Immortal chess problem

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A chess composition by Conrad Bayer , published on August 16, 1851 in the Illustrirten Zeitung (No. 424, p. 160), is called the Immortal Chess Problem . In the chess literature, the source of The Era problem tournament organized by Johann J. Löwenthal in 1856 is occasionally given, in which Conrad Bayer won first prize, but in which this problem was not one of his submitted.

Conrad Bayer
424 Illustrirte Zeitung , August 16, 1851
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Checkmate in 9 moves

Template: checkerboard / maintenance / new

Solution:

1. Rb7 Qxb7
2. Bxg6 + Kxg6
3. Qg8 + Kxf5
4. Qg4 + Ke5
5. Qh5 + Rf5
6. f4 + Bxf4
7. Qxe2 + Bxe2
8. Re4 + dxe4
9. d4 #

In the course of the solution, White sacrifices all of his pieces in order to checkmate the black king in the middle of the board with his last pawn (sacrifice minimum).

The problem corresponded to the taste of the time of the so-called romantic chess epoch , in which mating with the greatest possible sacrifice was considered a triumph of spirit over matter. The same aesthetic criteria led to the naming of the Immortal Part .

Nowadays the problem is occasionally used as a benchmark for the efficiency of the mate search of chess programs .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Manfred van Fondern: Lexicon for chess friends , C. J. Bucher publishing house, Lucerne and Frankfurt / M. 1980. ISBN 3-7658-0308-1 , p. 326.
  2. ↑ Die Schwalbe , calendar sheet, issue 204, 12/2003. On-line
  3. ^ Johann J. Löwenthal: A selection from the problems of the Era problem tournament , Thomas Day, London 1857. Online

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