Julia's Fairies

Julia's Fairies

Fairy chess composition

A Chess Problem Tribute to the James Webb Space Telescope!

External Events & Adds / Thematic Compositions 6 Comments

A Chess Problem Tribute to the
James Webb Space Telescope!

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched by NASA on 25-Dec-2021, is the most powerful telescope ever launched into space and is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. It is expected to look farther than the Hubble and has created great excitement among the astronomer community. It will uncover details to study and understand the earliest formation and evolution of Galaxies, Stars and Planets, including the origins of life.

When faced with all these new vistas, one is reminded of our own TRD’s words, from the envoi to “Ultimate Themes”, 1938: “Fairy problems have the limitless geometry of space before them, with life, fire, exquisite beauty, in rich and growing and never-ending profusion.“
https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Webb_Space_Telescope

#2
Immobile BKd4 (Cannot move or capture)

The layout of the JWST’s 18 mirrors immediately suggests a hexagonal chessboard which was covered in our classification project. So, here is a hexagonal chess problem to celebrate the JWST!

Chess Problem: Hexagonal Board with 19 squares: a1-a3-c5-e3-e1-c1

Rooks move through the sides of the squares. Bishops move through the corners. Pawns move vertically through the sides of the squares towards their bottom rank (here a1-e1 for BPs) and capture through the edges of the squares to the left or right.

Solution:
1.Re1-c3! ZZ
1…Ra2-b3 2.Rc3-c5#
1…Ba1-b3 2.Rc3-c4#
1…Rd1-d2 2.Rc3-e3#
1…Bc1-d2 2.Rc3-d3#
Double Grimshaw + 4 mates by WR
Tries: 1.Rb3+? R/Bxb3! 1.Rd2+? R/Bxd2! 1.Rxd1+? c2xd1=Q/R/B/S! 1.Re3+? Bxe3! 1.Re2? ZZ Rb3/Bc5!

Shankar Ram

Andernach Meeting 2022

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breaking news – Andernach Meeting 2022

In the last two years, the Andernach meeting had to be cancelled due to COVID19 — now it will take place again: May 26-29 at the Ristorante Bellini, Hochstraße 39, 56626 Andernach, Germany.
We will meet there on May 26 from 17:00.

Please organize your own accommodation, but inform Thomas Brand (t.brand@gmx.net) about your participation and possible contributions to the program.  A solving tournament (a bit different than usual) is planned.

Until May many greetings – Hans Gruber and Thomas Brand

The Fairy Chess Classification Project – March 2022 Update

Fairy Classification 6 Comments

The FCCP – March 2022 Update

After the initial release in April 2021, the last release in August 2021 covered some 476 elements. No updates to the database have since been made. This was mainly due to our decision to implement a new format wherein alternative classification choices could be shown together. While this “Grand Unified Theory” is still under progress, we are happy to present some new  classification ideas by Thomas Maeder, Maryan Kerhuel and Chris Tylor. These will, hopefully, be eventually integrated into our GUT!

T.M. model coloured by NSR
  1. Back in May 2021, Thomas Maeder proposed a classification model for the Stipulations group. It used a two-dimensional matrix for the “Play” group. His original outline is here and a slightly modified and coloured version by NSR is here.
  2. Maryan Kerhuel started work on a classification model for the Conditions group from October 2021. He has included the relationship between conditions and piece attributes. His latest version can be seen here (Group and sub-group definitions) and here (Spreadsheet with 300+ conditions from WinChloe sorted by name [sheet 1] and by classification code [sheet 2]).
  3. After a break, Chris Tylor returned to the project from February 2022, with a comprehensive document covering all the existing plus some new elements and attempting a different approach, which can be seen here. Chris’s words from the introduction: “…I would like to dedicate it and any further versions to Julia – as being the person with the vision to set this project in motion in the first place.”

