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672 views218 pagesChess Problem Book
chess puzzles
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© © All Rights Reserved
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/ 218
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ANN NN) (Speen ix Re i aN Adventures in Composition
The Art of
The Two-Move Chess Problem
BY COMINS MANSFIELD
Edited by Alain White
i
Printed at The Overbrook Press - 1944
Stamford - Connecticut a Dedicated to Frank Altschul
by Comins Mansfeld Editor's Note
In discussing subjects for the Overbrook Press series of chiess
problem books with Mr, Altschul, he suggested to me the in-
clusion of a volume on composition. We had previously con-
sidered having a selection of the works of the distinguished
English problematist, Comins Mansfield, to supplement his
earlier collection, A Genius of the Two-Mover, 1936. As there is
probably no composer of two-movers whose views on con-
struction would be of greater general interest or whose prob-
lems lend themselves better to analysis, the two projects have
been combined. .
Mr. Mansfield’has entered most warmly into the fulfill-
ment of the plan, and the book should be a real help to begin-
ners in composition and perhaps also to many who already
have experience, but who may like to study the construction
of the works of a master. All the problems in the book are
different from those in Mr. Mansfield’s earlier collection, ex-
cept a few, which it was essential to reproduce to illustrate Editor’s Note
particular points. The positions which are not included in the
Exercises have been grouped as illustrations in the Glossary.
Asa fairly complete glossary of problem terms has already been
included in A Century of Two-Movers, the definitions in the pres-
ent book have been kept very brief and only terms actually
mentioned in the book are included. The hints given, however,
as to the blending of different themes may be found helpful in
conjunction with the problems given as illustrations.
Mr. Mansfield’s problems and his views on composition
are sure to be found stimulating, and it is to be hoped that they
may serve to focus the attention of the reader on the great charm
which chess problems present when their composer can duly
balance the three cardinal virtues of Originality, Economy of
Means and Artistic Finish, for these are surely the distinguish-
ing qualities of the work of Comins Mansfield.
ALAIN WHITE
Summerville, South Carolina
January 1, 1942 The Contents
Editor’s Note
Foreword
LINTRODUCTION
The Fundamental Conventions
I]. THE COMPOSITION OF SINGLE PROBLEMS
A. The Composer’s Aim Centered in the Play
A First Step in Composition
An Adventure in Black Interference
An Adventure in Black Self-pins
An Adventure in the Half-pin Theme
The Quest for Originality
, The Composer's Aira Centered in the Key-move
An Adventure in Predetermined Keys
A Difficult Choice of Key
Some Changed-mate Block Keys
A Study in a Pendulum Key
An Adventure with Capture Keys
17
22
31
41
49
61
7
78
86
95 I. THE COMPOSITION OF RELATED PROBLEMS
The Varied Possibilities of a Single Matrix
A Cross-check Switchback
The Change of Matrix from a Lateral to
a Diagonal Axis
The Adventure of the Stepping Stones
IV. MODERN TRENDS IN COMPOSITION
An Adventure in Black Correction
Dual Avoidance, the Modern Road to
Adventure
A Light-weight Dual Avoidance Theme
An Adventure in Anticipatory Dual
Prevention
The Adventure of the Four-way Formula
The Glossary
The Solutions
107
117
127
139
149
157
165
174
197
215 Foreword
I anyone should pick up this book, who has not yet fallen
under the spell of the chess problem, the first question he would
ptobably ask would be: Why should one want to compose a
problem, anyway?
To this there are many answers. Some may want to com-
pose, because they have themselves been solvers for some time,
and now wish to be on the other side of the table, to try their
hand, in their turn, at mystifying their fellow-men. Others,
more ambitious, may be dreaming of the prizes to be won and
the plaudits of critics. Others, the true artists, may be stirred
by the deep, inexplicable human impulse to create something
” of beauty they think may perchance endure and give pleasure
through the years. Yet others, students and thinkers, may want
to delve into the dynamic forces latent in these mysterious little
blocks of wood, that are called chessmen, and crystallize them
into new combinations of themes. And still others may want,
not so much the themes themselves as an end, but the adventure Foreword
of attaining that end, the pleasure of watching a problem grow
under the guidance of their fingers and eyes and minds, the de-
light of a successful step forward, the tantalizing reaction toa
faulty effort, hesitation, the unwilling retracement of steps
that promised so well, the new moment of progress, the ulti-
mate shaping of the whole and the final realization, let us hope,
that a good piece of work has been completed.
There will never, I think, be a book which can successfully
teach problem composition by itself. To become a composer
of any merit, one must have the faculty inborn of appreciating
the value of themes, the choice between opportunities, the
essence of strategy and economy and beauty hidden in these
blocks of wood. Even the technique is hard to expound, and
will come as well from solving a few good problems as from
reading many pages. But something may perhaps be conveyed
to others of the spirit of adventure in composing to which I
have just referred, a point of view which is as essential to the
personal enjoyment of composition as is the acquitement of a
good technique or the understanding of themes and problem
“values. The three elements are, or should be, inextricably bound
together before one can hope to become a successful composer.
