Helpmate

The helpmate is a composition direction in chess in which both parties cooperate, so White can checkmate the black king in the given number of moves. The demand is helpmate in n moves ( abbreviated h # n). Unless otherwise specified, in begins helpmate always black. In the notation thus stands in helpmate the train of black in the first place before the white. The most famous helpmate is the fool Matt, at the initial position of the game, however, White is checkmated at the train into two trains. For helpmates There is a separate section in the FIDE Album.

Basics

The helpmate is not a two-person game, because both parties have the same goal. Since both sides work together, testing the solution is simpler than in other directions, composition, because there is no counterplay. It is to be found no variants, since no defense takes place. If one aims variations, so this must be done in other ways ( Mehrspänner, multiple births, and so on ).

The auxiliary Matt plays but possibly also in the regular tournament chess a role, namely the question whether a checkmate in a given position is still theoretically possible - this is eg important when the time a player runs out; can he still be checkmated (also by means of auxiliary Matt ), he has lost, this is no longer possible, the game is a draw.

Unlike other types of composition several author solutions are often sought in helpmate. This case is reported ( for example, by the addition of two solutions ) explicitly under the diagram. Such a composition is usually called multiple when the starting position is varied Mehrspänner if it remains the same. Instead of the prefix More may be known as the number of to-find solutions. A Four Hand has thus from the same starting position four solutions. The authors use a multiple birth or Mehrspänner to represent themes deepened. So there are helpmates with four solutions in which a king is checkmated once in every corner or a farmer is converted each to a different piece ( Allumwandlung ).

Almost always, the solutions have a common reference point, either by are analogous to each other or form a contrast. Less common are multiple births with completely independent solutions. They are difficult to solve. This is sometimes referred to as anti- analogy. Any solution can be used as a phase or a part of a whole be considered. With multiple solutions without the explicit naming, are nowadays regarded as inadequate.

Using special algorithms in some chess programs and long-stretch helpmates can be checked for correctness. Well-known programs are the open source program Popeye and the commercially available Alybadix and Gustav.

Examples of helpmates

The requirement under the diagram is to be interpreted as Black moves first and helps White, checkmate him in eight moves. solution: 1 K g2 -f3 Kd2 d3 2nd Ld 1 -b3 - c3 Kd3 3 Kf3 -e4 Kc3 -d2 4 Ke4 -d4 Kd2 e2 5 Kd4 - c3 Sa6 b4 6 Kc3 Ke2 -b2 -d2 7 Kb2 -a1 c1 Kd2 8 Lb3 Nb4 a2 -c2 matt

In this two-horse both phases are connected by a common theme. solutions: 1.Lf4xb8 Lg2 -d5 2.Se6 - c7 Ld8xg5 matt 1.Td3xd8 Lg2 - c6 - d7 2.Sc5 Tb8xb3 matt Both solutions have to have some common ground on closer inspection: First, beats black, the white figure that checkmates in the other solution (this is known in the jargon as Zilahi - topic), while at the same time the line opens to the later Matt is given. White then used his bishop to open the 2nd row and shield the black line will deduct from the Black his knight. This obstructs his part in the next train, the line from which the black figure came, who had pulled the first train. Since the white bishop is drawn between them, this is done without chess. Last checkmates White, by hitting the farmer, who was defended by the black knight at the beginning.

Multiple Births

A multiple consists of several very similar tasks, which are housed in a common diagram. Some possibilities would be to put a stone on another box to replace it with another, add or remove, or the board to rotate by 90, 180 or 270 degrees. A form of multiple pregnancy is the zero position, in which the position in the diagram is not resolved, but there is a difference to the chart position in all multiple births. Tasks with set of game also offer an additional solution, but can not be explicitly considered as multiple. Although multiple pregnancy occurs in other types of composition, it is widespread in the helpmate the most. The example on the right is a helpmate of Henry Forsberg, which was published in 1935 in Revista Română de Şah. The multiple births occur by standing on the field a6 successively all black pieces except the king in the initial position:

Duplex

A further possibility to accommodate two objects in a diagram, the duplex. This means that both a solution for white as well as black are present in the graph, ie a normal helpmate and a helpmate begins in the white and matt is set in the specified number of moves. Like the multiple formation of the duplex was used in several types of composition, but mainly in the helpmate. The diagram on the left comes from the chess composer Milan Vukcevich who has created many outstanding compositions.