– NSR on behalf of FCCP team

Originals March 2022

Julia's Fairies original problems Leave a comment

JF Original Problems | March, 2022

The judge of JF-2022/I: Vlaicu Crişan
The judge of Retro & PG problems 2021-2022: Thomas Brand

Coming soon: Nobody in the waiting list…

  • (19.03) No.1698 (h#2 ; Neutral pieces) – Kıvanç Çefle. “The Grimshaw interference between two neutral pieces” (KÇ)
  • (18.03) No.1697 (h#2 ; Breton) – Thomas Maeder. “A logical ODT…” (TM)
  • (14.03) No.1696 (h#2 ; Nightrider, LEO, PAO, VAO) – Michal Dragoun. 4 solutions. “It is a pity that in this pattern…” (MD)
  • (13.03) No.1695 (h#2 ; Equipollents AntiCirce) – Chris Feather. “Of course the WK is NOT in check in either diagram position!” (CJF)
  • (13.03) No.1692.1 (ser-s#8 ; Anti-Circe) – Gábor Tar. Correction to No.1692 after comment by Joost de Heer.

I would gladly publish your problems partly featuring JF10JT theme (not included into the tournament because of number of pieces or fairy element used), but after May 15th, when the Award of JF10JT is published.
Thank you for your understanding!

Animated diagrams use Py2Web by Dmitri Turevski and WinChloe‘s graphics, Christian Poisson

Munich Fairy Chess Tourney 2022 – С130922

Tournaments, other 1 comment

Munich Fairy Chess Tourney 2022

The mpk-Blaetter announces the Munich Fairy Tourney 2022 with the theme Influencer chess. Problems of any stipulation are required (direct-, self-, reflex-, help-, helpself-) with any target (-mate, -stalemate, -arrival square, -castling, …) or proof games, all alternating or in series, with any move number on a 8×8 board.

See the definition and examples in PDF Announcement (German & English).

The theme is free. | Further fairy pieces or fairy conditions are not accepted.
Judge: Manfred Rittirsch | Tournament director: Rolf Kohring | Closing date: September 30th, 2022
Submissions should be sent to mpk-blaetter@gmx.de (preferred) or Rolf Kohring, Bolkamer Straße 5a, D-83104 Tuntenhausen, Germany.

Originals February 2022

Julia's Fairies original problems 3 Comments

JF Original Problems | February, 2022

The judge of JF-2022/I: Vlaicu Crişan
The judge of Retro & PG problems 2021-2022: Thomas Brand

Coming soon: nobody in the waiting list. Next originals will be published starting the 2nd week of March.

  • (26.02.) No.1694 (h==15.5 ; Haaner Chess, ABC for white, ABC inverse for black) – Sébastien Luce (France). This problem was initially published on the same page with No.1690 as variation of the theme. But moved to be presented as a separate original problem by author’s request.
  • (28.02) No.1693 (h=8) – Ya’aqov Mintz (Israel) & Hans Gruber (Germany). “Black Allumwandlung, white Excelsior.” (Authors). Warm welcome to Hans!
  • (28.02) No.1684.1 (h=2 ; legality / shadow solution?) – János Csák & Béla Majoros (Hungary). Authors say that the new version fixes the bug in No.1684.
  • (28.02) No.1692 (ser-s#8 ; Anti-Circe) – Gábor Tar (Hungary).
  • (27.02) No.1691 (ser-h#10 ; Camel, Rose, Ibis) – Manfred Rittirsch (Germany). “Cyclic change of fairy promotions.”
    Dedicated to Petko A. Petkov for his 80th birthday
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PETKO!!!
  • (26.02.) No.1690 (h==14.5 ; Haaner Chess, ABC for white, ABC inverse for black) – Sébastien Luce (France).

I would gladly publish your problems partly featuring JF10JT theme (not included into the tournament because of number of pieces or fairy element used), but after May 15th, when the Award of JF10JT is published.
Thank you for your understanding!

