by Mark Kirtley, Probleemblad 6, 2002
Composers met all four challenges made in the third article (Probleemblad 2000-6), and the first six problems here are their answers. Michel published his No. 1 [diagrams at the end of the text, JdH] as an April Fool's joke -- it's not unlikely that you may laugh upon solving it. The diagram in Joost's No. 2 is an eye-catcher, inviting the solver to create simple symmetry. Gianni's No. 3 achieves the same goal as Peter's No. 4, but the two are distinct in logic. The finding of No. 5 prompted Michel to declare that Gianni had gotten the Holy Grail. About No. 6, I'm hoping that readers will not recall that I had stated in writing my estimation that it could not be done...
You will find a festival of captures in the rest of the problems, and the last two of them involve reciprocal change. If you care to try your hand at composing proof games which make their point in 7.0 moves or less, some ideas which I suspect are challenging (and perhaps far-fetched!) are given in the text following the diagrams.
To the composers for permission to include their originals here, thank you!
1 - Michel Caillaud Problemesis, April 2001
(14+15) Proofgame in 6.0 moves, (b) Nb8->g8
[rnbqkb1r/pppppppp/B7/8/Q1P5/4P3/PP3PPP/RN2K1NR]
2 - Joost de Heer Probleemblad 6, 2001
(13+13) Proofgame in 6.0 moves
[rnb1kb1r/pppp1ppp/8/8/8/8/PPPP1PPP/RNB1KB1R]
3 - Gianni Donati Probleemblad 6, 2001
(15+14) Proofgame in 7.0 moves
[rn1qk1nr/p1pppp1p/7p/1P2P3/3b4/8/1PPP1PPP/1NBQKBNR]
4 - Peter Wong Probleemblad 6, 2001
(15+16) Proofgame in 7.0 moves
[r1bqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/6K1/4P1P1/PPPP1PBP/RNBQ2Nn]
5 - Gianni Donati Probleemblad 6, 2001
(12+13) Proofgame in 7.0 moves
[1nbqkb1r/1ppp1ppp/4p3/8/8/3P4/2P1PPPP/RN1QKB1R]
6 - Mark Kirtley & Gianni Donati Probleemblad 6, 2001
(14+12) Proofgame in 7.0 moves
[rnbqk3/1pppppp1/5n2/8/8/4P3/PPPP1PP1/RNBQKBN1]
7 - Gianni Donati Probleemblad 6, 2001
[4kbnr/3ppppp/ppp5/8/8/8/1PPPPPPP/1NBQKBNR]
8 - Joost de Heer Probleemblad 6, 2001
(15+11) Proofgame in 6.5 moves
[rn2k1nr/ppp2ppp/8/4P3/8/PP1P4/2P1KPPP/RNB2BNR]
9 - Joost de Heer & Michel Caillaud Probleemblad 6, 2001
(11+15) Proofgame in 6.0 moves
[rnb1kbnr/ppp3pp/3pp3/8/8/5p2/PPP2PPP/R1B1K1NR]
10 - Michel Caillaud Probleemblad 6, 2001
(14+15) Shortest proofgame (a) white to play, (b) black to play
[rnbq1b1r/ppppk1pp/8/5p2/4p3/5P2/PPPP2PP/RNBQK1NR]
11 - Valeri Surkov Probleemblad, 1997
(16+13) Shortest proofgame (b) Pa6->a5
[r2qkbnr/p1pppppp/P7/8/8/8/1PPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR]
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