Awarded Problems - SOLUTIONS
1 - Rustam Ubaidullaev (Russia) Champagne Tourney 2005 Special Prize
1.Sf3 e5 2.Sd4 Bd6 3.Sc6 bxc6 4.h4 Ba6 5.h5 Bd3 6.h6 Bg6 7.hxg7 h5 8.d3 h4 9.Sd2 h3 10.Sf3 h2 11.Sg1 hxg1=B 12.Be3 Rxh1 13.Qd2 Bh2 14.0-0-0 Rxf1 15.f3 Rf2 16.Rh1 Bf4 17.Rh8 Qh4 18.Rxg8+ Ke7 19.Rxb8 Bg5 20.Rh8 Rxh8 21.gxh8=B Qd4 22.Bg7
The only entry that TRIPLES the theme. A remarkable achievement!!. The method for the 2 Rooks is one that was the most used and will be called the «standard Rook». This is not the most subtle method for showing the theme (but it shows it anyway!!) and this is why it is a Special Prize rather than a 1st Prize.
2 - Reto Aschwanden (Switzerland) Champagne Tourney 2005 1st Price
1.g4 e5 2.g5 Bb4 3.g6 hxg6 4.a4 Rxh2 5.a5 Qh4 6.a6 g5 7.axb7 a5 8.Ra3 a4 9.Rh3 a3 10.e4 a2 11.Bc4 a1=Q 12.Se2 Qa6 13.0-0 Qg6 14.d3 d6 15.Be3 Kd7 16.Bb6 c5 17.Sd2 Kc6 18.Sb3 Bd7 19.Qd2 Be8 20.Ra1 Rxa1+ 21.Sec1 Ba5 22.f3 Re2 23.Rh1 Qxh1+
The most specific example supported by a splendid mechanism. As the 2 others use standard exchange of place mechanism as a basis, here the only reason why Rh1 has not to be captured on its original place (with Ke1-f1-g1 instead of 0-0) is that is no other place to get rid of Ra1!!
3 - Noam D. Elkies (Israël) Champagne Tourney 2005 2nd Prize
1.h4 b5 2.Rh3 b4 3.Ra3 b3 4.ç3 bxa2 5.Qb3 g5 6.Kd1 g4 7.Kc2 g3 8.Kd3 axb1=Q+ 9.Ke3 Qxç1 10.Sf3 Qxf1 11.Se5 Qh1 12.Kf3 Qh3 13.Rh1 d6 14.Raa1 Bf5 15.Rag1 Bb1 16.Rh2 f5 17.Qxg8 gxh2+ 18.Qg3 Bh6 19.Sf7 hxg1=S#
The maneuver Qb1-h1-h3 cleanly forces the exchange of place. This is the only example where the exchange is effective (position after 14th white move). Interestingly, the Rooks are not captured on the sibling squares with an «almost circuit» by Rh1.
4 - Göran Wicklund (Sweden) Champagne Tourney 2005 3rd Prize
1.Sc3 c5 2.Sd5 c4 3.Sxe7 c3 4.Sg6 Bc5 5.Sf3 Be3 6.dxe3 d6 7.Qd5 Bf5 8.Sd2 Bd3 9.cxd3 c2 10.Sb1 cxb1=S 11.Sf8 Sd2 12.Sxh7 Sxf1 13.Sg5 Sxh2 14.Sf3 Sg4 15.Rh3 S4f6 16.Rg3 Rh1+ 17.Sg1 Rxg1+
Technically, the Knights are more difficult to exchange than the Rooks with indeed 12 moves (2 of them anyway with captures, which I considered as a drawback) needed to achieve this instead of 4, and nevertheless this game is the shortest among the 3 due to the clever sequence imagined by the composer!
5 - Andreï Frolkin (Ukraine) & Kostas Prentos (Greece) Champagne Tourney 2005 4th Prize
1.f4 g5 2.f5 g4 3.f6 g3 4.fxe7 gxh2 5.exf8=S hxg1=Q 6.Rh5 Qb6 7.Rc5 h5 8.Sxd7 h4 9.Se5 h3 10.Sf3 h2 11.Sg1 hxg1=Q 12.Sc3 Qgd4 13.e3 Rh1 14.Se2 Bh3 15.Sg1 Sd7 16.Ba6 Rxg1+
THREE different Knights captured on g1: original, Pronkin and sibling. An amazing and unique feature!!
