CHESMAYNE

Midi: Cha Cha - Melody: Roy Orbinson “Crying”

Mobility

                                                          

The freedom of action of the chess MPs/mps, measured by the number of cells a player’s MPs/mps are attacking, including those occupied by enemy MPs/mps.   Mobility: if an attack by a weaker piece (mp) is more dangerous then where lies the value of the stronger MPs.   The answer is simply: mobility, that is, freedom of movement.   The importance of mobility is most clearly seen when a MP is, for any reason, deprived of mobility, that is, confined to a few cells, or, still worse, unable to move at all.   Such a MP is a target for attack, and is often doomed to destruction.   Various ways in which individual units may be destroyed through lack of mobility are: to be able see such possibilities, for and against in actual play, is the most essential element in chess skill.  Coups of these kinds are called combinations.   A sound combination forces an advantage against any defence.   It is no mere trap.    The simplest case is that of a MP whose lines of retreat are cut off.   This MP may be said to be in a ‘net’.    Checkmate is a ‘net’ with the KI as victim.   In this case the ‘net’ may be tightened by a sacrifice, often by QU1.   Remember that your KI needs not only shelter but also a little freedom.  

Longest immobility

Many different records would fall under this heading - how long pieces stayed on their original squares, or on squares they later reached. One piece, combinations of pieces, sets of pieces, all pieces... in this domain, we come dangerously close to the point where every chess game is the record holder at being itself.   For some diverse oddities see below, but let’s first look at a clear-cut immobility record: the ‘latest first move’ of the different pieces.   Or maybe it should be ‘longest at original square’, as my record pawn was captured there, and my bishop never played.  

Pawn	172. (never played)	Seirawan - Xu Jun	Thessaloniki 1988	½-½
Knight	63...Ne7	Davidov - Kunath	Weilburg 1998	1-0
Bishop	70. (never played)	Oll - Eingorn	Odessa 1989	1-0
Rook	92...Rb8	Lein - Brustman	Palma de Mallorca 1989	1-0
Queen	49.Qe1	Whiteley - Lane	London 1987	0-1
King	62.Kd2  62. (never played)	Borichev - Fomin  Sulyok - Soponyai	Simferopol 1991  Hungary 1993	½-½  0-1

 Some other immobility records:  Pawn

The record for pawn immobility, at 171½ moves, is jointly held by Seirawan - Xu Jun and by another game that is also in the ‘Longest Game’ section.   In Stepak - Mashian, the white c-pawn arrived on c4 at move 2, and was captured there by black at move 173. 

King:  In that strange game Mackenzie - Mason, the black King was at g8 for 136 moves.  

 

Nicole Kidman