SELFMATE IS THE RIGHT WORD

Doesn't Evans at least know how to use chess language properly? --
SBD

Despite Steven Dowd's malicious hair-splitting, most readers
understand that Fischer's selfmate means suicide. Manyplayers don't
even know what a helpmate is.

Here's what Larry Evans wrote in THIS CRAZY WORLD OF CHESS in an
article called Help, Mates! (page 38).

Benko no longer competes very often. Today he is a major problem
composer whose specialty is "helpmates" where both sides collaborate
to find the shortest way to mate. In other words, Black must help
White to checkmate the Black king.

These unusual exercises are ingenious and infuriating. Solving them
forces us to think backwards to envisage a mating pattern and then
reach it the shortest possible way.

Here’s how Benko explains this strange art form:

"The helpmate does not conflict with existing rules of play. The
solver must find the only variation leading to mate — which should be
cleverly hidden by the composer! — and do this with the cooperation of
both sides. Black always moves first and must
cooperate in finding the only sequence leading to checkmate."

P.S. Thanks to Mr. Kingston for the correctionl. As I recall, the
exact quote was "Do you see the kind of idiocy up
*_with_* which I have to put.? --


wrote:
On May 2, 9:37?am, " wrote:
STEN DOWD'S PETTINESS

SBD wrote:
. Alas, his selfmate returned the
title to the Soviets without a fight.
That is not a selfmate, it is a helpmate. Doesn't Evans at least know
how to use chess language properly?

Dr. Dowd's once forged my name on a university website. His criticism
is reminiscent of a cable that Winston Churchill once sent ending a
sentence with "of." When a subordinate reminded him that it was wrong
to end a sentence with a preposition, Churchill replied: "Do you see
the kind of idiocy up which I have to put.?

As I recall, the exact quote was "Do you see the kind of idiocy up
*_with_* which I have to put.?