My works 24 - 30

1.Rc2 Bd8 2.Qb2 Ba5#
1.Bc2 Bh4 2.Qb3 Be1#

One of my very few miniatures, originally composed for theme tourney with double blocks. Of course, it had no chance against complex strategic compositions, but it has some nice analogy in itself.

Personal rating: C.

a) 1.Qc7 c5+ 2.Bxc5 Qe6#
b) 1.Qe4 e3+ 2.Bxe3 Qh2#

Rather skinny composition, but there is interesting background beneath it. You see again 2 blocks by black in both phases, but this one wasn't composed for the above mentioned competition. Another Slovak national tourney asked for h#2 with captures of white pieces that has just moved. This idea of active sacrifice held me for a while because of a big paradox in it: black is helping white by capturing of his material. I collected rather interesting collection of h#2 with this theme from my very limited sources and I experimented with it for a while - these works will be presented here, of course. There can be very various motivation for white sacrifice - tempo, defending against check, need to give a meal for capturing pawn, making a place for a black piece that cannot go away other way, white need to leave current position when capture square turns out to be the only harmless, etc. But there was no one position with this motivation because of opening of white lines. So I did it. I succeeded to finish it with model mates, double blocks and only Sg8 preventing cooks.

Personal rating: B.

1.Re1 Rxh8 2.Bxh8 Qxh8#
1.Bd4 Bxh1 2.Rxh1 Qxh1#

Again active white sacrifice, unfortunately not very original - very closely anticipated by Emil Klemanic with his h#2 from The Problemist. Here is the motivation for white sacrifice the need to make place for black piece

Personal rating: D.

1.Kc7 c8 2.Kxc6(pc7) c1 3.Kxc5(pc6) c2 4.Kxc4(pc5)! g3 5.Kc3 c4 6.Kxc2(pc3) c5 7.Kxc1(pc2) c6 8.Kxc8(pc1)! e3 9.Kc7 ... 16...e2 ... 24...e1 ... 32...e8 ... 40...e7 ... 48...e6 ... 51.Kxc5(pc6) c2 52.Kxc4(pc5)=

This theme tourney was devoted to royal linear marches and this I consider to be good performance. The prize was taken by Paul Raican for a very nice Wenigsteiner in Augsburg Chess and I got 2nd place! My composition is again rather skinny and mechanical - black has no way to defend yourself actively, he only runs to sad end. But the mechanism allowing linear march 52 moves long is very interesting, isn't it? It was found during the vist of my uncle and cousins from east Slovakia in Dubnica, they were already sleeping late at night, I was sitting over empty chessboard trying to catch any idea. Then I noticed that on of my cousins is turning only in one direction - lied on left cheek, then on back, on right cheek, on face, on left cheek, so around - and I got it! White heads around the cylinder to his goal.

Personal rating: B.

1.Sd6? th. 2.Sc4#
1...pBh2 A 2.Rd3#
1...ppc5 B 2.Qd3#
1...ppf5 C 2.Sgf3#
1...a3!
1.Sd4! th. 2.Sdf3#
1...pBh2 C 2.Rd3#
1...ppc5 A 2.Qd3#
1...ppf5 B 2.Sgf3#

Cyclic change of defence motives for the same defences in two phases without changed mates is called Mlynka theme - and this theme held me for a while too... Here I show it with paralysing motivation:

1. direct paralyse of threating unit
2. indirect paralyse of threating unit
3. indirect covering of mating square by closing paralyse line

Intention: Black king is catched on 2 squares and all white must do is to capture bSh6 with king. But it turns out that (1.Kh5? Kh7!) white must loose tempo somewhere... It is possible only in triangle a7-a8-b8, so he must go with his king for a long journey: 1.Kh3 Kh7 2.Kh2 Kh8 ... 15.Ka8 (Kb8) Kh7 16.Kb8 (Ka8) Kh8 17.Ka7 ... 32.Kh5! c5! (and again until black makes all available pawn moves) 328.Kh4 Kh7 329.Kh5 Kh8 330.Kxh6#.

Durbar (white makes all moves with king), very mechanical, with duals, but very long.

Unfortunately no solution as I (as well as editor) didn't notice black king is not catched on h7, h8, because wRg2 is paralysed from bRd2... Later corrected and prolonged.

Personal rating: D.

1.Sf5+? RGb4!
1.Sc6+? RGe3!
1.c6? th. 2.Sf5#, 1...RGe3!
1.Ba8? th. 2.Sc6#, 1...RGb4!
1.RGd1! zz
1...RGe3 2.Sf5#
1...RGb4 2.Sc6#

Dombrovskis theme with unusual kings. Inspired by twomover by Michel Caillaud (orthodox miniature, tries and solution promotions). Phénix solvers regretted some tries with the same threats.

Personal rating: C.