Final Award in Quick Composing TT-188 | Окончательные итоги блицконкурса TT-188

Same old pin just reheated | Те же связки, только в профиль

Theme | Тема

57 entries were received from 30 authors representing 17 countries | На конкурс поступило 57 композиций от 30 авторов из 17 стран

EN <-> RU

57 problems were submitted to me by Aleksey Oganesjan in anonymous form. To my request, he also submitted to me a set of them without solutions. Though with the theme known, the solving should not be very difficult, it was the way to test whether some elements of surprise could be found in the set of problems.
Usually, thematic tourneys are occasion for multiplying the theme. Two of the examples were with 3 times the theme, and I was surprised that no entry showed more than 2 times the theme! So the judging was more about quality (with of course subjective views on the matter by the judge) than about quantity.
I found most of the entries were “standard strategies” with the theme “forced in” in a more or less natural way. Many were reminiscent of problems seen “outside the theme”. For example, yacpdb/381184. Sure, this excellent problem is not thematic, but it displays strategy similar to that found in many entries. One could transform this problem in a 2 solutions problem and forcing the theme into it: not a desirable way to compose thematic helpmate! (for example, entry No 19 (Kh1-Kd4) can be seen as a “half-Chepizhny”).

Some words about some problems not in the award (not necessarily to be in the award):
- No 6 (Ka2-Kf7) – some ideas also seen in No 3 (Kb4-Kg2) and No 5 (Ka7-Kg6);
- No 10 (Kc8-Kc3) – pin not used in the mate;
- No 12 (Kc2-Kg4) – passive Zilahi as in 5 (Ka7-Kg6); here with promotions, but the 2 solutions form in No 5 (Ka7-Kg6) is more satisfying, and the twining form here makes it symmetrical;
- No 13 (Kd2-Kd4) – a) is not thematic;
- No 17 (Kf8-Ke5) – black Queen could be a Bishop;
- No 24 (Kf1-Kc6) – Zilahi with Kniest done many times, with the usual drawback of masses of black units used only for one mating net;
- No 25 (Kf8-Kd4) – black Queen could be a white Pawn (!);
- No 10 (Kc8-Kc3), No 41 (Ke8-Kg2), No 53 (Kg5-Ke4) – only one solution;
- No 40 (Ke1-Ke4) – can be done with 4 units less (8/1B5Q/2r1p1nP/4P3/4k1pb/1np5/5B2/4K3);
- No 42 (Kd8-Kg5) – only one thematic phase;
- No 44 (Kd1-Kd5) – black King in check in diagram position;
- No 47 (Ke8-Ke3) – black Queen could be a Rook. I don't like this kind of twining;
- No 57 (Kd1-Kb8) – zeroposition. I couln't find this can be done easily without zeroposition; anyway, the content is not rich enough to justify this drawback.

No 34, initially marked by Comm., is excluded in view of full anticipation – pdb/P1075144.

Award is the following | Отличия распределились следующим образом

Prize, 1st Place - No 48
Menachem Witztum
TT-188, SuperProblem, 13-06-2017
5B2/4P3/1p4K1/1P1P4/1p2P2q/2k1nnQb/5R2/2N3r1
h#2b) wRf8(9+8)
1st Hon. mention, 2nd Place - No 3
Fadil Abdurahmanovic
TT-188, SuperProblem, 13-06-2017
B7/1R5p/5pb1/3Q1p2/1K1Pr1N1/6p1/6k1/5nqn
h#22.1..(6+10)
2nd Hon. mention, 3rd Place - No 5
Vitaly Medintsev & Anatoly Skripnik
TT-188, SuperProblem, 13-06-2017
7q/K5pr/1Q3nkN/4p2r/5P2/1p2p2n/R2Rp3/8
h#22.1..(6+11)

Prize, 1st Place - No 48, Menachem Witztum (Israel) 5B2/4P3/1p4K1/1P1P4/1p2P2q/2k1nnQb/5R2/2N3r1

a) diagram: 1.Sg5 Qc7+ 2.Sc4 Bg7#
b) wRf8: 1.Sg4 Qe5+ 2.Sd4 Rc8#
The most elaborated entry. Thematic pin appears only after first black move by one of half-pinned Knights, unpinning white Queen. The tries a) 1.Sg4? Bg7+ 2.Sd4?? Qc7# and b) 1.Sg5? Rc8+ 2.Sc4?? Qe5# give some reality to the thematic half-pin; otherwise the concept could be seen as artificial (see comment of No 54 in the end of the award).
EN <-> RU

