New ideas in fairy chess 3 - Heffalumps, BiHeffalumps


The four new fairy conditions were introduced at annual Andernach meeting of fairy chess fans in 1999. In this file we will focus on original inventions of Theodor Tauber. He acted as a judge in composition tourney and some of his comments are given below with problems. But let's look first at definitions:

Heffalumps (or MonoHeffalumps): Mutually guarding men (including Kings) of the same colour lose the power to capture (and check) along their common guarding line.

BiHeffalumps: Mutually guarding men (including Kings) of different colours lose the power to capture (and check) along their common guarding line.

All following problems are taken from Andernach 1999 report that appeared in feenschach 132 - 1999. Incidentally, I have no example of BiHeffalumps. Is there any problem in existence or is this still only theoretical invention?
Theodor Tauber
Andernach 1999

Set: 1...Rc8 2.Sfe3 Rc4#

1.Sge3 Rf8 2.Bf3 Kd5#

In set play Black cannot capture Rc4 as knights guard each other along c4-g2 line. In solution is even more - Black cannot by similar reasons capture Kd5 by Ke4 nor by Se3. Instructive.









h#2* (3+4)
Heffalumps

Theodor Tauber
Andernach 1999

Set: 1...Qd4 2.R4f5 Qf4#

1.Kg4 Qe1 2.R6f5 Qh4#

Again helpmate with set play. When white starts, he unpins black rook in special Heffalumps manner and then unpinned rook unguards f4 again in fairy manner. In solution, on the other hand, rook unpins queen and again bK cannot capture mating piece.









h#2* (6+14)
Heffalumps

Colin Sydenham
13th Place Andernach-TT 1999

White mates: 1.Kc4 Qb1 2.Qc3 Kc5#

Black Mates: 1.Kd6 Kd4 2.Qd5 Qd7#

TT: "A simple duplex with characteristic fairy mates."









h#2 (2+2)
Heffalumps
Duplex

Ruud Beugelsdijk
Dirk Borst
Peter van den Heuvel

9th Place Andernach-TT 1999

1.Rb1! th. 2.Qd5+ Qxd5(Qd1)#
1...Qh2 2.Qd6+ Qxd6(Qd1)#
1...Qh3 2.Qxd7(pd2)+ Qxd7(Qd1)# (2.Qd3+? Kxe2!)
1...Qh4 2.e4+ Qxe4(pe2)# (2.Qd4+? Kxf2!)
1...Qh6 2.Qd2+ Qxd2(Qd1)# (2.Qd6+ Qc1+!)

TT: "Another problem based on a mechanism similar to that in 4th-5th Place (see below). I liked the fairy dual avoidance in the variations 1...Qh3 and 1...Qh4."









s#2 (10+5)
Heffalumps, Circe

Ruud Beugelsdijk
Dirk Borst
Peter van den Heuvel

4th-5th Place Andernach-TT 1999

1.Bxe2(Bc8)! th 2.Qb1+ Qxb1(Qd1)#
1...Bxb7(Sb1) 2.Sd2+ Rxd6(Sb1)#
1...Bxe6(Sb1) 2.Sd2+ Qxb7(Sb1)#
1...Qh8 2.Qd8+ Qxd8(Qd1)# (2.Qd4+? Ke4!)
1...Rh5 2.Sg5+ Rxg5# (2.Qd5+? Sxd5(Qd1)!)
1...Rh3 2.Rg3+ Rxg3(Ra1)#

TT: "Qh7 and Rh6 form a battery; White will selfmate by forcing one of them to leave the h-column. The thematic key 1.Bxe2(Bc8) forms a white battery, threatening to open it by 2.Qb1+. The black Queen will have to leave the h-column in order to cancel the white battery, bringing the wQ back to d1 2...Qxb1(Qd1)#. (Of course, White doesn't threaten 2.Qc2+ or Qd3+ because 2...Sxc2(Qd1) or 2...Sxd3(Qd1)!)
This intelligent threat leads to a funny pair of variations:
1...Bxb7(Sb1) blocks b1 but... 2.Sd2+ and now 2...Rxe6(Sb1)# paralysing Sd2, but opening the battery Qh7-Rh6;
1...Bxe6(Sb1) blocks again b1, bu ... 2.Sd2+ and 2...Qxb7(Sb1)#.
The other lateral variants use the same mechanism: 1...Qh8 and 1...Rh5.
Sb4 is utilized very well, while Rg2 is a quiet spectator. I suppose it could still be polished but, anyway, a very good problem."









s#2 (11+6)
Heffalumps, Circe

Comments to Juraj Lörinc.
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