Това е новата статия от поредицата Fairings за м. Юни 2012 с автор Chris Feather. В нея са включени нови 12 интересни задачи. Текстът на статията е оригиналния използван от автора. 

The first problem is orthodox: I am hoping that some reader may be able to reset it without the promoted Knight, but retaining the desirable features. The definitions for the other problems are at the end of article. Best wishes to all.

1 1...Kd7(Kd5?) 2.Qh6(Q~?) h4 3.Se7 h5 4.Sg6 hxg6 5.Rg1 gxh7 6.Sg3 h8=Q 7.Qh3+ Qxh3# The point lies in the avoided moves, notably 2.Qa3? & 2.Qg2?.        

2 a)1.Rf2 Re3 2.Kxe3 Bb6# b)1.Rc2 Bc3+ 2.Kxc3 Rc8# The ghosts guard plus-flights in a) and star-flights in b). Don't confuse this type with other ghostly forms! (Cf. Definitions.)        

3 1.a1=B c3 2.Sc4 Qd4#, 1.a1=Q c4 2.Qa6 Qd5# & 1.a1=S cxb3 2.Sxb3 Qd6# The 3 different immobilisation methods lead to 3 different mates after 3 different promotions.

4 1.EHxe4 EHa4 2.EHc8-f5 EHxd8# & 1.EHxd4 EHa5 2.EHh3-d7 EHxh7# Intensive Edgehoggery.        

5 1.Bxd6[nQf8] Kh7(Kg5?) 2.Bxb4 Bxb4[Bc1]# & 1.Qxd6 [nQd8] Kg5(Kh7?) 2.Qxd3 Rxd3[Qh1]# Loyd-Turtons??        

6 1...Sxb7[LRc5] 2.Kxc4 [Bb4] Bc3 3.Kd5 nLxc5-c4[LRc8]# & 1...Bxd3[LRc4] 2.Kxc5[Sb4] Bc2 3.Kd4 nLxc4-c3 [LRc8]# The main point lies in the second white moves, which do not have guarding purposes but protect the mating nL from capture by the reborn LRs on c8.

7 a) 1.Kd5 nSPc8=nS 2.nSd6 nSPc8=nQ 3.nSe8 Ke4# b) 1.nSPc1=nB nBd2 2.Kd3 nBe1 3.nSPc1=nR Ke3# This twinning appealed to me. AntiCirce motivations without antiCirce captures.      

8 a) 1.Be3 SPxe3 2.Qc4 SPe8=Q 3.Kd4 Qe3# & 1.Bb8 SPf4 2.Ke4 SPxb8=Q 3.Qd3 Qf4# b) 1.Ba8 SPf3 2.Ke2 SPxa8=Q 3.Kf1 Qf3# 1.Bg3 SPxg3 2.Kc2 SPg8=Q 3.Kb1 Qb3# Super P but normal albino – paradox?  

9 a) 1...nPa8=nQ 2.c1=S nQxa3[nQa3>d1]+ 3.nQh5 Kb2 4.nQe8 Kc2# b) 1...nPb8=nR 2.d1=B nRxb3 [nRb3>h1] 3.Ba4+ nRh3 4.Be8 Kxb2 [wKb2>e1]# Neutral/black AUW.

10 a)1.g1=B 2.Bd4 3.Bxc3[Qd4] 4.Ba1 5.Bxd4[Qa1] 6.Bh8 7.Kh7 Qg7# b)1.g1=R 2.Ra1 3.Ra3 4.Rxc3[Qa3] 5.Rh3 6.Kf7 7.Ke8 Qe7#    

11 Set: 1...nPh8=nBH# 1.nPh5 5.nPh1=nS 6.nSf2 7.nSd3 8.nSxb2[NDd3] 9.nSc4 10.nSe5 11.nSg6 12.nSh8 13.nSxf7[BHh8] 14.nSe5 15.nSxd3[NDe5] 16.nSb4 NDb2# Neutral and white round trips: nSd3-b2-c4-e5-g6-h8-f7-e5-d3 (one embedded in another) and NDb2-d3-e5-b2.

12 1.nSf2 Bb2 2.Kf3 Be5 3.nSh3 Kd5 4.Kg4 Ke4 5.Kh4 Kf3 6.nSf4 Bf6 &1.nSc3 Bc1+ 2.Kd4 Bb2 3.Kc4 Bc1 4.nSa4 nSc5 5.Kb4 Bb2 6.Ka5 Bc3# Echo mates on the East/West board edges are remarkable in ABC problems, where there is a definite sideways bias! Don't ask about legality. Problem 11 is equally "illegal"! Who cares?

Definitions

ABC (Alphabetical Chess): The squares are considered in the order a1, a2...a8, b1...b8, c1 and so on to h8. The player whose turn it is may move only his unit standing on the square which comes earliest in this order. However check and mate are normal.

Circe: Captured units (not Ks) reappear on their game-array squares, of the same colour in the case of pieces, on the file of capture in the case of pawns, and on the promotion square of the file of capture in the case of fairy pieces. If the rebirth square is occupied the capture is normal.

antiCirce: There are two types, see below. In this issue problem 7 is of the default Calvet type, while 9 can be of either type.

antiCirce (Calvet, the default type): After a capture the capturing piece (Ks included) must immediately be removed to its game array square (necessarily vacant, else the capture is illegal). Captures on the rebirth square are allowed. Game array squares are determined as in Circe.

antiCirce Cheylan: As antiCirce Calvet except that captures on the rebirth square are not allowed.

Mirror-antiCirce: As antiCirce but the rebirth squares are those of the opposing side (e.g. WK>e8).

CouscousCirce: As Circe, but the captured piece reappears on the Circe rebirth square of the capturing unit. Pawns reappearing on promotion squares are promoted instantly, at the choice of their own side.

PWC (PlatzWechselCirce): Captured units reappear on the square just vacated by the capturing unit. Pawns appearing on their 1^st rank have no moving or checking power until reactivated by being captured again; those appearing on their 8^th rank are promoted instantly, at the choice of their own side.

Ghosts: Captured units remain latent (like ghosts); they reappear as soon as the square of their capture is vacated, after which they are no longer capturable. [Confusingly, Popeye calls this type "Ghost Chess" in the description file but "Uncapturable Ghost Chess" in the output. Not to be confused with Phantom Chess, which when translated into some languages unfortunately appears as identical with Ghost Chess...]

Neutrality: A unit with this characteristic may be regarded as of either colour by the side whose turn it is to play. Neutral pawns promote to neutral pieces.

Edgehog EH: Moves as a Q, but either to or from the board edge, not both.

Grasshopper G (better: Queenhopper): Hops on Q-lines over any one unit (the hurdle) to the next square beyond.

Rookhopper RH: a grasshopper confined to R-lines.

Bishopper BH: a grasshopper confined to B-lines.

Locust L (=Queen-locust): a piece which moves only to capture. It lands on the same squares as a grasshopper, but the arrival square must be empty, because the locust captures its hurdle.

Rook-locust LR: a locust confined to R-lines.

Nereid ND: Moves as a B, but captures by hopping over and removing an adverse unit, landing on the next (necessarily empty) square, i.e. it captures like a B-locust.

SuperPawn SP: behaves exactly as a P except that (when moving or capturing) it may go as far as desired along the usual lines, provided that they are clear, e.g. SPe2-e8=S or SPg2xb7.

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Note on computer testing in Fairings:

Problems in Fairings are tested by Popeye wherever possible, including all the ones in this issue.