Animated diagrams use Py2Web by Dmitri Turevski and WinChloe‘s graphics, Christian Poisson

Fairy Eater Chess – a fairy chess variant by Vadrya Pokshtya

External Events & Adds 1 comment

My name is Sergey Kulelyaev (my pen name Vadrya Pokshtya). I am chess variants inventor and chess composer. Not so long ago, I managed to implement one of my most successful variants of fairy chess in terms of tactics, strategy and game dynamics – Fairy Eater Chess.

With a gratitude to P. A. Stonemann for a help with publishing my chess variants at Game Courier.

Vadrya Pokshtya (Sergey Kulelyaev)

The battlefield is an odd 9×9 board, on which two opposing sides have gathered, consisting of both classic fairy chess pieces and two new ones to reveal the strongest.

The original names of the pieces create the appropriate atmosphere of the game and immerse us in the world of dark fantasy, giving the necessary flavor to everything that happens on the board. It would seem that with such a crowded initial arrangement, the gameplay is impossible, but in reality it turns out the opposite: the pieces begin to behave super-aggressively, quickly devouring each other in these conditions of a confined space. The game is replete with mind-blowing combinations and incredible possibilities, which distinguishes it from all other variants of fairy chess.

Let’s take for example the following position from a practical game, which shows the amazing world of Fairy Eater Chess in the best possible way.

White to move and mate in one.

Nightrider’s non-obvious rebound from square d3 to h1 decides the outcome of the battle in favor of White. Black cannot close with the Shield on e7 from the Ghost (Skull) on d1, since the Nightrider on h1 does not allow to do it. Also note that Black’s Sorcerer cannot retreat to e9 because this square is under attack by the white Nightrider on a1.

JF10JT: a week to the deadline

Tournamens, JF Leave a comment

a week to the deadline… 10.02.22

Dear friends, I know about some of you, and I hope if I don’t know 🙂 that you do compose for JF’s jubilee tournament.

Update final 10.02.22: Accepted 59 entries by the section: A=10, B=32, C=17.

Thanks a lot to all of you who take part! I’ve enjoyed your compositions very much and now I’m glad to pass it to the judge, Kjell Widlert. The tournament is anonymous.

Results and prize giving: May 15th 2022 in Riga, at the closing ceremony of the 15th ECSC and published the same day on JF, of course.

Originals January 2022

Julia's Fairies original problems Leave a comment

JF Original Problems | January, 2022

The judge of JF-2022/I: Vlaicu Crişan. The 3rd time judging JF tournaments, after JF-2014-I (Award) and the recent retro JF-R2019-20 (Award). A very positive and helpful person, a very experienced judge I’m glad to welcome on JF again! 

The judge of Retro & PG problems 2021-2022: Thomas Brand.

