Facebook: Chess Endgame Studies and Compositions Solving Ladder
Leg 1, Round 2, June 2021
Solutions, Comments and Results
1) Karl Adolf Koefoed Larsen
Sydsvenska Dagbladet Snallposten, 1921
wdwdwdwd 1.Qh5! () (5)
dwdwdwdw
2.Qf7#
wdwdwdw0 1...S~
1...Sb5 2.Ra4#
$wGwdwdw 1...Sd5 2.Qe2#
wdkdwdwd
dwhwdwdw
wdKdwdwd
dwdwdwdQ
Mate in 2
“The waiting key forces the BS to move. A ‘random’ move of this piece allows 2. Qf7; the two ‘Black
correction’ defenses, 1. … Sb5 and 1. … Sd5 self-block the Black king, allowing other mates.”
(Rhodes Peele) In the set play 1…S~ leads to 2.Q(x)e4, but 1…Sb5! and 1…Se2! need provision.
Karl A K Larsen (1896-1963) was a leading Danish composer of his day, so, from Round 1, we
have travelled a short distance across the water. My initial intention of setting six problems by six
different composers named ‘Larsen’ didn’t work out though.
2) Peder Andreas Larsen
Illustrated Family Journal, 1886
wdwdwdwd 1.Re6! () (5)
dwIw0wdw
1...Kxd4 2.Qd3#
Rdwdw0wd 1...Kxe6 2.Qc4#
dw0kdndw 1...cxd4 2.Qc6#
1...c4 2.Qe4#
wdw)wdwd 1...S~ 2.Qxc5#
dwdwdwdB 1...Sxd4 2.e4#
wdQdPdwd
dwdwdwdw
Mate in 2
“Six accurately forced mates follow the sacrificial key. None of the mates are ‘set’ in the starting
position – all six of them depend on the rook moving to e6.” (Rhodes Peele). Black errors include
two self-blocks and opening the guard of the wB to e6. Our second Danish “Larsen”, Peder A
Larsen, lived from 1869 to 1946.
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Facebook: Chess Endgame Studies and Compositions Solving Ladder
Leg 1, Round 2, June 2021
Solutions, Comments and Results
3) Georg Thomas
3rd Place, Match: Denmark - Israel, 1959
wdwdwdBG 1.Sc6! (5)
dwhwdqdR (2.Sb4#)
pdwdrdw0 1...Rxc6 2.Qf5#
)P)kHwdw 1...Re5 2.Qd7#
1...Rf6 2.Se7#
Rdw)wdwd 1...Qf6 2.Rd7#
dwdPdpdQ 1...Qg7 2.Qxf3#
wdw0wdwd
dwdKgwdw
Mate in 2
“Half-pin theme: When Black moves R or Q to defeat the threat, he weakens his position in various
ways (five ways in this problem) because the non-moving piece is then pinned.” (Rhodes Peele)
Note the common motivation of the final four defences – cutting the second guard of the wPd4 so
that it would be unguarded by the wRa4 if the threat were played. 1.Qf5? (2.Qe4#) is defeated by
1…Rf6! and 1…Re7! The Danish composer Georg Thomas lived from 1909 to 1987 and should not
be confused with the chess and badminton-playing British baronet of very similar name.
4) Hugo Knuppert
3rd HM., The Problemist, 2002/I
wdwdKdwd 1.Qxb5! (5)
dNdQ)wdP (2.Qxa4#)
PdwHPdnd 1...Qxb5+ 2.Sxb5#
dpdBdw$p 1...Qxa6 2.Qc5#
1...Qb4 2.Qxb4#
qdwiwdw4 1...Qc4,Qa5 2.Q(x)c4#
0pdpdwdw 1...Se5
1...Bc3
2.Sf5#
2.Be3#
wgwGw)wd
dwdwdwdw
Mate in 2
“The key ‘puts the question’ to the BQ in an unusual way – it can take the WQ with check, or try to move
away. Each BQ move, and two more defenses, by bS and bB, are answered by different mates.” (Rhodes
Peele) When this problem was published Barry Barnes commented: “Good half-battery tries followed by a
fine surprise with the rear piece of the half-battery, the wQ, self-pinning for a duel of her own with the bQ.
A very nice conception!” David Shire wrote: “There are two convincing tries by the half-battery pieces and a
key full of humour. I hope I am able to compose like this when I am in my eighties!”. The tries are 1.Bc6?
(2.Rd5#) refuted by 1…Se5! And 1.Se4? (2.Be3#) refuted by 1…Rh3! The setup like the one here from d7 to
d4, where a white line-piece and the black King are separated by two white units is called a ‘half-battery’
and usually leads to tricky tries by each of the separating pieces and a key by one of them. This problem is
a spoof half-battery, aimed at fooling the more experienced solver. Danish composer Hugo Knuppert lived
from 1920 to 2007.
