Babson task - Revision history

~2025-31734-90: Removed redundant infos that can be found on the page of the Babson study composer.

2025-11-08T15:06:59Z

Removed redundant infos that can be found on the page of the Babson study composer.

← Previous revision		Revision as of 15:06, 8 November 2025
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	#If Black promotes, then the only way for White towards a forced checkmate in the stipulated number of moves is to promote a pawn to the same piece to which Black promoted.		#If Black promotes, then the only way for White towards a forced checkmate in the stipulated number of moves is to promote a pawn to the same piece to which Black promoted.

	~~{{ill\|~~Joseph Ney Babson~~\|it}}~~ (1852–1929), the task's eponym, first conceived of the task in 1884, but never solved it.<ref>		[[Joseph Ney Babson]] (1852–1929), the task's eponym, first conceived of the task in 1884, but never solved it.<ref>
	{{cite web		{{cite web
	\|url=https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/admag/kazan.htm		\|url=https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/admag/kazan.htm
Line 68:		Line 68:
	}}		}}

	[[Henry Wald Bettmann]] composed the first problem in which one black pawn and one white pawn were involved in all promotions, winning 1st prize in the Babson Task Tourney 1925–26.<ref>Howard, Kenneth S., ''The Enjoyment of Chess Problems'', Dover Publications, 1961, p. 213.</ref>		[[Henry Wald Bettmann]] composed the first problem in which one black pawn and one white pawn were involved in all promotions, winning 1st prize in the Babson Task Tourney 1925–26.<ref>[[Kenneth S. Howard\|Howard, Kenneth S.]], ''The Enjoyment of Chess Problems'', Dover Publications, 1961, p. 213.</ref>

	The key in Bettmann's problem is 1.a8=B, after which play is as follows:		The key in Bettmann's problem is 1.a8=B, after which play is as follows:
Line 85:		Line 85:

	Composing a Babson task in directmate form (where White moves first and must checkmate Black against any defence within a stipulated number of moves) was thought so difficult that very little effort was put into it until the 1960s, when [[Pierre Drumare]] began his work on the problem, which occupied him for the next twenty years or so. He managed to compose a Babson task in which the knight is replaced with the [[Nightrider (chess)\|nightrider]] (a [[fairy chess piece]] which moves by making any number of knight moves in the same direction on unblocked squares) but found it hard to devise one using normal pieces: because of the knight's limited range, it is difficult to justify a knight promotion by White in response to a knight promotion by Black on the other side of the board.		Composing a Babson task in directmate form (where White moves first and must checkmate Black against any defence within a stipulated number of moves) was thought so difficult that very little effort was put into it until the 1960s, when [[Pierre Drumare]] began his work on the problem, which occupied him for the next twenty years or so. He managed to compose a Babson task in which the knight is replaced with the [[Nightrider (chess)\|nightrider]] (a [[fairy chess piece]] which moves by making any number of knight moves in the same direction on unblocked squares) but found it hard to devise one using normal pieces: because of the knight's limited range, it is difficult to justify a knight promotion by White in response to a knight promotion by Black on the other side of the board.

			A concurrent attempt was published in 1972 by composer [[Bo Lindgren]], a mate in 5 moves, but although it showed all four promotions and was legal, it was never considered a true Babson Task as the promotion to Knight was not immediately following the black promotion (as the theme requires), but happened only as the final mating move.

	{{Chess diagram		{{Chess diagram
Line 102:		Line 104:
	When Drumare eventually succeeded using conventional pieces in 1980, the result was regarded as highly unsatisfactory, even by Drumare himself. It is a mate in five (first published ''Memorial Seneca'', 1980). The key is 1.Rf2, after which captures by Black on b1 are answered by captures by White on g8.		When Drumare eventually succeeded using conventional pieces in 1980, the result was regarded as highly unsatisfactory, even by Drumare himself. It is a mate in five (first published ''Memorial Seneca'', 1980). The key is 1.Rf2, after which captures by Black on b1 are answered by captures by White on g8.

	Efficiency in chess problems is considered a great boon, but Drumare's attempt is very inefficient: no fewer than 30 pieces are on the board. It also has six promoted pieces in the initial position (even a single promoted piece is considered something of a "cheat" in chess problems), which is in any case illegal: one of the white f-pawns must have made a capture, and the white and black b- and c-pawns must have made two captures between them, making three in total, yet only two units are missing from the board. Despite all these flaws, it is the first complete Babson task.		Efficiency in chess problems is considered a great boon, but Drumare's attempt is very inefficient: no fewer than 30 pieces are on the board. It also has six promoted pieces in the initial position (even a single promoted piece is considered something of a "cheat" in chess problems), which is in any case illegal: one of the white f-pawns must have made a capture, and the white and black b- and c-pawns must have made two captures between them, making three in total, yet only two units are missing from the board. And even without this detail, the number of captures required to obtain all the promoted pieces is almost certainly still higher. Despite all these flaws, it is the first complete Babson task in a directmate problem.