One must have skill and ideas—that goes without saying; but
one must also enjoy the adventure of composing, or one’s ideas
will be dull and one’s skill of no avail in making one’s problems
characteristic of one’s self and enjoyable to others. Foreword
So, in these brief exercises, I have tried, and my friend and
editor, Alain White, has assisted me, to retrace a few of the
steps taken by me in the past in the making of some of my own
problems, composed at widely different times and in widely
different moods. In no case have I given more than an outline
of the exciting incidents that befell me by the way. It would
have taken a whole book to review completely the construction
of a single problem. But I hope I have touched on enough of
the different kinds of opportunities and temptations and pit-
falls which befall problemists, to give those wishing to take
up composition a few suggestions and a little help, but most
of all a foretaste of the kind of pleasure and excitement which
may be had from the mere effort to compose, the sense one
feels of exploration and discovery that comes on one like a fait
wind from other lands—in short, some measure of antici-
pation of what seems to me almost the greatest thrill one
can experience without leaving one’s own fireside—that of
embarking upon one’s own adventures in composing two-move
problems.
COMINS MANSFIELD
Clasgow, Scotland
January 1,1942
x1. -l-
INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL The Fundamental Conventions
A CHESS problem is a position of the chess pieces in which
one side, by convention the White side, can effect mate in a
stipulated number of moves.
The composition of problems dates back many centuries.
Their popularity in early times depended especially on their
suitable character for betting purposes. The composer would
challenge his friends with the question: Can White (or Black)
mate in so many moves? Then, for example, if the solver bet
on the proposition that the position was unsolvable and if the
composer could show that there was a solution, the solver lost
his stake.
The more modern era in composition dates from about
1840, when the interest in problems began to spread much more
broadly and on a sounder base, intellectually and artistically.
Columns and magazines devoted to chess were beginning to
flourish, and books about problems were increasing innumbers
and in importance. Adventures in Composition
In general, problems are divided into two main groups, the
direct mates and the fairies, the latter including everything not
strictly in orthodox direct-mate form, suchas conditional prob-
lems, self-mates, help-mates, and all positions involving the use
of chess pieces or the modification of chess rules in ways differ-
ing from those connected with normal play of the game of chess.
This book is occupied solely with the composition of direct-
mate problems in two moves. They are the simplest medium
for the expression of chess thoughts and thus make a wide ap-
peal to solvers. This being the case, composers have given two-
movers increasing attention until there has resulted a wide
range of styles of composition and great intricacy in some of
the themes currently fashionable.
It would be quite impossible to enter at all deeply into the
principles of compositions they affect all these different styles,
and I have limited myself to explaining how some of my own
problems have come to be composed, so that the would-be com-
poser may have some basis fora start along similar lines, whence
gradually he may learn to follow other lines which may happen
to appeal more particularly to him.
Even in the restricted field of two-move direct-mate com-
position there are many conventions, regulating what may be
called good form, and it is essential for the beginner to under-
stand these, so that he may keep himself from falling into habits
which solvers would criticize as inartistic. The Fundamental Conventions
White, as we have seen, plays first and gives the mate, and the
conventions I refer to are mainly concerned with keeping the
play from being unduly aggressive or otherwise obvious,
1. It isnot considered good form for White to make a checking
key. There are composers, like Sam Loyd, who have evolved a
few brilliant themes in two-movers beginning witha check; but
composers in general will best avoid them, except on very rare
occasions when they may pethaps be justified, as in Stimson’s
key to Number 91 in the Sketchbook of American Problematists. 1
have not myself composed any problem opening with a check.
2. Itisnot generally considered desirable to opena solution with
acapture. To this convention there are, however, not infrequent
permissible exceptions and they will be discussed in more detail
in Exercise 11.
3. It is not generally considered good form to open a solution
with a key which deprives the Black King of any of his flight
squares, but rather, where possible, the key should grant one or
more new flights. Problems can well claim to be works of art,
and their merit must depend on the strategy or apparent in-
directness or subtlety with which mate is attained. To hem in
the opponent's King by taking away his flights is too direct a
method of attack and should be avoided wherever possible. Adveunures in Cotpestintt
Wheninaveld able it should be offset by granting some compen-
- sating new flight, producing what is called a give-and-take key,
.4. In Number 1-a, the key cuts off the Black King’s access to c2,
ae a square where White could in no wayhave —
z mated him, Therefore, in spite of the fact
: yg ogi| chat anew flight is granted at dg and that
|e emt the key opens a thematic line, hi-a8, per-
Ao | mitting the moves of the Black Pawn to
| .@]} deliver cross-checks to the WhiteKing, the
Numberra ey cannot be regarded asa very satisfactory —
Chess Review, 1941 one. On the other band, in Diagram 1-6,
the key makes the Black King a present of ewo flighes while at
the same time exposing the White King to three cross- -checl Se
the combination being one which gave me =
special satisfaction, all the more because, |
by a happy chance, two fine tries by 1. Kes
and Kg8 are thrown in free of charge,anun- |
usual instance of good luck in composing. es
‘The key of this problem unpins a White-
piece, which, on the next page, is consid- Ne
ered a formof F aggressive play. In this case.
