Thomas Rayner Dawson

This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

Thomas Rayner Dawson
Fairy Chess Review, 1947

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Series-helpmate in 17 moves. Black makes 17 moves, then White makes a move, delivering checkmate.

Onitiu, Petrović, Dawson & Fox
1^st Pr. Kniest TT. 1930, FIDE Album 1914-1944/III

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Mate in 8 (with grasshoppers Ga8, f7, h2 and h1)

Thomas Rayner Dawson, British chess problemist (28 November 1889 Leeds - 16 December 1951)

Thomas Dawson published his first problem, a two-mover in 1907. His chess problem compositions include 5,320 fairies, 885 direct mates, 97 self mates and 138 endings. 120 of his problems have been awarded prizes and 211 honorably mentioned or otherwise commended. He cooperated chess composition with Charles Masson Fox.

Dawson invented many fairy pieces and new conditions. He introduced the popular fairy pieces grasshopper, nightrider and many other fairy chess ideas.

He was founder editor (1922–31) of The Problemist the journal of the British Chess Problem Society. He subsequently produced The Fairy Chess Review (1930–51), which began as The Problemist Fairy Chess Supplement. At the same time he edited the problem pages in The British Chess Magazine (1931–51).

Problems

Solution of first problem is: 1.Ka2 2.Ka3 3.Kb4 4.Kc3 5.Kd3 6.Ke2 7.Ke1 8.f1R 9.Rf2 10.Ke2 11.Kd3 12.Kc3 13.Kb4 14.Ka3 15.Ka2 16.Ka1 17.Ra2 Nb3#

Solution of second problem is: 1.Gh3 Gh4 2.Gh5 Gh6 3.Gh7 Gh8 4.Ge7 Gd7 5.Gc7 Gb7 6.Ga7+ Ga6 7.Ga5+ Ga4 8.Ga3#

This problem is strange case of incidence: thematic tourney prescript problems with grasshoppers without limiting number of the moves. Identical problem was sent independently by four composers.^[1]

Chess publications

The list of Dawson's chess publications include:

Caissa's Playthings - series of articles in Cheltenham Examiner, 1913
Retrograde Analysis (with W. Hunsdorfer), 1915
Fata Morgana (with Birgfeld, Nanz, Massmann, Pauly), 1922
Asymmetry (with W. Pauly), 1928
Seventy Five Retros, 1928
Caissa's Wild Roses, 1935
C. M. Fox, His Problems, 1936
Caissa's Wild Roses in Clusters, 1937
Ultimate Themes, 1938
Caissa's Fairy Tales, 1947

The last five titles were collected as Five Classics of Fairy Chess (Dover Publications 1973) ISBN 9780486229102

References

^ Petrovič, Nenad (1949), Šahovski problem, Šahovska centrala, p. 142

External links

T. R. Dawson: Biography
The early work of T. R. Dawson by G. P. Jelliss
Retro-opposition and other retro-analytical chess problems by T. R. Dawson - based on Seventy Five Retros. Includes further 64 retro-analysis and 3 fairy retros by Dawson.
Retrograde analysis problem by Dawson from Encyclopædia Britannica.
Dawson problems on PDB Server

[1] Petrovič, Nenad (1949), Šahovski problem, Šahovska centrala, p. 142

[1]