I think there are 20 moves that are the only winning moves in that ending. And I think 2. Kf5 is one of them, giving away the draw otherwise. I will have to load the ending and check out the solution.

It was not me that asked but i have a question:
Is the 2.Kf5 forced for white in order to win......? By other words: Does all other moves at the second move draw the game(or lose it).......?

One more difficult answer to find (time consuming actually) is: What percentage of moves for the whole mating procedure of white, has just one move for white that wins......?

Someone asked me for this link recently, showing the longest win where an Archbishop and Pawn can win over the Archbishop.

http://www.gothicchess.org/kapka/game.htm

What is coming

[Note this link will take you to a site outside BrainKing ... mod approval for ad granted ... WQ :]

I know that ChessCarpenter had just finished playing 9 rounds of chess at the World Open over the 4th of July weekend. He did this without taking any time off of work. The playing schedule plus other demands on his time were exhausting.

Upon returning he was now faced with a very tough finals section of top-notch players.

Just try to put this all in perspective before rushing to judgement.

I believe that exhausts the discussion about vacation days for this board ... if you wish to continue please take it elsewhere ... thanks ... WQ :)

Sumerian: *nod* they are thinking they will be busy in real life away from the computer, so they set a vacation day, but during the day they find a short time in which they can pop online for a few seconds and make a move in a few games (or maybe just read a message on a board) and hurry offline again being busy in real life :)

Hrqls: Those people obviously are thinking they would be busy alone.

Sumerian: not always the truth .. i have less time to play during weekends than during working days :)

people can set vacations because they know they will be busy that day .. not just because they are actually on vacation ..

Hrqls: It is more common that the time of people not being in vacation is rather limited than of those in vacation.

Sumerian: could be .. but doesnt have to be .. maybe the person who is online while using a vacation day has only limited time and cant move in all games (i often only move in my backgammon games while i leave my chess games (rarely play them) or froglet games for when i have more time

Hrqls: Well, I always assume equal rights for both side in my calculations. I have no problems with vacations, if that would be time spans without any playing activity. But playing other games while using vacancy days is signalling to the opponent simply to delay the game without reason, which is a provocation.

Sumerian: he could only use 30 vacation days max .. he has only 24 vacation days left so he cant keep using 11 days per move 50 moves long

the total time would be the normal time per move plus weekends without using vacation days .. the vacation days can only add a total of 30 days to the total sum (plus some weekend days which are covered because of the extra vacation days)

4 days per move becomes 6 days per move in most cases because weekend days being added ... would turn into 600 days for a game of 50 moves (minus some because of weekends 'missed') .. this is almost 2 years as well .. so calculating into the extremes a normal game of 4 days per move without vacation days would already take too long i guess

furthermore in your calculation you also assumed you would take 11 days per move as well :)

ChessCarpenter: Please check following calculation: one move lasted for 11 days (and more if I would have continued waiting), a game consits of about 50 moves for both sides or more, that will finally be about 1100 days a game or more, giving a three years perspective.

If such delays would be caused by vacancies, ok. But if that would happen parallel to regularly played moves in other games, it simply would be a big provocation.

It might be an idea to be recognized, that Fencer should have handled a day with playing activities no longer as a vacancy day.

Sumerian: I'm sorry you feel this way...but I took vaction days for a reason! Anyone that I have played can tell you I move pretty fast in my games!
As for making moves in my other games during this time...well...I had moves planned to make so I made them! I shoud NOT even have to explain myself to you, but I'm a good sport.

Grim Reaper: "... I am rather disappointed that Reinhard did not play at the time control that was set up for the whole rest of the tournament. ..."

If I have not complied to the set time control, then it is fully ok for me not to continue those games.

Another tournament ended today that has some very interesting games.

http://brainking.com/en/Tournaments?tri=3432

Note there is a "0" next to my name, as I lost a game to Andreas Kaufmann during the course of that 3-wins match. Andreas played an outstanding game with a surprising Chancellor sacrifice to win it at the end.

I was "motivated" more than ever after that loss, and the final game of the match ended with a very complex Queen sacrifice, taking many moves to turn into a positional gem.

I would like to thank Andreas for pushing me to my limits and playing outstanding games.

http://brainking.com/en/Tournaments?tri=2803

Caissus gets a free Gothic Chess set for coming in second place. Contact me at GothicChessInfo@aol.com to send me the address to send your prizes.

I was looking forward to some very interesting battles between SMIRF and Rob/George. I am rather disappointed that Reinhard did not play at the time control that was set up for the whole rest of the tournament.

Reinhard has always been looking for notes from good players on how to make his program stronger, and I believe he wasted a very good opportunity.

I enjoy when players "take too long" to move. It allows me to map out how to handle every possible strategical scenario of consequence.

I would have enjoyed seeing how SMIRF did given 96 hours or more to move.

Good luck to Rob and George playing out the remainder of the tournament. I hope you both win

Jules: Because I'm sometimes away for a few days.

Why not set up games between yourselves of move limits of 2 days or less.

Chessmaster1000: I've a (short) list of players I no longer play as well, because they move too slowly. I don't mind if people move just before the time out every now and then, but I do mind if they make a habit out of it. If in a tournament I'm paired with such a slow mover - I resign at the first move (no rating loss that way). And yes, you've made the list as well. I'll finish our on-going games, but any new games you'll have easy wins.

