Mark Gordian 100 MT C 1.8.2001 - selection from award


The tourney was announced for selfmates or reflex mates in 2-4 moves, using some of the following fairy pieces: grasshopper, nightrider, lion, pao, mao, vao. In fact, very wide possibilities for composing, but the outcome was less than was expected by organizers. There was 32 entries, but among them 15 not correct and even 2 unthematical. Thus only 15 problems competed and below are some 9 winners (3 prizes, 3 HMs, 3 Comms). The comments are by judge Jurij Gordian, translated from Russian to English by me, JL, and also some my remarks are added.

Let's not forget that this year traditional Wola Gulowska fairy tourney is dedicated to s#2 with grasshoppers and nightriders, in fact very small subset of Mark Gordian 100 MT and it will be very interesting to compare the best problems here and there...

Of, course, there are already some problems published at CCM that conform to thematical requirement. Look at them and compare, if you want. Especially Petkov's problem would have surely won...
Anatolij Vasilenko
Andrej Frolkin

1st Prize M. Gordian 100 MT C 1.8.2001

1.f4? th. 2.Rg1+ Kxg1#
1...Sf3!

1.f6? th. 2.Rxg3+ Kxg3#
1...Sf5!

1.PAd2! zz
1...Sxf3 2.Rg1+ Sxg1# (2...Kxg1??)
1...Sxf5 2.Rxg3+ Sxg3# (2...Kxg3??)
(1...Sg6 2.Sf4+ Sxf4#)

Judge JG: "Dombrovskis theme in the mechanism impossible without use of fairy pieces. Also similar rendering of move function change is impossible in direct mate. The problem's positive points include also Umnov refutations and light position."









s#2 (11+6)
1+1 pao, 3+0 nightrider-hopper

Waldemar Tura
2nd-3rd Prize e.a. M. Gordian 100 MT C 1.8.2001

1.VAh6? th. 2.e4+ PAe3#
1...VAg3 2.Bb4+ Kd3#
1...f5 2.PAa2+ VAxa2#
1...VAe2!

1.e4! th. 2.VAh6+ PAe3#
1...VAg3 2.PAa2+ VAxa2#
1...f5 2.Bb4+ Kd3#

Judge JG: "The following two problems are interesting as well as full of action. This one with reciprocal change... No reserves in construction were spotted by me and the use of fairy pieces is excellent - no one purely technical. But even if the mechanisms are built on properties of fairy pieces, there is a feeling that they were motivated at first by orthodox schemes."

JL: "Two remarks. The other problem obtaining 2nd-3rd Prize by Jevgenij Fomichev is clearly anticipated, that's why it isn't presented here. On the other hand, I would prefer Tura's problem to the first prize. From the purely formal point of view, besides reciprocal change in this problem there is also key-threat reversal, giving together more difficult theme. See e.g. other problem showing it in very different form, #3 Sentinelles by Hubert Gockel. From the motivation point of view, the idea is very chinese - or both wVA and wPA mustn't MOVE to d3 or both mustn't ATTACK d3. I'd like to see the same idea in orthodox form... can someone show me one?"









s#2 (10+12)
2+1 pao, 2+2 vao

Leonid Makaronez
1st HM M. Gordian 100 MT C 1.8.2001

1.Bc5! th. 2.Qf8+ Kg5 3.Rg4+ hxg4#
1...Gc6+ 2.Rexf4+ exf4 3.Qf6+ Gxf6#
1...Gd5+ 2.Rxe5+ Kxe5 3.Qg5+ Gf5#

Judge JG: "Two variations with black grasshopper battery creation, with checks to wK, it is impossible to do with orthodox resources. But the expression is very plain, there are no interesting extending points."









s#3 (9+10)
0+2 grasshopper, 0+1 nightrider

Vladislav Bunka
Václav Kotesovec

2nd HM M. Gordian 100 MT C 1.8.2001

1.Rg7! zz
1...Ge3 2.Qd1+ Gb3 3.Gg3! hxg3 4.Gh8 g2#
1...Gg6 2.Gb5+ Gc6 3.Rg3! hxg3 4.Gd4 g2#
1...Gc7 2.Rd4+ Gc4 3.Bg3! hxg3 4.Gb7 g2#

Judge JG: "3 thematical variations in s#4, it is already solid work. The unity is improved by 3 sacrifices of different white pieces at g3, left by bG in 1st move. But there are too many units, it is not adequate to generally not too difficult content."

JL: "Strategical unity is exemplary - 2nd white move is check opening white line piece to g3, 3rd white move sacrifice and 4th white move is executed by Gb2, jumping to 3 different squares, opening 2nd rank. Thus, 3rd and 4th white moves are in some sense opposite. The economy is really bad point here, but the scheme requires many pieces..."









s#4 (18+7)
7+2 grasshopper

Roméo Bedoni
Comm M. Gordian 100 MT C 1.8.2001

1.h8PA! Kxa1 2.PAh2 a2 3.d8LI! (3.d8PA? LI~ 4.PAa8#) 3...LI~ 4.PAd2! LIc8#

Judge JG: "Simple idea with two fairy promotions, of these the second contains also small dual-avoidance in reflex manner."









r#4 (6+3)
pao a1, lion b8

Leonid Makaronez
Comm M. Gordian 100 MT C 1.8.2001

1.Bh1! th. 2.Sd1+ Kc4 3.Sb2+ axb2#
1...Rxe5 2.Sf5+ Kc4 3.Sd6+ cxd6#
1...Gxe5 2.Sd5+ Kc4 3.Sb6+ cxb6#

Judge JG: "Two variation with pins of white pawns by black fairy pieces. The content is little and there are too many units."









s#3 (14+12)
2+2 grasshopper, 0+1 nightrider

Comments to Juraj Lörinc.
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