Thomas Rayner Dawson was a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 chess problem

Chess problem

A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by somebody using chess pieces on a chess board, that presents the solver with a particular task to be achieved. For instance, a position might be given with the instruction that White is to move first, and checkmate Black in two...

ist. He invented many fairy pieces

Fairy chess piece

A fairy chess piece or unorthodox chess piece is a piece analogous to a chess piece. It is not used in conventional chess, but is used in certain chess variants and some chess problems...

 and new conditions

Chess variant

A chess variant is a game related to, derived from or inspired by chess. The difference from chess might include one or more of the following:...

. He introduced the popular fairy pieces grasshopper, nightrider

Nightrider (chess)

A nightrider is a fairy chess piece that can move any number of steps in a direction that a knight can move. For example, a nightrider on b2 can reach square c4 and forward to d6 and e8, but cannot jump over pawn f4 to h5...

, and many other fairy chess ideas.

Career

Dawson published his first problem, a two-mover, in 1907. His chess problem compositions include 5,320 fairies

Fairy chess

Fairy chess comprises chess problems that differ from classical chess problems in that they are not direct mates. The term was introduced before the First World War. While selfmate dates from the Middle Age, helpmate was invented by Max Lange in the late 19th century. Thomas Dawson , pioneer of...

, 885 directmates, 97 selfmates

Selfmate

A selfmate is a chess problem in which white, moving first, must force black to deliver checkmate within a specified number of moves against his will. Selfmates were once known as sui-mates.The problem to the right is a relatively simple example...

, and 138 endings

Endgame study

An endgame study, or just study, is a composed chess position—that is, one that has been made up rather than one from an actual game—presented as a sort of puzzle, in which the aim of the solver is to find a way for one side to win or draw, as stipulated, against any moves the other side...

. 120 of his problems have been awarded prizes and 211 honorably mentioned or otherwise commended. He cooperated in chess composition with Charles Masson Fox

Charles Masson Fox

Charles Masson Fox was a Cornish businessman who achieved international prominence in the world of chess problems and a place in the gay history of Edwardian England....

.

Dawson was founder-editor (1922–31) of The Problemist

The Problemist

The Problemist is a chess problem magazine which has been in publication since January 1926. It originally had the subtitle "Proceedings of the British Chess Problem Society" but the words "Proceedings of" were dropped in January 1985....

, the journal of the British Chess Problem Society

British Chess Problem Society

The British Chess Problem Society is the oldest chess problem society in the world.The inaugural meeting of the British Chess Problem Society took place on 10 August 1918 at St George's Restaurant, 37 Martin's Lane London WC at 3pm. The meeting was chaired by the mathematical puzzle expert Henry...

. He subsequently produced The Fairy Chess Review

Fairy Chess Review

The Fairy Chess Review was a magazine that was devoted principally to fairy chess problems but also included extensive original results on related questions in mathematical recreations such as knight's tours and polyominos as well as much else, such as chess-related word puzzles...

(1930–51), which began as The Problemist Fairy Chess Supplement. At the same time he edited the problem pages of The British Chess Magazine

British Chess Magazine

British Chess Magazine is the world's oldest chess magazine in continuous publication. First published in January 1881, it has appeared at monthly intervals ever since. It is frequently known in the chess world as BCM....

(1931–51).

Sample problems

• First problem

Solution: 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#

• Second problem

Solution: 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 a strange case of incidence: thematic tourney prescript problems with grasshoppers without limiting number of the moves. Identical problem was sent independently by four composers.

Publications

• Caissa's Playthings a 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).

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