ChessBase Puzzle Contest January 11th, 2004

Our Christmas Puzzle week brought on a huge participation and a lot of feedback from our loyal readers. Some in fact had started reminding us about this venerable tradition at the beginning of December. Now people are clamouring for the traitional puzzle contest, where you get to win a copy of Fritz signed by Garry Kasparov. Well, here it is, with four problems for you to solve. The conditions are given at the bottom of the page. Note that our Gambit Book competition will be published on Wednesday and the Repton puzzle next Sunday.

Alexei Alexeyevich Troitzky (1866–1942)

Alexei Alexeyevich Troitzky is one of the main founders of modern study composition. He started creating endgame studies when as a young student in Leningrad he met Mikhail Chigorin, who at the time was the editor of a chess column. A number of his compositions were published, but after a few years Troitsky lost interest and moved to Smolensk, where he took up a post as assistant forester. He resumed his occupation with chess endgames nine years later, when in 1906 he published the most profound and definitive analysis of two knights against pawn in the Deutsche Schachzeitung. A few years later he started composing endgame studies again and in 1910 wrote an article defining the principles of study composition. He also composed chess problems, being especially virtuose in the area of retrograde analysis. In 1924 he published his classic book 500 Endspielstudien. In 1928 Troitzky was awarded the title of Honoured Art Worker, as the Soviet government for the first time officially recognised chess composition as an art form.

Troitzky was a shy, somewhat reclusive person who worked alone in remote places. He died of starvation in 1942 during the siege of Leningrad. All his papers and notebooks were destroyed during the siege.

On this somber note we bring you three studies by this great composer. They show the depth of imagination and inventiveness that Troitzky possessed, but also the sparkling wit that became his trademark.

A. A. Troitzky, Deutsche Schachzeitung 1913

White to play and win

When this puzzle appeared in the magazine Computerschach & Spiele in April 1986 computer experts immediately set to work solving it with their chess machines. The finest sets at the time, the Saitek Turbostar and Mephisto Amsterdam needed two hours to find the surprising key move. Novag's Constellation 3.6 played it in level 1 in just a few seconds, but played it without understanding why it was the only move to win.

Please try to work out a strategy all by yourself before you switch on your modern PC chess programs. Try to guess which pawn White will promote (write it down on a piece of paper) and what he has to do to achieve this.

A. A. Troitzky, Deutsche Schachzeitung 1910

White to play and win

This is an example of humour in chess. It is also very instructive. I remember how when I first saw and actually solved it (all by myself, without the help of an electronic slave) I suddenly felt I had a much deeper understanding of the true power of a knight posted on e5.

A. A. Troitzky, Nowoje Wremja 1897

White to play and win

The very tempting 1.Bc6 and 2.Qg2 mate unfortunately fails to 1...Rb1+ and 2...Rxh1. But anything else seems to lose quickly to Black's permanent threat 1...g2. If you do not break out in a delighted smile when you find the solution don't bother to write to us.

Finally here is a problem of a different kind – one you will hopefully not be able to solve with the help of a computer. It won a first prize when it was published at the beginning of the last century.

Dr Niels Hoeg, Skakbladet 1907

White to play

Now listen carefully. In the above position White, after some deliberation, announced that he would finish this game in two moves. "Are you saying there is a forced mate in two?" asked Black? "Not necessarily", said White, but the game will be over after two moves.

Now it was Black's turn to think. "I don't believe you can do it," he said finally, "unless of couse you resign." "No," said White, "I assure you I will finish the game using only legal moves on the board. And there is nothing you can do to prevent it."

So the two took a substantial bet, White played, and Black discovered that whatever he replied he could not prevent White for ending the game one move later. How did White achieve this?

Note: letters are pouring in with the following solution: 1.Qe3+ (or Qc5+) Kxf1 2.Qf2+ and White is stalemated after 2...Kxf2. Sure enough, but Black is trying to prolong the game beyond two moves. So by playing 2...gxf2 he wins the bet – and incidentally checkmates his opponent in three moves.

The Puzzle competition

In order to participate you must send in the correct solutions of at least two puzzles using the entry form given below. The winner is chosen by lots and will received a copy of Fritz signed by Garry Kasparov. There will be a bonus prize for a correct solution to the final problem (by Niels Hoeg). This will be a program signed by Vishy Anand or Vladimir Kramnik. All solutions must be received by January 25th. The results will be published in the following week.

The competition is now closed, results will be published shortly

Frederic Friedel