Our problem composer, Zoltan Bodnar, has specialized over the years in a number of unorthodox chess problems. One such speciality is the help double stalemate, identified in German as hdp, in which the two sides cooperate to reach a final position in which both are stalemated. Black typically moves first in such problems.
The unorthodox features of this particular problem do not end there, however. White has no king and so it is the remaining White pieces and pawns which must be stalemated in the final position. Finally, there is also an unusual piece called a rookhopper (RH), indicated on the board by an ordinary rook rotated 90 degrees clockwise. The rookhopper moves like an ordinary rook but it is a hopper and, therefore, can only move by hopping over another piece to land on the adjacent square. The adjacent square can be empty or occupied by an opposing piece or pawn.
By identifying the problem as "hdp 6.0", the composer indicates that the problem has a unique solution with 6 moves by both sides (starting with Black by default) and it is a help double stalemate.
There is another creative aspect to this problem. What does the start position of the pieces remind you of? Zoltan has produced a most creative and interesting problem to honour this weblog that Jordan and I have begun.
Can you solve the problem?
White: 3 pawns on b5, b6, & b7. 2 rookhoppers on b1 & b3.
Black: king on b4.
hdp 6.0
ZKBodnar
My thanks to Otto Janko of The Retrograde Analysis Corner for assistance with generating the unusual diagram. His kind service is available to all at The Chess Diagrammer
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