Stories from the Beauty of Problems

[Hans Jung]

I've made it my mission to post zugzwang problems, as many as I can find, to give players and readers as much practice as needed in solving zugzwang problems. I have found that many players do not truly understand zugzwang and that plenty of practice on these problems will help clarify that understanding.

[Hans Jung]

Definition of zugzwang: being forced to make a move which is a serious, often decisive disadvantage.

[Hans Jung]

https://en.chessbase.com/post/speelman-agony-225

[Hans Jung]

https://en.chessbase.com/post/my-fir...e-study-awards

[Hans Jung]

Puzzle 2514 from the Beauty of Problems composed by Milan Vukcevic in 1999 was the inspiration for my knight in the hole move against Hendrickson (22.Nb6+! in the game below) in the Spice Cup of 2013. I had originally seen the Vukcevich problem many years ago and I was reminded when posting it today. I produced the following game: Jung - Hendrickson, Spice Cup 2013, 1.Nc3 d5 2.e4 d4 3.Nce2 e5 4.Ng3 Be6 5.Bb5+ c6 6.Ba4 Nd7 7.Bb3 Nc5 8.Bxe6 Nxe6 9.Nf3 f6 10.0-0 Qd7 11.d3 0-0-0 12.a4 g6 13.Nd2 h5 14.Nc4 Ne7 15.Bd2 h4 16.Ne2 g5 17.Nc1 Nf4 18.Bb4 Neg6 19.Bxf8 Rdxf8 20.Nb3 b6 21.a5 b5 22.Nb6+ axb6 23.axb6 Kb8 24.Ra7 Qxa7 25.bxa7+ Ka8 26.Qa1 Rh7 27.Qa6 Rc7 28.Ra1 Rff7 29.Qb6 Rc8 30.Nc5 g4 31.Ra6 g3 32.fxg3 hxg3 33.hxg3 Nh5 34.Qa5 Rfc7 35.Rb6 Nf8 36.Rb8+ Rxb8 37.Qxc7 1-0 This shows the learning which comes from solving problems and seeing original startling ideas.

[Aris Marghetis]

I am repeatedly amazed at your mental capacity - awesome post Hans!

[Hans Jung]

Thanks Aris - Im glad you are enjoying them and communicating that.

[Hans Jung]

Time for another story. When I was in Hungary in the fall of 1986 I played in two international tournaments. At Harkany I was impressed by tournament conditions. Before the first round we were greeted by the mayor and invited to a banquet in honour of all the chess players and each one was "given a key" to the town. Rich hyperbolizing by the mayor but the banquet was lavish, a five course meal, live music and we were made much of by the locals. At the tournament there were pots of coffee always on offer in the foyer but these thimble sized cups and no cream. What was that? I went to the corner store and got a liter of cream and a bag of sugar and used my Harkany beer stein (that I was given as a gift) as a mug. I filled the mug to the rim with rich black coffee and added lots of cream and sugar first, and then over the course of the tournament game had my usual four cups (mug). At the end of the evening I couldnt sleep so I joined the avid speed players who couldnt get enough chess in their tournament games. That went on for three nights, I just couldnt sleep and my heart was pounding furiously. That was my introduction to Turkish coffee. Through those nights of speed chess I met Tomas Paetz who was by far the best of all the speed players. In fact, he was so good that he dropped out of the international tournament because he was making much more money off his speed opponents. I got in a few games but after giving my regular donation there was no point, Tomas was too good, so I watched his games and played others.

Anyways, donating to Tomas's cause made him well disposed to me and he invited me to Dresden to play in their famous speed tournaments. So a few weeks later I did the drive through East Germany to Dresden and there met Tomas Paetz and his wife and baby girl. Who was that baby girl? Long time German number one woman player Eli Paetz. Tomas was such a good coach that she became much better than him. Talk about proud fathers! So why is this in the thread: Stories from the Beauty of Problems? Well this story gets more interesting.

During the course of the speed tournament Tomas introduced me to another player and said to me - you think Im good, you should see this guy in action. It was Peter Enders, totally unknown in the west. In a later conversation Peter mentioned that he got his start by studying the tactics in the Hochschule der Kombinationen (high school of combinations) by Kurt Richter. At first I thought this was a high school unique to East Germany but Peter laughingly said that it was those paper chess magazines that you see lying around. I said I was interested in getting my hands on as many as I could find. Black books as well? This was the famous series of black books that were authored by Soviet grand masters on all chess subjects. Sure bring it on and it was through Peter that I got a great deal - a quarter for every black book and a nickel per magazine. Peter made an announcement of the deal and you should have seen the happy faces. I was paying in Canadian dollars. The next evening I was swamped with black books and magazines. I filled two large leather suitcases full - well over a hundred books and several hundred magazines. I have started to use the problems in the Hochschule der Kombinationen in my Beauty of Problems thread.

Just to finish I brought back to Canada those suitcases of books and magazines and was schlepping them through Shiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Wouldnt you know it - that day just for me there were no carts (luggage trolleys) I was sweating copiously, stopping continuously to take sweat breaks. A nondescript gentleman came up to me and said: Where are you flying to? Canada. Come with me please. I said Perhaps you can find me a cart. So he walks with me and along the way opens a locked door and voila - pulls out a cart. Come with me to my office. Then I noticed he had a machine pistol hanging form his shoulder - just a tiny thing. We got to the office and he said: Open your luggage. In my handbag was a chess clock and it was ticking. He said : We thought you had the makings of a bomb in there. So you are a chess player? Whats your rating? When I told him he said so you are master. and then he said: I used to play. I'm in those magazines and he mentioned the month and year. and problem number - but unfortunately I was the loser. He had played as a youth in team competitions and a couple of times they had played against the East German youth. And by leaving at the beginning of December for Canada (I was homesick and wanted to be home for Christmas - understandably) I missed perhaps my biggest thrill. Dresden in those days held a 24 hour speed chess marathon tournament every year between Christmas and New Years. Who played that year? Ten year old phenom Judit Polgar and her sister Sofia. Sofia I believe tied for first. But I did manage to meet Judit and Sofia on other occasions.

[Hans Jung]

https://en.chessbase.com/post/peter-enders-1963-2025 Its been mentioned elsewhere that 2025 seems to be the year for the passing of great chess players. I would add Peter Enders to the list. He never performed on the world stage like the other great names (Spassky, Olafsson, Huebner, Hort) but he was a great talent. As an example I knew Bryon Nickoloff intimately through chess and am convinced he was Canada's greatest speed player by far but he was in no league with Peter Enders. In the article on Enders check out the game Yusupov - Enders. I have never seen Yusupov crushed like that and he was White!