3rd Home Solving: Solutions Reveal & Top Solvers

by Satanick Mukhuty - 15/11/2024

The submission window for the second tier of the 3rd ChessBase India Home Solving Championship has officially closed. We are delighted to have received approximately 20 entries across both tiers, with around one-third demonstrating exceptional quality. Although some promising contenders dropped out after the first tier, we are excited to announce the top 5 finalists selected based on their outstanding performance in both phases. The following participants have made it to the final tiebreaker: Pracheta Agarwal, Sayan Roy, Vaibhav Agrawal, Bulbul Nand, and Riddhima Singh. In this express report, we reveal the solutions to all the 12 problems posed and give you rules of the tiebreak.

Solutions...

First, we present the solutions to the 12 problems, along with due credits to their creators. Note that these problems have been tested sound (C+) by specialised algorithms. Therefore, the solutions provided below are the only correct answers.

Hubert Gockel, Die Schwalbe 1992, 3rd Commendation

White to play and mate in 2

Madrasi

Key: 1.Nd5!

1...cxd2 2.c3#

1...Ng1 2.Rh4#

1...Ng5 2.Qxc3#

1...Nf4 2.Qe3#

1...Nd6 2.Bxc3#

1...Ne7 2.Bc5#

Hans-Peter Reich & Manfred Rittirsch, Europa-Rochade 1986, 1st Prize

Helpmate in 2

Madrasi

1.Rh3 Bxc4 2.Qh5 Rxd6#

1.Bg4 Rxd6 2.Qf3 Bxc4#

Narayan Shankar Ram, KoBulChess 2012, 1st Prize

Helpmate in 3: (b) wNe2 to c3

Madrasi

1.Bb3 Rd4 2.Kc4 Be4 3.Qc5 Bxd3# double checkmate!

1.Rd7 Bd5 2.Kc6 Re4 3.Bc5 Rxe6# double checkmate!

Pavlos N. Moutecidis, Gazeta Częstochowska 1974, 2nd Prize

Selfmate in 2

Key: 1.Qd5! - Wherever bQ moves, White captures it, resulting in Black having to play g2#.

Abdul Jabbar Karwatkar, British Chess Problem Society 1974-1975, 1st Prize

Selfmate in 2

1.Bb6! threat: 2.dxe5+ Bxd3#

1...Nxc4 2.Qd6+ Nxd6#

1...Nxd3 2.Qe5+ Nxe5#

1...Nxf3 2.Qxf3+ Rxf3#

1...Nxg4 2.Ne3+ Nxe3#

1...Ng6 2.Ne7+ Nxe7#

1...Nf7 2.Rd6+ Nxd6#

1...Nxd7 2.Qe5+ Nxe5#

1...Nxc6 2.Be6+ Qxe6#

Daniel Gatti, The Hopper Magazine, 2024

Selfmate in 3

1.d8=N! bxa4 2.e8=B! b5 3.b8=R! Bxg7#

Friedrich Chlubna, Europe Échecs 1972, Prize

Mate in 2

Circe

1.Bb3! threat: 2.Bg3#

1...Rc1 2.e4#

1...Nf7 2.exf3#

1...Nd7 2.exd3#

1...Qa1 2.e3#

Narayan Shankar Ram, Probleemblad 1988, 4th Prize

Mate in 3

Circe

1.Qd7! threat: 2.Rf1+ exf1=Q/R/B/N(+Rh1) 3.Rxf1(+Qd8/+Bc8/+Ng8)#

1...c1=Q/R 2.Kf6 threat: 3.Qxg4#

2...Rxd7(+Qd1) 3.Qa4#

2...gxh2 3.g3#

1...e1=Q/B 2.Bxa8 threat: 3.Qd4# 2...Rxd7(+Qd1) 3.Qxg4#

1...e1=N 2.Nf1 ~ 3.Bxg3#

Juraj Lörinc, L. Salai Jr 50 JT 2011, 1st Hon. Mention

Mate in 5

Circe

1.Kf7! threat 2.Qxd1(+Ng8)+ Kg2 3.Qf3+ Kg1 4.Qf1#

1...e2 2.Qxe2(+Pe7) threat: 3.Qf1# 2...Kg1 3.Qxd1(+Ng8)+ Kf2/g2 4.Qf3+ Ke1/g1 5.Qe2/f1#

1...f3 2.Qxf3+ Kg1 3.Qxd1(+Ng8)+ Kf2/g2 4.Qf3+ Ke1/g1 5.Qe2/f1#

Unto Heinonen, Problemkiste, 2009

Helpstalemate in 4

1.c1=Q d8=N 2.Qxg5 Rb1 3.Qg8 hxg8=R 4.a1=B Rg4=

Fritz Emil Giegold, Schach-Echo, 1973

Helpstalemate in 7

1.Rdd1 f7 2.Qb8 f8=B 3.Qh2 Bxb4 4.Ng3+ Kf4 5.Rh1 Bxa5 6.Rag1 Be1 7.f1=B b4=

Kardos Tivadar, Probleemblad 1959, 2nd Prize

Helpstalemate in 8

1.e1=R Nxd5 2.Ra1 Nxe3 3.Ra2 Nxf1 4.gxf1=R fxg5 5.Rfa1 gxh6 6.f1=R hxg7 7.Rfb1 gxh8=R 8.c1=B Rxh2=

Tiebreaker: When and How

As planned, the top five solvers - Pracheta Agarwal, Sayan Roy, Vaibhav Agrawal, Bulbul Nand, and Riddhima Singh - will receive six additional problems on Sunday, 17th November at 10:00 am IST sharp. They will have a 2-hour window to submit their answers (that is till 12 noon), which will be evaluated on both accuracy and speed.

Note: if you believe your answers were incorrectly evaluated and you should be included in the winners' list, please write to chessbaseindiasocial@gmail.com. We will get back to you.