No.329 (SBK)

№329 – This is a very beautiful and complex problem by Mr.Balasubramanian, although there is only one solution! In general, Mr.Balasubramanian has a special feeling for harmony and almost all of his problems present interesting complexes. A typical example is this HS#4.
Thematically here everything is almost brilliant. I think that it is not a great trouble that the problem has only one phase – two phases with such content are obviously impossible..
But there is another – much more important question: is everything perfect here in technical terms?
In such cases, every author can answer to this question firstly himself. Here is necessary a specification: the technical weaknesses must be identified and then analyzed carefully and more detailed. In my practice I use a special plan for this work – the cons are identified and I try to remove at least some of them. Sometimes this process of improvements is too long – it takes a week, month or even year!
Of course, not everything can be fixed. But very often positive technical improvements are possible – in some degree.
As a first step in this direction, it is needed to analyze the functions of white and black pieces which play the role of cook (dual)-stoppers.
In the problem of Balasubramanian, in my opinion, an unpleasant technical piece (cook/dual – stopper) is the white Ph7. It prevents the move VAh7.
Why a technical white pawn, that stands on the seventh horizontal in the role of cook (dual)-stopper is a bad figure –as a general conclusion for all possible problems?The answer is not difficult: such pawn has a significant potential as fighting force (possibility of promotions in different white pieces) but this power remains in thematic aspect unused. This weakness, at first sight minimal, very often is a specific signal for the non-optimal use of the material in technical&aesthetical attitude. On the other hand, this Pawn is a real danger for cooks and duals – because of the possibility to promote to strong figures – Queen, Rook, etc.
Analyzing carefully Balasubramanian’s problem we note that there is also a rather questionable role of the black PAOc7. It is a rear piece in the masked black battery King/PAO. But here the Pao doesn’t have any thematic functions! Can we put here a black Rook on c7 and remove с6 pawn?
Unfortunately not, while the white pawn is standing on h7 – in this case many cooks are possible, for example: 1.h7-h8=Q Kc4-b3 2.Qh8-d4 Rc7-f7 3.VAc2-e4 Rf7-f1 4.Qd4-a4 + VAd1xa4 #. For this reason, probably, author uses black PAO on c7 and and black Pawn on c6.
My analysis showed that the cited deficiencies can be removed. I give just one example that is of course not a “letz form” – surely, other, better improvements are possible:
[img[/img]
1.VAc2-g6 VAd1-a4 2.PAa5-f5 VAc3-a5 3.VAb2-e5 PAb1-b4 4.Pd2-d4+ Kc4-b3 # (Tested by Popeye 4,63)

Thanks, Nicolas! My variation is a technical errors I beg on pardon! The right solution is of course: 1.VAd2-h6 VAe1-b4 2.PAb5-g5 VAd3-b5 3.VAc2-f5 PAc1-c4 4.e2-e4 + Kd4-c3 #.