Almost exactly. He hasn't felt that ChessCarpenter and me were moving too slow, but we were moving too slow!
I feel sorry about this because if i knew he would resign, i would play a lot faster.......

Grim Reaper: Sumerian resigned because he felt ChessCarpenter and Chessmaster1000 were moving too slow in those games.

I am not sure I understand what happened. Reinhard resigned because George did not send his first move right away?

Is this correct?

Chessmaster1000: No, thank you. Tournaments should be decided by playing (including resigning).

Sumerian: Of course.........My offer will be always valid though........

Chessmaster1000: It is your choice to have that much games. And it is my choice not to continue playing under that time frame.

Sumerian: for those simple initial moves without any understandable reason for that.

I have around 650 games waiting for me to play so i play only them that have 1 day or less to expire......
For reasons i don't know and since the game is 4 days/move, the time limit was much longer, that's why i didn't play with a speed of 4d/m........
For ChessCarpenter of cource i can't answer......

that ppl still fall to the illusion, an inflation of exclamation marks could substitute
meaning whatsoever ... but style asides, making moves during vacation is not
a pointer at multinic humbug per se - it could mean respecting you in particular ... ~*~

Chessmaster1000: I do not want to gain anything. I simply want to express that I am not motivated to wait that long for those simple initial moves without any understandable reason for that.

Sumerian: Very easily.

I'm willing to give the prize for the tournament if i win against ChessCarpenter.........If you agree OK, if not then again OK. Of course Ed should agree too.....
And you are right. The time control is 4 days/move and i haven't played for a longer time at this game.....That's bizarre?!?!?!?

Sumerian:What circumstances?

I just have resigned both games, because I am not willing to play a game which has been sceduled for 4 days/move under this circumstances.

http://brainking.com/en/ArchivedGame?g=903991
http://brainking.com/en/ArchivedGame?g=903992

How could someone be at vacances and playing at the same time?

I'll play you online at www.GothicChessLive.com and type notes as we go along.

If there anyone here among the "good" gothic players (2000+) that would play me a game and help me analyze afterwards?

isn't there going to be a big prize tournament here in January of next year?

Gothic Chess "Fischer Clock" tournament.

http://brainking.com/en/Tournaments?trg=9684&tri=48989&trnst=0

Those who are eligible for prizes in the various tournaments I am running, please contact me at GothicChessInfo@aol.com with your address information so they can be mailed out to you.

White to move and play Qxg6!!

White pawns: j2,i2,h2,f2,e2,b2,a2,c3,d4,g3
White rooks: a1, h2
White chancellor: e1
White king: i1
White queen: d3
White knight: h4
White bishop: i4
White archbishop: j5

Black pawns: b7,c7,e7,h7,i7,j7,g6,f6,a6,d5
Black rooks: a8, h8
Black chancellor: e8
Black queen: d7
Black archbishop: e6
Black knight: c6
Black bishop: h6
Black king: i8

The idea: Qxg6!! hxg6? Bxg6+ Kj8? Ni6+! jxi6 Axi6#

I played a very interesting Queen sac in Gothic Chess at the World Open in the skittles room. It was a very crowded board, looking for all intents and purposes like an normal middlegame.

I sacked a Queen for a pawn, checked with a Bishop, the sacked a Knight for no material, to mate with an Archbishop next.

It was pretty cool

almost is a very essential word that often
makes the difference in a good post, thanks.
I cAn almost agree as the geometrics are almost similar. ~*~

andreas: interesting view, and sort of rings true, except that Gothic doesn't usually last long enough to go into an endgame (if you really want to win you usually keep most of your pieces until a sac comes to you . . .).

danoschek: After playing Gothic a lot, standard chess is felt almost as an endgame. Just like in chess after queen exchange.

is not more dynamic than chess ...
the cherries seem too sour to me
said the fox who couldn't climb the tree ... ~*~

Chessmaster1000: I won't talk about a dynamic comparison (I still believe in the "old standby" chess) but I will say this about positional gothic, how does anyone think like that? I tend to look for almost purely tactical themes when I play gothic, it must take a very disciplined mind to look for the "quiet" moves in gothic (I personally can't resist the long range attacks made by those wonderful new pieces and the queen). I agree that in Gothic sacrificing material for attack is somehow more feasible, and the themes are somewhat similar. (classic bishop sac, rook for knight sac, etc.)

Grim Reaper: Agreed..........Andreas is amazing at positional play.....!
I have 2 games running with him and i've not seen any dymamic attacking move, but just a slow occupation of my space, killing me step by step.......Patience-patience-patience....I don't know if i'll have 2 loses finally, but he has the initiative at both games. Actually the positions for both games are quiet but we can say that he has the "positional" initiative.....
And initiative at Gothic Chess in my opinion, worth 70% the win......If one side has even a Knight less but has a nice initiative, he has the best chances to win. Gothic Chess is much more dynamic than Chess.

Interesting debate ... please be objective and not objectionable. Reference to personal styles of play is fine so long as these principles are followed.

WQ :)

will give you a hard time - you should play a few of them ... ~*~ .