1st Honorable mention, 2nd Place - No 3, Fadil Abdurahmanovic (Bosnia & Herzegovina) B7/1R5p/5pb1/3Q1p2/1K1Pr1N1/6p1/6k1/5nqn

*1...Qa2+ 2.Re2 Rxh7#
1.Kf3 Qxf5+ 2.Rf4 Re7#
Additional themes: Witztum theme, Quick Ty Belgrade 2016 and complete set of white pieces K, Q, R, B, S, P. (author)
The most successful setting of this mechanism with 2 thematic pieces placed between a white battery and black King.
EN <-> RU

2nd Honorable mention, 3rd Place - No 5, Vitaly Medintsev & Anatoly Skripnik (Russia) 7q/K5pr/1Q3nkN/4p2r/5P2/1p2p2n/R2Rp3/8

1.bxa2 Qb1+ 2.Se4 Rd6#
1.exd2 Qg1+ 2.Sg4 Ra6#
A neat and attractive Zilahi.
EN <-> RU
3rd Honorable mention - No 46
Menachem Witztum
TT-188, SuperProblem, 13-06-2017
6K1/2B5/2n5/Ppk3p1/1p1qpp2/3pnb2/3N4/6Q1
h#22.1..(5+11)
4th Honorable mention - No 43
Aleksandr Kostyukov
TT-188, SuperProblem, 13-06-2017
r1Rqk3/rB6/Pb1p4/2p2p2/2P1b3/1p6/8/K7
h#3b) –Bb7(5+10)
5th Honorable mention - No 51
Emanuel Navon
TT-188, SuperProblem, 13-06-2017
K7/2bBpp2/1p2p3/1p1kp3/2q5/2p2R2/Q7/rr6
h#22.1..(4+12)

3rd Honorable mention - No 46, Menachem Witztum (Israel) 6K1/2B5/2n5/Ppk3p1/1p1qpp2/3pnb2/3N4/6Q1

1.Sd5 Qc1+ 2.Qc4 Sb3#
1.Qd6 Qxg5+ 2.Sd5 Bb6#
Another half-pin. First black move is less interesting and homogeneous than in 1st Prize.
EN <-> RU

4th Honorable mention - No 43, Aleksandr Kostyukov (Russia) r1Rqk3/rB6/Pb1p4/2p2p2/2P1b3/1p6/8/K7

a) diagram: 1.Kd7 Bd5 2.Qc7 Bf7 3.Kc6 Be8#
b) –Bb7: 1.Rd7 Rc6 2.Qc7 a7 3.0-0-0 a8Q#
A little puzzle, with intriguing twining, that owes its relatively high placing to the freshness found by the judge in the “solving phase”. This stood unconventional among many problems with well-known strategy.
EN <-> RU

5th Honorable mention - No 51, Emanuel Navon (Israel) K7/2bBpp2/1p2p3/1p1kp3/2q5/2p2R2/Q7/rr6

1.Ke4 Qa4 2.Qd4 Bc6#
1.Kd6 Qa3+ 2.Qc5 Rd3#
Diagonal-orthogonal echo
EN <-> RU
Special Hon. mention - No 2
Yuri Bilokin (after A. Onkoud)
TT-188, SuperProblem, 13-06-2017
5r2/Bp3p2/pr5q/1pk1b1R1/p2p1pK1/P4P2/n2np3/8
h#32.1..(5+15)
Commendation - No 38
Rolf Wiehagen & Christer Jonsson
TT-188, SuperProblem, 13-06-2017
3rB3/p2q4/2k1p3/5p2/5n1p/4n1p1/8/4KN2
h#42.1..(3+10)
Commendation - No 39
Ingemar Lind
TT-188, SuperProblem, 13-06-2017
8/8/5Qnp/3Kb1q1/4p2k/7n/6Pr/7r
h#22.1..(3+9)

Special Honorable mention - No 2, Yuri Bilokin (Ukraine), after A. Onkoud 5r2/Bp3p2/pr5q/1pk1b1R1/p2p1pK1/P4P2/n2np3/8

