Although this is not a KBB v B puzzle it is a two Bishop mate.
I have found nine stalemates on RHP from KBB v K games.
CM9 - shaker30 RHP 2012 (Black to play)
Black played 1...Bf4 stalemate. There is a mate in 3.
schlumpfine - dirtysniper RHP 20111 (Black to play)
Black played 1...Be4 Stalemate. There is a mate in 3.
The game above has only one solution. The second has many.
There are 12-13 different ways to mate in 3 (only one to stalemate)
This game has a spot reserved in a future 'Red Hot Pawn Hall of Doom'.
An interesting problem. But like most mate in 2 problems.
1. The victim king cannot move.
2. The winning player has dominating forces and could win easily, anyway.
3. Time spent looking for the 2 move mate, may well be better spent.
Originally posted by Duncan Clarke An interesting problem. But like most mate in 2 problems.
1. The victim king cannot move.
2. The winning player has dominating forces and could win easily, anyway.
3. Time spent looking for the 2 move mate, may well be better spent.
That's the attitude that leads to 1. Bxa8 and a red face. A consideration of the implications of that might lead you to seeing the solution which is why ilywrin says what he says about anyone not solving it. The return in the time invested can then be spent at the bar for example. Despite the modern emphasis on trying to make chess a game of subliminal pattern recognition I still believe it is game that rewards thought.
Sure, the game rewards thought. But the position is farcical. What was black's last move? The best I can come up with is Bb7-a8 - but why?
Mate in 2 is succinct, but the time spent thinking it through is, in my opinion, time not well spent. Mate in 3, in this position follows a natural progression and, in terms of clock time, is certainly going to be much less.
Originally posted by Duncan Clarke Sure, the game rewards thought. But the position is farcical. What was black's last move? The best I can come up with is Bb7-a8 - but why?
Mate in 2 is succinct, but the time spent thinking it through is, in my opinion, time not well spent. Mate in 3, in this position follows a natural progression and, in terms of clock time, is certainly going to be much less.
It's only farcical if one assumes that the position should come from a game of competitive chess. But it obviously doesn't, nor was it intended to, nor should it have. Problems have intrinsic value and chess is richer than just a competition between two players.
1. h7 {Black resigned.} 1... Kg7 2. h8=Q+ Kxh8 3. Bh6 {Black is reduced to Bishop moves.} 3... Bg4 4. Kg5 {Black cannot stop what is about to happen as it all takes place on the dark squares.} 4... Bh5 5. Bf8 Bg6 {Please take me.} 6. Kh6 Bb1 7. Bg7 {Mate.}
Originally posted by Duncan Clarke Sure, the game rewards thought. But the position is farcical. What was black's last move? The best I can come up with is Bb7-a8 - but why?
Mate in 2 is succinct, but the time spent thinking it through is, in my opinion, time not well spent. Mate in 3, in this position follows a natural progression and, in terms of clock time, is certainly going to be much less.
My feeling is that thinking about the position and the move white might make it is reasonable as well as artistic to leave the opponent one legal move that allows mate.
I don't know about you but when I've missed something in a game it's usually because my mind has not been open to a possibility and is following a narrow train of thought. I missed a mate in two in this position during a county match against Cambridgeshire a few years ago - all because I was absorbed with not allowing a back rank mate such that I had closed my mind to rook moves. White to play...
I won in the end but had to face down some clock pressure as well as needing to bring home a point for the team. Of course afterwards every one including the cat was queuing up to demonstrate the win.
Originally posted by Duncan Clarke Sure, the game rewards thought. But the position is farcical. What was black's last move? The best I can come up with is Bb7-a8 - but why?
Mate in 2 is succinct, but the time spent thinking it through is, in my opinion, time not well spent. Mate in 3, in this position follows a natural progression and, in terms of clock time, is certainly going to be much less.
Black might have played Bb7-a8 to set up a stalemate trap, in the OP position if white plays 1. Bxa8 it's stalemate. Alternatively, the two previous moves could have been Bh2-g1+ Ka6, although it's hard to see what could have preceded that.
With that style of study there are no extraneous pieces. One could add a couple of pawns and a rook where it can't give a check or prevent either of the checkmates (if black has a move to make which isn't Bxb7 then white has mate with Ra7) but positional realism isn't what the composer's aiming for.
ilywrin
19 May '16 06:23
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