The BDS Website

BDS

Oxford, 1993

#2
Symmetric Circe
GRASSHOPPERs f1, g8, h3:
c2, e4, g6

1.Kg2!           (2.Gf7#)

1...dxc6 [+wRf3]+ 2.Rf5#
1...Sxb6 [+wSg3]+ 2.Sf5#
1...Sxc7 [+wRf2]+ 2.Rf5#

For the BCPS Residential Weekend at Oxford in 1993 I set and judged a composing tourney for problems with the Symmetric Circe condition. This problem was used as an example in the tourney announcement to illustrate the condition.

In making the key, the white king walks into three checks. In each variation Black captures a white piece which, when reborn, acts as a hurdle over which a black grasshopper checks the white king. To get out of check, and mate Black, White moves his newly-reborn piece so that it acts as a hurdle over which a white grasshopper checks, and mates, the black king. There is no by-play. The flaw is that two of the mates are essentially the same, though they are brought about by the moves of different pieces from different squares.