A quick composing tournament in the frames of ECSC 2022 dedicated to Marjan Kovačević’s 65th jubilee
Theme: Construct a position where adding one piece creates a #2 with unique key-move.
There must be at least one genuine „Add-a-piece try“, failing because of a single cook (second key-move).
Condition should specify what piece to be added, and could widely vary from „any piece“ to a concrete type and color of the piece added to a concrete part of the board, etc. The main criteria for the award will not be the quality of the solution, but the quality, quantity, and posible logic of refutations of both types of tries: a) no solutions, and b) two solutions.
Fairy pieces and fairy conditions are not allowed. Maximum 3 compositions per author, including joint entries.
Judge: Marjan Kovačević
Director: Borislav Gadjanski
Deadline: 29th April (midnight ECT). Opened for everybody, not only ECSC participants.
Send problems (with FEN, solution and tries) to borislav.gadjanski@gmail.com
Anirudh Daga
Original EXAMPLE for Add-a-Piece 2022
Add a white piece to get a correct #2
+wPg6 1.gh7+! Kh8 2.Rf8#
Thematic try: +Ba1?
Two solutions: 1.Bh8! & 1.Rf6!
For a couple of years I’ve been constructing some small tasks to motivate young solvers for the process of composing. The Add-a-Piece competition 2022 was the first chance to see if my pleasure will be shared by more experienced solvers. The positive reactions I got from around 20 problemists made me wish for the next step – announcing a thematic tourney with this type of condition.
Michel Caillaud reported that problems of this kind were discussed in France-Echecs 20 years ago, and he directed me to the examples in WinChloe base. After excluding those with fairy pieces and fairy conditions, the vast majority of examples were with retro arguments, and some of remaining ones didn’t ask for unique solutions. I’ve found only two #2s, but they haven’t used what I see as the greatest potential of Add-a-Piece condition in #2 (and other opposing stipulations): the genuine Add-a-Piece tries.
Apart from usual orthodox tries, that fail because of black refutation, there is a much larger source of tries that fail because the addition is too strong. And this is exactly the thematic condition of this quick composing tourney, organized in the frames of Riga ECSC 2022.
The unusual title Add-a-Year 65 JT, was inspired by the words from birthday greetings I got from Michel today. I wanted this title to preserve the joyful mood I had with reactions to Add-a-Piece competition at the time of my 65th birthday.
(Marjan Kovačević, 08.04.2022)
Feel free to send your possible questions to: ecsc2022@wfcc.ch