Editing Babson task (section)

==Babson Task in an endgame study==

Achieving a Babson task in an endgame study was long considered impossible because of the enormous complexity required to make every promotion the only winning move, avoid duals, and keep the position legal. Some partial Babsons have been shown in the form of studies, but at a maximum only three quarters of the theme was achieved (usually missing the rook variation).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Babson Task in studies - internal link to PDF file |url=https://www.berlinthema.de/ |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=www.berlinthema.de}}</ref>

In October 2024, the Israeli chess composer [[Gady Costeff]] published on [[EG (magazine)|EG]] a sound attempt of a complete Babson Task in an endgame study, which was the first in the history of chess composition. Unfortunately, the position was illegal due to one missing white capture (and it also contained three white knights). The composer claimed to have worked on the position for longer than thirteen years, but eventually gave up and published it anyway, outside of competition.<ref>{{Cite web |title=www.arves.org - Babson Task by Gady Costeff |url=https://arves.org/arves/index.php/en/?view=article&id=1733&catid=2 |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=arves.org}}</ref>

{{Chess diagram
| tright
| '''Daniele Guglielmo Gatti - Original, inspired by and dedicated to Gady Costeff - EG n. 239'', 2025

|  |  |  |  |  |  |nd|  
|  |  |  |  |pd|  |  |pl
|  |  |  |  |pd|  |nd|kd  
|qd|nl|pl|  |  |  |nl|  
|pd|  |kl|pl|  |  |pl|  
|pl|  |  |pl|bl|  |  |  
|pl|  |  |  |pd|pd|pd|  
|  |  |  |  |rl|  |rl|bd  

| Black to move - White wins
}}

In January 2025, again on [[EG (magazine)|EG]], the Italian chess composer [[Daniele Guglielmo Gatti]] showed a complete Babson Task in an endgame study. The composer claimed to have worked on it for only forty-five days, after having seen Costeff's failed attempt. Gatti composed a significantly different position, but retained some core elements and ideas of Costeff's one. He managed to make the position legal, absent of promoted pieces, and improved the economy of the problem. This made him the first composer to correctly achieve the Babson task in an endgame study, 141 years after the theme was proposed.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-08 |title=Sovramonte: Daniele Guglielmo Gatti nel gotha mondiale degli scacchi, risolta una composizione complessa |url=https://www.corrierealpi.it/cronaca/sovramonte-scacchi-daniele-guglielmo-gatti-risolve-composizione-mondiale-akc76iny |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=Corriere delle Alpi |language=it}}</ref>

The solution of the study is as follows:

— '''1…f1=Q''' '''2.hxg8=Q!''' '''Ne5+ 3.dxe5 Qf4+ 4.Ne4'''! avoids stalemate and wins, 

— '''1…f1=R''' '''2.hxg8=R!'''/i '''Rxg1'''/ii '''3.Nd6'''/iii '''exd6''' '''4.Ne4+ Kh7 5.Nf6''' mate,

— '''1…f1=B''' '''2.hxg8=B!'''/iv '''Kg7''' (Qxe1; Nf3+! wins) '''3.c6 Qxe1 4.c7 Qb1 5.Nxe6+ Kxg8 6.c8=Q+ Kh7 7.Ng5+ Kg7 8.Qf5 Qxa2+ 9.Kc5 e1=Q 10.Ne6+ Qxe6 11.Qxe6''' wins,

— '''1…f1=N 2.hxg8=N+!'''/v '''Kg7 3.Nxe6+ Kxg8 4.Rxe2 Nxe3+ 5.Rxe3 Qd2 6.Ree1 Qxa2+ 7.Kb4 Qb3+ 8.Ka5''' wins.

i) Thematic try: 2.hxg8=Q? Ne5+! 3.dxe5 Rf4+! 4.Ne4 Qc3+ (or Qxb5+) 5. Kxc3 stalemate.

ii) Rxe1 3.Rxe1 with: Qxe1 4.Nf3+ wins, or g1=Q 4.Nxe6+ (Rxg1? Bd5! mate;) Kh7 5.Rg7+ Kh8 6.Rxg1 wins.

iii) Threatens 4.Nf7 mate. Prematurely 3.Ne4+? Kh7! wins as there is no mate on f6. 

iv) Thematic try: 2.hxg8=N+? Kg7 3.c6 Qxe1 4.c7 Qb1 5.Nxe6+ Kh7 The point: no promotion with check 6.c8=Q Qxa2+ 7.Kb4 Qb3+ 8.Ka5 (Kc5? Qc2+ skewer) e1=Q+ 9.Kb6 Qxe3 another point 10.Nf6+ Kh6 11.g5+ Qxg5 12.Ng8+ Kh5 and draw.

v) Other promotions all fail to Nxe3 mate.