	In 1982, two years after composing this problem, Drumare gave up, saying that the Babson task would never be satisfactorily solved.		In 1982, two years after composing this problem, Drumare gave up, saying that the Babson task would never be satisfactorily solved.
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	\| White to play and mate in four		\| White to play and mate in four
	}}		}}
	In the September 2005 issue of ''{{ill\|Schach (magazine)\|lt=Schach\|de\|Schach (Zeitschrift)}}'', the first cyclic Babson without promoted pieces in the initial position was published. Again, the composer was Peter Hoffmann.		In the September 2005 issue of ''{{ill\|Schach (magazine)\|lt=Schach\|de\|Schach (Zeitschrift)}}'', the first cyclic Babson without promoted pieces in the initial position was published. Again, the composer was [[Peter Hoffmann (chess composer)\|Peter Hoffmann]].

	The key is 1.Nxb6. The thematic defences are:		The key is 1.Nxb6. The thematic defences are:
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	{{Chess diagram		{{Chess diagram
	\| tright		\| tright
	\| '''Daniele Guglielmo Gatti - ~~Original, inspired~~ by and dedicated to Gady Costeff - EG n. 239'', 2025		\| ''[[Daniele Guglielmo Gatti]] - Inspired by and dedicated to [[Gady Costeff]] - EG n. 239'', January 2025

	\| \| \| \| \| \| \|nd\|		\| \| \| \| \| \| \|nd\|
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	}}		}}

	In January 2025, again on [[EG (magazine)\|EG]], the Italian chess composer [[Daniele Guglielmo Gatti]] showed a complete Babson Task in an endgame study. The composer claimed to have worked on it for only forty-five days, after having seen Costeff's failed attempt. Gatti composed a significantly different position, but retained some core elements and ideas of Costeff's one. He managed to make the position legal, absent of promoted pieces, and improved the economy of the problem. This made him the first composer to correctly achieve the Babson task in an endgame study, 141 years after the theme was proposed<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal \|last=van der Heijden \|first=Harold \|date=2025 \|title=Editorial \|journal=EG \|issue=239}}</ref>.<ref>{{Cite web \|date=2025-01-08 \|title=Sovramonte: Daniele Guglielmo Gatti nel gotha mondiale degli scacchi, risolta una composizione complessa \|url=https://www.corrierealpi.it/cronaca/sovramonte-scacchi-daniele-guglielmo-gatti-risolve-composizione-mondiale-akc76iny \|access-date=2025-01-14 \|website=Corriere delle Alpi \|language=it}}</ref>		In January 2025, again on [[EG (magazine)\|EG]], the Italian chess composer [[Daniele Guglielmo Gatti]] showed a complete Babson Task in an endgame study. The composer claimed to have worked on it for only forty-five days, after having seen Costeff's failed attempt. Gatti composed a significantly different position, but retained some core elements and ideas of Costeff's one. He managed to make the position legal, absent of promoted pieces, and improved the economy of the problem. This made him the first composer to correctly achieve the Babson task in an endgame study, 141 years after the theme was proposed.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal \|last=van der Heijden \|first=Harold \|date=2025 \|title=Editorial \|journal=EG \|issue=239}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web \|date=2025-01-08 \|title=Sovramonte: Daniele Guglielmo Gatti nel gotha mondiale degli scacchi, risolta una composizione complessa \|url=https://www.corrierealpi.it/cronaca/sovramonte-scacchi-daniele-guglielmo-gatti-risolve-composizione-mondiale-akc76iny \|access-date=2025-01-14 \|website=Corriere delle Alpi \|language=it}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web \|date=2025-08-14 \|title=The Babson Task – A modern realization \|url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/babson-task-modern-realization \|access-date=2025-08-16 \|website=Chess News \|language=en}}</ref>

	The solution of the study is as follows:		The solution of the study is as follows:
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	''v) Other promotions all fail to Nxe3 mate.''<ref name=":0" />		''v) Other promotions all fail to Nxe3 mate.''<ref name=":0" />

