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Mat Plus Informal Tourney: Helpmates 1994
Judge: Borislav Gadjanski

In the first year of the magazine there was relatively small number of originals, but to my opinion the quality was very high. It was not easy task to make the decision and I would like this award to be accepted as one of possibly many subjective judgments.

HELPMATE TWOMOVERS

1st Prize: No.46 by Z. Janevski (Macedonia). Self-pin, white battery creation, line closing and anti-dual battery mates are doubled in two harmonious phases. The change of roles of WR and WQ is remarkable. Excellent composition!

Z. Janevski
1st Prize Mat Plus 1994







h#2 2111 6+12
1.Ka4 Rf4! 2.Rg6 Sc6# (2.Sb3?)
1.Kb6 Qg1! 2.Bd1 Sb3# (2.Sc6?)
M. S. Nesic
2nd Prize Mat Plus 1994







h#2 3111 7+16
1.Sd5:++ Kd3: 2.Bd1 ed5#
1.Se4:++ Kc4 2.Be2 Re4:#
1.cd4++ Kd4: 2.gf4 Sf4:#
2nd Prize: No.48 by M. S. Nesic (Yugoslavia). Cyclic Zilahi combined with double-checks to the WK. Fantastic and ambitious conception is shown with maximal use of black material.

3rd Prize: No.43 by M. Caillaud (France). Two active sacrifices of WSs and model mates are shown in an extremely economical position. A completely different kind of beauty than in preceding problem! While runner-up has fascinating difficulty and complexity, here beauty lies in perfect harmony of initial position, play and mates. And everything what is perfect looks so simple!

M. Caillaud
3rd Prize Mat Plus 1994







h#2 2111 4+5
1.Bc2 Se4! 2.fe4 Qf1#
1.Be2 Sd2! 2.cd2 Qb3#
Zivko Janevski
4th Prize Mat Plus 1994







h#2 2111 7+6
1.Rc5 Rd4 2.Kb4 Sd5#
1.Rd5 Bg7 2.Kd3 Bg6#
4th Prize: No.14 by Z. Janevski (Macedonia). Anticipatory self-pin of BR in two solutions and two try plays. Tries don't work because of openings of black half-battery with subsequent checks to WK.

1st Hon. Men.: No.45 by Z. Mihajlovski (Macedonia). The variation of the mechanism seen in earlier work of the same author. See example 38 in excellent article by Z. Janevski in Mat Plus No.5. Here we see destruction of two white pieces on thematic line with dual avoidance and pin mate. Different motifs of avoidance - pin in one and line closing in another phase - are small disturbance. Ke5 Qh3 Rd1 d5 Bg4 Sd6 e6 (7) - Ke7 Rf6 Bc6 h8 Se3 g8 Pd7 g5 g6 h4 (10), h#2 2111, 1.Sd5:! Ke4! (Kd4?) 2.Kd6: Qa3#, 1.Sg4:+! Kd4! (Ke4?) 2.Ke6: Re1#.

2nd Hon. Men.: No.47 by U. Degener (Germany). All three white pieces give mate from same field with model mates. Kh1 Rf8 Bf7 Pf2 (4) - Kf3 Qa6 Rg5 Bc8 e5 Sc4 Pd4 h4 (8), h#2 3111, 1.Kf2: Bh5+ 2.Kg3 Rf3#, 1.Bh3 2.Bd5+ 2.Kg4 Bf3#,1.Se3 Bc4+ 2.Ke4 f3#.

