What A Discovery!!

[garykevinware]

Here are the three problems that I promised last week; the two remaining discovery problems, and the Queen's Cross problem. For an example, and explanation, of the Queen's Cross, see my article, 64 Square Problem Tour, http://main.uschess.org/content/view/8199/436, Problem #51.



A. Bottacchi Eighth American Chess Congress 1921 #2



J.C.J. Wainwright Wanderer 1888 #2



M. Marble La Strategie September 1907 #2

6 points for sending me a complete variation to each problem. Send your solutions to me at garykevinware@yahoo.com , by next Wednesday.

[garykevinware]

Here are the answers to last week's problems:
Bottacchi #2-
1 Rg4 Qc3 2 Nxc3#
1...Qb2+ 2 Nd2#
1...Qg3 2 Nxg3#
1...Qh2+ 2 Nf2#
1...Qxf6 2 Nxf6#
1...Qxd6 2 Nxd6#
1...Qc5 2 Nxc5#
1...Qg5 2 Nxg5#
"The complete White Knight Tour is a very easy task (whereas the Black Knight Wheel, shown under Knight Wheel, by Heathcote, is a difficult business) and unless it can be done neatly and with the addition of some other features (as the Unpin device in this problem, in which the Black Q forces the entire tour) it had better be left alone."
Wainwright #2-
1 Bd6 exf3 2 e4#
1...Rxf3 2 exf3#
1...d3 2 exd3#
"A charming little problem, with much ingenuity displayed in forcing all possible alternatives."
Marble #2-
1 Rc4 b4 2 Qxh5#
1...bxc4 2 Qxc4#
1...Nd7+ 2 Qxd7#
1...Rd4 2 Qxd4#
1...Ne6+ 2 Qxe6#
1...Ndc6 2 Qg8#
1...Bg3 2 Qxd1#
1...Bc3 2 Qxg2#
1...Bf3 2 Qxf3#
1...Be4 2 Qxe4#
1...Rg5 2 Qxg5#
1...Rf5 2 Qxf5#
"Economy of force is a noteworthy feature here. The repetitive mates by capture of the R and QB on the same line (i.e. after 1...Rf5+ and 1...Rg5, and 1...Be4 and 1...Bf3) are called Herlins, after an early composer. Found abundantly in the old type "Waiter", they are not exciting."
The essay by Wainwright on the Queen's Cross, which I mentioned in my aforementioned article, although it is in French, can be found at http://books.google.com/books?id=3C8VAAAAYAAJ. Here is some information on the Queen's Cross, from the book, One Hundred Years Of The American Two-Move Chess Problem by Kenneth S. Howard; "As explained on page 62 of The Good Companion Two-Mover, Wainwright "showed that the total positions which the Queen could occupy on the chessboard in all the problems exemplifying the task formed a cross of twenty squares: b5-d5-d7-e7-e5-g5-g4-e4-e2-d2-d4-b4-b5, the mating Queen always standing on one of the squares within the cross, while the checked King occupied another."
Here are a couple more Queen's Cross problems, which will serve as bonus problems, for this week.



Murray Marble La Strategie 1908-1909 #2



M. Adabascheff The Western Morning News November 9, 1935 #2

4 points for sending me complete variations to each problem, at garykevinware@yahoo.com , by next Wednesday. I will be posting the regular problems, later this evening.

[garykevinware]

Here are the answers to last week's bonus problems:
Marble #2-
1 Be4 Kxe4 2 Rc4#
1...dxe4 2 Qd8
1...Rexe4 2 Rc1#
1...Nfxe4 2 Rhd3#
1...Rfxe4 2 Nf5#
1...Ngxe4 2 Ne6#
1...Qxe4 2 Rc2#
"The key subjects the bishop to capture by seven black men, with different mates in each case. Six of the captures result in self-blocks. Other composers who have illustrated this task have not been able to improve on the beauty of Marble's setting."
Adabascheff #2-
1 Be3 Ncxe4 2 Rxd5#
1...Rcxe4 2 Nc6#
1...dxe4 2 Rf5#
1...Kxe4 2 Qe8#
1...Nfxe4 2 Nd3#
1...Qxe4 2 Rh6#
1...Rhxe4 2 Rg6#
"This example by the Russian problemist Adabascheff has only fifteen men, but the flight-capture is initially set, instead of being made possible by the key, as in Marble's masterpiece."