	Following its publication, Gatti's study was featured on various national and international platforms. In Italy, it appeared on ''UnoScacchista''<ref>{{Cite web \|last=AltriScacchisti \|date=2025-01-28 \|title=Dopo ben 141 anni un italiano ottiene il primo studio “Babson Task” corretto e legale \|url=https://unoscacchista.com/2025/01/28/dopo-ben-141-anni-un-italiano-ottiene-il-primo-studio-babson-task-corretto-e-legale/ \|access-date=2025-06-30 \|website=Uno Scacchista \|language=it-IT}}</ref>, the official Facebook page of the [[Italian Chess Federation]], the podcast ''L’Infilata''<ref>{{Cite web \|last=scacchi \|first=Infilata \|date=2025-04-01 \|title=Fare il problemista (con Daniele Gatti) \|url=https://infilatascacchi.substack.com/p/problemista-scacchi-daniele-gatti-intervista \|access-date=2025-06-30 \|website=L’Infilata}}</ref>, the chess magazine ''Torre & Cavallo – Scacco!''<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Torre & Cavallo Scacco! - N. 4 luglio-agosto 2025 \|url=https://www.messaggeriescacchistiche.com/store/product/torre-cavallo-scacco-n-4-luglio-agosto-2025 \|access-date=2025-06-30 \|website=Messaggerie Scacchistiche \|language=it}}</ref>, and issue no. 115 of ''Best Problems''.<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Antonio Garofalo Home Page \|url=http://www.bestproblems.it/ \|access-date=2025-06-28 \|website=www.bestproblems.it}}</ref>. Internationally, it was covered on the ARVES website<ref>{{Cite web \|title=www.arves.org - Home \|url=https://arves.org/arves/index.php/en/ \|access-date=2025-06-30 \|website=arves.org}}</ref>, known for its focus on endgame studies, and on ''SuperProblem.ru'', within the “Tasks & Records” section<ref>{{Cite web \|title=SuperProblem \|url=https://superproblem.ru/ \|access-date=2025-06-30 \|website=superproblem.ru}}</ref>. It also appeared in issue no. 173 of the Swedish magazine ''Springaren''<ref>{{Cite web \|date=2025-03-03 \|title=Springaren – Svenska Problemschackklubben \|url=https://www.springaren.se/ \|access-date=2025-06-30 \|language=sv-SE}}</ref> and in issues no. 2 and no. 3 (2025) of the Hungarian magazine ''Magyar Sakkvilág''.<ref>{{Cite web \|title=Mikitovics János MAGYAR SAKKSZERZŐK - HUNGARIAN CHESS COMPOSERS \|url=https://www.magyarsakkszerzok.hu/ \|access-date=2025-06-30 \|website=www.magyarsakkszerzok.hu}}</ref>

	Several chess composers and critics publicly commented on the study. Ukrainian composer and former WCCI champion [[Serhiy Didukh]] referred to it as a “''chess miracle''” in his blog ''Chess Study Art''.<ref>{{Cite web \|date=2025-02-02 \|title=Таск Бабсона – Chess Study Art \|url=https://chessstudy.art/2025/02/02/babson/ \|access-date=2025-06-30 \|language=ru-RU}}</ref> He later included the study in his digital book ''100 Memorable Studies'', published on the same site.<ref>{{Cite web \|date=2025-01-31 \|title=100 Memorable Studies – Chess Study Art \|url=https://chessstudy.art/2025/01/31/100-memorable-studies/ \|access-date=2025-06-30 \|language=ru-RU}}</ref> The study was also praised by [[Harold van der Heijden]] and World Champion of endgame study composition [[Steffen Slumstrup Nielsen]] in the editorial of ''EG'' no. 239. Heijden referred to the composer as "''a hero''" for achieving a long-standing challenge in chess composition.<ref name=":0" /> German [[Grandmaster (chess)\|grandmaster]] and endgame study composer [[Jan Michael Sprenger]] contributed a comment on Didukh’s blog, calling the setting “''sound and completely legal''”, and describing it as “''a rather elegant position given the complexity of the task.''” He remarked on the surprising speed of its realization.<ref>{{Cite web \|date=2024-10-12 \|title=Находки Клинкова – Chess Study Art \|url=https://chessstudy.art/2024/10/12/klinkovs-finds/ \|access-date=2025-06-30 \|language=ru-RU}}</ref>

	Outside the composition community, the study was analyzed by Austrian [[Grandmaster (chess)\|grandmaster]] and national champion [[Felix Blohberger]] in an instructional YouTube video.<ref>{{Cite AV media \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ea7osFWnfA \|title=The Chess Problem That Took 140 Years to Solve \|date=2025-04-07 \|last=GM Felix Blohberger \|access-date=2025-06-30 \|via=YouTube}}</ref>

	Some discussion was raised regarding the initial stipulation of the study. While the [[Babson task\|Babson Task]] traditionally begins with White to move, the study in question starts with Black to move. This choice, while uncommon, is legally permissible in endgame studies. In ''[[EG (magazine)\|EG]]'' no. 239, van der Heijden notes: “''The composer also indicated that it is a pity that the study starts with BTM. When you put the wK on c3, the only move is 1.Kc4. Steffen advised that BTM is a lesser problem than wK in check in the initial position, and I fully agree''.”<ref name=":0" />

