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Chess Problems
A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by the composer using chess pieces on a chess board, which presents the solver with a particular task. For instance, a position may be given with the instruction that White is to move first, and checkmate Black in two moves against any possible defence. A chess problem fundamentally differs from over-the-board play in that the latter involves a struggle between black and white, whereas the former involves a competition between the composer and the solver. Most positions which occur in a chess problem are 'unrealistic' in the sense that they are very unlikely to occur in over-the-board play. There is a good deal of specialized jargon used in connection with chess problems; see glossary of chess problems for a list. Definition The term "chess problem" is not sharply defined: there is no clear demarcation between chess compositions on the one hand and puzzles or tactical exercises on the other. In practice, however ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reflexmate
The problem to the right is a fairly recent example, successful in the World Chess Composing Tournament despite only a single phase of play present. It is by Štefan Sovík and is a reflexmate in two moves. The key is 1.Qh5! and White threatens 2.Nbxc3, after which black is compelled by additional condition to mate by Rxc3#, with triple pin of Rc4, Bd4 and Ne4. There are three thematical variations with unpinnings of three pieces, but every time Black has to mate by switchback after selfpin of unpinned piece on c3: * 1...Qxa4 2.Rxc3 Qb5# (white move: rook unpinned by queen move selfpins) * 1...Rxc8 2.Bxc3 Rd8# (white move: bishop unpinned by rook move selfpins) * 1...Bxh5 2.Nexc3 Bg6# (white move: knight unpinned by bishop move selfpins) Another three variations result in unpinnings of white pieces, but the mates are not by switchback: * 1...Qd7 2.Rc6 Qxd4# (white move: unpinned rook unguards d4 and unpins queen) * 1...Nd5 2.Bxe3 Nf4# (white move: unpinned bishop opens d-file ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chess Aesthetics
Chess aesthetics or beauty in chess is the aesthetic appreciation of chess games and problems, by both players and composers. This is evident, for example, in awarded to some games in certain tournaments and also in the world of chess composition. There are many books published featuring chess problems or puzzles that emphasize its aesthetic aspect. One of the earliest is from the 9th century AD. Aesthetics in chess can be both a source of pleasure for humans and also instruction, as compositions or games featuring it typically illustrate original ideas or new instantiations of old ones. A good chess problem composer, however, is not necessarily a good player. Factors about a game or move sequence (also referred to as a ''combination'') that might cause it to be regarded as 'brilliant' by most players include, among other things: expediency, disguise, sacrifice, correctness, preparation, paradox, unity and originality. * ''Expediency'' refers to a move's effectiveness in achievi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
An Interesting Problem (Adolphe-Alexandre Lesrel)
An, AN, aN, or an may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Airlinair (IATA airline code AN) * Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy * AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey * Anime North, a Canadian anime convention * Ansett Australia, a major Australian airline group that is now defunct (IATA designator AN) * Apalachicola Northern Railroad (reporting mark AN) 1903–2002 ** AN Railway, a successor company, 2002– * Aryan Nations, a white supremacist religious organization * Australian National Railways Commission, an Australian rail operator from 1975 until 1987 * Antonov, a Ukrainian (formerly Soviet) aircraft manufacturing and services company, as a model prefix Entertainment and media * Antv, an Indonesian television network * ''Astronomische Nachrichten'', or ''Astronomical Notes'', an international astronomy journal * ''Avisa Nordland'', a Norwegian newspaper * ''Sweet Bean'' (あん), a 2015 Japanese film also known as ''An' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Retrograde Analysis
In chess problems, retrograde analysis is a technique employed to determine which moves were played leading up to a given position. While this technique is rarely needed for solving ordinary chess problems, there is a whole subgenre of chess problems in which it is an important part; such problems are known as ''retros''. Retros may ask, for example, for a mate in two, but the main puzzle is in explaining the history of the position. This may be important to determine, for example, if castling is disallowed or an '' en passant'' capture is possible. Other problems may ask specific questions relating to the history of the position, such as, "Is the bishop on c1 promoted?". This is essentially a matter of logical reasoning, with high appeal for puzzle enthusiasts. Sometimes it is necessary to determine if a particular position is legal, with "legal" meaning that it could be reached by a series of legal moves, no matter how illogical. Another important branch of retrograde analy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Promotion (chess)
In chess, promotion is the replacement of a pawn with a new piece when the pawn is moved to its last . The player replaces the pawn immediately with a queen, rook, bishop, or knight of the same . The new piece does not have to be a previously captured piece. Promotion is mandatory; the pawn cannot remain as a pawn. Promotion to a queen is known as queening; promotion to any other piece is known as underpromotion. Promotion is almost always to a queen, as it is the most powerful piece. Underpromotion might be done for various reasons, such as to avoid stalemate or for tactical reasons related to the knight's unique movement pattern. Promotion or the threat of it often decides the result in an endgame. Rules When a pawn is promoted, it is removed from the board, and the new piece is placed on the square of promotion. A piece may be promoted to regardless of whether it has been captured. Consequently, a player might have two or more queens, or three or more rooks, bishops, or k ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chess Problem Terminology
