A Chess Problem Theme in Actual Play
The world of Chess Problems is a world of its own, quite far removed from the actual game played on the board. A classic chess problem has a stipulation like “Mate in 3”. Such positions are called compositions and the person setting up the problem is called a composer. The position itself is considered a work of art and the composers can be put at par with Beethoven or Picasso. In the days before computers invaded chess, two-movers and three-movers could be found in newspaper columns sometimes with prizes for solvers.
Generally speaking, practical players are concerned with positions arising in their own games and consider Problems only of academic interest. In many problems there is huge material imbalance, yet White has a forced mate in 3. The positions also look contrived and unlikely to happen in actual play. Such positions are instantly cracked by engines, so the prize offer in newspaper columns has disappeared. However, the pleasure of chess compositions and solutions continues and there are titles like International Solving Grandmaster and Grandmaster of Chess Compositions. To know more, refer to https://www.wfcc.ch and the book Encyclopedia of Chess Problems: Themes and Terms, by Milan Velimirovic and Kari Valtonen. See also https://www.ozproblems.com.
In AIWCF, Suresh Mody, Late Cdr. Ganapathy, Sailesh Chandra, etc. are/were members deeply interested in chess problems. It may also be of interest to know that the first chess puzzle ever published was the Indian Problem. (The Chess Player's Chronicle, 1845)
Problems in chess are often set to a theme. The names of these themes will be unfamiliar to you unless you are a aficionado of chess problems. Here are a few: Albino, Allumwandlung, Bristol/anti-Bristol, Dombrovskis, Echo, Excelsior, Focal Play, Grimshaw, Half-pin, Holzhausen, Knight-wheel, Lancy, Novotny, Orthogonal-diagonal transformation, Plachutta, Pickaninny, Würzburg–Plachutta, Zagoruiko, Zilahi.
Can interest in solving chess problems and composing chess problems actually help you in the real game of chess? Only indirectly, I suppose. Today, I am going to introduce you to the Plachutta theme and show you a game from actual play, where about the culminating shocking move, Fred Reinfeld commented “White’s last move is one of the most beautiful ever played on the chess-board.”
In the Plachutta theme (named after Joseph Plachutta), a piece is moved to a square at the intersecting line of the opponent’s movement of B, Q or R. The piece can be captured in multiple ways, but this leads to blockage or disruption of the opponent’s pieces allowing mate to be executed.
Here is an elementary example. This and others can be found in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plachutta
White to play and mate in 3.
White’s mating ideas of 1.Ra8 or 1.Rg8 are covered by Black’s B and Q respectively. The key move 1.d5 sacrifices the pawn at the intersection of the diagonals a2-g8 and g2-a8. If 1…Qxd5 2.Ra8+ followed by 3.Rg8# and if 1…Bxd5 2.Rg8+ followed by 3.Ra8#
Now let us come to the memorable classic game Siebert Tarrasch played in 1914 where he faced 4 opponents who consulted each other to find the best moves.
Have you seen the Plachutta Theme in any of your own games, or in a game you came across? Do write to me about it.
Editor’s note: A similar interference theme (called as “Novotny theme”) was seen last year in the following famous position between genius Vasyl Ivanchuk vs Jorden Van Foreest in Meltwater tour 2022.
Ivanchuk has just played the incredible 26. Nd7!! Sadly, Chuky lost this game due to his usual poor nerves and blundered under time pressure in a double-edged position.
A similar theme was played by our own prodigy Arjun Erigaisi to undo Shakhriyar Mamedyarov’s defense in this position.
What 33rd move did White play in this position? Readers should be able to find it easily.