The unfortunate first endgame composition of Rossolimo of 1926

Imagine that we are in the pre-internet era...

There's one guy who loves chess, feels creative and composed an endgame study. It's his first, feels proud and wants to share it. There's no such a luxury for this. He should address to a relevant magazine. Space is possibly limited, so the study will be filtered along with others. And if it would be chosen, the pride and the joy will become greater; won't they?

Now consider that this pre-internet era is the '20s in the Soviet Union. There's an orgasm of endgame compositions. One can see names like Grigoriev, Kubbel & Troitsky in the soviet chess magazines; giants... and so many others. And the guy's endgame study in the end was chosen to be published. Wouldn't you feel at least delighted in his place?

This seems that happened to the 16-year old Nicolas Rossolimo back in 1926...

Disclaimer: the story is given a little dramatized just for fun, giving me the opportunity to study the beautiful composition

* The start of this search occurred after reading an article of Alain Pallier on Rossolimo [EG 180/2010, pp. 120-123], where: "His first published study dates back to September 1926 when he was only 16(1). (1) You may have an idea of the effervescence of the period if you look at the following list of a dozen of composers born around 1910 – the so called 1910-generation – and the year their first study was published (in italics): R.N. Alexandrov (b. 1911) 1928; G. Afanasyev (b. 1909) 1926; Z. Birnov (b. 1911) 1927; V. Bron (b. 1909) 1926; T. Gorgiev (b. 1910) 1927; A. Gulyaev (b. 1908) 1926; S. Kaminer (b. 1908) 1924; G. Kasparyan (b. 1910) 1928; M.S. Liburkin (b. 1910) 1927; V. Yakimchik (b. 1909) 1927; A. Sarychev (b. 1909) 1927; Somov-Nasimovich (b. 1910) 1926; Zakhodiakin (b. 1912) 1929. The most amazing is that many of these composers, teenagers trying to seize the power, didn’t wait for feature maturity before producing masterpieces. And to crown it all, remember that this ‘new blood’ was joining the older generation, still active, grandees such as the Kubbel and Platov brothers, Simkhovich, Zalkind, Grigoriev, Gurvich, Herbstman … and ‘father’ Troitzky himself!". There're also some of Rossolimo's studies in arves 

The study...

Don't try to solve it. What you see is seriously cooked [if you want to check it FEN: 3r4/8/8/1R6/4p3/4Pp1p/5P1P/4k2K w - - 1 1 ].

But I'm not sure if it was Rossolimo's mistake. This is said cause a correction followed in the next issue, smelling more like a typo-misprint by the publisher or the printer. Don't know but in his place I would feel a little disappointed after seeing my study wrong... at least. In any case in the correction was written...

...saying that the rook should be on d7 and a black pawn should be placed on e7. So the position became like this...

 
This is a "white to play and draw" and I think that it's a sound endgame study. But we'll check it.

Solutions were published four months later...

Here they are in a pgn just to check and have, cause there's a problem in the main line solution, I think. The rest seem ok.

So time to check solutions. Maybe I'm missing something in what follows, though I went through with engines etc...

• Checking thoroughly the main line and the 2nd side-line of the solution. Side-line seems ok. Problem on the 4th move of the main line...

• Checking thoroughly the 1st side-line of the solution. Side-line seems ok....

Now, as you can see the corrected position was valid. It is a draw. There's a mistake in the main-line of the solution, but there's another alternative. Unless I'm wrong. Please correct me. It's hard to believe that it's a sound study by coincidence.

What was surprising is that this suggested solution in the magazine, wasn't considered wrong by anybody. Checked some issues ahead in 1927 and nothing was found. In fact, in the following Шахматы 3.1927, 63, they are mentioned 5 out of 6 solvers who actually did solve this endgame study!

So Rossolimo managed his endgame study to be published, but the position was wrong. It was corrected, but the solution was wrong. And they actually did solve it. Don't know but I call this a little of bad luck. He was just 16, made a sound beautiful composition, his first... and everything went... Well, let's say that didn't go so well.

But this little curse of changes seems that hadn't stopped. Maybe there're more re-publications, however, I've tracked the study in one many years later in the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Handelsblad of 08-04-1939, a little altered.

However, the core of the solution doesn't change. Here we just should start with 1. Ra6...

Happily we're not in the pre-internet era!

... thanx for reading and happy new year!

SHORT NEWS: I've made a new blog for some of my history interests with already one post. Please go check etc... https://introuble2-s.blogspot.com/2021/12/delphi-279-bce-when-apollo-made-the-sky-fall-upon-gauls.html