This glossary of chess problems explains commonly used terms in chess problems, in alphabetical order. For a list of unorthodox pieces used in chess problems, see Fairy chess piece; for a list of terms used in chess is general, see Glossary of chess; for a list of chess-related games, see List of chess variants This is a list of chess variants. Many thousands of variants exist. The 2007 catalogue ''The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants'' estimates that there are well over 2,000, and many more were considered too trivial for inclusion in the catalogue. .... A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W Z Notes R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (russian: link=no, Владимир Владимирович Набоков ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Born in Imperial Russia in 1899, Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian (1926–1938) while living in Berlin, where he met his wife. He achieved international acclaim and prominence after moving to the United States, where he began writing in English. Nabokov became an American citizen in 1945 and lived mostly on the East Coast before returning to Europe in 1961, where he settled in Montreux, Switzerland. From 1948 to 1959, Nabokov was a professor of Russian literature at Cornell University. Nabokov's 1955 novel ''Lolita'' ranked fourth on Modern Library's list of the 100 best 20th-century novels in 2007 and is considered one of the greatest 20th-century works of literature. Nabokov's ''Pale Fire'', published in 1962, was ranked 53 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pawn2knight
Pawn most often refers to: * Pawn (chess), the weakest and most numerous piece in the game * Pawnbroker or pawnshop, a business that provides loans by taking personal property as collateral Pawn may also refer to: Places * Pawn, Oregon, an historic forest community * Pawn River, Burma * Noatak Airport, International Civil Aviation Organization code PAWN Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Pawn'' (2013 film), an American film * ''The Pawn'' (film), a 1978 French film * ''Pawn'' (2020 film), a South Korean film * ''The Pawn'', a 1980s text adventure * "Pawns", a song on the 2017 Paloma Faith album '' The Architect'' Other uses * Pawnship, debt bondage slavery * Pawn, another name for a pledge in certain jurisdictions People with the surname * Doris Pawn (1894–1988), an American actress of the silent film era See also * Pawn Stars (other) Pawn Stars may refer to: *''Pawn Stars'', American TV series *''Pawn Stars Australia'', Australian TV series *''Pawn Stars U ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fairy Chess
Fairy chess is the area of chess composition in which there are some changes to the rules of chess. The term was introduced by Henry Tate in 1914. Thomas R. Dawson (1889–1951), the "father of fairy chess", invented many fairy pieces and new conditions. He was also problem editor of '' Fairy Chess Review'' (1930–1951). Although the term "fairy chess" is sometimes used for games, it is more usually applied to problems where the board, pieces, or rules are changed to express an idea or theme impossible in orthodox chess. Variations on chess intended to create complete, playable games are more typically referred to as chess variants. Types of fairy chess problems Types of changed rules in fairy chess problems include: * ''New stipulations:'' Probably the most-used alterations are new stipulations about mate instead of a direct mate stipulation. Many of them were invented and some became established. Selfmates and helpmates are nowadays often considered to be orthodox (not ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sam Loyd
Samuel Loyd (January 30, 1841 – April 10, 1911), was an American chess player, chess composer, puzzle author, and recreational mathematician. Loyd was born in Philadelphia but raised in New York City. As a chess composer, he authored a number of chess problems, often with interesting themes. At his peak, Loyd was one of the best chess players in the US, and was ranked 15th in the world, according to chessmetrics.com. He played in the strong Paris 1867 chess tournament (won by Ignatz von Kolisch) with little success, placing near the bottom of the field. Following his death, his book ''Cyclopedia of 5000 Puzzles'' was published (1914) by his son. His son, named after his father, dropped the "Jr" from his name and started publishing reprints of his father's puzzles. Loyd (senior) was inducted into the US Chess Hall of Fame in 1987. Reputation Loyd is widely acknowledged as one of America's great puzzle writers and popularizers, often mentioned as ''the greatest.'' Martin G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Proof Game
A proof game is a type of retrograde analysis chess problem. The solver must construct a game starting from the initial chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ... position, which ends with a given position (thus proving that that position is reachable) after a specified number of moves. A proof game is called a shortest proof game if no shorter solution exists. In this case the task is simply to construct a shortest possible game ending with the given position. When published, shortest proof games will normally present the solver with a diagram - which is the final position to be reached - and a caption such as "SPG in 9.0". "SPG" here is short for "shortest proof game" and the "9.0" indicates how many moves must be played to reach the position; 9.0 means the position ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Retrograde Analysis
In chess problems, retrograde analysis is a technique employed to determine which moves were played leading up to a given position. While this technique is rarely needed for solving ordinary chess problems, there is a whole subgenre of chess problems in which it is an important part; such problems are known as ''retros''. Retros may ask, for example, for a mate in two, but the main puzzle is in explaining the history of the position. This may be important to determine, for example, if castling is disallowed or an '' en passant'' capture is possible. Other problems may ask specific questions relating to the history of the position, such as, "Is the bishop on c1 promoted?". This is essentially a matter of logical reasoning, with high appeal for puzzle enthusiasts. Sometimes it is necessary to determine if a particular position is legal, with "legal" meaning that it could be reached by a series of legal moves, no matter how illogical. Another important branch of retrograde analy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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