Kriegspiel solving competition

The chess variant called Kriegspiel was invented in 1899 in South Africa. Since then, this variant always has been in the attention of chess variant players and chess problem composers (with its ups and downs.) To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the game, we have a competition in solving Kriegspiel problems.

The rules of Kriegspiel (and some additional links) can be found at Chess Variants site:

Rules of Kriegspiel.

There are two webpages with together all problems, selected for this competition. Problems differ in form, difficulty, and beauty (although different people will like different ones better.) In total, there are nine problems.

Send full solutions before December 1, 1999 to kriegspiel@chessvariants.com. ('Full solutions' means that it is not sufficient to send the key move, but you must tell what white must do after different announcements of the referee, etc.)

There are the following prizes:

Everybody that sends in at least one correct solution has a chance for `The Chess Variant Pages Offline' CDrom: a CDrom with all files of the chessvariants.com website and more. In addition, the CDrom contains the entire Chess Composition Microweb website. Browse and read while your telephone bill isn't growing and without waiting for your modem. If you send in more correct solutions, your chances for winning this prize grow accordingly. (If there are many solvers, a second such CDrom may be given as additional prize.)
For the solver that sends in the largest number of correct solutions, we have a book prize: a book on the chess problems composed by Sam Loyd. Loyd was famous around the previous turn of a century for his games, puzzles and chess problem compositions.
Additionally, there are secret prizes - chess composition materials, given out to original solutions of problems or for other reasons.

Solutions will be judged by Juraj Lörinc of the Chess Composition Microweb.

Rules

Send in solutions before December 1, 1999.
Solutions and correspondence must be sent to kriegspiel@chessvariants.com.
If you send your solutions in different emails, be sure to tell about the other emails you have send.
You may not look the solutions up in books, internet sources, chess problem magazines or any other source. While we may not be able to check if you cheated, you should just not do it.
If you cooperate with someone else to obtain the solutions, only one of those who cooperated should send in the solutions. In particular, you may not give solutions to a friend and have him/her send in the solution also in order to increase the chances of winning. It is allowed to try to solve the problems together with someone else, as long as only one of those who cooperated sends in solutions.
Everybody (except the two organizers of course) may participate. Participation costs nothing (except your own Internet costs, and some of your time).

Have fun with solving these problems. Two hints: read the rules of Kriegspiel, and know that some problems are harder than others, not necessarily in the order they are given.

Results

Interested soul can first look at solutions. Other people can read about points for solutions received by me and my comments.

I think competition can be considered successful as problems proved to be solvable as well as not trivial, amusing, but also serious. Some problems contained traps not escaped by everyone.

Points received for all problems

Jean Roche, Comm Rex Multiplex 1986
- D. Carey: 2/10 - didn't state question "Are there any?"
- A. Pfeiffer: 8/10 - in variation Bd) 2.Qf4+? Kh6-h5!
- J. DiMuro: 6/10 - 2.Qe6+? Kxg7! twice
- O. Ronat: 10
Jean-Marc Loustau, 132 Phénix 2 - 1988
- D. Carey: 10
- A. Pfeiffer: 4/10 - wrong order of moves tried by white in a) and b)
- J. DiMuro: 7/10 - wrong order of moves tried by white in a)
- O. Ronat: 10
Jean-Marc Loustau, 303 Phénix 5 - 1989
- D. Carey: 9/10 - missing answer to black 1...Rxh5! (both Rb2, Bxd3 impossible)
- A. Pfeiffer: 6/10 - on "xh5" Bxd3 Qxd3!
- J. DiMuro: 6/10 - on "xh5" Bxd3 Qxd3!
- O. Ronat: 10 - I think underlying black moves are exchanged on "xh5", but the order of white tries is OK
Jean-Marc Loustau, 470 Phénix 7 - 1989
- D. Carey: 10
- A. Pfeiffer: 10
- J. DiMuro: 10
- O. Ronat: 10
Jaques Rotenberg, The Problemist 1976
- D. Carey: 10 - is there a dual 5.Rb5 // Rh7! or Rh3!? It seems yes as both rook moves only wait
- A. Pfeiffer: 10
- J. DiMuro: -
- O. Ronat: -
Jean Roche, 699 Phénix 10 - 1990
- D. Carey: 10
- A. Pfeiffer: 1/10 - 1.Rf7? no announcement! (Kc8-b8)
- J. DiMuro: -
- O. Ronat: 10
Jean Roche, 813 Phénix 11-12 - 1990
- D. Carey: 10
- A. Pfeiffer: 10
- J. DiMuro: 10
- O. Ronat: 10
Jean-Marc Loustau, 933 Phénix 13 - 1991
- D. Carey: 8/10 - in your notation M, xg6 +ld is 2.Ned4+? Kf7!
- A. Pfeiffer: 7/10 - check on long (Rf4+) 2.Sbd4+? Ke5! one point less than above as it is more important variation
- J. DiMuro: -
- O. Ronat: 10
Jaques Rotenberg, 1408 Phénix 19-20 - 1992
- D. Carey: 10
- A. Pfeiffer: 10 - possible typo somewhere "c2 6.Re1#"
- J. DiMuro: -
- O. Ronat: 10

Some other nice and original touches by participants

D. Carey: I liked intelligent description for the second set of problems although it is not standard, it is easily readable. Also an idea of 5.Rb5 //Rh7! in 5. is new.
A. Pfeiffer: Very clearly written.
J. DiMuro: The most elaborate comments, but in any way no boring! It was exciting to read them. Especially comments to problems 4. and 7.
O. Ronat: Standard notation for Kriegspiel! I especially appreciated stating of tries in problem 6.

Gloomy corner

D. Carey: Looking at total points reveals suffering from not solving the very first problem correctly and from a few mistakes in otherwise well solved problems. Anyway, I was amused by incorrect thinking in 1.
A. Pfeiffer: The greatest number of mistakes.
J. DiMuro: The least number of solved problems.
O. Ronat: Luckily escaped 2nd place and finished first in spite of not solving 5.

Total

O. Ronat: 80
D. Carey: 79
A. Pfeiffer: 66
J. DiMuro: 39

Prizes

Main prize (a book on problems by Samuel Loyd) goes to winner, O. Ronat.

Good luck in the form of CD-ROM goes to runner-up, D. Carey.

As all solvers proved excellent skills I decided to award also remaining two people, prizes are in the form of chess composition booklets about fairy chess written by Václav Kotesovec.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to success of our competition in any way!

WWW page made by Hans Bodlaender and Juraj Lörinc.

WWW page created: August 21, 1999, modified August 25, 1999, modified December 28, 1999.

Comments to Juraj Lörinc.
Back to main page of Chess Composition Microweb.