the grant of Aight squares and the cross- x
: checks apes to be more than suffi t ne
4: | Teds isnot considéeed g00d form for akeyt to be over- aggressive, 5 The Fundamental Conventions
for example by bringing a White piece to a position of too
obviously strong force, or by moving up a White piece which
was too visibly out of play; nor should a key directly favor
White, as by withdrawing the White King from a threatened
check for which no mate was provided in the initial position, by
unpinning a White man or pinning a Black one, or by moving
a White officer away from an impending
Black capture. Such steps are clearly inar-
ustic, and they are generally frowned upon pa
almost as much as a direct checking key
would be, although occasional exceptions,
under special extenuating circumstances, |
may be permitted. : Nuinbér Ve.
For instance, in Number 1-¢, although Rents de Sah, 1929
the key is a sacrifice of the White Queen, usually regarded as a
desirable element, it may be criticized as inartistic, for the
White Queen is initially entirely out of
play at f2, and by moving to e2 she as-
sumes too obviously strong a battery posi-
j) tion,
On the other hand the key of Number
j_| 1-dhasagood point, in that the Queenwill
Nuhaber 1d. at first seem to be stationed at bi to pre-
Sanday Ties, 1935 vent the Black Rook from playing 1—RxS.
and RxP, and to mate after 1—Pf2, so that its release of the Adventures in Composition
Rook by unpinning will present an element of unexpectedness,
Number G-41 illustrates how running away from danger
can almost be converted intoa feature of merit ina key, for here
there is a set mate prepared for 1—PxS, so that the solver will
at least hesitate before he thinks of moving the Knight.
Some critics have claimed that, since a pinning-of Black
key is bad, a half-pinning key must be half as bad. In Number
G-39, such a key is at least thematic, paving the way for the
two pin-models,
It is a question how far non-essential units may be added to
improve a key. In Number G-2 one may cavil at the use of the
Pawns on ¢3 and f2. But without these Pawns, which shield the
White King from violent pre-key checks, the key would lose
all its surprise value. A somewhat more difficult case to decide
occurs in Number G-38, where one might argue plausibly for
the removal of the men on ¢3, g2 and gs, and the placing of the
White King on gz, whereupon the key would be 1.Kf2, with
the play unchanged. I felt, however, that the more strategic key
justified the extra force,
5. It is usually not considered good form to limit Black to too
small a number of defences, In the problems of early days,
when composers were less skillful than they have since become,
Black frequently was allowed only one reply to the key, making
the position a single shoot; but gradually more and more em- The Fundamental Conventions
phasis was laid on variety, until the pendulum swung to the op-
posite extreme and two-movers came to be appraised largely by
the mere number of their variations, without much thought
being given to their character.
At present a mote reasonable middle course is pursued, a
problem normally having from one to four mainplays, with an
admixture of by-play, or incidental variations not intimately re-
lated to the principal theme. The extent of the by-play depends
not only on the possibilities of a given position, but on the
inclination and skill of the individual composer. A few com-
posers deliberately avoid by-play, on the theory that it distracts
the attention of solvers from the unity and interest of the main-
plays; others seek to enrich their problems with as much good
by-play as possible, Personally I believe the average solver en-
joys by. play, provided i it can be introduced naturally, without
adding otherwise unnecessary force,
Number 1-¢ furnishes an example of a
problem with considerable by-play. The
main theme is the accurate differentiation
of the mates after the three interferences in
Z @| thesoutheast corner of the board: 1—Rf3;
Number 1-2. Second Prize,, 2*QxPc4 mate, 1—Se4; 2.Pds mate, and
Tijdschriftvan den Neder- 1 —S£3; 2.QxPh3 mate; while the remain-
Herdschen Schackbond, 1918 ing defences to the threat, 1—Bds, Sd8,
QxS and PxS, constitute the by-play, and enrich the problem. Adventures in Composition
6, It is not considered good form to allow White a choice of
two or more mates after any important or thematic defence of
Black. In olden days composers, notably in England, frowned
on all dual or multiple mates, and it was considered perfectly
legitimate to add Pawns or do whatever might be required to’
prevent the least symptom of a dual. Today greater leniency
“prevails, and only duals after moves related to the main theme
or, perhaps, those after moves of the Black King are looked
upon as fatal blemishes.
In speaking of duals, I deprecate the use of the adjectives
“major” or ‘minor,’ since some minor ones may be more
damaging to a problem than major ones. The only safe adjec-
tives to use seem to be “‘serious’’ and “harmless,” with possibly
some intermediate epithets, according to
whether the dual in question interferes
with the chief idea of the problem, or
does not do so.
