a b c d e f g h +=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+ | | | | | | | | | 8 | | | | | | | | | +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ Ralph Betza | | | | fB | | | | | March 1997 7 | | | | bN | | | | | +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | | | fN | | | | | 6 | | | | bB | | | | | +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | | | frlR| | | | | 5 | *k | | *p | bK | | | | | +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | | | fB | | | | | 4 | P | | | bN | | | | | +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | | | | | | | | 3 | | | | | | | | | +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | | | | | | | | 2 | | | K | | | | | | +-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | +=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+=====+ 8/3(fBbN)4/3(fNbB)4/k1p(frlRbK)4/P2(fBbN)4/8/2K5/8 2#This problem is a simple mate in two (White must find the best move, and then give checkmate with his second move).
In this problem, which uses only half the board, White has a King on c2, a Pa4, and four pieces from the Forward FIDEs: a fBbN on d7, a fNbB on d6, a frlRbK on d5, and another fBbN on d4. Black has only a Ka5 and Pc5.
Because it's considered impolite to tell you the answer before you've had a chance to try, but on the other hand I don't want to have a separate page for the solution, you'll need to scroll down a while here:
1. (fBbN)d7:c5 Ka5-b4 2. (fBbN)c5-b6 mate Ka5-a6 2. (fBbN)c5-d3 mate 1. (fbbN)d4:c5? Ka5-a6This lightweight problem has two variations, and both of the mates are pretty; also, one of the tries is interesting.
This may be a fairly good problem, although to my unsophisticated taste it seems to lack excitement.
This one was composed by the retrograde method: first I got the idea of the mating position on the first line, then I worked backwards from there to get the position before Black's move, then I retracted a white move to get the position you see.
The move 2. (fBbN)c5-d3 mate was hard for me to see.