1.d3 Rg6 2.Kd4 Re6 3.Ke3 Bxb6# 1.b4 Bb8 2.Kb5 Bc7 3.Ka5 Rxe5#
This adds a homogeneous first move to my diagrammes example. It was found that my problem has already a predecessor with extra move – yacpdb/427008. No 2 is a superior construction, avoiding technical captures, but predecessors prevent giving it a Prize.
(Several entries were improved versions of example by Toma Garai, but bringing not enough new elements to be included in the award.)
EN <-> RU

Commendation - No 38, Rolf Wiehagen (Germany) & Christer Jonsson (Sweden) 3rB3/p2q4/2k1p3/5p2/5n1p/4n1p1/8/4KN2

1.Kd5 Kd2 2.Ke4+ Kc3 3.Qd5 Bc6 4.e5 Sd2#
1.Kb7 Sxe3 2.Ka8 Sd5 3.Qb7 Bc6 4.Rb8 Sc7#
The longer entry but with reduced strategy. The re-pining move is the same in both solutions.
EN <-> RU

Commendation - No 39, Ingemar Lind (Sweden) 8/8/5Qnp/3Kb1q1/4p2k/7n/6Pr/7r

1.Kh5 Qf5 2.Sh4 g4#
1.h5 Qf4+ 2.Qg4 g3#
Chameleon echo.
EN <-> RU
Commendation - No 50
Emanuel Navon
TT-188, SuperProblem, 13-06-2017
8/p7/2R5/3PPp2/p1p1kP2/2pqp3/Kn2Bp2/1Q3b2
h#22.1..(7+11)
Commendation - No 54
Ladislav Packa
TT-188, SuperProblem, 13-06-2017
3B4/8/rr4p1/p1p3p1/Q3nkp1/2P4p/4qbbp/K1n1NN2
h#2b) wRd8(6+15)

Commendation - No 50, Emanuel Navon (Israel) 8/p7/2R5/3PPp2/p1p1kP2/2pqp3/Kn2Bp2/1Q3b2

1.Sd1 Qb7 2.Qxd5 Rxc4#
1.Kxd5 Qd1 2.Qd4 Bf3#
Elegant, but not quite homogeneous.
EN <-> RU

Commendation - No 54, Ladislav Packa (Slovakia) 3B4/8/rr4p1/p1p3p1/Q3nkp1/2P4p/4qbbp/K1n1NN2

a) diagram: 1.Bxf1 Qe8 2.Ke3 Bxg5#
b) wRd8: 1.Bxe1 Qc6 2.Kf3 Rf8#
Capture of white Knights with some diagonal-orthogonal echo. The solutions would be the same with bRb6→c4 and +bPa7 – this shows that the initial pin is just an “embellishment” and not necessary to the strategy of the solutions.
EN <-> RU


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Sections | Разделы

H# (helpmates | коопматы)

Participants | Участники

Abdurahmanovic F. – No 3
Antipin I. – No 25
Balasubramanian S. K. – No 28*
Bhushan P. – No 55A, 55B, 56A, 56B
Bilokin Y. – No 1, 2
Giakatis T. – No 52, 53
Halma M. – No 32, 33
Jonsson C. – No 34, 35, 36, 37*, 38*
Koci V. – No 10, 11
Kostyukov A. – No 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 43, 44
Krätschmer R. – No 17, 18
Kuhn R. – No 16
Lind I. – No 39, 40, 41, 49
Luce S. – No 4
Manikumar S. – No 28*
Martin L. M. – No 27
Medintsev V. – No 5*, 6*, 8, 9
Navon E. – No 50, 51
Ozols I. – No 57
Packa L. – No 54
Pitton P. – No 30, 31
Retter Y. – No 29
Roland M. – No 42
Shorokhov B. – No 26
Skripnik A. – No 5*, 6*, 7
Stepochkin A. – No 12, 13
Stolev N. – No 45
Tar G. – No 14, 15
Wiehagen R. – No 37*, 38*
Witztum M. – No 46, 47, 48

The Winner | Победитель

Menachem Witztum
Congrats! | Поздравляем!

Judge | Арбитр

Michel Caillaud

Director and editor
Директор и редактор

Aleksey Oganesjan
alexeioganesyan@gmail.com

Comments | Комментарии

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