,
h#4 with Andernach chess by Göran Wicklund - unexpected underpromotion is the only way to provide White with mating material,
h#4,5 with moa by Miroslav Henrych - cyclic exchanges of places by both sides,
h#6 with Circe by Jan Hannelius - all six black units are reborn and block,
h#6 with reflecting bishop by Adam Sobey - two marches - linear one of bK and excelsior of wp ended by fairy promotion
h#7 with equihopper by Roméo Bédoni - 4 equihopper promotions,
h#8 with Beamtenschach by Chris Tylor - very precise cooperation of both sides leads to fairy mate with immobilised bR
h#50 with locust by Tichomir Hernadi - well known long journeys of white king, whose aim is to provide black with tempo move, are well determined by locusts and the length of helpmate is really exceptional.

Fairy selfmates

s#2 with Mars Circe by Frantisek Sabol - promotion of bp to all pieces known as AUW with Mars Circe specific motivation,
s#2 with Maximummer by Unto Heinonen - AUW in mutate form,
s#2 with grasshopper by Juraj Lörinc - special unpinning of black pieces and special doublecheck mates,
s#3 with Maximummer by Nils Adrian Bakke - 4 black promotions are answered by 4 white promotions
s#4 with Maximummer by Daniel Itzhaky - 4 black promotions are cyclically answered by 4 white promotions
s#9 with Anticirce type Cheylan by Juraj Lörinc - two linear marches of kings use a lot of Anticirce batteries,
s#17 with nightrider by Sergej Smotrov - mating position is already there, only one black pawn is preventing successfull selfmating, spectacular battery play eliminates this weakness,
s#23 with Patrol chess by Juraj Lörinc - white king is followed by white bishop and then black bishop by promoted white queen,
s#24 with nightrider by Sergej Smotrov - one white bishop must be slightly moved, but white must do that carefully as black would strike back immediately

Special example files

Popular fairy problems 1 - direct mates,
Popular fairy problems 2 - helpmates without promotions,
Popular fairy problems 3 - selfmates,
Popular fairy problems 4 - seriesmovers,
Popular fairy problems 5 - direct mates.
Popular fairy problems 6 - helpmates with promotions.
Popular fairy problems 7 - helpmates.
Popular fairy problems 8 - less usual stipulations.
Popular fairy problems 9 - direct mates.
Popular fairy problems 10 - selfmates.

Results

Many thanks to mr. Václav Kotesovec for his very quickly prepared, knowledgeable and comprehensible award. We had 40 problems competing, it is unusually high number. The tourney was very successful thanks to the following authors that submitted their compositions:

Reto Aschwanden (Switzerland)
Kevin Begley (USA)
Gerard Bouma (Netherlands)
Juraj Brabec (Slovakia)
Johannes J. Burbach (Netherlands)
Michel Caillaud (France)
Alessandro Cuppini (Italy)
Krzysztof Drazkowski (Poland)
Bedrich Formánek (Slovakia)
Georgij Jevsejev (Russia)
Juraj Lörinc (Slovakia)
Dan Meinking (USA)
Miodrag Mladenovic (USA)
Karol Mlynka (Slovakia)
Daniel Novomesky (Slovakia)
Mangalam R. Parameswaram (Canada)
Manfred Rittirsch (Germany)
Ivan Skoba (Czechia)
Sergej Smotrov (Kazakhstan)

And here are the winners:
Award by Václav Kotesovec

Here are the comments of judge to non-awarded entries and comparison problems.

Send any claims against this award to Juraj Lörinc before October 31st 2002, please.

As no claims were received, the award becomes final.

Again many thanks to everyone who helped tourney success in whichever way. We also invite you to take part in already 10th TT Chess Composition Microweb.

Comments to Juraj Lörinc.
Back to main page of Chess Composition Microweb.