Contest #5 is half-over

[Bill Salot]

Have you been too busy or forgotten to vote?

[George Hay]

Bill, I'm never too busy to vote! One thing I've discovered is that not turning to the computer for a solution is not good enough! Just playing the problem against the computer can be a give away! The problem with computers is that they will pitch a man for no good reason and that partially gives away the solution! It takes me a few moves to see if the computer made a brilliant sacrifice, or is just prolonging the game! I have beaten the computer while having no idea how to solve the problem! Contest #5 is a tough one. I agonized over what problem to vote for, but finally cast my vote!
--George Hay

[Bill Salot]

Thanks, George,

Sometimes we can fool the computer by incorporating more pieces than the computer's database can handle.

But even if the computer correctly zips through the solution in nothing flat, it still doesn't voluntarily explain why other moves wouldn't work. Sometimes that is where the beauty hides.

The problems in Contest #5 were purposely selected to be short, but I didn't say easy. One of them was missed at least twice in published games.

I'm still trying to identify the attributes of a prize winning problem.