COMPILATION OF CHESS PROBLEMS ON A COMPUTER,
Abstract
Chess problems have two aspects: they must be original and ethetically pleasing; they must have a unique solution. This latter aspect can be checked by a computer. An algorithm was worked out by the authors for the composition of two-move problems where white had a Queen, two Knights and a King against black's King. The mating position was taken as the starting point, and the program worked backwards to find an original position. A quality constraint was the requirement that at least two variations be present, i.e., at least two possible squares for the retreat of the black King after the first move of white. About 1000 problems were composed after running the program several hours. An improved algorithm avoided the duplication occurring in the first by taking the mating position into consideration without reference to the limits of the board, which shortened computing time. Nine problems composed by the machine are presented for examination by the reader. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 23, 1969
- Accession Number
- AD0689470
Entities
People
- V. E. Alekseev
Organizations
- United States Army Foreign Science and Technology Center