A western bias?

Finding something interesting to write every day can be quite a challenge.   And that’s why many of the daily postings concern chess in the West (of Suffolk).   It would be good to include news from clubs other than Bury St Edmunds or Bury Knights Junior Chess Club.   So if you are reading this from the frozen East, please consider sending me something of interest.   It can be a game, a position, news about your members, results from in-house competitions; indeed anything of general interest.

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Back on 4 February, you were given the challenge of solving an ‘impossible’ problem.   Of course, it wasn’t impossible, just very difficult.   Silas Peck managed to solve it, but it took him the best part of two days!   Here is the solution (and a reminder of the starting position, with White to play and win):

1. Nf6+    Kg7   not Kg6, else Bh5+, covering f7.
2. Nh5+    Kg6   not Kh7, else Bc2+, forcing the king to the back row, with d8Q+ to follow; also, obviously not Kf7.
3. Bc2+!    Kxh5    forced.
4. d8Q!!    Nf7+    else the new queen will soon clean up.
5. Ke6    Nxd8+
6. Kf5   with the simple threat Bd1#  …e2  forced.
7. Be4   threatening Bf3#  …e1N  forced.
8. Bd5   heading for c4 and e2  …c2
9. Bc4    c1N   again forced, to guard e2.
10. Bb5  threatening Be8#    …Nc7  Black can delay things by one move by playing Nc6 first.
11. Ba4  and Black cannot prevent mate.  Knights can be interposed, but eventually White will play Bd1+ and Bxf3#.

So at the finish it’s mate with K, B and P, against four(!) knights, bishop and two pawns.   Amazing.