198. theme tourney of the German chess magazine Die Schwalbe (February 2006, no. 217)
Thematic requirement of the Keym-Task is the combination of an excelsior (a white pawn moves from the 2nd to the 8th rank or a black pawn moves from the 7th to the 1st rank), a total of four different promotions (to queen, rook, bishop, knight of white or black [AUW]), castling and an en-passant-capture, shown in either a directmate, a selfmate, a (single-line) helpmate problem or in an endgame study. Promoted force is not permitted in the starting position. No fairy elements permitted.
The first achievement of the task in each of the four types will be awarded 100 Euros.
Entries should be sent to Werner Keym Herzog-Wolfgang-Stra?#376;e 15, 55590 Meisenheim (Germany) or to <w.keym(at)gmx.net>.
Answers to individual enquiries
The pawn making the excelsior need not be the one which makes the en passant capture.
The pawn making the excelsior need not be involved in any of the four promotions. If the promotion of the excelsior pawn is to a specific piece (e.g. a knight) then only the three remaining promotions (e.g. to queen, rook and bishop) need additionally be shown. In the simplest case the same pawn carries out the en passant capture, the excelsior and the four promotion choices (in the directmate, selfmate or endgame study this will be in four different variations). Conversely in the most complicated case six pawns (making four consecutive promotions) will be needed. The colour of the promoting pawns is unimportant.
The following applies in case of directmates, selfmates and endgame studies (i.e. genres with adversarial play):
It is admissible (but less desirable) for a black pawn to have a choice of single or double step move if it is then immediately captured by a white pawn. It is admissible for the same white pawn to promote alternatively to Q, R, B or S, provided that the preceding play contains four variations which differ from each other on at least one move.
It is admissible for the same black pawn to promote alternatively to Q, R, B or S, provided that the subsequent play contains four variations which differ from each other on at least one move.
The following applies to helpmates (i.e. in the case of cooperative play):
The only admissible type is the single-line helpmate with four consecutive promotions. Consequently forms such as set-play, multi-solutions, twins, duplex etc. are excluded. It is not admissible for a pawn to have the alternative of making a single or double step move before being captured by an opposing pawn, since that constitutes a dual. The double step must be the only possible move.