	==References==		==References==

imported>SepticMind at 03:24, 1 July 2025

2025-07-01T03:24:40Z

Show changes

imported>SeanG007: /* Babson Task in an endgame study */

2025-05-20T15:57:18Z

Babson Task in an endgame study

New page

{{Short description|Type of chess problem}}
A '''Babson task''' (or simply '''Babson''') is a {{chessprobgloss|directmate}} [[chess problem]] with the following properties:

#White has only one {{chessprobgloss|key}}, or first move, that forces [[checkmate]] in the stipulated number of moves.
#Black's defences include the [[Promotion (chess)|promotion]] of a certain [[Pawn (chess)|pawn]] to a [[Queen (chess)|queen]], [[Rook (chess)|rook]], [[Bishop (chess)|bishop]], or [[Knight (chess)|knight]]. (Black may have other defences as well.)
#If Black promotes, then the only way for White towards a forced checkmate in the stipulated number of moves is to promote a pawn to the same piece to which Black promoted.

{{ill|Joseph Ney Babson|it}} (1852–1929), the task's eponym, first conceived of the task in 1884, but never solved it.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/admag/kazan.htm
|title=De man die de Babson task maakte
|author=Tim Krabbé
|author-link=Tim Krabbé
|language=Dutch
}}
</ref>
To devise a satisfying Babson task is regarded as one of the greatest challenges in [[Chess composer|chess composing]]. For almost a century, it was unknown whether such a task could exist.

The Babson task is a special form of [[Allumwandlung]], a chess problem in which the solution contains promotions to each of the four possible pieces. Such problems were already known when Babson formulated his task.
{{algebraic notation|pos=toc}}

==Forerunners of the Babson task==
{{Chess diagram
| tright
| '''Wolfgang Pauly''', 1912

| | | | | | |bl|
|kl| | |pd|bl|pl|pl|
| | | |pl| | | |
| | | | | |pl| |
| | | | | | |pl|pl
|pd| |pd| | | | |kd
|pd|pl|pd| | | |rl|
| |bd|rl| |nl| | |

| White to play and mate in four
}}
This 1912 problem by [[Wolfgang Pauly]] is, as it were, a three-quarter Babson task: three of Black's promotions are matched by White.

The key is 1.b3, after which there are the following lines:

{{unordered list|style=list-style-position:inside
|1...a1{{=}}Q 2.f8{{=}}Q Qb2 3.Qa8 Qxc1 (Qxb3 4.Qf3#) 4.Qf3#
|1...a1{{=}}R 2.f8{{=}}R (2.f8{{=}}Q? a2 3.Qa8 [[stalemate]] (3.Qf6 stalemate)) a2 3.Rf6 Kxh4 4.Rh6#
|1...a1{{=}}N 2.f8{{=}}N (2.f8{{=}}Q? Nxb3 3.Qa8 Nd4 and no mate) a2 3.Ng6 Nxb3 4.Nf4#
}}

This is not a full Babson, however, because 1...a1=B 2.f8=B does not work; White must instead play 2.f8=Q, with similar play to above.
{{-}}

==Selfmate Babsons==
The earliest Babson tasks are all in the form of a [[selfmate]], in which White, moving first, must force Black to deliver checkmate against Black's will within a specified number of moves. In 1914, Babson himself published such a problem, in which three different white pawns shared the promotions.

{{Chess diagram
| tright
| '''Henry Wald Bettmann''' 1st Prize, 1925–26 Babson Task Tourney

| | | | | | | |nl
|pl|pd|pd| | |pl| |
|rl|rd|kd| | | | |pl
|kl| |pl| | | | |
| |pl| | |pl| | |pl
| | |pl| | | | |ql
| | | | | |pd| |rl
| | | | | |nl|bl|

| Selfmate in three
}}

[[Henry Wald Bettmann]] composed the first problem in which one black pawn and one white pawn were involved in all promotions, winning 1st prize in the Babson Task Tourney 1925–26.<ref>Howard, Kenneth S., ''The Enjoyment of Chess Problems'', Dover Publications, 1961, p. 213.</ref>

The key in Bettmann's problem is 1.a8=B, after which play is as follows:

