Duplex: Claustrophobia.

Hey everyone! If you don’t mind, I’d like to share a few of my chess articles here—they’ve been published on various chess platforms over the years.

Duplex.

In chess composition - one of the varieties of twin chess problem. The requirements for the use of both white and black pieces are usually very, very high. Most often, this type of chess composition is found in helpmate problems, but not only. The most striking example of Duplex belongs to the authorship of the founder of The Problemist magazine, Thomas Rayner Dawson.

1st prize, Falkirk Herald, 1933

@Pokshtya

The idea behind this composition revolves around a play on numbers:

White: 6 knights, 6 bishops, 6 rooks

Black: 6 knights, 6 bishops, 6 rooks

666 and #3#3

@Pokshtya said
Hey everyone! If you don’t mind, I’d like to share a few of my chess articles here—they’ve been published on various chess platforms over the years.

Duplex.

In chess composition - one of the varieties of twin chess problem. The requirements for the use of both white and black pieces are usually very, very high. Most often, this type of chess composition is found in hel ...[text shortened]... /NPNRBBRP/rbPrbnPn/8 w - - 0 1[/fen]

White to move and mate in 3.

Black to move and mate in 3.

@mike69
1. Nxf6? bxc5+! and Black forces mate in 3 😉

@Pokshtya said
@mike69
1. Nxf6? bxc5+! and Black forces mate in 3 😉

@mike69 said
It was almost 3 am and tired😁. It’s E3 toD4 then A3 to C4, D5 to E3 for the double ck mate🤞🏼

@Pokshtya
As you can see, White’s mating attack features a highly original idea — the assault begins and concludes on the same square.

@Pokshtya
But what about Black?
Black to move and mate in 3.

1. ...bxc5+ 2. Nxc5 Bxa3+ 3. Kxa4 Nxc5# or 3. Kxc4 Rxc5#

@Pokshtya said
@Pokshtya
But what about Black?
Black to move and mate in 3.

1. ...bxc5+ 2. Nxc5 Bxa3+ 3. Kxa4 Nxc5# or 3. Kxc4 Rxc5#

@mike69 said
I just did it my head and only looked at the second one for white in three. Is it d5~f6, then f6~G4, then a3~c4, for white ck mate?

@mike69 said
I don’t use or know all of this it’s very slow for me especially going up and down to look at the board for each abbreviation. I just look and do the moves in my head and I think my moves for white is a correct 3 move checkmate of black, is this also your conclusion as I could have missed something.

@mike69 said
If black doesn’t recapture on D4 with the knight its mate in two making the third move pointless?

@Pokshtya said
This is not an orthodox chess problem. Its solution takes a backseat to aesthetic brilliance.
It matters little to me whether someone can solve it mentally or calculate all possible variations. What truly matters is the depth and concept embedded in this composition.

@Pokshtya said
Could you specify the d4 recapture you’re talking about?

@mike69 said
With the knight I believe on b5, there is only move to recapture.