6 - Unto Heinonen (Finland) Champagne Tourney 2005 5th Prize
1.h4 g5 2.hxg5 h5 3.g6 Rh6 4.g7 Rc6 5.d3 Rxç2 6.Sc3 Rd2 7.Qa4 h4 8.Qa6 bxa6 9.a4 Bb7 10.a5 Bf3 11.gxf3 Sc6 12.Bh3 Rb8 13.Be6 Rb5 14.Bb3 Rh5 15.Bd1 Rh8 16.b3 Ra2 17.gxh8=Q Ra4 18.Ra2 Rb4 19.Rd2 Rb8 20.Sa2 Ra8
The exchange displayed in the 3 first Prizes but without capture of the second piece (and also without apparent promotee on the board!). A very attractive game with long trajectories by the thematical Rooks. A problem without apparent promoted man on the diagram had to be among the Prizes!!
7 - Göran Wicklund (Sweden) Champagne Tourney 2005 6th Prize
1.h4 g5 2.Rh3 gxh4 3.Ra3 h3 4.Rxa7 hxg2 5.Rxb7 Ra6 6.Rxb8 Rh6 7.Rxç8 Sf6 8.Ra8 Qb8 9.a4 Kd8 10.Ra3 Kc8 11.Rh3 Kb7 12.Rh1 Qa7 13.Rxf8 gxh1=Q 14.Rg8 Qc6 15.Sf3 Sd5 16.Rg1 f6 17.Rh1
A lovely conception. The sibling is captured, then the original piece goes back home after performing a circuit!!
8 - Göran Wicklund (Sweden) Champagne Tourney 2005 1st Honourable Mention
1.h4 g5 2.Rh3 gxh4 3.Ra3 h3 4.Rxa7 hxg2 5.Rxb7 Ra6 6.Rxc7 Rg6 7.Rxd7 Kxd7 8.a4 Ke6 9.Ra3 Kf5 10.Rh3 Be6 11.Rh1 gxh1=Q 12.a5 Qc6 13.a6 Bd5 14.a7 e6 15.a8=R Bb4 16.Ra3 Se7 17.Rh3 Rhg8 18.Rh1
The same scheme as 6th Prize and the same idea as 4th Prize, incomplete here as Rh1 is not captured (with 18...Bxh1 added, this was initially 4th Prize, but was later cooked).
9 - Gianni Donati (USA) Champagne Tourney 2005 2nd Honourable Mention
1.d4 Sc6 2.Be3 Se5 3.dxe5 e6 4.Bb6 axb6 5.Qd6 Rxa2 6.Sd2 Ra4 7.Ra3 Rf4 8.Rg3 Rf3 9.exf3 Se7 10.Bd3 Sc6 11.Bg6 hxg6 12.Se2 Rh4 13.0-0 Ra4 14.Ra1 Ra8 15.Rxa8 Sb8 16.Rxb8
A beautiful clear cut game with visually satisfying sibling of 2 adjacent pieces.
10 - Eric Pichouron (France) Champagne Tourney 2005 3rd Honourable Mention
1.e4 h5 2.Qg4 hxg4 3.Sc3 Rh3 4.Sd5 Rc3 5.bxc3 Sc6 6.Ba3 Sd4 7.Bd6 cxd6 8.h4 Qa5 9.h5 b6 10.h6 Bb7 11.h7 0-0-0 12.Rh6 Ba8 13.Rf6 gxf6 14.Bc4 Bh6 15.d3 Bc1 16.Se2 Ba3 17.Kd2 Bb4 18.Rh1 Qa3 19.Rh5 a5 20.Re5 fxe5 21.h8=Q Sf6 22.Qh1 Rh8 23.Qd1 Rh3 24.Ke1 Rf3 25.gxf3
A well oiled game using the « standard Rook » to double the theme, displaying an additional Pronkin and switchback by Ke1
11 - Eric Pichouron (France) Champagne Tourney 2005 4th Honourable Mention
1.g4 d6 2.g5 Sd7 3.g6 Sdf6 4.gxh7 g6 5.hxg8=R Rh3 6.Rh8 Sg8 7.b4 Bg7 8.b5 Bxa1 9.b6 Bc3 10.dxc3 Kf8 11.Bg5 Kg7 12.f4 Rf3 13.Bh3 Sh6 14.Bg4 Qg8 15.h3 Qh7 16.Rd8 Be6 17.Rd7 Rh8 18.Rh2 Qg8 19.Rf2 Qd8 20.Kf1 Kf8 21.Bxh6+ Ke8 22.Bf8 Rh5 23.Qe1 Rg5 24.fxg5
A complex game with 1 «standard Rook» and a less standard Knight, and additional Phénix and switchbacks. Technically more difficult than the preceding one, but the unbalanced thematic play blurs the impression.