{{unordered list|style=list-style-position:inside
|1...fxg1{{=}}Q 2.f8{{=}}Q (2.f8{{=}}R? Qxf1 3.b5+ Kxc5; both 2.f8{{=}}B? and 2.f8{{=}}N? fail to Qg8!) Qxf1 3.b5+ (3.Qfxf1? Rxa6 is not checkmate, as White can play 4.Qxa6) Qxb5#; or Qxc5 3.b5+ (3.bxc5? Rxa6 is not checkmate, as White can play 4.Kb4; 3.Qxc5 checkmates black, entirely wrong for a selfmate) or 2...Q-any 3.anyxQ Rxa6#
|1...fxg1{{=}}R 2.f8{{=}}R (2.f8{{=}}Q? Rxf1 3.Qfxf1 (3.b5 checkmates Black) Rxa6 is not checkmate, as White can play 4.Qxa6) R-any 3.anyxR Rxa6#
|1...fxg1{{=}}B 2.f8{{=}}B (2.f8{{=}}Q? Bxc5 3.bxc5 (3.b5 checkmates Black; 3.Qxc5 checkmates Black) Rxa6 is not checkmate, as White can play 4.Kb4) B-any 3.anyxB Rxa6#
|1...fxg1{{=}}N 2.f8{{=}}N (2.f8{{=}}Q? Nxh3! 3.Rxh3 Kd7) N-any 3.anyxN Rxa6#
}}

Various other composers later composed similar problems.
{{-}}

==Directmate Babsons==

Composing a Babson task in directmate form (where White moves first and must checkmate Black against any defence within a stipulated number of moves) was thought so difficult that very little effort was put into it until the 1960s, when [[Pierre Drumare]] began his work on the problem, which occupied him for the next twenty years or so. He managed to compose a Babson task in which the knight is replaced with the [[Nightrider (chess)|nightrider]] (a [[fairy chess piece]] which moves by making any number of knight moves in the same direction on unblocked squares) but found it hard to devise one using normal pieces: because of the knight's limited range, it is difficult to justify a knight promotion by White in response to a knight promotion by Black on the other side of the board.

{{Chess diagram
| tright
| '''Pierre Drumare''' ''Memorial Camil Seneca'', 1980
| | | |rl| | |qd|bl
| | | | | |pl| |
| |nl| | | | | |bl
| |kl| | | |pl| |
|rl|pl|pl| |pd|rl| |
| |bl| |pl|nd| | |
|rl|pd|pd|kd|nd| |pd|
|bd|ql|bd|rd|rd|bd|rd|bd
| White to play and mate in five
}}

When Drumare eventually succeeded using conventional pieces in 1980, the result was regarded as highly unsatisfactory, even by Drumare himself. It is a mate in five (first published ''Memorial Seneca'', 1980). The key is 1.Rf2, after which captures by Black on b1 are answered by captures by White on g8.

Efficiency in chess problems is considered a great boon, but Drumare's attempt is very inefficient: no fewer than 30 pieces are on the board. It also has six promoted pieces in the initial position (even a single promoted piece is considered something of a "cheat" in chess problems), which is in any case illegal: one of the white f-pawns must have made a capture, and the white and black b- and c-pawns must have made two captures between them, making three in total, yet only two units are missing from the board. Despite all these flaws, it is the first complete Babson task.

In 1982, two years after composing this problem, Drumare gave up, saying that the Babson task would never be satisfactorily solved.

{{-}}

{{Chess diagram
| tright
| '''Leonid Yarosh''' ''Shakhmaty v SSSR'', March 1983
| |qd| | | | | |rl
|pl| | |nl| | | |
| | | | | |pd| |
| | |pd| | |pd| |
| | |pl|kd| |bd| |nd
| | | | | | |pl|
|pl|nl|pd|pl| |pl| |kl
|bl|ql| | | |rl| |bl
| White to play and mate in four
}}

The following year, [[Leonid Yarosh]], a [[football (soccer)|football]] coach from [[Kazan]] who was virtually unknown as a problem composer until that point, came up with a much better Babson task than Drumare's: the position is legal, it is much simpler than Drumare's problem, and there are no promoted pieces on board. First published in March 1983 in the famous Russian chess magazine ''[[Shakhmaty v SSSR]]'', this is generally thought of as the first satisfactory solution of the Babson task. Drumare himself had high praise for the problem.

The key is 1.Rxh4, and the main lines are:

{{unordered list|style=list-style-position:inside
|1...cxb1{{=}}Q 2.axb8{{=}}Q Qxb2 (2...Qe4 3.Qxf4 Qxf4 4.Rxf4#) 3.Qb3 Qc3 4.Qxc3#
|1...cxb1{{=}}R 2.axb8{{=}}R (2.axb8{{=}}Q? Rxb2 3.Qb3 stalemate) Rxb2 3.Rb3 Kxc4 4.Rxf4#
|1...cxb1{{=}}B 2.axb8{{=}}B (2.axb8{{=}}Q? Be4 3.Qxf4 stalemate) Be4 3.Bxf4 Bxh1 4.Be3#
|1...cxb1{{=}}N 2.axb8{{=}}N (2.axb8{{=}}Q? Nxd2 and no mate) Nxd2 3.Nc6+ Kc3 4.Rc1#
}}
However, Yarosh's problem has a small flaw: the key is a capture, something which is generally frowned upon in problems. Also, when first presented, the black piece at h4 was a pawn, but a computer discovered an additional solution by 1.axb8=N hxg3+ 2.Kh3 Bxb8 3.Qxc2 and mate next move. Yarosh then substituted a knight on that square; now 1.axb8=N fails to 1...Nf3+ 2.Bxf3 Bxb8 3.Qxc2 Bxg3+ and White is too late. Nevertheless, when Dutch author [[Tim Krabbé]] saw this version in the Soviet publication ''[[64 (magazine)|64]]'', he records that the realisation that somebody had at last solved the Babson task had the effect upon him as if he had "... opened a newspaper and seen the headline 'Purpose Of Life Discovered'."

