Karol Mlynka 60 Jubilee Tourney C 11.8.2004


My Slovak chess friends announced the tourney that is really interesting... its fairy section has the theme that was set in 5th TT CCM...

Announcement of Mlynka 60 JT

It is announced in 2 sections.

Section A: - 2# - theme: free
Section B: - fairy 2# - theme: any change of defence motives with cyclical effect

Judge: Karol Mlynka
Send your entries to Ján Golha, Lúky 1231/89, 952 01 Vráble, Slovakia or by e-mail to jan.golha@carrier.sk.
Closing date: 11.8.2004


A few personal remarks by Juraj Lörinc

As I already confessed a few times, change of defence motives is among thematical areas that interest me very much. Partly because I'm Slovak and we use to say that this area is a part of Slovak school - but it is only a marginal reason. I was introduced to it long time before I really started composing... during the first browsing through the book "Kompozicny sach na Slovensku". I was fascinated by the fact that the same black moves can have very different motivation - and the cycle in e.g. Mlynka theme was only the final surprise.

Later I learned how to compose something like the cyclical change of 3 motives, on basic level. You simply set two or three prospective threats and then you search for defences that can defend them in different ways. When this "defending" part of the scheme is finished, you look for the mates, they needn't be interesting, usually they work because of the gate opening.

But if you want to work with the same threat or to change the mates, you have to think in the more complex manner. It is still possible. There are even orthodox compositions that show cyclic change of 3 defence motives in 2 phases, after the same threat and with all mates changed. (By the way, 2 of them were composed by Slovak twomover masters Jan Valuska & Ludovit Lacny for the WCCT, but were completely ignored by the judge Andrej Lobusov due to unacceptable defects, but that's another story...)

Let's look at the first example, #2 with fairy condition No captures. Of course, fairy condition allows one heterodox defence motive, blocking of the mating square. On the other hand we see the simplest defence motive, direct guarding of the mating line, that is really the easiest to set. Finally, pinning of the mating unit is relatively interesting as it puts white king into action. These 3 motives are cyclically shifted over 3 defences in 2 phases.

This theme was already constructed over 4 defences in 4 phases - and it happened in the abovementioned 5th TT CCM! Reto Aschwanden won 3 prizes there and the special one was awarded to his #2 with pao and gnu locust on the board 11x11 (comment and solution above diagram). The motives were mostly orthodox ones, nevertheless, this twomover is still one of the best fairy defence motive change compositions - and probably it will be for a long time...

Of course, Mlynka theme isn't the only theme you can try. Perhaps Brabec theme can be more interesting to some composers. Mlynka theme = cyclical change of 3 defence motives of 3 defences in 2 phases (like Lacny cycle in mates change field). Brabec theme = cyclical change of 3 defence motives of 2 defences in 3 phases (like Rice cycle - also known as cyclical Zagorujko - in mates change field). The example is #2 with chinese pieces. There are many other possibilities, you can change defence motives in any way, in any number of phases, get very innovative cyclical patterns...

As was already remarked, it is possible to change mates in the thematical variations and to have the same threat in more phases. These 2 properties are joined together in the very sophisticated #2 with grasshoppers by the jubilee. Ideas of this kind or strong use of fairy motives have good chances in the annouced JT, I'm sure...

Comments to Juraj Lörinc.
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