12 - Gligor Denkovski (Macedonia) Champagne Tourney 2005 5th Honourable Mention
1.f4 e6 2.f5 Qg5 3.f6 Se7 4.fxe7 Sc6 5.exf8=R+ Ke7 6.Rxc8 Rd8 7.Rxa8 Ke8 8.Rxa7 Ra8 9.Rxa8+ Sd8 10.Rxd8+ Qxd8
A marvelous position that speaks for itself and is worth a HM! And the content is far from bad with Ceriani-Frolkin promotion and double switchback hiding the thematic maneuver.
13 - Hitochi Yanami (Japan) Champagne Tourney 2005 1st Commendation
1.g4 d6 2.g5 Sd7 3.g6 Sdf6 4.gxh7 Kd7 5.hxg8=R Rxh2 6.Rxf8 Sg8 7.Rxg8 Rxh1
The only shorty entry. A candidate for the next article on this subject by Mark Kirtley!
14 - Ivan Denkovski (Macedonia) Champagne Tourney 2005 2nd Commendation
1.h4 e5 2.h5 Bç5 3.h6 Bhxg7 h6 e3 4.5.gxh8=R Kf8 6.R8xh6 Kg7 7.Rb6 axb6 8.d4 Ra4 9.dxe5 Rh4 10.e6 Rh8 11.Rxh8
Thematic capture by Anti-Pronkin piece
15 - Alexandre & Valery Semenenko (Ukraine) Champagne Tourney 2005 3rd Commendation
1.a4 e6 2.Ra3 Qh4 3.Rg3 Qxh2 4.Rxg7 Qxg1 5.Rgxh7 Qxf1+ 6.Rxf1 Bb4 7.Rhh1 Bxd2+ 8.Sxd2 Rxh1 9.Sf3 Sh6 10.Sg1 Rxg1
The shortest doubling eased by the non capture of the original piece
16 - Kostas Prentos (Greece) & Andrei¨Frolkin (Ukraine) Champagne Tourney 2005 4th Commendation
1.Sc3 h5 2.Se4 Rh6 3.c3 Ra6 4.Qb3 Rxa2 5.Kd1 Rxa1 6.Kc2 Rxc1+ 7.Kd3 Rxf1 8.Sf3 Rc1 9.Sd4 Rc2 10.Ra1 Sc6 11.Ra6 Sa5 12.Rh6 c6 13.Rh8 Qb6 14.Rxg8 Kd8 15.Rxf8+ Kc7 16.Rxc8+ Rxc8 17.Ke3 Rh8 18.Kf4 Rh6 19.Kg5 Rf6 20.Sxf6
17 - Andrei Frolkin (Ukraine) & Kostas Prentos (Greece) Champagne Tourney 2005 5th-6th Commendation e.a.
1.e3 d5 2.Bd3 Sd7 3.Bxh7 Sdf6 4.Bxg8 Rh5 5.h4 Re5 6.h5 Bf5 7.h6 e6 8.hxg7 Ba3 9.bxa3 Qe7 10.Bb2 0-0-0 11.Bxf7 Rh8 12.Rxh8+ Sg8 13.Rxg8+
18 - Mario Parrinello (Italy) Champagne Tourney 2005 5th-6th Commendation e.a.
1.a4 Sf6 2.a5 Se4 3.Ra4 Sxd2 4.Sxd2 d5 5.Sb3 Sd7 6.Qd3 Sf6 7.Qxh7 Sg8 8.Qxg8 Rh3 9.Rh4 Be6 10.g4 Qd7 11.Bg2 0-0-0 12.Qxf8 Rxf8 13.Kf1 Rh8 14.Rxh8+