{{-}}

{{Chess diagram
| tright
| '''Leonid Yarosh''' ''Shakhmaty v SSSR'', August 1983

|bl|qd| |bl| |kl| |
| | | |pl|pd|nl| |
|pl| | | |pl|pd| |
|pl| |pd| | |pl| |
| | |pl|kd| |bd| |rl
| |pd| | | | | |
|pd|nl| |pl| |pl| |
|ql|rl| | | | | |

| White to play and mate in four
}}

Yarosh continued to work on the problem, and in August 1983, he created an improved version with a non-capturing key, which appeared in ''Shakhmaty v SSSR''. Many chess problemists,{{Who|date=November 2022}} including Tim Krabbé,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Krabbé |first1=Tim |title=The Babson Task |url=https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/chess/babs.html |website=De website van Tim Krabbé |access-date=10 April 2022}}</ref> consider the problem one of the greatest ever composed. Again, it is a mate in four.

The key here is non-capturing and also thematic (that is, it is logically related to the rest of the solution): '''1.a7!'''. The variations are largely the same as in the original:

{{unordered list|style=list-style-position:inside
|'''1...axb1{{=}}Q 2.axb8{{=}}Q Qxb2 3.Qxb3 Qc3 4.Qbxc3#''' (alternatively, '''2...Qe4 3.Qxf4 Qxf4 4.Rxf4#''')
|'''1...axb1{{=}}R 2.axb8{{=}}R''' (2.axb8{{=}}Q? Rxb2 3.Qxb3 is stalemate) '''Rxb2 3.Rxb3 Kxc4 4.Qa4#''' (alternatively, '''2...Re1 3.Rxf4+ Re4 4.Rxf4#''')
|'''1...axb1{{=}}B 2.axb8{{=}}B''' (2.axb8{{=}}Q? Be4 3.Qxf4 stalemate) '''Be4 3.Bxf4 B(any) 4.Be3#'''
|'''1...axb1{{=}}N 2.axb8{{=}}N''' (2.axb8{{=}}Q? Nxd2 and no mate) '''Nxd2 3.Qc1 Ne4 4.Nc6#''' (alternatively, '''2...Nc3 3.Rxf4+ Ne4 4.Rxf4#''')
}}

There is another defence for black that is non-thematic and also leads to mate in four: 1...Qxd8+ 2.Kg7 axb1{{=}}Q 3.Rxf4+ Qe4 4. Rxe4#. However, this is not considered a flaw according to the rules of the Babson task.

{{-}}

{{Chess diagram
| tright
| '''Pierre Drumare''' ''Thèmes-64'', 1985

| | | | | |nd|qd|
| | |nl| | |pl|pl|pd
| | | | | | |bd|pl
| | | | | |pl|kd|
|ql|pd| | | | |nl|
| |kl| |pd|rd|bl|pl|
| | |pd|rl|pl| |rl|
| | |bl| | | | |

| White to play and mate in five
}}

Yarosh composed a completely different Babson task later in 1983 and another in 1986. Several other Babsons were later composed by other authors, including one by Drumare in 1985. The solution of this Babson is 1.fxg8{{=}}Q dxe2 2.Nxe3 e1{{=}}Q/R/B/N 3.gxf8{{=}}Q/R/B/N and now mate in two in all variations.

{{-}}

==The cyclic Babson==
{{Chess diagram
| tright
| '''Peter Hoffmann''', ''Die Schwalbe'', 2003

|rl| | | |bl| |rd|
| | | | | | | |pl
|bl| | | |bd|kd|nl|pd
|pd| | | | | |pd|rl
|kl| | |nl| |pd|pl|
| | |pl| | |pl| |
|pl|bl|pd|pd|pd| | |ql
| | |bl| |nl| | |

| White to play and mate in four
}}
In a cyclic Babson, rather than Black’s promotions being matched by White, they are related in cyclic form: for example, Black promoting to a queen means White must promote to a bishop, Black promoting to a bishop means White must promote to a rook, Black promoting to a rook means White must promote to a knight, and Black promoting to a knight means White must promote to a queen.