Of course if a dual can be avoided in
the construction ofa problem withoutim- |
pairing economy (as by putting the White Number sf Version of
Rook on bé in Number 1-f, instead of on. problem, Tidsleift for Schack,
a6, to forestall Black from playing 1—Bas), 1939
one naturally does so; but one should be careful of adding
even a single Pawn to stop a dual without carefully weighing
the resultant loss in economy against the gain in accuracy. The Fundamental Conventions
Duals, however, should not be condoned too easily, lest the
composer become careless in his construction, and sometimes,
where I have been faced with a choice between a dual and an
added Pawn, I have chosen to make the addition, as in the case
of the Black Pawn at a6 in Number 10-i.
Personally, I do not believe any hard and fast rule can be
followed about duals, but would prefer to decide each particu-
lar case on its merits, as it arises. Number 1-2 provides a case in
pom The keyi is a White Queen sacrifice, theoretically an im-
=F] portant move; yet, if 1—BxQ, there is a
four-fold choice of mates by the White
| Knight battery. To one who rigorously
contends for accuracy this would bea seri-
4 ous flaw; but would look upon it as rela-
| tively harmless, It is true that the move,
Number 1-g. 1—BxQ, is a strong Black move, but it
Grantham Fournal, 1936 takes no part in the theme, which is based
on the three interferences of the Black Bishop by the Black
Rook, 1-Reas, Req and Rg6. The fact, also, that several
moves of the Black Bishop, 1—Be2, Bf3, Bg4, Bf7, all result in
accurate mates, may be regarded as a sufficient offset to the
multiple mates which unavoidably happen to follow 1-BxQ,
Freedom from duals in a problem is especially meritorious
when it can be attained in conjunction with a considerable
degree of activity on the part of a particular Black piece. In Io.
Adventures in Composition
Number 1-}, the Black Queen has a choice of six moves and
much of the interest of the position lies in the circumstance
that each of them results in a sepatate and
accurate mate, The presence of a dual fol-
lowing even the least important of these
moves, let us say 1—Qhé, would have
been very unfortunate indeed.
7, It is not considered good form to let Nambert-h, Christian
one’s problem assume a. diagram position Science Monier, 1942
of the men which could not be reached in the course of a
hypothetical game of chess, and there should be no pieces pres-
ent which can be shown to be promoted Pawns, This is a
curious and arbitrary convention, inasmuch as the solution of
a problem is usually wholly distinct from the normal tempo
of a game ending. It is, rather, a study in the relationships of
the chess pieces, and there seems to be little reason why the dia-
gram position should, or should not, be attainable in the course
of an imaginary game. In any event, probably not one problem
position in ten thousand could be reached through the moves
of a chess game, without resorting to purely fantastic moves,
so far as any verisimilitude to actual chess play is concerned.
Time and time again, in any such arbitrary game, White, or
perchance Black as well, would have had the chance to win the
game in the most elementary manner, thus bringing the whole The Fundamental Conventions
_ farce to an abrupt hale, Yee the possible play convention and
the taboo on promoted Pawns are still faichfully enforced, and
even a position where an “obtrusive” Bishop is shown at large,
with the Pawns intact hemming in its original square, like the
out of competition by many judges.
If one overemphasizes the importance
from actual play, the ban on promoted
Pawns becomes unreasonable, inasmuch as
promoted Pawns are entirely legitimate in
Number 1. Unplihed actual play. We have here two separate and
contradictory. conceptions, a feeling that there is special virtue
ina natural position, attainable ina game of chess, anda second
feeling that the use of promoted pieces is inartistic; but the
way the two have been combined into a single convention is —
‘not altogether ee
8. The use of Castling in problems is suc owned upon,
probably because it cannot be demonstrated as legitimate at
the moment when our unaginary game reaches the diagram po-
sition. Even though King and Rook beon their original squares,
_ it cannot be proved that they have not moved away from those
squares in the past and then returned to them again. But here.
indulgence is more general than it used to be, and Castling
White Bishop at b7 in Number 1-i, would doubtless be thrown
TA] of the detivation of problem positions —
au 2.
Adventures in Composition
problems, because of the thematic opportunities they often
present, are tolerated by many editors and are actually favored
by a number of good composers, especially in America; yet
Castling problems are still banned from competition in most
tourneys, which is something of an inconsistency,
Problems requiring strict retrograde analysis, such as the
positions where Castling can be demonstrated to be impossible,
or those where an initial en-passant capture can be shown to
be technically legitimate, are not regarded as quite orthodox
and take their place in the realm of fairy chess.
While these restrictive conventions and numerous other
minor ones, suchas the widespread disapproval of overcrowded
or unnatural Pawn positions, may at times cramp the style of
even the more experienced composers, yet there can be little
question of their wholesome effect, when not pressed to ex-
tremes. The beginner, in particular, should observe them faith-
fully; for at best the first problems he composes will be less
perfect than his later ones, and he should avoid unduly handi-
capping them by any breaches of the conventions which will
serve to draw attention all the more to their general lack of
artistry. Only when a composer has achieved considerable prac-
tice and experience should he consider, and then as rarely as
he.can, breaking any of the generally accepted rules of good
taste; and the rules should never be broken unless a compen- The Fundamental Conventions
sating result of real interest can be achieved at the same time.
