David Friedgood: solutions to the chess problems

by ChessBase
1/13/2012 – Last week our new problem expert, David Friedgood from England, introduced himself and presented four problems for our readers to solve. Two were from his earliest days as a composer, and two classical gems. Today he presents the solutions, carefully explained in every aspect. We can only stand in wonder at the beauty of this unique domain of chess. Don't miss.
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Friedgood: solutions to the chess problems


Photo John Saunders

David Friedgood emigrated to the UK from South Africa in 1978, and became the leading player of the country, winning the SA Closed Championship three times and representing the country at four Olympiads. He began to take an interest in endgame studies well before his teens and composed a few minor works from age fourteen onwards. From 1961 onwards he started to compose chess problems and became a dedicated problemist. The firs problem he ever composed was the one we started his new column with:

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The key is 1.Nf2! Note the try 1.Nc5 which has the same threat as the key but fails to Nd3! This blocks d3, but White is unable to take advantage of it Another try is 1.Ne5 threatening 2.Nhg4#, but 1.Ne5 g1Q! defeats this attempt. It was a piece of composing luck that this pawn plays two roles, one of which is to block g2 in the 1...Kxf2 variation, and the other to defeat this try, which would otherwise have ruined the problem. ∆1...-- 1...Kxf2 2.Qxe1# 1...Nf3 2.Nhg4# Now that f3 is blocked, the knight on h2 is no longer needed to guard that square and is free to deliver mate 1...Nd3 2.Nfg4# Now that d3 is blocked, the knight on f2 is no longer needed to guard that square and is free to deliver mate 2.Qd2# This problem shows just two self-block variations (the black knight blocks a square in the black king's field, enabling a white knight to relinquish his guard over that square and deliver mate). Technically, its key is neither good nor bad, as it takes a flight on d3 but gives one on f2 - often called a give-and-take key. It reflects my need to acquire composing skills by starting off with one of the simplest motifs. I would encourage those who would like to try their hand at composition also to start off this way. The other feature of the problem is that it is a miniature - a genre of problems in which the maximum number of units used is seven. The challenge is to show entertaining fare with just this small amount of material. This challenge is relished by many problemists, because there are many anthologies of miniatures!
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Friedgood,D-Mate in two,--1961South African Chessplayer 1961

In his second problem David presented a problem, also from his young days, composed with a fellow South African, that has two Grimshaws, but with a little twist (the Grimshaw theme involves two line-moving pieces, typically a rook and a bishop, but also a bishop and a pawn on its initial square, which interfere with each other on the same square.

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The key is 1.Ka4 protecting b5 in advance to enable the threat. ∆-- Let's deal with the Grimshaw on c2 first: 1...Bc2 2.Nxb2# The bishop, in pinning the white rook, has interfered with the black rook's line to b2 1...Rc2 2.Qxe4# The rook, in guarding c3, has interfered with the bishop's line to e4 Now the Grimshaw on f4, in which Black defeats the threat by unpinning the knight to activate its protection of c3: 1...Rf4 2.Nxe3# The rook has interfered with the bishop's line to e3 1...Bf4 2.Qg8# The bishop has opened the line of the queen to g8 as well as interfering with the rook's line to interpose on f7 ( 1...Bxe7 2.Nxe3# ) This is a non-thematic variation that I was unable to avoid. It is not a blemish. 2.Rc3# The special feature of this problem is that two Grimshaws normally require two bishops and two rooks, but here there is just one rook participating in both! This is called a RBB Grimshaw. The small price you have to pay is that you still need another black rook (the one on h2) to prevent a dual (two mates after a single black defence) after 1...Rf4 by 2. Nxb2 - as well as by the thematic 2. Nxe3 - which would ruin the problem.
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Friedgood/Wallis,D-Mate in two,--1961South African Chessplayer 1961 2nd HM

The Novotny theme has proved to be a very fertile concept for many composers. Definition of Novotny: a white unit plays onto the intersection square of (typically) a black rook and bishop, causing a double interference. One of the finest two-mover Novotnys ever composed was the following, by Michael Lipton, who has been the President of the BCPS and is still active today as a composer and writer.

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1.Bd4! threatens 2.Rd8# and 2.Ng7#. Black's only defence is 1.Nd4? threatens 2. Rd8# and 2. Nf6#, but Re7! gives Black a flight square on f7, flummoxing White 1.Rd4? threatens both 2.Nd6# and 2.Nf6#, and looks promising as 1...Ne4 interferes with the Re2 to permit 2.Re7#, but Black has a better defence in Re6! against which White has no mate 1.Be5? occupying the intersection point of the Bc3 and the Re2 and threatening 2.Re7# and 2.Ng7#. Black has Nxh7! which gives the king a flight on f8 and there is no mate. 1...Ne6 , but this allows 2.Re7# as the knight has interfered with the Re2.
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Lipton,M-Mate in two,--1966BCPS Ring Tourney 1966 2nd Prize

The two-mover is a somewhat limited showcase for the Novotny. As you can see from Lipton's problem as well as the Mansfield masterpiece quoted by Steve Giddins, the interest tends to be in the choice of Novotny to solve the problem, and there is very little to enjoy post-key. Let us therefore turn to the broader canvas of the three-mover. The problem below will suffice as a taster:

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1.Rh7 -- 1...Bh3 2.Ne6 1...Ke5 2.Ne6+ Ke4 2...Kd6 3.Qe7# 3.Nc5# 1...Re7 2.Nf5+ ∆2.Qe6+
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Pruscha,H-Mate in three,--1959Deutsche Schachzeitung 1959 1st Prize

Any queries or constructive comments can be addressed to the author at david.friedgood@gmail.com

Copyright in this article David Friedgood 2012/ChessBase

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