The August 2003 issue of the German problem magazine ''[[Die Schwalbe]]'' contained the problem to the right, a mate in four by [[Peter Hoffmann (chess composer)|Peter Hoffmann]]. Hoffmann had previously published a number of conventional directmate Babsons, but this one is significant because it is the first cyclic Babson. However, as with Drumare's original Babson task, the problem uses promoted pieces and has a capturing key.

The key is 1.Nxe6, threatening 2.hxg8=Q and 3.Qf7#. The thematic defences are:

*1...d1=Q 2.hxg8=B (2.hxg8=Q? Qd7+ 3.Bxd7 stalemate; 2.hxg8=N+? Kxe6 and no mate), threatening 3.c4+ Q-moves 4.BxQ#
**2...Qd7+ 3.Bxd7 Kxg6 4.Rxh6#
**2...Qxc1 3.Rxg5 (threat: 4.Rf5#) hxg5 4.Qh8#
*1...d1=B 2.hxg8=R (2.hxg8=Q? stalemate; 2.hxg8=N+? Kxe6 and no mate) Kxe6 3.Rd8 3.Kf6 Rd6#
*1...d1=R 2.hxg8=N (2.hxg8=Q? Rd4+ 3.c4 stalemate) Kxe6 3.Qxe2+ K-moves 4.Qe5#
*1...d1=N 2.hxg8=Q (2.hxg8=N+? Kxe6 3.Qxe2+ Ne3! and no mate) Nxb2+ 3.Kb5(Bxb2) and 4.Qf7#

There are also a number of sidelines.

{{Chess diagram
| tright
| '''Peter Hoffmann''', ''Schach'', 2005

| | | | | |rd| |nl
| |pl|pl| |pl| | |
| |pd|pl| |kd|pl| |
|pd| | |nl| |pd| |pl
|kl| | | | |pl| |
| | |bl| |pl| | |
| |rl|pd|pd|pd| | |
| | |ql| |rl| | |

| White to play and mate in four
}}
In the September 2005 issue of ''{{ill|Schach (magazine)|lt=Schach|de|Schach (Zeitschrift)}}'', the first cyclic Babson without promoted pieces in the initial position was published. Again, the composer was Peter Hoffmann.

The key is 1.Nxb6. The thematic defences are:

*1...d1=Q 2.exf8=B (2.exf8=Q? Qd4+ 3.Bxd4 stalemate; 2.exf8=N+? Kd6 3.Be5+ Kc5 and no mate)
**2...Qd4+ 3.exd4 Kxf6 4.d5#
*1...d1=B 2.exf8=R (2.exf8=Q? stalemate; 2.exf8=N+? Kd6 3.Be5+ Kc5 and no mate)
**2...Kd6 3.Qd2+ with mate after any move by black
*1...d1=R 2.exf8=N+ (2.exf8=Q? Rd4+ 3.Bxd4 stalemate; 2.exf8=B? Rd7 3.c8=Q(B) stalemate)
**2...Kd6 3.Be5+ Kc5 4.Qxc2#
*1...d1=N 2.exf8=Q (2.exf8=N+? Kd6 3.Be5+ Kc5 and no mate)
**2...Nxc3+ 3.Kxa5 Ne4 4.c8=Q#
{{-}}

==Babson Task in an endgame study==

Achieving a Babson task in an endgame study was long considered impossible because of the enormous complexity required to make every promotion the only winning move, avoid duals, and keep the position legal. Some partial Babsons have been shown in the form of studies, but at a maximum only three quarters of the theme was achieved (usually missing the rook variation).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Babson Task in studies - internal link to PDF file |url=https://www.berlinthema.de/ |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=www.berlinthema.de}}</ref>

In October 2024, the Israeli chess composer [[Gady Costeff]] published on [[EG (magazine)|EG]] a sound attempt of a complete Babson Task in an endgame study, which was the first in the history of chess composition. Unfortunately, the position was illegal due to one missing white capture (and it also contained three white knights). The composer claimed to have worked on the position for longer than thirteen years, but eventually gave up and published it anyway, outside of competition.<ref>{{Cite web |title=www.arves.org - Babson Task by Gady Costeff |url=https://arves.org/arves/index.php/en/?view=article&id=1733&catid=2 |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=arves.org}}</ref>