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Facebook: Chess Endgame Studies and Compositions Solving Ladder
Leg 1, Round 2, June 2021
Solutions, Comments and Results
5) Peder Andreas Larsen
1st Prize, Tidskrift för Schack, 1899
wgbdwdwd 1.Qg1!
0wHkGpdw (2.Rd6+ @ Kxc7 3.Qc5#)
pdRdwIwd 1...Sxg1
2.Rc2 @ (3.Bf5#)
)pdwdwdp Bxc7 3.Bc6#
wdwdBdwd 1...Bxc7 2.Bf5+ @ Kxc6 3.Qh1#
Ke8 3.Qg8#
dwdwdwdp 1...Bb7 2.Bf5+ @ Kxc6 3.Qc5#
w0w)ndwd
dwdw!wdw @ 1 => 1.5, 2 => 2.5, 3 => 3.5, 4 => 5.0
Mate in 3
“The immediate 1. Rc2? fails to 1. … Sd4 (and 1…Sc3! – BDS), but is effective after 1. Qg1 (threat
2. Rd6+ etc.) Sxg1. Other defenses to 2. Rd6+ lead to interesting play and an impressive
performance by the WQ.” (Rhodes Peele) I couldn’t resist the Dowdian key. 1.Rc5? is defeated by
1…Sd4! and 1…b1=Q! Time to explain the marking scheme for this problem and the next. Each
line carrying points is marked with a ‘@’ and below the solution is a list giving the number of points
awarded for the number of lines given by the solver.
6) Lars Aksglaede Larsen
Skakbladet, 1958
wdwdBgn1 1.Be3!
(2.Qf4+ Kf6 3.Sxd5+ @ Ke6 4.Qxe4#)
dNHw0w0r
w)wdwdwd 1...Bb3 2.Bb5 (3.Bf4+ @ Kd4 4.Se6#)
Rh6 3.Sd8 @ (4.Sf7#)
)wdpin!w Rf6 4.Qf4#
wdwdpdw0 1...Bf3 2.b3 & (3.Bf4+ @
d4 4.Bf4#
Kd4 4.Sb5#
dwdpdwdw 1...e6 2.Sd8 (3.Sf7#)
Sh6 3.Sc6+ @ Kd6 4.Sb5,Qd8#
w)w0wdwI Bh5 3.Sdxe6 (4.Bf4#)
dwdbdwGw 3.Sc6+ @ Kd6 4.Sb5,Qd8#
Mate in 4 g6 3.Sc6+ @ Kd6 4.Sb5#
1...g6 2.Bb5 & 3.Bf4+ @ Kd4 4.Se6#
@ 1 => 1.0, 2 => 1.5, 3 => 2.0, 4 => 2.5, 5 => 3.0, 6 =>3.5, 7 => 4.0, 8 => 5.0
This problem is very difficult because of the quiet play in every line but the threat. I set it more than 20 years ago in an
Open Solving Tourney at one of the World Commission for Chess Composition annual meetings, where it proved very
challenging for the best solvers in the World. I probably shouldn’t have used it here. I was hoping that having a month
to solve it would help, but that wasn’t to be. Probably best to leave solvers to unlock its complexities for themselves.
Finding out how a problem like this works from the solution can be very rewarding. I should explain something about
the marking scheme. After 1…e6 2.Sd8 Bh5 there is a dual continuation. Both 3.Sdxe6 and 2.Sc6+ work. Any solver
giving either of the duals would have been awarded full points for that line. 1.Sd8? mentioned by a couple of solvers, is
refuted by 1…g6! Lars Larsen (1919-2017) was probably the most prolific of Danish composers. The earliest problems
by him in Meson were published in 1938 and the latest in 2013. That’s three quarters of a century of composing!
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Facebook: Chess Endgame Studies and Compositions Solving Ladder
Leg 1, Round 2, June 2021
Solutions, Comments and Results
Facebook Chess Solving Ladder, Leg 01, 2021
Leg Cumulative
Name Ascents R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 Total Total
Hugh Gilbert 0 30.0 25.0 55.0 55.0
Geoff Brown 0 30.0 23.5 53.5 53.5
Rhodes Peele 0 25.0 25.0 50.0 50.0
Ene Florian 0 28.0 15.0 43.0 43.0
Christian
Westrapp 0 30.0 - 30.0 30.0
Alex King 0 29.0 - 29.0 29.0
Stanislas Loiret 0 29.0 - 29.0 29.0
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