Duel including fairy piece

1.Bd5! zz
1...WAf4 2.Rh2 th. 3.Rxa2#
1...WAf2 2.Rh4 th. 3.Ra4#
1...WAg3 2.Re1 th. 3.Re8#
1...WAe3 2.Rg1 th. 3.Rg8#

The duel here has easily understandable motivation: White leaves to Black decision about direction of play and then uses for mating manoeuvre the line which cannot be entered immediately by black wazir.

1.h7! zz
1...Sb5 2.e8R Gb6 3.Re3 Gf2 4.Rg3 Gh4#
1...Sc2 2.e8G Gd1 3.Gh5 Ga1 4.Gf7 Ga8#
1...Sc4 2.e8B Gd5 3.b4 Gd1 4.Bef7 Ga1#

The main duel here in fact lasts three halfmoves. Black 1st move by Sa3 decides about the 2nd Black move by grasshopper by providing the hurdle. In response, White has to promote adequately on e8 so that the grasshopper can be manoeuvred to mate over immobilized white unit.

1...Kh6 2.Qh4#

1.Qxg5(g7)! zz
1...Kh6 2.LIf5#
1...Kg4 2.LIc5#
1...Kh4 2.LId5#
1...g6 2.LIe5#

One flight is provided for, two other two are given by the key. Then an unusual duel between bK entering three flights and the wLI follows. The mate is always given by wQ that cannot be re-paralyzed by bQ due to selfcheck after capture of the lion.

1...gxf3 a 2.LIb7+ A Kg4 3.Rxf3=
1...gxh3 b 2.LIc7+ B Kg4 3.Rh2=
1...g3 c 2.LIh7+ C Kg4 3.Rg2=

1.Rh1! zz
1...gxf3 a 2.LIc7+ B Kg4 3.Rf2=
1...gxh3 b 2.LIh7+ C Kg4 3.Rxh3=
1...g3 c 2.LIb7+ A Kg4 3.Rg2=

Lacny cycle in the stalemate threemover is unusual too. After three defences by bP it is important to force bK to vacated square so that bB is kept in prison. Thus it is important to take care about blocking (or capturing) bP and three potential flights f3, g3 and h3. To this end, white lion plays adequately his response to pawn moves. Duel from the set play is cycled in the solution because of wR replacement.

1...CHb8(R) 2.CHa5(B)+ b3 3.CHxb6(bR) CHh6(Q)#

1.Kxg7! zz
1...CHb8(R) 2.CHxc5(bB)+ b3 3.CHxb6(bQ) CHe7(R)#
1...CHf4(R) 2.CHxd2(bB)+ b3 3.Kh6 CHf7(Q)#
1...CHe5(R) 2.CHxd4(bB)+ b3 3.CHxh5(bR) CHe8(Q)#
1...CHd6(R) 2.CHxc5(bB)+ b3 3.Kf8 CHg6(Q)#

A study of piece transformations – both shape and colour change as needed. As a result the mates in the relatively empty king's flank are obtained.

1.LEff8 LExh3 2.LEc8 nLEh8#

1.LEff4+ LEc2 2.LEe4 nLEg2#

1.LExb6 LEe1 2.LEa5 nLEa1#

Moves B1 and B2 are played by bLEf2, W1 by wLEc3 and W2 by nLEg7. Thus three solutions show impressive duel throughout. Moreover it is not incidental, rather motivated by specificity of combination Madrasi + neutral pieces, namely one-sided paralysis.

1.Bb4 DRxb5+ 2.Kc5 DRb6 3.Kb5 DRa4#

1.Bd3 DRxe4 2.d5 DRe5 3.Ke4 DRf3#

1.Ke5 DRxf5 2.Re6 DRf6 3.Kf5 DRg4#

The duel here might seem incidental as it is located at the end of solutions. But the underlying strategy is well unified and specific to dragon. White DR clears in W1 the square entered in the B3 by bK, then in W2 it moves as pawn forward and finally mating move W3 uses dragon-specific geometry.

1.PAf6? th. 2.PAa6#
1...PAa2!

1.PAf5! (th. 2.PAxa5#) a4 2.PAf4 (th. 3.PAxa4#) a3 3.PAf3 (th. 4.PAxa3#) a2 4.PAf6 (th. 5.PAa6#)

Light example of fairy logic problem with duel of almost helpless black pawn and white pao. Pao keeps on attacking pawn until it moves to square where it prevents black refutation of the try. Although there is nothing really deep in the position, according to the jubilee judge, the position has some potential for explanation of paos to newcomers to fairy chess with simplicity of its logic (tested on real people).

1.BLc8? th. 2.Qe3# A
1...ROe5! a

1.d6? th. 2.Qf3# B
1...ROc6! b

1.c5? th. 2.Qf4# C
1...ROb4! c

1.cxb3! th. 2.Qc2#
1...ROe5 a 2.Qe3# A
1...ROc6 b 2.Qf3# B
1...ROb4 c 2.Qf4# C
1...Bxf2 2.Sxf2#

The winner of the Marianka 2012 fairy tourney shows three Dombrovskis paradoxes using motivation specific to lions. Rose is in this respect more technical device allowing desired defences by the single piece, also the white mates could be played by rooks and bishop. Using single piece on each side is however economical and it adds unity to the move function change achievement.