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| (1) Posted by Eugene Rosner [Sunday, Apr 21, 2013 16:29] |
Introduction to the directmate #2 lecture
Hi All!
I'm planning a lecture for absolute newcomers, most of whom know how to play the game of chess but that's about it. I want to introduce them to the problem world. so a couple of questions...
1.I want to select 7 problems to discuss and analyse(about an hour lecture). Which would you recommmend?! (I know that's tough, so think carefully! remember they're newcomers)
2.what aspects of our problem world would you discuss to give everyone an all around idea of what makes chess composition tick?!
thanks in advance!!
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| (2) Posted by Steven Dowd [Sunday, Apr 21, 2013 17:51] |
Ado Kraemer Boechumer Anzeiger 1926
Bristol
Kh5 Dc1 Tc3 Td2 Pg3g2
Kh2
Leopold Deutsche Schachzeitung 1923
Line clearance
Kf4 Dh2 Lb4 Sg3
Kf2 Pf7g2
Hassberg New York Post 1945
American Indian
Kh8 Dc8 Tg1 Tg7
Kh4 Tg2 Th2
Lazard L'eclaireruer du Soir (sp.?) 1924
Set mate and Mutate
Ke5 Db2 Te2
Kd3 Lb1 Se4 Pc4
Campbell Chess Player's Chronicle 1861
Ambush
Kf2 Df6 Lh7
Kg4 Pg5
Mott-Smith New York Sun 1932
Unpin
Ka6 Da5 Sd7 Pb6
Ka8 Sd4 Re6
Ehrenstein Wilkesbarre Tourney 1888
Grimshaw
Kd4 Dh6 Pd5e5h3
Kf5 Tf8 Le8 Sh8
These and many other fine examples in Sweeney and Barclay's "Beauty is Where You Find It,"
a very underrated book.
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| (3) Posted by Hauke Reddmann [Sunday, Apr 21, 2013 19:18] |
Alternative:
Steal^Wcopypaste Schiffmann's words "The ideal tournament entry".
(Printed in Vollenweiders Schiffmann book, of course.)
Was it 6 or 7 problems he showed? In any case, they covered the
whole #2 subgenres. Of that time. (I think it were 6, in which
case you can add a random "letter" problem. :-)
My predecessors suggestion nicely shows *themes*, not genres.
Whether this is more apt for beginners can be discussed.
(At least by Haeckels theorem, if they begin to compose, they
will invariably start with this classic themes.)
Hauke
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| (4) Posted by Steven Dowd [Sunday, Apr 21, 2013 20:26] |
Themes are important if you want people to understand the idea the composer is trying to show, instead of simple solving by Brute Force. When I first took up problems, I assumed that Brute Force was all that was needed for solving and composing. Doing so misses the whole point of a chess problem. It reduces chess to the level of Tic-Tac-Toe.
A theme can be analogized to openings - the attack on f7 is a simple but often effective theme, whereas the attack on the e-pawn and on the e-file by Black in the Modern Benoni is a more sophisticated one. Or combinations, which are ideas in practice.
Another much-neglected book is Pafneutief's "How to Create Combinations" (2nd ed.Hypermodern Press, 1996). It never ceases to amaze me how so many good books languish while crap flourishes in chess publishing.
This book includes a nice introduction by Robert Burger (yes, that guy) and relates some problem themes, such as "Diversion," "Ambush," and "Square Vacation" to classic OTB games. Some of the relationships I found a bit tenuous, but others quite good.
Amazon offers the book for a measly 6 bucks used. It is quite worth the money.
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| (5) Posted by Steven Dowd [Sunday, Apr 21, 2013 20:35] |
Set Play
Set play is another important concept to get across if you can. I used to wonder why I should care what would happen if it were BTM in a problem, what does that matter, it is WTM!
But set play is no different than the admonition that you should, on your move in a game, consider what threats your opponent would have if it were his move. Just as you see there what you may need to prevent (falling into), you understand the full range of possibilities in a problem if you consider set play.
I think moremovers show some of the best uses of set play for a beginner, but I don't have an example handy, but re-establishment of the start position with BTM is probably the best sort of introductory example, as radical change is not that easy to figure out initially.
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| (6) Posted by Juraj Lörinc [Sunday, Apr 21, 2013 20:41] |
At the risk of being labelled as shameless self-promotion, I'd like to remind you of my own explanatory article in my Slovak blog, translated for convenience to English:
http://lorinc.blog.sme.sk/c/189996/Composing-the-twomover.html
While I surely would not use it during lecture, I think it could be useful for anyone really interested to see how the composing works. Of course, every composer has its own composing method, and I am even not a typical author of orthodox twomovers, further in other genres composing looks differently, yet it might be pointed as homework follow-up.
By the way, I am considering writing another article during real-time composing, of h# or other genre. My current favourite is h#3, but it has to wait anyway.
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| (7) Posted by Georgy Evseev [Sunday, Apr 21, 2013 20:58] |
I can see at least three different approaches to such a lecture that will require different sets of problems.
1. Tactical ideas in twomovers
2. History of twomovers
3. Solving of twomovers
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| (8) Posted by Steven Dowd [Saturday, Apr 27, 2013 16:00] |
I am not surprised that Eugene's request has received so little input, but it is still disheartening.
We do not share enough with our fellow problemists.
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| (9) Posted by seetharaman kalyan [Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 00:17] |
I thought your post at No.2 covered it well. But any introductory lecture to players (beginners) should contain a classic crosscheck and try problem. I still remember an IM friend of mine being stuck with the Touw Hian Bwee's classic White knight wheel problem (14 pieces). He made two wrong claims and appreciated the point of the problem !
