Wednesday, April 16, 2008

The First Grimshaw

Walter Grimshaw was a composer of chess problems who has lived in the nineteenth century. In 1854 he was the winner of the first solving contest for chess problems in London, England.
The problemists are familiar with his name, from the theme Grimshaw intersection, which first appeared in the following problem of his, an orthodox more-mover (mate in five).



(Problem 37)
Walter Grimshaw,
”Illustrated London News”, 1850
White plays and mates in 5 moves
#5 (7+8)
[4r1r1/8/B2S4/1P1k2s1/1K2pPb1/2Q2p1s/2P5/8]

Tries: {1.Sf5? / Sf7? / Sxe8? / Qd2+? / Qc6+? / Qc5+? Ke6!}, {1.Qb3+? / Qc4+? Kxd6!}, {1.Qf6? Re6!}, {1.Qe5+? Rxe5!}.
Key: 1.Bc8! [2.Qc5# / Qd2#]
1...Bxc8
White bishop is sacrificed.
2.Qf6 [3.c4#].
Now appears the Grimshaw intersection : black can cut the line of the queen to d6, playing 2...Be6 (or even 2...Se6), but, doing so, black interferes with the rook guarding e5, allowing 3.Qe5#. Trying to stop this, black plays...
2...Re6
but this interferes with the bishop guarding f5, and the continuation is...
3.Qd4+ Kxd4
and so the white queen is lost...
4.Sf5+ Kd5
5.c4#
mate.


[This post in Greek language].

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