If a composer is strict with himself on the score of good
taste, he may thereby limit the volume of his output, but the
problems which he does publish will all the more quickly win
for him the reputation to which he aspires, and the self-
discipline involved and the more thorough study of the pieces,
which will be found necessary, will pay high returns in helping
him to develop two of the cardinal virtues of composition:
the power to handle the pieces with economy, and a good
artistic sense,
13. s{l:
THE COMPOSITION OF SINGLE PROBLEMS
A, The Composer's Aim Centered in the Play A First Step in Composition
Parsiaps the simplest way to begin composing one’s first
problem is to take any familiar posing of the pieces and then
see whether any new developments suggest themselves. Thus,
somewhat at random, it might occur to one that one has solved
a good many two-movers which have been built on the idea of
having a White battery (Rook, Bishop or Knight) so con-
trolled by the pinning action of a Black Queen that the battery
could not operate at all unless the Black Queen withdrew, but
that, if she did withdraw, then a battery mate would be brought
into effect.
If the two Kings, for instance, are placed on the board at
hi and hs, as shown in Diagram 2-a, with a Rook battery
(White Rook at f3 and White Bishop at e2) unable to open
fire on the Black King, because of the pinning action of the
Black Queen, there will be a neat, though conventional, mate
when the Queen withdraws to bi: 1—Qbt+; 2.Rf1 mate. We
can readily set this up as a completed mate by adding the 8.
Adventures in Composition
White Knight and two Pawns shown in Diagram 2-b, or ina
variety of other simple ways.
It is natural to ask one’s self, in looking at such a diagram
with a view to composing a new problem,
whether it contains the germ of any idea
sufficiently original to repay the effort of
further study. Nearly every two-move lay-
out contains some new possibilities, if one
can only study ita little more thoroughly
Nbr .477hé squares gg than others have done before. In the pres-
g6.h4and h6 are supposed’y ent case, 1—QxS could be countered by
Seat te tesa. 2.RxQ mate, provided additional guard
posed to have been made, of h4 and hé were furnished, but this is
andiis Black's turn to play. 5.45 especially thrilling, Again, 1—QxPs
would lead to 2.Rh3 mate, if gs were guarded, but here again
there is nothing of moment unless supported by some further
element of novelty. And, if 1—Kg4 or
PxS, there are no mates in sight at all. oe
Studying the diagram still further, wenote |b»! ae a
that 1—QxRs+ brings outa perfectly sound | ay mw
mate by the return capture, 2.BxQ, and 0 5
here, suddenly, comes a real surprise: if |
1—Qd4; 2.Rf4 will mate, and if 1—Qe5} Number 2b Thekeyis sup-
2.Re3 mates, posedly made; Black to play.
Here then is a real possibility for a novel blend, namely, to A First Step in Composition
combine these unexpected variations, 1—Qd4 and Qes, with
the more familiar mates after 1:—Qb1, QxS and QxPs, or at
least with one or two of these. At best this would offer a blend
of five unpinning defences by the Black Queen, leading to five
separate battery mates.
To make the mates work, a threat is required by some White
move, which Black’s defences, i—Qd4,
Qes and perhaps Qfs, will all defeat.
There is one such threat immediately sug-
:
cme
a eo
(ee i
gested by the necessity of guarding the a
Black King’s open flight at g4, and this ‘e
would be 2.Sf6 mate. Place a White a
Knight at h7 and this works out nicely. Number 2-eThe keyiasiipe
Diagram 2-c.) posecly made; Black to play.
This threat, 2.Sf6, also will take care of the defence, :—Kg4,
and the presence of the Knight provides just the extra guard of
; gs needed to complete the effectiveness
| of the mate, :—QxPs; 2.Rh3. It does not
help, however, in providing mates after
e the defences r—QxS, PxS or Pos. We need
@ o 8D |) co do away with the other White Knight
| at fs, substituting more durable guards
Number2-4'The key issup- of hg and h6, and we need to plug the
posedlymade Blackto play Pawn at 96 so that it cannot be moved. A
White Pawn at gs would be a partial substitute for the Knight
“
Ig. -20.
Adventures in Composition
at £5; but it would not guard h4. A White Bishop would clearly
be better, giving Diagram 2-d.
Now we have the threat, 2.Sf6, functioning fairly well,
with the five mates by the unpinned battery, after 1—Qb1s,
Qd4,
Qes, Qfs5 and QxPu, all working out correctly, We still
have to find a key-move for our problem,
and there may be Black defences for which
igi «| have not yet provided mates, Yes,
iw 1—Qeé6 defeats the threat and there is no
a E provision for a mate; also 1-Qc6, but
abl] not 1—Qez, for then 2,.Re3 would again
Number2eThekeyissup- Mate. [fwe can stop the square e6, all chese
posedly
aBlacl
would
And what move shall we select for a
madeBlacktoplay. defences would be obviated. Shall we use
Knight or a Pawn at e6? It must bea Pawn, for a Knight
permit 1—SxB to wreck the solution. (Diagram 2-e).
key?
