Chessville - The Kennedy Kids - Creating Problems

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The Kennedy Kids:
Mary Elizabeth & Jon

Creating Problems
by Jon, as retold by Rick Kennedy

I guess it's true what they say: I love to create problems.

Problems can teach you discipline. They can teach you patience. They can teach you resourcefulness. They can even make you laugh.

Chess problems, that is.

"Look at this," I called to Mary Elizabeth the other day. She was busy playing with Marty the dog.

"C'mon," I said, "I saw this position in a dream the other night, and I want you to look at it." Mary Elizabeth came over. Marty, too.

"It's simple," I told her. "'White to move and draw."

I set the pieces up on the chessboard in the living room. My sister looked, and then frowned.

"Typical. You get all the black pieces, I just get my king." She went back to rubbing Marty's head.

"And your pawns," I reminded her. "And your pawns."

a b c d e f g h

"Watch your pawns," Mary Elizabeth said to Marty, as he settled in next to her. She tried 1.fxg7, capturing a rook. "Oh, no," she said, quickly, "then 1...Qxg7 is mate."

First scratching her head, and then the dog's, she tried 1.fxe7, capturing the other rook. "Black answers with 1...f6" I told her, "and then you can't escape a knight coming to f7, sooner or later, for checkmate."

Mary Elizabeth looked at 1.dxe7, and Marty wagged his tail wildly. "No good," I said. "After 1...axb5; White will have to eventually play fxg7, and then Black can checkmate with ...Qxg7."

"That's ridiculous!" she said, throwing up her hands. "Who can solve these dumb problems, anyhow? I sure can't."

She was probably just having a bad day.

At that point, though, Marty sniffed at the board, woofed, and nudged the
b-pawn forward. My sister looked, and giggled. It was stalemate.

"I knew that," she said.

Marty leaned his head on Mary Elizabeth's lap, waiting for another pat on the head. She rubbed his ears and put his face between her hands. "Really, I knew that," she said, looking into his big brown eyes.

Marty made a sound. If I didn't know better, I'd say he chuckled at us. I said chess problems can make you laugh. Maybe it doesn't matter who solves them.

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