Shortest Proof Games
– Part 2
Peter's Problem World with FIDE Master of Chess
Composition
Peter Wong
New terms introduced here
are also added to Peter's
Glossary of Chess Problem Terms.
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The genre of
shortest proof game (SPG)
was introduced in the previous column. Here
we will look further into this problem type by considering some lengthier
examples with more elaborate ideas.
Many of the popular SPG
themes
are paradoxical in nature, involving surprising manoeuvres or deceptive
diagram positions. Therefore it helps to “expect the unexpected” when
dealing with this kind of
composition,
and naturally it is also useful to become familiar with these oft-seen
themes, and thereby know what sorts of effects are achievable. |
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In Problem 103, Black
has made at least three moves by the pawns and two by the king, out of
the seven available. So only two moves remain for use by the missing
rook, bishop, and pawn, to assist in their own captures.
White’s choice of capturer
cannot be any first-rank piece, because it would have insufficient
time to return to its original square after the captures. The main
role thus falls on the missing g-pawn.
To facilitate its own capture,
this pawn also has to promote first, and such an occurrence – the
sacrifice of a promoted piece – is termed the Frolkin theme.
1.g4 h5 2.g5 Rh6 3.gxh6 e5 4.hxg7 Ke7 5.gxf8(Q)+ Kf6! 6.Qg7+ Ke6
7.Qg6+ fxg6.
Instead of an immediate 5…Ke6,
the black king executes a
tempo move with 5…Kf6!, motivated by
the need to use up the extra time available. |
103.
Mark Kirtley & Michel Caillaud
StrateGems 1999
Commendation
      
 
 
       
SPG in 7
2 solutions |
In the second
solution, it’s White who plays a tempo move, and the Frolkin promotion also
changes.
1.g3! e5 2.g4
Be7 3.g5 Bf6 4.gxf6 h5 5.fxg7 Ke7 6.gxh8(N) Ke6 7.Ng6 fxg6.
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104. Pascal
Wassong
Phénix
1992
SPG in 12 |
All of Black’s moves in Problem
104 are visible from the diagram, and their order is strictly
determined already, not being affected by White’s play.
Since no captures are involved,
it seems that White can play 1.f3, and then simply mark time by
shuffling a piece back and forth, e.g. Nh3-g1, for the remainder of the
game. However, such a game would take a single move too long, because
the shuffling piece will finish on the wrong square after Black’s final
move.
Instead, the solution requires
White to make a tempo-losing trek, which is akin to the triangulation
manoeuvre familiar in endgames. 1.f3 e5 2.Kf2 Bc5+ 3.Kg3 d6 4.Qe1
Kd7 5.Qf2 Kc6 6.Qd4 Kb5 7.Qe3 Ka4 8.Qf2 b5 9.Qe1 Bb6 10.Qd1 c5 11.Kf2
Nc6 12.Ke1 Rb8. |
After shifting the king to make room, White plays the
thematic queen seven times only to return it to its original square, for no
purpose other than to use up an odd number of moves.
1.Nc3 Nf6
2.Nd5 Ne4 3.Nf6+ exf6 4.b4 Qe7 5.b5 Qa3 6.b6 Bc5 7.bxa7 b6 8.axb8(N) Bb7
9.Na6 0-0-0 10.Nb4 Rde8 11.Nd5 Re6 12.Nc3 Rd6 13.Nb1, and
1.b4 Nf6 2.Bb2
Ne4 3.Bf6 exf6 4.b5 Qe7 5.b6 Qa3 6.bxa7 Bc5 7.axb8(B) Ra6 8.Ba7 Rd6 9.Bb6
Kd8 10.Ba5 b6 11.Bc3 Bb7 12.Bb2 Kc8 13.Bc1.
Black also varies
the play nicely across the two
phases, especially the change from
castling to non-castling.
To resolve the problem of having both to allow Black to play …Bh3 in time
and to capture Black’s rook, White allocates the first task to the other
knight:
5.Nc3 Qh5 6.Ncd5 g5 7.Nf4 Bg7 8.Nh3 Bc3 9.Ng1 Bh3 10.Nxa8 e6 11.Nb6 Ne7
12.Nc4 Rf8 13.Na3 Rf4 14.Nb1 Rc4.
Thus the two knights have swapped their identities in the diagram position.
10.Kf1 Rg4 11.Ke2 d6 12.Kd1 Rg3+ 13.Kc1 Bg4 14.Rd1.
Return to Peter's Problem World
Tactics, Tactics,
Tactics...
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