3rd Hon. Men.: No.51 by M. Milanovic (Yugoslavia). Cyclic Zilahi with cyclically changed functions of three white pieces combined with three black minor promotions. Excellent! Pity that it could not be realized without twins. Kb1 Rd2 Bd3 Sg1 (4) - Kf1 Qb3 Re8 Bf2 f5 Sa2 b2 Pe2 h3 h4 (10), h#2, b) Qb3-->h3 c) Kb1-->f3, a) 1.Ke1! Rd1+ 2.ed1S Sf3#, b) 1.Bg1:! Bf5: 2.e1B Bh3:#, c) 1.Bd3:! Sh3 2.e1R Rf2:#

4th Hon. Men.: No.13 by T. Mader (Switzerland). Anticipatory self-pin combined with self-interference. Ke1 Re2 g5 Bg1 Sc7 g3 (6) - Kd6 Qc6 Rf4 Pf7 g6 (5), h#2, b) WBe2, a) 1.Qe4 Sf5+ 2.Ke5 Bd4#, b) 1.Rd4 Sd5 2.Kc5 Se4#.

1st Comm.: No.44 by N. Stolev (Macedonia). Anticipatory self-pin of BSs, unpins of WQ and bicolor arrivals to c3 and e5. Small drawback is in thematically unbalanced phases. Kh3 Qg3 Re8 Ba1 Pd6 e2 (6) - Kd5 Qb3 Ra3 Sa2 d7 Pf5 f6 (7), h#2 2111, 1.Se5 Bc3 2.Ke4 Qf3#, 1.Sc3 Re5+ 2.Kd4 Qf4#.

2nd Comm.: No.52 by C. Sydenham (England). Complex bicolor strategy. Analogous play in both phases. Ka4 Rd6 Bc6 h8 Sf1 Pa5 e6 (7) - Kg1 Rd7 Bf6 Sa1 a3 Pc7 e7 g3 h4 (9), h#2 duplex, B--> 1.Be5 Rd1 2.Bd6 Bd4#, W--> 1.Rd5 Bb2 2.Re5 Rd4#.

3rd Comm.: No.15 by O. Comay (Israel). Phoenix theme in two phases with WQ as thematic piece. The change for the twin is unpleasant. Ke5 Qd7 Pc7 (3) - Kg6 Qg2 Ra1 d4 Bf5 h6 Sd8 g8 Pb3 d3 e3 g4 (12), h#2 b) Kg6-->c4, a) 1.Rd7: c8Q 2.Rg7 Qf5:#, b) 1.Bd7: cd8Q 2.Bb5 Qd4:#.

4th Comm.: No.50 by G. Bakcsi & L. Zoltan (Hungary). Interesting building of twins by replacement of black with white Knights. Ka2 Rg8 Pg2 (3) - Kh4 Qd1 Re5 h3 Sg5 g7 Pe6 (7), h#2, b) WSg7, +c) WSg5, a) 1.Sf3 gf3 2.Sh5 Rg4#, b) 1.Sf3 Sf5+ 2.Kh5 g4#, c) 1.Rh2 Sh3 2.Kg3 Sf5#.

HELPMATE MOREMOVERS

1st Prize: No. 58 by M. Erenburg (Israel). Perfect mechanism which incorporates the change for the twin. Pairs of pieces with reciprocal functions are clearly noticeable: WR-WB, BRc5-BPd3 and BBe5-BSe6. Double white prolonged Indian enriched with strategically complex black play. Composition of universal beauty!

2nd Prize: No.55 by L. Packa (Slovakia). Successive black Grimshaw. Main play is concentrated to only four fields: f2, f3, e2 and e3. An impressive composition.

M. Erenburg
1st Prize Mat Plus 1994







h#4 b) BKb3-->b4 3+15
a) 1.Re5 Rc4: 2.Bg2 Rh4: 3.Sc5 Bg4 4.Kc4 Be6#
b) 1.d2 Bc4: 2.Sf4 Bg8 3.Bd3 Rf7 4.Kc4 Rf4:#
L. Packa
2nd Prize Mat Plus 1994







h#3 b) WSa6-->c5 6+12
a) 1.Bf2 Ke2: 2.Ka4 Re3: 3.Rf3 Bd7#
b) 1.Rf2 Ke3: 2.Kc6 Be2: 3.Bf3 Rg6#
B. Djurasevic
3rd Prize Mat Plus 1994







