Sunday, December 23, 2012

Trees for the holidays

Traditionally, this time of each year the chess-composers send greeting cards to their friends with nice compositions. With the present advancement of the technology, the bloggers post these compositions in their blogs.
Some of these problems have special shape, like a Christmas tree.
On this post, together with cordial wishes for general improvement of the situations in our lives, I present three problems of mine with tree-like or conical shapes.
The third takes the shape of a tree, after you solve it!


Problem-646
Manolas Emmanuel
original
8/4q3/4k3/8/3sKP2/2p3p1/1p5P/8
(3 + 6)
a) Diagram: h#5,
b) bQe7 becomes bR: h#4

a) 1.b1=B+ Ke3 2.Bg6 hxg3 3.Kf5+ Kf2 4.Se6 Kf3 5.Qf6 g4#

b) 1.Rh7 f5+ 2.Kf7 f6 3.Kg8 f7+ 4.Kh8 f8=Q#

Self-blocks.


Problem-647
Manolas Emmanuel
original
8/3G4/2p1p3/3b4/2k1P3/1p3K2/3P4/8
(4 + 5) (Grasshopper d7 + 0)
h#4

1.e5 Κe2 2.Βf7 d3+ 3.Κd4 Κd2 4.c5 Gg7#

The Grasshopper is an obstacle-jumping piece. It moves in straight line on a row or a file or a diagonal, jumps over an obstacle and steps on the next square. (If the obstacle is missing, the move is not allowed. If behind the obstacle there is an opponent piece, it is captured).

Self-blocks. (The bPb3 is only decorative).


Problem-648
Manolas Emmanuel
original
diagram
8/3p4/8/3k3G/3p4/8/3P3G/GG1K1G2
(7 + 3) (Grasshopper a1 b1 f1 h2 h5 + 0)
h#3

1.d3 Gc5 2.Kd4 Ge5 3.d5 Gd6#

(It could be more economical, but the shape after solution would not be nice). Self-blocks. The final shape is shown to the right.

   


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