To view problems in this selection just
click the blue link in the text and the diagram will appear on the board above.
The button "Solution" displays the solution of the problem in the
window. The program employed to generate this page is the courtesy of Marek
Kwiatkowski.
Solving and creating chess problems and
endgames is my hobby. I got it from Mathematical Snapshots by Hugo Steinhaus, my favorite book on amusing mathematics. Although
I have never had much time to compose chess problems, I had a lot of fun with
the few that I managed to do. Almost one third of my problems (27) and all
problems presented here have been chosen by FIDE (the International Chess
Federation) to the collections of world's best compositions, published every
three years in the form of a FIDE Album. In 1988 FIDE awarded me with
the title of the International Master of Chess Composition.
Many modern chess problems are rather
technical and esoteric. Here I present problems which may be fun for an average
chess amateur. In the chess problem world I use my middle name, Piotr.
The most old-fashioned of my two-move
problems is Problem 1. We can immediately see
that if there were no Qh5 then any move of Sd4 would mate. The key is rather
difficult and leads to seven battery mates.
Problem 2 has three set variations: 1 ... Rd7 2.
Re6#, 1 ... R:d8 2. Qf7#, 1... Bf6 2. Sc6#. They are replaced by two completely different
variations after the key. The problem has few pieces, so you may try to solve
it yourself.
In Problem 3 we have to choose between two
similar ways of creating a battery. They lead to two analogous systems of four
variations.
In Problem 4 each move of Rb5 or Sc4 creates a
battery of Ba6 and the other piece (this setting is called a half-battery). In
order to create a threat we need to close the lines of Ba7 and Rb8 (Nowotny combination). The problem is to choose between two
possible keys, which lead to two sets of four variations.
Try to solve Problem 5 yourself. It is clear
that we need to prepare an answer to 1 ... c:d4. Maybe 1. Qd6 or 1.Qf7 are good
keys?
Problem 6 presents a change of two mates in
four phases: the set play, two tries and the solution. It is most technical of
the twomovers here and you may just look at the
solution.
You can solve Problem
7 yourself. It has very few pieces and is rather easy. It has four
different nice mates, in which all squares around the Black King are controlled
only once and all White pieces participate in this (they are called model
mates).
Problem 8 has a difficult key and presents the
idea of half-pin: if one of the two black men between the White Queen (in this
case) and the Black King moves out of the line, the other piece gets pinned. In
this problem we also have two identical model mates at different squares
(so-called echo).
Problem 9 features two pairs of echo mates, and
in the first pair we have two weak promotions of Pd7.
Problem 10 has four variations with the R--B
battery and four different model mates. In two of them, the pinning of black Q
and S is employed.
The focal point of Problem 11 is the square
d4. The Black Bishop and the Black Rook by taking Pawn d4 either clear the
d-line or get pinned on this line. In the third variation, they both get cut
off d4.
The idea of Problem 12 is similar to that of
Problem 8, but with three thematic variations ending with model mates.
In Problem 13 the Grimshaw
interference on the square c3 is exploited with two anticipatory shutoffs from
a white half battery, daring the defence to find an
answer over three variations.
Problem 14 has prepared variations 1. ... Sf2 2. Bc5 and 1. ... Sg3 2. Bd6 with Queen mates on d4 and e5. In a try and in
the solution these continuations change.
Problem 15 is a good exercise for solving. A
difficult key leads to 4 variations involving cross-checks and quiet moves of
the white half-battery.
The
original version of Problem 16 was incorrect.
I recently gave it a fresh look and found this version, which is more
economical, sound, and more interesting. It turns out that the freely standing
Rg5 has nowhere to go.
Problem 17 could have been composed 100 years ago, when such
ideas were most popular. It features a good key and three variations with quiet moves and model mates in the center of the board.
Problem 18 also looks deceptively easy, but it is
very difficult. It is clear that the White Rook is standing too close to the
Black King and has to move away. The problem features the so-called Turton combination in which the Rook moves back to make
space for the Queen. Here, however, things do not go this easy and the `clever'
key 1. Rh1?! fails.
In Problem 19 we have two possibilities to
attack from the R--S battery: 1. Sb7+ and 1. Sf7+, but the
Black King escapes through e4 and c4, respectively. We need to bring a
Black Rook to one of these squares. This can be achieved by 1. Rc8 and 1. R:e6, but the Black
manages to defend with the `wrong' Rook and free the square b4 or f4. This
motivates the solution.
In Problem 20 the plan is to play 1. Sb6 c:b6 2. R:b6+ with a quick mate, but
the Black can defend himself by 1. ... c3!. In the
solution we have to draw Bh4 to c3.
You
probably have no time to solve these endgames (studies) yourself, but if you
do, here are some hints.
In Study 21 the immediate objective of the
White is to stop Pc2. This has to be done in such a way that the Black cannot
easily free himself from the danger of losing one of his pieces. The fight
culminates in a position when the Black King finds himself in a net. A waiting
move forces the Black Rook and Bishop to intercept each other at c6, featuring
the two-move Grimshaw combination.
In Study 22 the fight for Pawn d2 ends with
Black's victory, but the prize for it is mate.
In Study 23 the lonely White Bishop defeats
two Black Rooks by a half-pin setting.
Here
are some excellent chess problems by my fellow countrymen. I chose positions
which impressed me much 30 years ago and which may be attractive for a
non-expert. You must try to sove them yourself to
really appreciate their quality.
Problem 24
comprises three nice problems in one position. It seems that 1. Rf5 or 1. Rb8 are good solutions. Are they?
In Problem 25 the idea is to intercept Black
Rook and Bishop on e4 (Nowotny combination again),
but the White Rook and Bishop intercept themselves, too, and Black finds a
defense. The solution uses a different Nowotny
combination and everything works fine.
In Problem 26 a trivial mate seems to be ready
from the beginning 1 ... B~. 2. Bc4+ Ba7 3. R:B#.
Unfortunately, White has no waiting moves (1. R:a7? creates a stalemate position). The choice of the key is
guided by the necessity to avoid taking the Black Bishop and creating a
stalemate.
The idea of Problem 27 is to exploit the focal
position of Bc4 which cannot keep control of both e6 and e2. The key variation
is after 1. ... B:b5.
Problem 28 is one of the most difficult threemovers ever. You have to try it yourself to understand
what I mean by that.
A spectacular key of Problem 29 leads to
dramatic variations with cross-checks.
Problem 30 has a logical character. The tries 1. Bb8? and 1. Sc7? are refuted by 1... Rg5! and 1... Bh3!,
respectively. We need to intercept the lines of the Rook and the Bishop.
In Problem 31 the Black King is totally
blocked and avoiding a stalemate is the motivation for the solution.
In Problem 32 the idea is to use the battery
Qf1--Sd3, but the Knight is pinned by the Black Queen. We have to unpin it
somehow...
Study 33 is probably the most famous endgame
study. White's only chance are his Pawns, but Black has a
clever mate combination. To refute it, White promotes his three Pawns
into a Knight, a Bishop and a Rook, and achieves a spectacular stalemate.