h#3 411111 5+15
1.Qd5: c8Q 2.Qe4 Qc4 3.e5 Qf7#
1.e5 c8R 2.e4 Rc7 3.e5 Rf7#
1.Bh5: c8S 2.Kg5: Sd6 3.Kh6 Sf7#
1.Sf4 c8B 2.Kg6 Be6: 3.Bf5 Bf7#
3rd Prize: No.54 by B. Djurasevic (Yugoslavia). Ambitiously projected and successfully realized composition with theme from 4th WCCT: mates by different white men from the same square. Here all four pieces which appear after promotions of WPc7 give mate from f7.

1st Hon. Men.: No.15 by D. Levcic (1949-1995). Reciprocal Bristol maneuvers BQ and BB along the longest diagonal. Mate in both solutions is from the same square. The location of WSs on a1 and h8 is the key for avoidance of duals because in each solution one must be captured in the first move. Kh1 Re7 Sa1 h8 Pd2 (5) - Kc4 Qd4 Rf3 g5 Bd1 f6 Sc8 h3 Pa5 b3 b5 c5 c7 d6 e4 (15), h#3 211111, 1.Qa1: Sg6 2.Bb2 Sf4 3.Rc3 Re4:#, 1.Bh8: Sc2 2.Qg7 Sb4 3.Rf6 Re4:#.

2nd Hon. Men.: No.17 by M. Caillaud (France). A surprising problem! WP is on remote initial square while WR is on active position near BK. Yet, in second move black unexpectedly captures WR! Kh2 Rd8 Pg2 (3) - Kc6 Rf7 Pe7 (3), h#5, 1.Rf8 g4 2.Rd8:! g5 3.Kd7 g6 4.Ke8 g7 5.Rd7 g8Q#.

3rd Hon. Men.: No.57 by T. Ilievski (Macedonia). White minimal problem with three echo mates and interesting determination of the moves. Kg7 Bb8 (2) - Ke6 Ra6 b5 Bd5 Pa7 c4 d3 g6 h7 (9), h#4 311..., 1.Kd7 Kf8 2.Kc6 Ke7 3.Kb6 Kd6 4.Bb7 Bc7#, 1.Bc6 Bc7 2.Kd5 Kf6 3.Kc5 Ke5 4.Rab6 Bd6#, 1.Kf5 Kh6 2.Ke4 Kg5 3.Kd4 Kf4 4.Rc5 Be5#.

1st Comm.: No.53 by N. Siotis (Greece). Double unpin of WS - indirect and direct. Very nice, but I am bothered by heterogeneous strategic motifs: interference in one, and removal of black guarding peace in second solution. Kh8 Sg8 h5 Pd4 h3 (5) - Kf5 Qd8 Rg6 h4 Bb8 Sc6 f6 Pa7 d6 e6 f3 f4 g7 (13), h#3 2111, 1.Se8 Sf6 2.Sc7+ Se8 3.Qg5 Sd6#, 1.Sh7 Sf4: 2.Sg5+ Sh5 3.Rf4 Shg3#.

2nd Comm.: No.18 by B. Lindgren (Sweden). Problem which offers joy to the solver and confirms great constructional skills of the author. Kg1 Rf5 Pa4 (3) - Kc6 Rh2 Ba8 Sc3 c8 Pd4 d5 d6 f6 g2 g3 h3 (12), a) h#5 211..., 1.Bb7 Rf1! 2.gf1B a5 3.Rb2 a6 4.Rb6 ab7 5.Bb5 bc8Q#, 1.Kb6 Rf2 2.Ka5 Rg2:! 3.Sb6 Rg3: 4.Rb2 Rg7 5.Rb4 Ra7#, b) -Sc8, h#5 111..., 1.Bb7 a5 2.Bc8 a6 3.Bf5:! a7 4.Kd1 a8Q 5.Ke6 Qe8#.

Zrenjanin, December 1995
Borislav Gadjanski


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