The solution is in a black suit 1 Sh8 - f7 - g6 F8D 2 Sg6 - e5 d7 D8S matt. In a white suit, the solution 1 f7 - F8T Sh8 - f7 2 d7 - d6 d8l Sf7 is dull. Both solutions alone would be nothing special, but considered together they add up to a whole. First, the farmer transformations take the black king by the defense and then the white king by blocking the fields. The fact that the white farmers to convert to all four possible figures, shows the helpmate as a whole Allumwandlung.

Series Züger

A helpmate can be represented as a series Züger. In a series-production auxiliary Matt Black makes a series of moves without that white may move between, and after the completion of the number of moves allowed White to run a single train to checkmate Black. However, Black can not chess have not expose its own king to a chess bid, unless he has the last train chess, just before White plays. The right is a series-production - helpmate in 17 trains, one would write abbreviated ser - h # 17. This was composed by Thomas Rayner Dawson and published in 1947 in Fairy Chess Review. A good way to solve long-stretch series-production - helpmates is to find a way where and how black could be checkmated, and then to try to reach this position. In the position here one would therefore find a field that the white knight can attack in a train and then only had a chance to escape, which can block after the transformation of the black pawn. The only way to the pitch A1, A2 with a black stone. As the white knight checkmates on b3, divorced from a lady and a runner blockade as stone, as it would protect b3. Also a Springer comes on a2 not be considered, otherwise the white king would be in check. So it remains only a tower block as stone, but at a conversion he would offer the white king chess. Therefore Black must provide a figure between the white king and the conversion box. Since the single figure of the king, this must be set to the field e1, which lies between the white king and the conversion field, hiking. It only remains to consider whether you can reach everything in the specified time. The solution runs on the above finding as follows: First, the black king goes to e1, then converts the peasant and attracts a tower by f2. Then the king goes back to a1 and a2 of the tower blocks. Finally, Matt follows Sa5 b3.

The number of trains has been sufficient for precisely this plan, thus the problem is solved.

Other possibilities

Helpmates, as well as other compositions may be combined with fairy chess figures or tales conditions such as Circe, grid chess, chess patrol or long Züger. Thus, it is also possible to represent about on a chessboard grid is a series helpmate in seven trains with neutral night riders who have to watch each other and rise again when they are beaten. Such combinations are more common in recent years, but still make up only a fraction of the chess compositions from.

Auxiliary Patt

Closely related to the helpmate is the Auxiliary Patt. In this type of task has white stalemate, rather than checkmate. This category also falls the shortest possible about stalemate, which was first shown by Samuel Loyd.

History

Although for centuries existed Direct Matt problems only composed Max Lange in 1854, the first auxiliary Matt. The second composer who dealt with helpmates, was Samuel Loyd in 1860. Additional composers followed and created without knowing from previous tasks, helpmates. Thus, for example, wrote James Alexander Porterfield Rynd in January 1893 that he had created the first auxiliary Matt about twenty years ago. He relied on a task that was published on October 3, 1870 in the Irish Sportsman and Farmer under the pseudonym " Dynari ". In today's terminology this would be a helpmate in 3.5 features, but at that time there were no conventions and so the helpmate with the demand White, with Black 's help, to mate in four moves was published. At this helpmate never a solution has been published and several solutions exist, one can using the sources and two almost identical versions that with a few weeks apart in Irish Sportsman and Farmer (24 December 1870) and The Westminster Papers (1871 ) published were only speculate as to what was the intention of the author. Harrie Grondijs and Günter Busing reconstructed matt the solution ( in modern notation ) 1 ... f5 2 KE5 Th8 3 Kd6 c5 4 Kc7 Rc8. In October 2004, therefore, corrected the problem.

The editor of the Dubuque Chess Journal, Brownson, saw the helpmate of " Dynari " and then decided to organize in 1872 the very first helpmate composition tournament.

Other important composers were aware of the new composition direction, a laterally reversed by today's standards task of William Anthony Shinkman was published in the Baltimore Sunday News, in turn under both sides.

The longest unambiguous auxiliary Matt has 28.5 trains and was published in October 1934 by Bernhard Hegermann.

John Niemann collected since 1947 helpmate tasks. His collection was acquired after his death by many chess friends and stands on the Chess Problem Database Server along with other tasks. On 28 December 2008, there entered 82 094 helpmates.