 No.958Vlaicu Crișan (Romania) |
Original Problems, Julia’s Fairies – 2015 (II): July – December →Previous ; →Next ; →List 2015(II) Please send your original fairy problems to: julia@juliasfairies.com |
No.958 by Vlaicu Crișan – Nice unpins and selfblocks in a light presentation of Take&Make + Anti-Take&Make combination. (JV)
Definitions:
Take & Make: Having captured, a unit must immediately, as part of its move, play a non-capturing move in imitation of the captured unit from the capture-square. If no such move is available, the capture is illegal. Promotion by capture occurs only when a pawn arrives on the promotion rank as the result of a take&make move. Checks are as in normal chess: after the notional capture of the checked K, the checking unit does not move away from the King’s square.
Anti-Take & Make: Every capture (“take”) must be complemented by a further step (“make” which is not a capture) by the captured piece (Kings excluded), which must move from its square of vanish (according to the wishes of the capturing side in case of options). The capture is forbidden if the captured unit has no possible moves. Promotions at the end of the “make” element are normal.
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No.958 Vlaicu Crișan |
Solutions: (click to show/hide) |
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white Kg1 Re2 Bh3
black Ke6 Bb5 Se3g4 Rh7
h#2 2 solutions (3+5) |
Wow! Everything fits like clockwork.
Seems fresh despite all earlier examples of R+B double-check mates we have seen.
Perfectly matched ODT in a near miniature setting.
Self blocks and double check battery mates, combined with the customary piece movement blizzard of t&m+anti-t&m!
The WK’s position doesn’t look significant, but adds to the ODT effect.
This is a very lucky find (of course, I know how difficult the search may be).
I would like to underline that all four lines going through black king square are used and all eight different squares became blocked in two solutions.
>> I know how difficult the search may be
Fortune favours the prepared mind!
Thanks all for the kind comments.
This problem was composed 2 years ago, when working for the Bulgarian Wine Tourney. Then I completely forgot about this problem. After reading again the award some time ago, as Kjell remarked, it also struck me this problem may still have the right to be published.
The deceptively simple position doesn’t give any hints about the amount of work needed to produce it. Let’s say even now I am still happy for being lucky to achieve a sound setting. You know: mixing Take&Make and Anti-Take&Make looks like snooker…