JT “PIV-90”
Direct two-movers with black promotions to fairy pieces leading to mates with white promotions to fairy pieces. The key and threat (if any) must not be promotions. The position has to be legal, i.e. possible in a game with P promotions allowed to the fairy piece(s) used in the problem. Any fairy pieces allowed, but no fairy conditions
Prizes in chess literature | Judges: Kjell Widlert and Valeriu I. Petrovici | Sendings until 30.11.2021 to d.i.nicula@gmail.com
An example is: Yves Cheylan, #2, 2nd prize, Boyer MT, 1988 (reprinted in The Problemist, Sep. 2021, diagram 25, p.187).
This is the diagram:
#2 (d1=Rose, g8/h8=Leo)
1.LEç4! [2.Fd4‡]
1…b1=RO 2.b8=RO‡
1…b1=LE 2.b8=LE‡
(1…b1=D 2.LEf1‡
1…R×g4 2.Fé4‡
1…é×f2 2.b8=LE‡
1…b1=F 2.b8=LE,LEf1‡)
It is not immediately obvious that 1…b1~ opens guard to the flight g4 (by the Rose d1) allowing the two promotion mates! Nice idea!
Is a magic piece a fairy piece? In other words, is https://pdb.dieschwalbe.de/P1315393 thematic?
“Magicalness” is an attribute. So, strictly speaking, promotion to magic pieces can only happen with (already) magic pawns. But see my suggested workaround (https://juliasfairies.com/jt-piv90/#comment-52860)!
As noted in the FCCP, the properties of most conditions and boards can be applied to specific pieces to create new types of pieces. WinChloe has many such examples. This would effectively bypass the restriction on fairy conditions!
The requirement of a “legal” position, where any fairy piece must have come about by promotion is interesting. This rules out things like Alfils, Equihoppers and Dabbabas on odd-numbered ranks!
Fairy Pieces with “attributes” like neutrality, paralysis, transparency, “chameleon-ness” are also ruled out, since promotions to such pieces can only take place by pawns already having such attributes. And how does one get pawns with attributes by promoting “normal” pawns? 😉
The only way would be to state a (new) rule that pieces with attributes can appear by promoting normal pawns! This is also required for the possibility mentioned in my first post. The new rule would also require that there be no pawns present with attributes!
Whose Jubilee it is? PIV is quite cryptic
It’s the jubilee of one of the judges, Valeriu I. Petrovici (“VIP”). Don’t ask me why the initials are written backwards.