{{Chess diagram
| tright
| '''Daniele Guglielmo Gatti - Original, inspired by and dedicated to Gady Costeff - EG n. 239'', 2025

| | | | | | |nd|
| | | | |pd| | |pl
| | | | |pd| |nd|kd
|qd|nl|pl| | | |nl|
|pd| |kl|pl| | |pl|
|pl| | |pl|bl| | |
|pl| | | |pd|pd|pd|
| | | | |rl| |rl|bd

| Black to move - White wins
}}

In January 2025, again on [[EG (magazine)|EG]], the Italian chess composer [[Daniele Guglielmo Gatti]] showed a complete Babson Task in an endgame study. The composer claimed to have worked on it for only forty-five days, after having seen Costeff's failed attempt. Gatti composed a significantly different position, but retained some core elements and ideas of Costeff's one. He managed to make the position legal, absent of promoted pieces, and improved the economy of the problem. This made him the first composer to correctly achieve the Babson task in an endgame study, 141 years after the theme was proposed.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-08 |title=Sovramonte: Daniele Guglielmo Gatti nel gotha mondiale degli scacchi, risolta una composizione complessa |url=https://www.corrierealpi.it/cronaca/sovramonte-scacchi-daniele-guglielmo-gatti-risolve-composizione-mondiale-akc76iny |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=Corriere delle Alpi |language=it}}</ref>

The solution of the study is as follows:

— '''1…f1=Q''' '''2.hxg8=Q!''' '''Ne5+ 3.dxe5 Qf4+ 4.Ne4'''! avoids stalemate and wins,

— '''1…f1=R''' '''2.hxg8=R!'''/i '''Rxg1'''/ii '''3.Nd6'''/iii '''exd6''' '''4.Ne4+ Kh7 5.Nf6''' mate,

— '''1…f1=B''' '''2.hxg8=B!'''/iv '''Kg7''' (Qxe1; Nf3+! wins) '''3.c6 Qxe1 4.c7 Qb1 5.Nxe6+ Kxg8 6.c8=Q+ Kh7 7.Ng5+ Kg7 8.Qf5 Qxa2+ 9.Kc5 e1=Q 10.Ne6+ Qxe6 11.Qxe6''' wins,

— '''1…f1=N 2.hxg8=N+!'''/v '''Kg7 3.Nxe6+ Kxg8 4.Rxe2 Nxe3+ 5.Rxe3 Qd2 6.Ree1 Qxa2+ 7.Kb4 Qb3+ 8.Ka5''' wins.

i) Thematic try: 2.hxg8=Q? Ne5+! 3.dxe5 Rf4+! 4.Ne4 Qc3+ (or Qxb5+) 5. Kxc3 stalemate.

ii) Rxe1 3.Rxe1 with: Qxe1 4.Nf3+ wins, or g1=Q 4.Nxe6+ (Rxg1? Bd5! mate;) Kh7 5.Rg7+ Kh8 6.Rxg1 wins.

iii) Threatens 4.Nf7 mate. Prematurely 3.Ne4+? Kh7! wins as there is no mate on f6.

iv) Thematic try: 2.hxg8=N+? Kg7 3.c6 Qxe1 4.c7 Qb1 5.Nxe6+ Kh7 The point: no promotion with check 6.c8=Q Qxa2+ 7.Kb4 Qb3+ 8.Ka5 (Kc5? Qc2+ skewer) e1=Q+ 9.Kb6 Qxe3 another point 10.Nf6+ Kh6 11.g5+ Qxg5 12.Ng8+ Kh5 and draw.

v) Other promotions all fail to Nxe3 mate.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
* {{cite book
| last1=Hooper | first1=David | author-link=David Vincent Hooper
| last2=Whyld | first2=Kenneth | authorlink2=Kenneth Whyld
| title=[[The Oxford Companion to Chess]]
| year=1992
| edition=2nd
| contribution=Babson Task
| publisher=Oxford University Press
| isbn=0-19-280049-3 }}
* {{cite book
| last=Krabbé | first=Tim| author-link=Tim Krabbé
| title=[[De man die de Babson task wilde maken]]
| year=1986
| publisher=Nova Zembla
| isbn=9070711117}}

==Further reading==
*[[Jeremy Morse]], ''Chess Problems Tasks and Records'' (Faber and Faber, 1995, revised edition 2001) – contains a chapter on the Babson task

==External links==
*{{cite web
|url=http://www.berlinthema.de/Babson_docu.pdf
|title=100 Years: Babson Task in the Orthodox Directmate
|author=Peter Hoffmann
}}
*{{cite web
|url=https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/chess/babs.html
|title=The Babson task
|author=Tim Krabbé
}} (a detailed analysis of Yarosh's second Babson)
*{{cite web
|url=https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/babson/babsonsons.htm
|title=Sons of Babson
|author=Tim Krabbé
}} (lists Babsons published later)
*{{cite web
|url=https://timkr.home.xs4all.nl/admag/babson1.htm
|title=Hoe de Babson task orthodox werd
|author=Tim Krabbé
|language=Dutch
}} (mentions two forerunners of the Babson task)
*{{cite web
|url=http://www.chessproblem.net/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=560
|title=Babson-Task: A Key, And Beyond
|author=Zalmen Kornin
}}
*{{cite web
|url=https://www.chessproblem.net/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=912
|title=The Birth Of The Babson-Task
|author=Zalmen Kornin
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Babson Task}}
[[Category:Chess problems]]