Grasshoppers and fairy conditions 2

Once upon a time I have prepared the file showing 3 problems combining grasshoppers and Circe, more exactly it was more than 6 years ago. By chance I have found among my half-prepared files this one, collecting a few more grasshopper + fairy condition compositions. Not surprisingly, this combination of fairy elements is fairly common, grasshopper being the most popular fairy piece.

In Winchloe Echecs database, there are more than two thousand of such problems, of course, many of then using also other fairy pieces. Nevertheless, it might be quite safely said, that there are hundreds of composition featuring fairy conditions + grasshoppers only. This underlines the power of a huge database: it took me a few hours of coming through the magazines at the time to collect five problems below, while in WinChloe I would have selected tens in minutes...
Waldemar Tura
4th Comm Phénix 1994

1.Ke2! zz,
1...Gxf3 2.Gxg6(pe4)# (2.Gg2?, Gc4?, Gc6?, Ge7?)
1...gxh5 2.Gg2(pe4)# (2.Gc4?, Gc6?, Ge7?, Gxg6?)
1...Gxd5 2.Gc4(pe4)# (2.Gc6?, Ge7?, Gxg6?, Gg2?)
1...hxg5 2.Gc6(pe4)# (2.Ge7?, Gxg6?, Gg2?, Gc4?)
1...Gxd4(pd7) 2.Ge7(pe4)# (2.Gxg6?, Gg2?, Gc4?, Gc6?)

Good use of Sentinelles condition - black error is capture of white pawn what allows white to mate by leaving 8th pawn on e4. Good point is, of course, dual avoidance in 5 variations - everytime white needs to remove flight provided by capture of white pawn.









#2 (10+5)
Sentinelles
1+2 grasshopper
Erich Bartel
3rd HM Phénix Tanagras 1996

a) 1.Ke5(pe4) Gf4 2.Kf6(pe5) Gf7(pf4) 3.Kg6(pf6) Gh5(pf7) 4.Kh6(pg6) f8G#

b) 1.Kf4(pe4) Gg3 2.Kg5(pf4) Gg6(pg3) 3.Kh6(pg5) Gg4(pg6) 4.Kh5(ph6) Gxe4(Ge8)(pg4)#

Two very specific mating positions. In a) black cannot escape 5.Kh7(ph6)?? or 5.Kxh5(Gh8)(ph6)??, in b) Kxg4 and Kxg6 are impossible as Ge8 blocks e8.









h#4 (1+2)
Sentinelles Circe
1+0 grasshopper
b) Sentinelles Anticirce
Venelin Alaikov
8406 Springaren 65 - June 1996

1.bxa1Q(Sg1) 2.Qe1 3.Qxh4(Gh8) Ge5#
1.bxa1R(Sg1) 2.Rf1 3.Rxf5(pf2) f4#
1.bxa1B(Sg1) 2.Bxd4(pd2) 3.Bxf6(pf2) f4#
1.bxa1S(Sg1) 2.Sb3 Sxc5(Gc8) Gc4#
1.bxa1G(Sg1) 2.Ga6 Gxf6(pf2) f3#

Super-AUW. Mate f4# appears twice, but it is given by two different pawns. This helpmate would probably fare well in 15th TT CCM for 5-phase helpmates (see especially the award of fairy section).









ser-h#3 (13+2)
Circe
3+0 grasshopper
5.1.1.1
Yves Cheylan
2nd Prize 7th TT Phénix 1993-94

1.Ga3! th. 2.Qe1# (threat along pin line)
1...Sxg6(pg2) 2.Qxg5(Gg1)# (no check to wK from Gg1 as Gg4 paralyzes him)
1...Gxb6(pb2) 2.Qxc7(Gc1)# (no check to wK from Gc1 as Ga3 paralyzes him)
1...Gxd5(Bf1) 2.Qe3# (Qf4?)
1...Gc6 2.Qf4# (Qe3?)

White queen is 4 times unpinned. Two simpler variations show dual avoidance, two others show very complicated strategy involving both Circe and Madrasi effects combined with powers of grasshoppers and special rebirth squares of fairy pieces generally.









#2 (15+7)
Circe Madrasi
7+4 grasshopper
Günter Glaß
2nd Prize Probleemblad 1993

1.Kxd3(Gd8) Gd2 2.Ke3 Gd3 3.Kf2 Ge3 4.Ke1 Ge2#

1.Ke3 Ge2 2.Kf3 Gg3+ 3.Kg2 Gh2 4.Kxg1(Gg8) Gg2#

Far echo of grasshopper+Circe specific ideal mate.









h#4 (4+1)
Circe
4+0 grasshopper
2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1

Comments to Juraj Lörinc.
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