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Original Problems, Julia’s Fairies – 2014 (II): May – August ?Previous ; ?Next ; ?List 2014(II) Please send your original fairy problems to: julia@juliasfairies.com |
No.556 
No.556 by Julia Vysotska – My lovely Chameleons again, but this time in Anti-Circe problem! The main thing is thematic mating finals created with a pairs of neutral Chameleons.
Attention: this problem is C+ by Popeye only as Anti-Circe for Chameleons works differently in WinChloe. Popeye for game-array square of Chameleon piece uses Chameleon‘s current phase; while WinChloe considers Chameleon as any other fairy piece with a promotion square of the file of capture. (JV)
Definitions:
Chameleon: On completing a move, a Chameleon (from classical standard type) changes into another piece, in the sequence Q-S-B-R-Q… Promotion may be to a chameleon at any stage in the cycle.
Anti-Circe: Anti-Circe Calvet (the default type): After a capture the capturing piece (Ks included) must immediately be removed to its game array square (necessarily vacant, else the capture is illegal). Captures on the rebirth square are allowed. Game array squares are determined as in Circe.
Circe: Captured units (not Ks) reappear on their game-array squares, of the same colour in the case of pieces, on the file of capture in the case of pawns, and on the promotion square of the file of capture in the case of fairy pieces. If the rebirth square is occupied the capture is normal.
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No.556 Julia Vysotska
Latvia
original – 15.06.2014
 h#2 b) Be8?f6 (3+5+2)Anti-Circe Neutral Chameleons: Qb6, Qc3 Solutions: (click to show/hide)
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Excellent idea to produce different mates with neutral pieces without double check. The chameleon and anticirce are both nicely used for blocking and making captures unavailable. Liked it very much! Keep going Julia !
The play and final positions are very nice – but not the starts!
The bBe8 in (a) just sits there and in (b) it is just fodder. It would be better to have the following version:
replace bPc7 with a wS
remove the bBe8
and have the twin: move g6 to f6.
wSc7 would play in (b) solution only, guarding e8. It doesn’t play in (a). I believe the whole white figure is too much to close the line between wK and neutral cQ.
My bBe8 blocks e8 for bK (same as your wS guards it), not just sits, in (a); and it allows thematic capture to guard the square g3 in (b).
Dear Julia,
What I did not say in my previous post was that having a big fat Bishop [BFB] sitting on e8 doing nothing but occupying it and then being moved to f6 to for the sole purpose of having something there to be captured is U-G-L-Y. If you do not agree that it is so, then I guess that is the end of the matter!
The following should be noted:
the S does perform a function in (b) – doing the work of the bP it replaced. So it has a dual function.
it is in fact the BFB that is unnecessary in (b). It could be removed from the board.
It is a helpmate and a white officer should function as a white officer in all phases. A function of a mere stone is heavily disgraceful for a white officer. Unacceptable for this content.
Black pieces are not that easily “offended” but still some basic “politeness” is expected. bBe8 is indeed ugly, for the mentioned reasons, and I would say that the nice idea is not realized good enough.
I agree, that bBe8 is far from being good.. A little improvement, maybe, might be the following version:
Option setplay
Stipulation h#2.5
Condition anticirce
Pieces
White Ka4 Pe5 Pe3
Black Kh4 Se8 Pg6 Pe4 Ph3
Neutral Chameleon Qb6 Qc3
[img]http://www.ankona.ch/diagrams/100620.png[/img]
h#2.5* anticirce 3+5+2
Chameleons: Qb6 Qc3
1… … 2.ncQb6*e3=ncS[ncSe3->b8] ncQc3-g3=ncS 3.ncSb8-d7=ncB + ncBd7-g4=ncR #
1…ncQb6-e6=ncS 2.Se8-f6 e5*f6[wPf6->f2] 3.ncQc3-f6=ncS ncSe6-g5=ncB #
But I’ll think about other possible improvements.. Thanks!
This is much better in the essence. In one phase there could be a stone on e8 but for the other phase it must be exactly bS which will be actively sacrificed.
It’s maybe not perfect but it’s quite enough for a black officer in h#.
In my first post I said: the play and final positions are very nice.
I am ill at ease now because very nice is totally inadequate.
The play and the mating positions – so perfectly matched – are really quite amazing.
They are beautiful Julia.
You described everything very well with the Solutions.
I wonder whether the combing of neutral Chameleons with Anticirce has ever been done before to such good effect.
I truly do not know how you could have thought of the wonderful concept and how you were able to bring it to fruition.
Having written this I will sleep better tonight.
Peter.
Peter’s question about combination of neutral Chameleons with Anticirce made me to look into Echecs database. So, there’s just one problem with combination of several conditions including Anticirce and a neutral Chameleon in S-phase – No.163803, M.Grushko, Problemesis 2004.
Plus, two problems by you, Peter, where also Anticirce is combined with some other conditions, and black/white Chameleons are used (https://juliasfairies.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/pharris-anticirce-chameleons.pdf).
Chameleon is one of my favorite pieces, so I try it also with different fairy conditions. I really like this fact, that such problems are not many!
Critics helps to become better. Some time ago Nikola Predrag has written something like it’s not good to praise me too much, as it might spoil me. I’m agree and appreciate critical comments as well!
Dear Julia,
In your original:
Remove Pc7h3 Be8
Move c3 > b3
Add Condition Hole e8h3
Twin g6 > f6
[3+2+2n]
Your problem would then be a perfect miniature
And the King of the Fairies in FairyLand would be well pleased.
Peter.
King?
Shouldn’t it be Queen — Caissa..! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ca%C3%AFssa) 🙂
A Hole on e8 means that in Julia’s (b) the Sf6 will not perform a necessary function that of guarding e8. This spoils everything. [This objection I now realize also applies to my wSc7 idea]
In one part e8 has to be occupied and in the other free – so that the Sf6 has that duty [as above].
I have never liked Set play.
The version with Set play enables the e8 occupier to be an S specifically – but this to me is not so important.
Two retain a H#2 twin I do now believe that Julia’s original way moving a Black piece from e8 to f6 is the only possible way.
So I am making a big backtrack here!
A strange thing is that it would be preferable to have the twin f6>e8 instead of e8>f6! It seems to make a big difference.
If nQc3 is moved to b3 the Pc7 could be removed.
The bPg6h3 could be removed if Holes were made. This would mean that the problem would starkly highlight the thematic elements – and would be a miniature [3+2+2n]. But I do not know whether Julia would like the Holes. I would use them here!
Good Shankar!
But then there is Oberon, Fairies and FairyChess.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberon
In deciding whether to replace the Pawns with Holes, there is an additional aspect to consider.
The combination Neutral Chameleons + Anticirce is very potent.
This problem must surely be extremely difficult to solve – to imagine the two mating positions.
[I think that had I made the problem there would be complaints about the difficulty!].
If Holes replaced the Ps, Solvers would not have to wonder whether the Ps move, capture or are captured. This greatly reduces the number of possibilities they would have to consider and would help them no end – which with this problem, would be desirable – an encouragement.
A Solver is distinct from non-Solvers who I call Clickers – they who simply Click on Solutions. Clickers would not appreciate the point about help.
I believe that “Hole” here would be just a limiting condition that simplifies composing (or solving)! It neither has anything common with thematic of my problem, nor shows an additional themes.
I won’t accept any fairy element if the only justification for it is reducing number of possibilities for solvers to think about.