PROBLEM SECTION 7


Suresh M. Mody
H-6, Saraswati Society, NG Acharya Marg, Chembur, Mumbai 400 071
Email: sureshmody@vsnl.net

In this section, we will see the Nowotny theme that is closely related to the Grimshaw theme we had seen in Section 6. Nowotny theme also features mutual interference between a rook and a bishop, but after capture of a piece on the concerned square. We had seen an example of the Nowotny theme earlier (no. 12 in article no. 4 with solution in article no.5 in this series).
Dr. Niels Hoeg
'Deutsche Schachblatter', 1927

Mate in two
Problem 1
William Meredith
Dubuque Chess Journal, November 1886

Mate in two
Problem 2
E. Umnov
Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1946

Mate in two
Problem 3
C. Mansfield
1st Prize, Die Schwalbe, 1957

Mate in two
Problem 4

Please try and solve the problems before looking at the solutions.

I would like to apologise for the omission of a very interesting variation in the solution to Problem No. 2 (Mate in 2) in the last issue.

After the key 1.Rgg7 the variation is 1....Qe5+ 2.Qf4. Though the variation is not thematic, it is very interesting as it is a cross-check and results in a pin-mate. If the black queen were to be free to move, it could have captured the checking white queen, but it is pinned by the bishop. The move of the black queen within the pinned line to check the opposing queen, unpinning of the white queen and interposing of the queen to parry the check and deliver an attractive pin-mate make the variation very interesting. When I mentioned in the text that the line-pinning ‘gives rise to two interesting mates by the queen’, I had meant the two pin-mates – 2.Qf3 and 2.Qf4 after 1...Rb7 and 1...Qe5+, but omitted to provide the variation. I do hope some of the readers would have noticed the omission.

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