[Retros] Traditional Christmas Contest of Stuttgarter Zeitung

[Jens Guballa]

Dear retro friends,

the results of the Christmas Contest from Harald Keilhack's chess
column is published.

The German version is online here: 

http://www.kaniaverlag.de/htm/Sonstige%20Berichte.html#1

Here is the translated summary:


68 chess friends took part in the contest, 40 of them solved A and B
correctly.

The winners are:

Peter Wauschkuhn, Stuttgart (Apple I-Pod)
Michael Bürker, Metzingen (Falk navigation system)
Karl Mittelbach, Reutlingen (Philips-DVD player)

Solution:

A: Two solutions:
Retract Kc7xRd8 or Kc8xBd8, followed by 1. b7#
Black has no last move after the retractions Kc7-d8 or Kc8-d8.

B: Two solutions:
-Pe7, forward: 1. K:g7 and 2. Rf8# or 1...0-0-0 2. Rfc7#.
-Pg6, forward: 1. K:g7 and 2. Rf8#. 1... 0-0-0 is illegal, Bb1-a2 as
last move is not possible, if f6xg5 was the last move the position of
Rf7 has forced a move of the bK. And if g7-g6 was the last move the
wKh7 cannot pass the black king without loosing the right to castle.

C: Maximum: 5 changes of directions, e.g. Ra2-a1-c1-c4-c8-h8-h2-a2 +
symmetrical solutions. Minimum: 2 changes of directions, e.g.
Ra3-b3-b1-b4-b8-b3-h3-a3 + symmetrical solutions. Wrong solution:
Ra2-a1-a3-d3-h3-h8-h2-a2 (3 changes of directions).

D: White retracts Kd1xBe1 and forward: 1. Kc2. 
a) 1...a1=Q stalemate
b) 1...a1=R 2. Kb2 Rd1 3. Kc2 Ra1 4. Kb2 repetition
c) 1...a1=B 2. Kb2 Bc3 3. Kc2 Ba1 4. Kb1 repetition
d) 1...a1=N+ 2. Kc1 and black cannot win, e.g. 2...Nb3+ 3. Kc2 B:d2 4.
B:d2 Nd4+ 5. Kd1 N:f3 6. Be3 Ng1? 7. f3!

E: +wPc7, +wRh8. bNd7 and wRh8 are promotees. The position can only be
released like this:
1. 0-0+ Nc5-d7 2. c6-c7 Nb3-c5 3. c5-c6 Nc1-b3 4. c4-c5 c2-c1=N 5.
c3-c4 b3:c2 or 5... d3:c2.
The white pawn captured three times, one original piece and a promotee
(bPa7 or bPc7) and the black king's rook on g8. The bPP captured six
times, including the wBc1 and wBf1, therefore the white moves d2:e3?
and e2-e3 may not be retracted too early. In case the white pawn
captured two original pieces (besides the bRg8) then another promotee
is present on the board, which cannot be determined uniquely.

49 chess friends participated in the expert contest (C-E), 21 of them
with correct solutions. The names of the book price winners are:

Olli Heimo (Finland)
Hannu Lehto (Finland)
Klaus Wenda (Vienna)
Günter Büsing (Munich)
Dietmar Fauth (Munich)
Norbert Geissler (Munich)
Mario Richter (Berlin)
Silvio Baier (Dresden)
Klaus Roscher (Neckargemünd)
Martin Kummer (Karlsruhe)
Ronald Schäfer (Aalen)
Gerson Berlinger (Bad Friedrichshall)
Markus Knapp (Großeicholzheim)
Erhard Mozer (Vaihingen)
Kurt Lorenz (Marbach)
Jens Guballa (Tamm)
Martin Pfleiderer (Korntal-Münchingen)
Jürgen Berthel (Stuttgart)
Nils Empacher (Stuttgart)
Thomas Lutzius (Stuttgart)
Rolf Schreiber (Stuttgart)


Best regards
Jens