duce the threat in one way or another,
and we do not want to add any extra force
to make a key function, if we can avoid so
doing,
t must be a move that will intro-
. The White King, the pinned Rook
and the Bishop at ¢2 are all fixed, byreason Number 2,f. The London.
of the battery position, and they cannot Oberver: 1941
be considered, Any move by the Bishop at gs would be inart-
istic, asit would takea flight away from the Black King. Perhaps A First Step in Composition
a move of the White Knight, from £8 to hz, would work, but
it would be extremely crude, There remains only the White
Pawn at hg, Might this perhaps start from h2 or h3? Yes, either
move might do, because it would be providing guard for gs
and so releasing the White Knight to threaten mate; and
1.Ph3-h4 would be particularly good, for it would grant the
Black King his flight square. An excellent key is thus offered
us without charge, no change in the layout being necessary to
make it work or to counteract second solutions. (Diagram 2-f).
We have been fortunate all through this little adventure
together, there having been no steps to retrace, apart from
doing away with the badly placed White Knight at f5 in Dia-
gram 2-b, All composition is not as plain sailing, and, as we
progress in our construction exercises, we will find pitfalls of
many different kinds that will require careful handling. Next
to imagination, the most valuable asset a composer can have
is skillful resourcefulness in evading these pitfalls which lie
along his road,
20. An Adventure in Black Interference
One of the first relationships between the pieces which a
composer must master is the principle of Black interference,
by which is meant the obstruction of the motion or other
powers of one Black piece by moves of one or more other Black
pieces. It is a principle used in a great number of problems,
frequently as constituting the main theme; still more often in
little incidental ways, either in the by-play or just as a means
of getting some variation correct, or as a device to offset some
threatening cook,
The obstruction of the Black King by the Black forces is
called blocking. In Diagram 3-a, if 1—Rdé, the square dé be-
comes self-blocked, so the King can no longer go there, even if
the original double guard of the White Queen and Knight
were removed. It hardly seems likely that such a contingency
will occur, and yet it does, for moving the Black Rook also
has the effect of unblocking the square ds, allowing the King
to try to escape by this corridor. To prevent this, White could An Adventure in Black Interference
play 2.S¢7 mate, were it not that this would remove the double
guard of d6; but, if Black obligingly self-blocks that square,
the mate becomes valid.
Next, let us examine 1—Res. In this case 2.Se7 will not
mate, both because the Black Rook now commands cy, and
mote especially because dé is not blocked.
On the other hand, the Rook has now
obstructed the Black Bishop, so that it no
longer defends dé, and White can mate
| by 2,Qd6, This is called a Black interfer-
ence and it is a very simple principle in-
Number 3-4. Unpublished. deed, just as the blocking of squares is
simple; yet the ways in which it can be put to use are beyond
all enumeration. It is probable that, in the total output of two-
movers, around a quarter of a million Black interference moves
have been employed by composers many tens of thousands of
times, doubtless with countless repetitions of purpose and de-
tails, yet still with countless different effects.
Number 3-a contains two other interferences besides 1—Rc5.
If 1—Rd4y, the Black Queen is obstructed and 2.QxP is mate,
a good companion mate, or echo, to 1—Rcs; and if 1—Pdé,
we have yet another, less obvious, form of interference, for
White now mates by 2,Qc8 and the presence of the Black Pawn
at dé obstructs the Black Rook from interposing at d7. So it
happens that virtually every defence which Black makes to the
23. Adventures in Composition
threat, 2.Sg7, in this problem, is either a self-block or an inter-
ference. Black is in the position of a clumsy man, who cannot
turn around without stepping on his own feet. It is only when
the Rook makes some purposeless move, such as 1—Rdx, that
no obstruction results and White mates by 2,Rc6, Another in-
teresting feature in this problem is that every Black defence is
also an unblocking move, releasing one of the squares, ds or dz,
in the King’s field. So we can say that the position, taken as a
whole, depends for its defences upon the unblocking of the Black
King and for its mares either upon Black self-blocking or inter-
ference. It is unusual for a problem to betray such consistent
unity of principle. More generally one or two interferences
or one or two self-blocks are blended. with a few mates of other
character.
Suppose we wanted to make a two-mover illustrating Black
interference; how would we set about it? a
One way would be to do as we did in the
previous exercise: to set up a familiar lay- [yyy a
out of the pieces and then see what new a
element, if any, we could inject into our
sketch, For example, let us put a Black
Rook at £8, with the King at e3, and add Number 3-0. Squares d2,
White and Black Bishops at d8 and c8_ 43,¢2,¢4:faand fj are sup-
dh -d; the ke
respectively. Now, if 1—Bfs, the Black ee Slat te al ee
Rook’s power of interposing at f4 will be obstructed and White An Aceneare in Bisel Inenecence
mates by 2.Bg5. How shall we use this elementary thought?
