Madrasi only "en passant"

Ivan Skoba published in Pat a Mat 29 very interesting long article about Madrasi thet focused on specific effect - temporary paralysis of pawn that just made double-step and can be captured en passant. As the text is really long, I am not going to translate it entirely, although it could have been interesting. But I provide problems that appeared in it with solution and some brief comments, that are meant to simplify understanding.

The inspiration for Ivan's article came from seeing the definition of Madrasi in Michal Dragoun's excellent dictionary of chess composition terms in Czech, that sounded approximately:

Madrasi: the units of the same type, but of opposite colours, that threat themselves, are paralyzed. The paralysis needn't be mutual, e.g. ... in the case of en passant capture (in position wpc2, bpb4, after move c2-c4 is white pawn paralysed for 1 move, while black isn't, it means that pawn, that just double-stepped, can be captured en passant). Paralysed unit looses whole movement and activity, except the ability to paralyse...

Although he knew Madrasi well before, Ivan got the idea of exploring the property from definition expressed in italics in seriesmovers. For example see series helpmate or series direct mate. But probably the nicest rendering of the idea in seriesmover together with many reflex traps can be found in series reflex mate.

Already well known is the idea of using the trick for finishing the stalemate by forcing the temporary paralysis of white pawn that attacks black king, what would after any move of Black lead to selfcheck. Helpstalemate by Ladislav Packa is the good example. Other hybrid problem shows that the state of position depends on the preceding moves and although that is known also in orthodox chess (e.g., ability to castle, ability to capture e.p.), here it is shown in a very easily seen manner - mate and stalemate are different things.

The other idea that was explored by Ivan in article, is connected with ornamental positions. I quote quite interesting helpstalemate with two connected positions.

As the last, there is a twomover, that was left to our solvers. After reading the article it shouldn't be too difficult.

I know that the simple idea of one-sided temporary paralysis isn't new and Ivan knows that too, but I liked very much the way he drilled so much from one simple sentence in definition he has by-the-way seen. If you have any questions or suggestions about matter, he would be happy to get them at skoba@inetnt.gymzl.hiedu.cz.
Ivan Skoba
Pat a Mat 29 - June 2000

1.a5 2.Ka7! (pa5 is paralyzed, move by bK is a part of natural sequence of moves) 6.a1S 8.Sxc5 9.Sa6 10.c5 11.Sb8! (pa5 is paralyzed, move by bS is a part of natural sequence of moves) 15.c1Q 17.Qa8 22.d1B 24. Bb7 Bc5#

Units on king's flank prevent cook with black Ka1.









ser-h#24 (6+6)
Madrasi
Ivan Skoba
Pat a Mat 29 - June 2000

(It is necessary to kill bpf3) 13.Kxg2 27.Kxg5 42.Kxf3 (pe2 is free, way for wK via e2 will be shorter) 43.e4 55.Kf6 56.c4 (only now! - as it isn't check, white can do the following move) 57.Kxf5# (double check by two pawns!)









ser-#57 (7+12)
Madrasi
Ivan Skoba
1st Prize e. a. Kutna Hora 2000 C 9.9.1999

Series reflex mate is very sophisticated genre as was shown also by 2nd WCCT. Here white must avoid many reflex traps. In diagram position is the mating final clear - it suffices to block a5 and b5 by pawns and this allows cxd3#. But:
1.b4 2.a5 3.b5?? cxd3# - 3.bxc5#
More sophisticated try:
1.Ka5 2.Kb4 3.Kc3 4.Kc2 5.Kxc1 6.Kc2 7.Kc3 8.Kb4 9.Ka5 10.Ka6 11.Bd2 12.Ba5 13.Bb6?? - 14.Bxc5#
Other way for white bishop can be via h4-e1-a5-b6, but: 1.f4?? 2.~ - 3.fxe5#
How to avoid these devilish reflex traps? White king must help!
6.Kxg6 7.Kh6 8.f4 9.Bh4 (pf4 is paralyzed) 11.Ba5 12.b4 13.Bb6 (not 12.Bb6 13.b4 14.b5?? - pawn is paralyzed) 14.b5 And now only white king returns to a6 and white blocks a5 by pawn. But mate fxe5# reappears in the moment of wK departure from h6. It turns out, now white bishop must help. 18.Bf6 How can now white king return to a6? Not through 8th rank! After entering f7 or f8 we would have 4th reflex mate - Bxe7#! So wK must return through first rank, finishing excellent round trip: 19.Kxh5 20.Kxg4 28.Ka6 29.a5 cxd3#









ser-r#29 (10+12)
Madrasi
Ladislav Packa
Die Schwalbe 1991

1.Rb4 b3 2 .c4 Qxe5+ 3.Kc5 d4=
1.Rc4 c3 2.d4 Qg6+ 3.Kd5 e4=
1.Rd4 d3 2.e4 Qh6+ 3.Ke5 f4=

Triple echo.









h=3 (8+7)
Madrasi
3.1.1.1.1.1
Jan H. Verduin
7564 feenschach 130/1998

a) 1.Sxf2 Rd3 2.Se4 Rd4 3.Sf6 gxf4#

b) 1.Sxg3 Rxf4 2.Sh5 Rd4 3.Sf6 f4=

The same position is checkmate or stalemate - depending on the preceding play.









h#3 (6+6)
Madrasi
b) h=3
Ivan Skoba
dedicated to Ludo Lehen
Pat a Mat 29 - June 2000

1.e5 Rh3 2.Ke7 Bg5+ 3.Ke6 Re3 4.e4 Bh3+ 5.Ke5 f4=

1.d5 Ba3 2.Kd7 Bb5+ 3.Ke6 0-0 4.d4 Re1+ 5.Kd5 c4=

Echo model stalemates.









h=5 (8+16)
Madrasi
b) e2 -» h3
Ivan Skoba
Pat a Mat 29 - June 2000

The problem for solvers. Solution will be given after its appearance in printed Pat a Mat.









#2 (12+6)
Madrasi

Comments to Juraj Lörinc.
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