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David Paulowich wrote on Sat, Sep 8, 2001 12:00 AM UTC:Excellent ★★★★★

This is David Paulowich writing in support of the standard rules for pawn promotion, which seem to be unpopular with some players and chess variant designers. If, for example, pawns could only be promoted to previously captured pieces, then many beautiful games would no longer be legal. My databases contain over 400 games with 4 Queens on the board, 2 White and 2 Black, including: Capablanca - Alekhine, 1927 (Thirteenth World Chess Championship Match, game 11) and Borsony - Koch, 1956 (Second World Correspondence Chess Championship). In 1936 Reinle checkmated Lange in this 'extra promotion' game: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 f5 3. exf5 e4 4. Qh5+ g6 5. fxg6 h6 6. g7+ Ke7 7. Qe5+ Kf7 8. gxh8=N#

diagram

Such games, with one player having nine pieces other than pawns, used to be rare (only ten were played between 1856 and 1963). In modern times the opening: 1. b4 e5 2. Bb2 Bxb4 3. f4 exf4 4. Bxg7 Qh4+ 5. g3 fxg3 6. Bg2 gxh2+ 7. Kf1 hxg1=Q+ 8. Kxg1 (from Kucharkowski - Walter, 1982) has been repeated in over 200 games. Incidentally, White is winning, by about 150 to 50.

diagram

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