Castling in chess composition
The castling is a popular item in the chess problem because it opens up additional possibilities for certain ideas design and presentation.
When is castling allowed?
The first question to be asked is whether and when castling is allowed at all in chess compositions. After all, the position in a chess composition was not preceded by a game. It is therefore not possible to determine whether the king and rook have already moved. The following rule was agreed: Castling is only prohibited if it can be proven that the king or rook has already moved in every game leading to the position.
Tidskrift för Schack, 1921
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Solution :
- 1. d6-d7 Kb6-c7
- 2. d7-d8D + Kc7xd8
- 3. 0–0–0 +! Castling as an attack move , double attack
- wins the rook on b2. It cannot be proven here that the king or rook must have already moved, so it is allowed.
Tijdschrift van den NSB, 1929
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White mates with 1. Rf1 – a1 and 2. Ra1 – a8 # . Black is not allowed to castle because the king or rook must have moved last.
If, on the other hand, the black pawn is on h6, Black's last move could have been h7 – h6 (and previous moves may have been made by pieces that have since been captured). So castling would be after 1. Rf1 – a1? 0-0 legal; White then mates with 1. Rf1 – f7 and 2. Rb7 – b8 # .
If it can be proven in a position that only at most one of the two sides may castle , the principle of a posteriori justification according to the motto “first come, first served” applies . Consider the following position:
Shakhmaty Bulletin, 1958 (version)
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If White is still allowed to castle in this position, then White's royal rook could never have left the lower right corner. So he was defeated and the white rook on d3 was made by conversion . The pawn couldn't get through to g8 - too few black stones are missing. So it was converted to e8, f8 or on the queenside. Since in the latter case he could only leave Black's camp via d8, the king must have moved away from e8 in the meantime. So black is no longer allowed to castle. Conversely, if one assumes that black is still allowed to castle, white is no longer possible.
The solution to the problem is 1. 0–0–0 along with 2. d2xc3 and 3. Rd3 – d8 # , whereas Black cannot defend himself without castling (Ke8 – f8 is always answered with Rd3 – d8). After 1. d2xc3? however, 1.… 0–0 would be possible.
Irreversibility of castling
In addition to pawn and capture moves, which irrevocably change the position, castling is the only move that cannot be reversed. This is also a theme in chess compositions:
Chemnitzer Wochenschach, 1925
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1. Bb7 – c6 forces mate on the next move. The thematic variant:
- 1.… 0–0–0 2. Bc6 – b7 # - White can retract his move, but Black cannot.
Side variants:
- 1.… d7xc6 2. Sa6 – c7 #
- 1.… Ra8 – d8 2. Sa6 – c7 #
- 1.… Re6xc6 2. Qd5 – g8 #
- 1.… Re6 – d6 2. Qd5 – g8 #
- 1… (…) 2. Qd5xd7 #
Double clearance
Castling is the only move, besides capturing en passant , by which two squares can be cleared at the same time (i.e. made accessible to other own pieces). That too has already been presented in artistic form.
Chess Amateur, 1923
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White's queen could checkmate along lines h1 – a8 or e1 – a5, because Black has to move a pawn because of a forced move. So that both variants work, the squares e1 and h1 have to be cleared at the same time: 1. 0–0 , and now 1.… b4 – b3 2. Qh4 – e1! along with 3rd Qe1 – a5 # or 1st… c6 – c5 2nd Qh4 – h1! together with 3rd Qh1 – a8 # .
More than two different castling
Schaakbulletin, 1972
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- 1. e6 – e7 threatens 2. e7 – e8D + and 3. Qe8 – e2 #. The theme variants are:
- 1.… g4xf3 2. e7 – e8D + Ke3 – d3 3. 0–0–0 #
- 1.… d5 – d4 2. e7 – e8D + Ke3xf3 (or Ke3 – d3) 3. 0–0 # (or 0–0–0 #)
- 1.… Ke3xf3 2. e7 – e8T! Kf3 – g2 3. 0–0–0-0 #
- 1.… Ke3 – d3 2. e7 – e8T! Kd3 – c2 3. 0–0–0-0 #
0-0-0-0 is Pam Krabbé castling with a conversion tower on e8. In 1972 the rules formally allowed every tower that had not yet been drawn to castle. So this joke had a legal solution back then.
Chess 960
The chess 960 castling rules allow further effects for the chess composition. On the one hand, it is not easy to see from a diagram position from which of the 960 initial positions it emerged, but the convention that castling is permitted if its admissibility cannot be refuted applies here as well. An example of playing with the legality of white and black g-castling can be found under Chess960 # Schachkomposition .
On the other hand, castling in Schach-960 offers something new for compositions beyond retro-analytical considerations. The following example shows castling brought about by forced move , which is not possible in standard chess.
mpk-Blätter 6/2012
Praise
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Chess-960
White has to force his own mate here, at the latest in black's sixth move ( self-mate ). In the diagram position, g-castling is possible on both sides, which in this case consists of swapping the king and the rook. If Black had to start, he would only have two possible moves, 1.… d5 and 1.… 0–0 +. In the case of castling, the white king would only have two escape spaces; if this were taken away from him and all possibilities to defend against the chess rule by placing a piece in between, the mate goal would be achieved. But as long as you are busy removing these obstacles, you must not let Black get a castling.
So: 1.Bb1 – a2! covers the king's target square and prevents castling.
1.… d6 – d5 2. La2xd5 d7 – d6 3. Bd5 – f7 d6 – d5 4. Re3 – e1 d5 – d4. The first escape square is blocked ("blocked"), and on the next move the black pawn will run up on d3 and cover the second escape square. Now the runner has to be hidden in such a way that it cannot move in between on the f-file. There is only one way to return:
5. Bf7 – a2 d4 – d3 6. Ba2 – b1! Zugzwang, Black only has g-castling: 6.… 0–0 (sKg8, sRf8) mate .
The position would be illegal without the condition of chess-960, since the black bishop could not have reached the h8-square; In the chess 960, however, not because it was simply in the starting position.
literature
- Tim Krabbé : Schaakkuriosa (1974) (German chess peculiarities: strange, intelligent and amusing combinations , ECON, Düsseldorf 1988, ISBN 3-612-20336-3 )
Individual evidence
- ^ Otto and Angela Janko: A posteriori. Retrieved August 16, 2015 .
- ↑ Thomas Brand: Chess 960 Problems . In: Schach 6/2020, pp. 58–62.
- ↑ Solution discussion in mpk-Blätter 7/2012, price report in mpk-Blätter 9/2014 (informal tournament mpk-Blätter 2012/2013, judge: Thomas Brand). Original print, solution discussion and price report available online in the mpk archive .