https://youtu.be/2aDdBTYyD90

This Chess set, although inspired in the Staunton pattern, have some sui generis characteristics... It's origin is a mystery (but it was amongst my grandfather's -of my same name -belongings, that for sure...

*30 seconds youtube video - Maybe You know from where exactly this set came?!

https://youtu.be/DUe0Gz__goU

♖♘♗♕♔♗♘♖♙♙♙♙♙♙♙♙ I have been playing chess since 1967. But it was the Reykjavik 72 boom that took me to the Chess Club in my city. I played several tournaments and championships between 1973 and 1986. I can mention three influences in that period: Loyd, Larsen and Schlechter. Of course, this was reflected as, respectively: lack of objectivity, extravagant repertoire and tendency to overestimate opponents. Anyway: I didn't had enough sitzfleisch, and wanderlust, as to pursue a career. But it always happened that I presented at least one or two 'succès d'estime' per event: (which, after all, is the ultimate reason to play something that would be more than a mere game ...) The largest online database of players claimed until 2022 that my 'weakest loss' was against a 2305 player (which is due, evidently, to them having few of my games ...) I still appeared in one or another Open in my city until 1992, and nothing more OTB. I faced several computers, including dedicated machines, CDs, desktop software, since the nineties. I still face human opponents via internet, sporadically, in casual games with ample time control. (If I played online rapid or blitz, would be just a regular mouse-slip victim...)

*** My opponent in this next one: I think 'Boz' is not a surname, but the initials of Bergen op Zoom (a city). I played two Rook sacrifices in this game. The first one was refused, because a discovered check by the Knight in c5 was decisive, driving the black King to a fatal walk. The second one led to a pleasant finish.

[Event "Casual Game"]
[Site "https://itsyourturn.com"]
[Date "2020.07.03"]
[Round "*"]
[White "Z Kornin"]
[Black "Jan Boz"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Eco "D00"]
[Ply "53"]

1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 e6 3. Nf3 Bd6 4. g3 Bxf4 5. gxf4 Nc6 6. Rg1 g6 7. e3 Qf6 8. c4 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nge7 10. Nc3 Nf5 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. fxe5 Qh4 13. Qf3 Rb8 14. Ne4 b6 15. Bb5+ Ke7 16. Bc6 Bd7 17. Bxd7 Kxd7 18. Rc1 Rhc8 19. Rg4 Qh6 20. Rc6 Qf8 21. Nf6+ Kd8 22. d5 h5 23. Qd1 hxg4 24. dxe6+ Nd6 25. exd6 cxd6 26. e7+ Qxe7 27. Rxd6+ 1-0

*after 19...Qh6

click for larger view

**after 25.exd6:

click for larger view

♕♕♖♖♗♗♘♘ THE BABSON TASK
The greatest Chess Problem of ali times:

Online book by Peter Hoffmann & Erik Zierke (updated Aug 16th 2020):

http://www.berlinthema.de/Babson_do...

Related:

<"The Birth Of The Babson-Task"> http://chessproblem.net/viewtopic.p...

<"Babson-Task: a Key, And Beyond"> http://chessproblem.net/viewtopic.p...

<"Chess Problems Lost With The Titanic"> http://chessproblem.net/viewtopic.p...

♖ ♘ k ▢ ♔ THE BELÉN VALLADÃO

Z Kornin
"The Kibitzer's Café"
5-viii-2004

click for larger view

#4

Solution: 1.g8=Q! Kc2 2.Nxc3 d5 3. exd6! (3.cxd6? c5!) 3...Kd3 4.0-0-0# (or 3...Kb2 4.Qxa2#)

"See (...) that forum* (*cg.com Kibitzer's Café) for the online development of a Valladao-Belén." Tim Krabbé (2004);

"Noch im Jahr der Thema(*)-Entdeckung (*the Belén) gelang dem Brasilianer Kornin eine Darstellung mit dem Valladão-Task" Hanspeter Suwe (2007);

# reproduced in magazine "König & Turm" N°22, May 2007, page 14.

## related thread "The Belén: from Loyd to Hoffmann"