  • (31.01) No.1689 (h=10 ; Grasshopper) Vaclav Kotěšovec (Czech Republic). Dedicated to Sébastien Luce “4-fold exact echo in 4 corners of chessboard”. (Author)
  • (31.01) No.1688 (ser-h#8 ; Mars Circe) Armin Geister & Daniel Papack (Germany). A logical try on the 1st move comes as a solution on the 8th.
  • (28.01) No.1687 (ser-h#8* ; Take&Make, Circe Equipollents) Chris Feather (England). “The inventor of Take&Make intended that it should take priority over any other fairy condition with which is is combined…” (Author)
  • (26.01) No.1686 (h#3 ; Neutral Berolina Super Pawn ; Circe, Take&Make) János Mikitovics (Hungary). Mates by Berolina Super Pawn or its promotions.
  • (25.01) No.1685 (h#2.5 ; Neutral VAO,PAO,MAO) Kenneth Solja (Finland). The only Kings are not neutral.
  • (25.01) No.1684 (h#2 ; legality / shadow solution?) János Csák & Béla Majoros (Hungary).  Warm welcome to Béla! 
    “Yes, the chess problem problem (H#2) and the solution is orthodox. However, the chess problem is not considered orthodox…” (Authors). For now the problem included in the Retro competition because of the question of legality. But the judges might see it differently.
  • (19.01) No.1683 (h=3 ; PAO ; ChecklessChess) Ľuboš Kekely (Slovakia). “Model pin stalemates.” (Author)
  • (17.01) No.1551.4 (Ser-S#23 ; Circe Rex Inclusiv) Dirk Borst (Netherlands). Accepted by Hans Gruber, the judge of JF-2020/II, as the award is not completed yet. “This 4th correction is dedicated to Arno in gratitude of his help.” (Author)
  • (15.01) No.1682 (#6 ; Rokagogo) Andrew Buchanan (Singapore) & James Malcom (USA). “This composition is intended as an economy record for the Rokagogo/Staugaard excelsior. If someone can produce the same effect with lighter material, we would be very pleased to see it.” (Authors)
  • (15.01) No.1681 (hs#3.5 ; LEO, PAO, VAO, NAO) Igor Kochulov (Russia).
  • (15.01) No.1680 (h++1* ; Circe Couscous, Promotion before rebirth) Joost de Heer (Netherlands). An improvement of No.1607 (previous period, but not included in the Award JF-2021/I). “No idea why I didn’t see that when I composed 1607.” (Author)
  • (15.01) First of all, I’d like to include into this tournament the problem No.1630 (#3 ;  Equileaper, Wazir, Zebra, Right Zebra ; Diagram Circe, Black must capture) by Shankar Ram, originally belonging to JF-2021/II , which was later accepted by Shankar to judge.

Animated diagrams use Py2Web by Dmitri Turevski and WinChloe‘s graphics, Christian Poisson

Unpin in JF10JT: important clarification

Tournamens, JF 29 Comments

Unpin in JF10JT:
important clarification

We’re grateful to all of you for your comments and questions regarding pin/unpin definition for this tournament!

After some thoughts and discussions we decided to allow almost any interpretation of the given definition of a fairy unpin. We are not trying to produce the final definitions of pin and unpin here, we are running a tourney! Still, we would not like to call a normal un-paralysing move an unpin (in a problem using paralyzing pieces, or Madrasi, etc), and even less an ordinary line-opening… The same time we would allow the fairy concepts of self-unpin.

So, please see an update to previously given definition of unpin for this tournament:

Theme: Unpin of any kind. The unpinned piece may be white, black or neutral, and unpinning may be done by any side, in any way: interposition, withdrawal, K move, etc. For this tourney, we define a pin to be a situation where a random move by one piece would cause its own K to be in check from one or more enemy pieces = the pinner(s). An unpin is any move that eliminates this situation, including self-unpin (the pinned piece makes a move that eliminates the pin) but excluding captures of the pinned piece that remove it from the board. 

This means that we now allow self-unpins where the pinned piece captures the pinner, and also allow captures of the pinned piece as long as it is reborn somewhere else on the board (so it is now unpinned).

The tourney may provide material for a future discussion about how best to define pin and unpin in the fairy field.

To give you a better idea here are three examples provided by Ricardo Vieira:

1.Bf6 Sxf6[Bf8] – thematic!
First, 1.Bf6 move may be treated as allowing Sg8 to move.
Second, 1…Sxf6[Bf8] move may be treated as self-unpin.

After Sa1 fxe5 is legal
After Sc1 fxg5 is legal
not thematic because random move by Pf6 won’t be self-check. 

1.Bxd3[Bf1] not thematic, as opposed to the definition (doesn’t eliminate the situation of pin)

Welcome to participate! – Julia Vysotska (tournament director) & Kjell Widlert (judge)

Deadline: February 10th 2022
Please, send computer tested problems only (indicate the program used for testing), to julia@juliasfairies.com

Results and prize giving: May 15th 2022 in Riga, at the closing ceremony of the 15th ECSC.

Prize fund €450 : Three prizes in each section, each prize €50.

See Examples in the updated PDF announcement JF10JT (the version includes just published clarifications)