On May 2, 10:30 am, " wrote:

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.

I think Mr. Parr is getting off on the wrong track.

In fact, in order to understand why KNN vs. K is
not winnable, all decent chess players need to be
familiar with the difference between a helpmate
and a forcible checkmate. This sort of thing is
discussed in the rules of chess, and it relates to
draws, to how to win and to what can be won.


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.

Note here that Larry Evans is quoted (by Larry
Parr) as saying the *shortest* way to mate.


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.

Again, LP quotes LE as saying the *shortest*
way to mate.


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

But now, Pal Benko is quoted (by Larry Parr) as
saying the *only* way 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."

Once again, LP quotes PB as saying what he
does is construct problems where there is *only
one* way to (help) mate.


I think this is ample demonstration that some
folks are simply not very astute when it comes to
such things as the difference between selfmate,
helpmate or what have you. But there is no doubt
that in Bobby Fischer's case, Mr. Evans would not
be willing to share any of the credit with the
Soviets, so the term "helpmate" would have
seemed out of place. Remember that the ploy
has always been that BF did everything all by
himself... .


-- help bot