The middle of the 19th century was the period when the chess problem
broke away from the game. Numerous themes were discovered, often shown
in unpolished form, as standards of construction had yet to be
determined. Rothmaler’s problem, from the tourney which produced Frank
Healey’s celebrated three-mover, illustrates a sharp idea.
1.d3 Bxd3 2.Rd4 exd4 3.Bd5 cxd5 4.Sd6 cxd6 5.Rc8.
A series of guards placed on c4 threaten b4 mate and compel Black to block the flights on the d-file while
clearing the c-file. The flight-taking key would be considered a grave flaw these days. Note that 1.Rd4?
is refuted by 1...Bd5! The original setting was cooked, but easily cured by the addition of the black
pawn at a6.