Pechaps we could echo it, Add another Black Rook at b8, and
then 1—Bb7; 2.Bb6 will be mate. We could force Black to
make these two defences, 1—Bby and Bfs, in answer toa threat,
say 2.Re4 mate, and the problem would probably compose it-
self without difficulty, (Diagram 3-2). :
Ox, we might transpose the Rook from b8 to €8, and put
the White Rook on b4. Then our threat would be 2.Rb3, and
Towa Black would defend by 1Be6; 2.Req4
| mate, and by 1—Bfs; 2.Bgs mate. (Dia-
gram 3-c). A simple outline of a few pieces
ae like this is likely to provide material for
a many problems; so the composer must get
: amore definite idea of just what he would
Number j-c. Allthe squares ost like to do,
inthe Bleck King'sficllae "There isone thought we might oe
ee sie no as it has been rather rarely used, m) that
is the Black obstruction of a line already obstructed by White.
_ The layout we have been toying with will lend itself to explain
_ thisidea by the simple change of position of the White Bishop
from d8 to £6, While the Bishop was at d8, the Black Rook
commanded f4,; now it no longer does so, because the White
Bishop obstructs the line £8-£4; yet the Bishop cannot move
without re-opening the line. But when Black plays 1—Bfs, the
_ White Bishop can mate by 2.Bgs, as before, for Black has
25. 26,
Adventures in Composition
now taken over the duty of obstructing the line f8-f4. (Dia-
gram 3-d),
| At first there is little, if any, difference in our setting, Black
makes the same defence as before, 1—Bfs,
and White makes the same mate, 2.Bgs.
And yet there is a great difference, for, if
we wished to echo our interferences with
diagonal mates, we would have had to place
the second Rook on the left-hand side of
Number 3-d Allsquaresin the board, as at b8 in Diagram 3-b. We
oe could not place it at g8 (transposing the
made; Black to play. Black Bishop to, say, e4)and obtain White
mates on the diagonal hé-e3 after both 1—Bfs and Bg6, because
only one of the two Black Rooks could be obstructed fe the
Black Bishop at one time. It would require Z iz
a White battery, wich mates shutting off :
the interposing powers of the second Black wy a
Rook, to accomplish this; but, if the lines |[ oi
of both Black Rooks were initially ob- |P, fa
structed by White pieces, for instance by |g as
the White Bishop at £6 and the Queen at Number }-e. Squares d2,
g7, then the Black Bishop could obstruct es oe
either line, 1—Bfs or Bg6, and the White. key is made; Black to play.
obstructing piece, thereby released, could mate on the diag-
onal, 2.Bgs or Qhé accordingly, the second Black Rook’s line
\ An Adventure in Black Interference
remaining obstructed by the alternate White piece, as shown
in Diagram 3-2.
This certainly makes a much more promising sketch for
our problem than the straightforward interferences we con-
sidered in Diagrams 3-b and 3-c. To develop the idea, let us
transfer the Black King to dz and provide a threat by 2.SxBe4,
thereby forcing the Black Bishop to move away to avoid this
thteat, and we can then see what other play we can expect from
Hm the Bishop’ 8 remaining moves. As a start
in covering the King’s field, let us add a
WhiteRook at az, as the guard of the bot-
a tom rank, when the Black King stands on
the second tank, is often quite trouble-
some to arrange in any other way. (Dia-
Se oS
edly te a the. Lye Aswenow examine the diagonal bi-h7
made; Black to play. to see what moves we can permit the Black
Bishop to make along it, apart from 1—Bfs and Bg6, we find
that two squares offer particularly poor prospects, :—Bh7 and
~ Bbu: The former takes the Black Bishop so far out of play that
icwill be hard to find a mechanism permitting mate; so let us
stop the square h7 resolutely with a Black Pawn. The Bishop’s
other difficult move, 1—Bb1, might be met by changing the
White Kni ighe to c3 and the White Rook to fr. Then the threat
would still be 2,SxB mate, while if :—Bbr, White could mate
27. : sed Bichopa areW
ee An Adventure in Black Interference
being an additional activity for the White Bishop with a nice ;
supper gesture by the White Queen from the rear.
Let us add the Black Queen at as, and select Sd3- C5 as Our
key. Thiswill makean obstruction or shut- Fy
_ off of the Black Queen, so that. she cannot 4
control gs, thereby preparing for the prin-
cipal mates, 2.Bg5 and Qh6, and it will [74a
add the variation we desire, 1-QxS; 2.Bc3 2
mate. Another Black Pawn ata4will shield
the White Rook from the Black Queen, Number j-h. leis White's
and the guard of the King’s field can be tumto play; the intended
completed by adding a White Knight at tenes:
grand a White Pawn at f2. There will still be the White King
_ toremember, and we might pause to check up as to any flaws
which might have slipped in unnoticed. (Diagram 3-b).
‘The placing of the White King isa little puzzling, because
: i Black threatens every unoccupied square
4]) onthe board in rather ominous fashion, It
would of course be desirable to find an act-
S| ual use for His Majesty, bat that is fre-
c quently impossible. Perhaps we had best
move the Rook from az to b2 and squeeze
Number 3-1 British Chess i the King unceremoniously at a2.
