Arthur John Roycroft (25-07-1929) British composer and Honorary Master of the FIDE for Chess Compositions
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John Roycroft, 1999 |
John Roycroft is an endgame study composer and International Judge. He founded the studies magazine End Game (EG) in 1965. He has composed little, but has written more: for instance "
Test Tube Chess" (1972) revised as "
The Chess Endgame Study" (1981), one of the best book about endgame studies.
He is the co-inventor of the
Guy-Blanchford-Roycroft code, an efficient way of indexing endgame studies.
Roycroft, Arthur John
Themes 64, 1958
2
nd Prize
Show Solutiona) 1. g8=R! Kc1+ 2. Rg7 = Black cannot progress.
If 1.g8=Q? Kc1+! 2.Qg7 Bb2! 3.Qxb2+ axb2 4.Kg7 b1=Q 5.h8=Q Qb2+ 6.Kh7 Bb1+ 7.Kg8 Qb8+ 8.Kg7 Qe5+ 9.Kg8 Qe8+ 10.Kg7 Qe7+ 11.Kg8 Ba2#
b) Without wPh6, the situation is considerably altered:
1. g8=Q! Kc1+ 2.Qg2 Bb2 3.Qxb2+ axb2 4.Kg7 b1=Q 5.h8=Q =
If 1.g8=R? Kc1+! 2.Rg7 Bb1 3.Kg8 Bxg7 4.Kxg7 Bxh7 wins easily
Perfectly thematical twins.