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Norman Macleod & BDS

diagrammes, 1991 (version)

#2
Madrasi

1.d3!   (2.Bxc4#)

1...Rxg4 2.Sf6#
1...Sxg4 2.Rf4#
1...Rxe6 2.Sxc5#
1...Sxe6 2.Re5#
1...Rd1  2.Rf4#
1...Rb3  2.Re5#
1...Qd5  2.Bxd5#

This problem features two black obstruction pairs where one black piece occupies a square, so stopping another black piece from occupying that square in order to paralyse a white checking piece.

This problem was composed during a summer weekend when my son Dan and I were staying in Norman and Daphne’s country house at Ross-on-Wye. While Dan played happily in the garden, watched over by Daphne, Norman and I did some chess. I had composed a Madrasi #2 showing this theme, but it had some duals that I couldn’t eliminate. I showed the problem to Norman, in the hope that he could do something with it. After a short inspection of a few minutes he cleared the chessboard and set up the matrix of this problem. We worked away for some while and eventually agreed on a setting we were both happy with. Norman computer-tested it overnight and gave me the news in the morning that it had no solution, due to a black refutation neither of us had seen the previous day. Only a couple of minutes was needed to correct it. Dan and I left on the Monday, leaving Norman to send off our original to our chosen source diagrammes. Upon publication it became obvious that Norman had sent our uncorrected version and neither Norman nor I can have subsequently sent them a correction as it is in its unsound state in the WinChloe database. This is probably the first publication of our originally intended correct position.