Feleionon Toomey 1939 As regards cooks, there would seem to
be only 1.Pc3s, KxS; 2.Rdi mate, to be concerned about, and
a
ia ee
cio ey 8 BS -30.
Adventures in Composition
this will not be very perplexing to avoid, for we can have a
Black Pawn at e2, with a Black Bishop at e1 to prevent the
Pawn from promoting. Then again, to prevent 1—BxPf2 from
releasing a flight to the Black King, we will remove the White
Pawn and transfer the White Knight from g1 to g4 to restore
the guard of e3.
As we review our completed two-mover, Diagram 3-i, we
find that our two original Black interferences still dominate
the scene, as we planned they should; but the four additional
mates we have introduced give good variety, the key is in keep-
ing with the theme because of its shut-off character, and the
construction is satisfactory, with the exception of the idle White
King and the stop Bishop at e1, neither of which is a serious
blot after all. The problem as a whole is probably a more inter-
esting one than we would have had if we had yielded to the
easiet lure of following our original double interferences as
sketched out in either Diagram 3-b or 3-c. An Adventure in Black Self-pins
Pixnine is a curious property of the chess pieces. It occurs
when a piece cannot move without leaving its own King in
check. For instance, as we shall see in Diagram 4-a, if the Knight
at e5 were to try to move, the Black King would be left stand-
ing in check to the White Rook. But, if the Rook should move
to g7, it would unpin the Knight, and then if it moved back to
gs itwould pin the Knight once again. Similarly, if Black plays
1—QaR or RxR, the moving piece immediately becomes self-
pinned.
A mate with pinned pieces present always has a little differ-
ent character from one without them. Thus 1:—RxR; 2.QxB
is an interesting mate, because both the Black Rook and Knight
are pinned. The mate is called a double pin model, because
each square in the King’s field is only covered in one way and
there are no idle White pieces, other than the King, The fact
that the pinning pieces are required to hold the pinned pieces
makes us say that cq. and e5 are only covered in one way, although Adventures in Composition
in a sense these squares have the appearance of being both
blocked and guarded, /
Number 4-a is not a hard problem to solve. A mate must
be provided for 1—QxR, a move which gives the Black King
two 2 The White Queen must get around to b7, so that
z she can cover these two flights in mating,
and the only line of approach is via hy.
‘| But I think the rather rich play compen-
sates somewhat for the key. There are two
self-blocks, 1—Qcé and Sd4, one inter-
| ference, 1—R£3, and four mates in which
the pin of the Black Knight is essential,
Number 4-4, Version of prob-
Tei, British Chess Federation y—QxR, RxR, Qe8 and the threat; and
: Renee the odd thing is that in each of these four
cases White mates from a different diagonal direction, like
boxing the compass, from b7, hi, b3 and £7.
One might argue that these pins of the
Black Knight are in themselves of small
moment, for the reason that the Knight
does not self-pin itself nor does it become
pinned by any act of the White forces. It
just remains there, patiently pinned, all |g
through the play. Te might indeed be re- Number 41 pWhitecoply
placed by a Black Pawn, with only a few ‘beintended keyisQb1.
minor modifications of the whole position, including Be twist An Adventure in Black Self-pins
of the board, as I attempted to show in Diagram 4-b, and the
intended key in this version, Qb:, would probably have been
a better one because, after 1—Pd3, it substitutes the new mate,
2.QxP, for the dual, 2.Qc5 and Sb4 mate, which exists in the
set position.
However, Number 4-6 turned out to be cooked by 1.RaRs.
This was too bad, as the position also had the merit of better
economy. But I found no way to correct it, and therefore
adopted the setting shown in Number 4-a.
Tam afraid I have not always been careful enough in testing
my problems before having them published or entering them
in tourneys, and I have lost more than one first prize through
my carelessness, It is primarily the duty of the composer, and
not that of the chess editor or tourney conductor, to make sure
that his problems are sound, and, where it happens that he loses
some tourney success through his oversight, he must realize
that the responsibility rests squarely on his own shoulders. A
new composer cannot be too careful in this regard,
Returning from this short, but important, digression to our
more immediate concern with the principle of the pin problem,
it may be said that, to be vital, such a problem must contain
some activity of the pinned pieces, or at least must show some
element of new pinning or unpinning arising as a definite re-
sult of moves occurring during the course of the solution. This
is a point which is not always understood, and not a few 34.
Adventures in Composition
problems have won prizes on account of the supposed interest
inherent in their pin mates, although the piece pinned, like
the Knight at es in Number 4-2, might (at least in theory)
have j jest as well been replaced by a Black Pawn or some other
simple form of cover for the square e5.
So it is chat, in this position, Number 4-a, we see that the
essential part of the theme, in so far as ithas to do with pinning,
lies i in the two self-pins, :—QxR and RzR, and not in the pass-
ive presence of the Knight at e5; and it might be interesting to
see whether we could extract some other little grain of inspir-
ation by transposing an equivalent pair of self-pins into some
other environment.
How would it be, for instance, to retain the same self-pins
while giving the Black King a flight square? As the two White
Queen mates, which follow the self-pins,
