Assault & Battery

[garykevinware]

"The following problems illustrate the powers of the separate White pieces in opening batteries on the second move."



H.W. Bettmann The White King 1914 #3



G.F. Anderson Chess Amateur 1922 #3

There will be more such problems next week. 6 points for sending me complete variations to both problems, at garykevinware@yahoo.com , by next Wednesday. There are also two bonus problems, uner What A Discovery!!, worth a possible 4 points, and therefore 10 points are possible this week.

[garykevinware]

Here are the answers to last week's problems:
Bettmann #3-
1 Nxb4 Bc1 2 Ke5 exd3 (2...else 3 R3d7#) 3 Nc6#
1...Be1 2 Kc5
1...Bxc3+ 2 Kxc3
1...Bxe3+ 2 Kxe3
1...e5+ 2 Kd5
1...exd3 2 Kxd3 Rxb4 (2...else 3 Nc6#) 3 Bxb4#
1...fxg4 2 Kxe4 Rxb4+ (2...else 3 R3d7#) 3 Bxb4#
1...exf3 2 Kc4
"A waiting key introduces the maximum task. The battery openings are all quiet (i.e. non-checking), which is a point in their favor. The variation 1...exd3 2 Kxd3 is not, of course, of the battery type, but another maximum task (eight second moves by the White K) is achieved. When a White unit, by various moves, opens a line (or lines) for the benefit of another White unit (or units), we call the machinery a SWINGING GATE. There have been several of these gates, on a smaller scale, in previous problems in the book (Mate In Three Moves: A Treatise on the Three-Move Chess Problem by Brian Harley).
http://problem64.beda.cz/silo/harley_mate_in_three_moves_1944.pdf
Anderson #3-
1 Kh7 Bc3 2 Ra5+ Kxc4 3 d3# (b8=Q#)
1...Rc3 2 Rb5+ Kxa4 3 Rb4#
1...d3 2 Rd5+ Kxa4 (2...Kxc4 3 Ne3#) 3 Ra5#
1...Re4 2 Re5+ Kxc4 3 b8=Q#
1...N any + 2 Rf5+ Kxa4 3 Nb6#
1...Rg4 2 Rg5+
1...Rh5 2 Rxh5+
1...Re3 or 1...Rf3 2 Nb6
"In this complex problem, the B + R battery opens seven times, the R playing to every square of his rank. There is a prospective Half-Pin line, formed by the Black QR, KN and the White KB, which works after 1...Rc3, leading to the pin-mate, 3 Rb4, and after 1...N any +, leading to another pin-mate, 3 Nb6."