More-Movers
Peter's Problem World with FIDE Master of Chess
Composition
Peter Wong
Note that Peter's articles, follow a chess problem
convention in using ‘S’ to represent the knight
(from the German word,
Springer). ‘N’ is reserved for a fairy piece called the nightrider.
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Longer
directmate problems, in which White forces mate in four or more
moves, are grouped under the term
more-movers.
The length of play in such compositions allows
themes of greater depth to be realised, such as those involving
elaborate manoeuvres.
Nevertheless, long directmates are not
necessarily more difficult to solve than
two- and
three-movers. Often White’s choices are limited to making
short mating threats, to keep the black force under control.
Also, lengthier problems tend to
possess fewer
variations – one full-length variation is typical in very long
more-movers – hence they don’t become unduly complex. |
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Problem
20 depicts a duel between a white and a black rook, when the
two pieces repeatedly act against each other in a series of variations.
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Black's rook on g8 is preventing Sxg3
mate, but if White plays 1.Rxg8?, stalemate results. Instead White
seeks to mate on d1 with the rook.
Each attempt by the piece to reach the
d-file, however, is intercepted by its black counterpart, 1.Rh7? Rg7!,
1.Rh6? Rg6!, 1.Rh5? Rg5!, and 1.Rh4? Rg4!.
To get past the rook defences, White
plays 1.Rh3! and waits for the black piece to commit itself, e.g.
1…Rg7, after which White makes further use of zugzwang:
2.Rh7 Rg8 (or to g6, etc., not 2…Rxh7? 3.Sxg3) 3.Rd7 and
4.Rd1 (3…Rd8 4.Sxg3).
The other lines are similar in requiring
the white rook to reprise this “ambush” tactic, 1…Rg6 2.Rh6 Rg~ 3.Rd6,
1…Rg5 2.Rh5 Rg~ 3.Rd5, and 1…Rg4 2.Rh4 Rg~ 3.Rd4. |
20. Miroslav Stosic
Probleemblad 1972
   
 
  
Mate in 4 |
White
has two significant
tries in Problem 21 that threaten immediate mates.
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21. Friedrich Chlubna
Thèmes-64 1971
1st Prize
 
 
Mate in 4 |
1.Sf4? intending 2.Sd3 is refuted by
1…dxc5!, and 1.Re3? intending 2.Rxe2 is stopped by 1…exf5!; in both
cases Black’s pawn capture opens a rook’s defensive line.
The
actual play sees White disabling these defences in a striking way.
1.Rg3! is the fine key, which unpins the black queen but
threatens 2.Rg1 mate.
The first main variation starts with a
cross-check, 1…Qxc5+ 2.Rc3+ Qf2, and now that the
c5-pawn has vanished, White can go ahead with 3.Sf4 and 4.Sd3,
as the …dxc5 defence isn’t available anymore.
The second main variation matches the
first closely, 1…Qxf5+ 2.Rd3+ Qf2, and without the option of
…exf5, Black cannot stop 3.Re3 and 4.Rxe2.
There is also
by-play, 1…h2 2.Rg2 (3.Bxf2) Qg3/Qxh4 3.Rxe2, or
2…h1(S) 3.Rg1. |
An
oft-seen devise in more-movers is the decoy, where White manipulates
a black piece into a less favourable position. Problem 22
illustrates an elaboration of the decoy idea known as the Roman theme.
The
previous work, in showing the Roman theme, exemplifies the logical school
of three- and more-movers. A logical problem is so named
because solving it entails reasoning out a series of plans and their right
order of execution.
What
occurs is that White wants to play certain moves that would lead to mate –
these moves constitute the mainplan – but Black defends adequately.
So White first carries out a foreplan, with the sole purpose of
neutralising that black defence. Once that goal has been accomplished,
White proceeds with the unhindered mainplan. The next example provides
a more intricate demonstration of this type of more-mover.
Have a go at solving the four-mover
24, which combines two thematic ideas.
24. A.
Moozhoor
The Problemist Supplement
1993
Mate in 4
Solution
to Problem 24 (To display, hold down your mouse button and select the
text below)
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>1.Kf2! (waiting), 1…h2
2.Sb6 axb6 3.a7 b5
4.a8(Q), and 1…Kh2 2.Se3
Kh1 3.Sf1 h2 4.Sg3.>
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