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| (10) Posted by Ian Shanahan [Sunday, Apr 28, 2013 04:43] |
Speaking of Touw, his classic Meredith half-pin + half-battery from the early 1960s' "Die Schwalbe" Theme Tourney would satisfy two criteria: try-play as well as rich traditional strategy.
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| (11) Posted by Eugene Rosner [Monday, Apr 29, 2013 03:52] |
thanks everyone! I've got a pretty good working list. starting from simple going to complex:
1.Hassberg's miniature Indian NY Post
2.Marble's beautiful self blocks on 1 square(Thank you Steven for suggesting both)
3.Walter jacob's famous halfpin (rooks) with flight giving square
4.still looking for a traditional black interference(any suggestions)
5.Milan Vuckevich's famous wB tries(self obstructions) BCM
6.the famous 9 piece Zagoruyko changed B promotions
7.the recent Russian complete change mutate(I have to dig this up but I think I know where it is!)
8.John Rice's complete permutation-combination-refuatation with all bP moves
9.and I'll throw my 1984 ALBUM crosschecker for good measure to let them know I compose as well!
your thoughts on #4?
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| (12) Posted by Eugene Rosner [Monday, Apr 29, 2013 05:10] |
I've decided on the Mansfield 1Pr. Olympic Tourney 1936. I doubt anyone can argue with that choice?!
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| (13) Posted by Georgy Evseev [Monday, Apr 29, 2013 07:35] |
I believe that Rukhlis prototype (~1940) and Dombrovskis prototype (~1960) will definitely adorn any lecture.
Also, I rememmber Banny mutate meredith (?) with radical change, but it was published about 1970...
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| (14) Posted by Jacques Rotenberg [Monday, Apr 29, 2013 09:30] |
For moremovers perhaps from these :
http://www.problemiste.fr/jr-03-souvenirs/4009058
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| (15) Posted by Steven Dowd [Monday, Apr 29, 2013 17:07] |
Eugene, I'll offer one caveat: That any "lecture for absolute newcomers" should avoid complexity. Some of what you want to show strikes me - and again you need to note this is my opinion, but a reasoned one I believe - as beyond what should be presented in a short lecture for those not in the know. They won't appreciate it and the only thing they will retain is that chess problems are beyond their ken.
I base this opinion on my 30+ years as a teacher, trying to teach often difficult technical subjects to individuals without sufficient grounding in the base subjects needed for true understanding, and my own struggle with understanding two movers. I think many of us realize that a two-mover can often be more difficult than a ten-mover! From what I take of your audience, some will still be struggling with why the Greek Gift can work, and you are offering complex mechanisms to them. Crawl before you walk, and so on.....
The best of luck to you in your lecture!
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| (16) Posted by Eugene Rosner [Tuesday, Apr 30, 2013 18:54] |
Hi Steven-which examples do you think are too complex? the ones with changed play?
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| (17) Posted by Steven Dowd [Tuesday, Apr 30, 2013 20:06] |
Hi Eugene, yes, exactly those. Perhaps something like that could be added as "after the lecture" material. Again, as a teacher, I found sending advanced material home with students had the effect of letting those who wanted more to get more, and those who only wanted the generalities to get that.
But if you ask me much more than that, I am waaay out of my league as I am still trying to figure out changed play myself and have been composing for ten years now.
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| (18) Posted by Hauke Reddmann [Wednesday, May 1, 2013 12:45] |
No point to get humble, Steven - I am composing since 30 years
without any break, aaaaand I'm practically only into 2#...
but I still haven't got the hang of todays "letter" problems :-)
Hauke
P.S. Still, that would make for a whole extra lecture:
How do you motivate, constructively, a changed play?
A reciprocal? A (gasp!) Lacny? One cannot emphasize enough
that for good problems, you need a) good ideas and b)
good technique. I progressed from {a,-b} to {-a,b} :-)
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| (19) Posted by Juraj Lörinc [Wednesday, May 1, 2013 14:29] |
Hauke, your post has instantly reminded me of Miro Brada, Slovak composer. He started composing a few years after me, we have been studying at university at the same time and also lived shortly in the same student hostel. He has started by some very original and poorly constructed twomovers. Then he has bought then actually printed FIDE Album (89-91 ?) and studied it a bit. And then he has produced and published an impressive series of original Cyclone problems, really very quickly. I guess the environment of Slovak chess composers exploring Cyclone themes in these days had some influence too. In FA 95-97 Miro had two twomovers A88, A171 and in next FA even threemover B50 (6th Place in 6th WCCT).
Based on the examples (I have more of them), overall I think it is more about the direction you decide to pursue than some disability to make problems of a kind. If you concentrated on the theme mechanisms I am sure you would overcome difficulties. But then there is a question of composing preferences. :)
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| (20) Posted by Eugene Rosner [Wednesday, May 1, 2013 14:41] |
thanks everyone! I modified the selections to indeed, keep things on the introductory level. I will start out with
1.Bonus Socius, as described by John Rice in his New ABC book. I like how he has transferred the wK making a complete block from an incomplete block!
2.move to the Hassberg Indian, another miniature
3.Marble self blocks, a beautiful open construction which also introduces battery play
4.Mansfield Olympic(interferences, mates along interference line) beautiful and light
5.McDowell Schiffman defenses(new! beautiful flight giving key)
6.Jacobs halfpin(battery play)
7.Rosner crosschecks
8.mutate as mentioned before
what's important about 8 is while it's light it is an important step forward in describing a more modern element in our art. it is also a throwback to #1 as it is also a waiter
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