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MatPlus.Net Forum General Looking for the origin of an old chess tale
 
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(1) Posted by James Malcom [Monday, Apr 6, 2020 20:37]; edited by James Malcom [20-05-04]

Looking for the origin of an old chess tale


I’m currently looking for the origin, or a very early known appearance of a famous chess tale that acts as a humorous device to explain the rules of promotion.

In short summary, an endgame is reached, and Black doesn’t know the promotion rules properly and White takes advantage of it.

Mate In 4,Player A vs. Player B
(= 7+3 )


1. Kc2 (2. Bd4#) h1=K! Arguing, White accepts 2. a8=bK! White takes advantage of Black’s thinking (Bd4#? Draw! One king is checkmated, but the other is stalemated.) Kb8 3. h7 Ka8 4. h8=Q###

This has been traced as early as 1972 in a Chess Life Column (http://uscf1-nyc1.aodhosting.com/CL-AND-CR-ALL/CL-ALL/1972/1972_05.pdf ) by Andrew Soltis, and a little later to his book Chess To Enjoy, from 1978-many thanks go to Siegfried Hornecker for his help there-and two names have come up as possible authors: Yuri Dorogov and George Koltanowski.

Does anyone know anything or have any leads?

The bulk of my research lies here: https://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/28919/what-is-the-origin-or-a-early-appearance-of-this-famous-chess-tale/29107#comment46211_29107
 
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(2) Posted by Bob Baker [Monday, Apr 6, 2020 23:57]

I don't have any leads, but the tale would have made more sense if White's second move had been a8=bK rather than h1=bK.
 
 
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(3) Posted by James Malcom [Tuesday, Apr 7, 2020 00:40]

Thanks, typo fixed.
 
   
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(4) Posted by James Malcom [Monday, May 4, 2020 16:15]; edited by James Malcom [20-05-04]

After reading Chess To Enjoy by Andrew Soltis, a source cited numerous times, on the Internet Archive, I have concluded that Yuri Dorogov is the composer and that the problem appeared between 1969 and 1972 after Vladmir Korolkov’s own 1969 joke tale (https://pdb.dieschwalbe.de/search.jsp#P1375156), and the Soltis 1972 Chess Life Magazine where it also appears.

See my deductive reasoning here: https://chess.stackexchange.com/a/29422/15543

I’ve also input the tale into PDB: https://pdb.dieschwalbe.de/search.jsp#P1375156

It may be difficult to find it though, since Yuri Dorogov is Russian composer, meaning that it could be in some old Russian column. The source for Korolkov’s problem, Shakhmaty v SSSR, might be a place to start though.

Also, it may still be worth checking out George. Koltanowski’s Chessnicotes books if possible to see if they contain it or not.
 
   
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(5) Posted by James Malcom [Monday, May 4, 2020 22:31]; edited by James Malcom [20-05-04]

I have found concrete evidence of Yuri Dorogov being the composer: https://chess.stackexchange.com/a/29422/15543

The probable time frame for the creation of it is from 1969 to 1972, if not earlier.
 
 
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MatPlus.Net Forum General Looking for the origin of an old chess tale