Knight Wheel

[garykevinware]

"In this famous problem, the composer has achieved a maximum "Task", the task here being to cause a Knight to visit every one of its eight possible destination squares. This is known as a "Knight Wheel". In this problem, it is a Black Knight that operates the wheel, and the mates are all different."



Godfrey Heathcote Hampstead and Highgate Express 1905 #2

One point each, for showing me each variation involving a defense by the black knight, for a possible 8 points. There are also two bonus problems, under Ninepins, worth a possible 15 points, and so 23 points are possible this week. Send your solutions to me, at garykevinware@yahoo.com , by next Wednesday.

[garykevinware]

Here is the answer to last week's problem:
Heathcote #2-
1 R1c7 Nc6 2 Rcd7#
1...Ne6 2 Red7
1...Nb5 2 Rc5#
1...Nf5 2 Re5#
1...Nf3 2 Qe4#
1...Ne2 2 Qxh5#
1...Nc2 2 b4#
1...Nxb3 2 Qd3#
The following commentary is from 101 Classics of the Chessboard by A.S.M. Dickins and H. Ebert, "Until now, nobody has succeeded in composing a Black Knight Wheel problem, without promoted pieces, showing eight completely different mates resulting from eight Knight interferences by closing the lines of other Black pieces. An example of such an interference can be seen here in the move 1...Nf3, closing the line of the Black Queen at h1 and allowing 2 Qe4#." There is a much longer commentary on this problem, which I will not duplicate here, in Chess Wizardry: The New ABC of Chess Problems by John Rice. "At the time of writing (January 1996), no composer has yet achieved a complete knight-wheel in which each knight defense is an interference leading to a different mate, except by using promoted force. The present record of seven interferences by a black knight has been achieved several times, and this is an example. (A problem by Alberto Mari shows eight knight interferences, but two of them lead to the same mate.)



W.A. Beers Atlanta Journal 1934 #2

Again, 8 points for showing me each of the variations involving a defense by the black knight. I will be posting the regular problem(s), later this evening. Send your solutions to me at garykevinware@yahoo.com , by next Wednesday.

[garykevinware]

Here is the answer to last week's bonus problem:
Beers #2-
1 Na5 Ne7 2 Bd6#
1...Nf6 2 Qxf8#
1...Nf4 2 Qxg1#
1...Ne3 2 Qd4#
1...Nc3 2 Nxd3#
1...Nb4 2 Bb6#
1...Nb6 2 Nxb7#
1...Nxc7 2 Qxc7#
"The key threatens 2 Rc4, and Black defends by opening a line of guard from the Bg8. The only non-interference variation is 1...Nxc7 2 Qxc7."
Here is another bonus problem:



C.S. Kipping (Version) The Problemist 1936 #3

3 points for showing me a complete variation, and 2 bonus points, 1 point each, for telling me what two major themes that the problem shows. Send your solutions to me, at garykevinware@yahoo.com , by next Wednesday. I will be posting the regular problem(s), later this evening.

[garykevinware]

Here is the answer to last week's bonus problem:
Kipping #3-
1 f4 Nd1 2 Nxd1
1...Nc2 2 Nxc2
1...Nxc4 2 Nxc4
1...Nd5 2 cxd5
1...Nf5 2 Bxf5
1...Ng4 2 Bxg4
1...Ng2 2 Bxg2
1...Nf1 2 Bxf1
1...Nd2 2 Bxd2
1...Nc3 2 Bxc3
1...Nxc5 2 dxc5
1...Nd6 2 cxd6
1...Nf6 2 gxf6
1...Nxg5 2 fxg5
1...Ng3 2 Bxg3
1...Nf2 2 Bxf2
1...f6 2 Qh5
"The key, 1 f4, sets up a zugzwang position, and White will eventually mate by means of 3 Rd8, if both of Black's knights can be induced to leave the e-file, to enable the white queen to guard e7. As it turns out, this is not a difficult business, for no matter which knight moves, and irrespective of where it arrives, it exposes itself to capture, so that the other knight is then forced to move (unless Black plays 2...f6/f5, which will allow 3 Qh5). This problem therefore presents a doubling of the Grab theme: each of two black units is grabbed wherever it goes." The other theme shown is a Double Knight Wheel.
To close out our discussion of the Knight Wheel, here are a couple of problems sent to me by Siegfried Hornecker:



Siegfried Hornecker MatPlus Winter 2009 #2



Siegfried Hornecker and Martin Hoffmann Schweizerische Schachzeitung June 2005 (Version) #9

11 points total, for sending me complete variations to both problems. Send your solutions to me, at garykevinware@yahoo.com , by next Wednesday. I will be posting the regular problem(s), later this evening.

[garykevinware]

Here are the answers to last week's bonus problems:
Hornecker #2-
1 Na7 Rd2 2 Nd3#
1...Rf2 2 Nf3#
1...Rb6 2 Nec6#
1...Rf8 2 Nf7#
1...Rd8 2 Nd7#
1...Rh6 2 Ng6#
1...Rh4 2 Ng4#
1...Ra2 2 Nc4#
http://www.matplus.net/pub/start.php?px=1271935317&app=mag&act=posts&fid=mp1&tid=29&pid=129#n129
Hornecker and Hoffmann #9-
1 Nf7+ Ke6 2 Nxg5+ Ke5 3 Nf7+ Ke6 4 Nd8+ Ke5 (4...Rxd8 5 cxd8=Q Qc6 6 Qg8+ Ke5 7 Qg7+ Ke6 8 Qf7+ Ke5 9 Qxf5#) 5 f4+ gxf3 e.p. 6 Nc6+ Ke6 7 Nxd4+ Ke5 8 Nxf3+ Ke6 9 Ng5#
http://www.matplus.net/pub/start.php?px=1271106453&app=forum&act=posts&fid=xshown&tid=127