A Study in Discovered Check

I was solving some puzzles from actual games a few days ago.
This idea cropped up as four mover.
I've added and removed pieces to jazz it up as a potential puzzle.

By fluke. It only has one solution. White to play and Mate in 9.
(don't be put off, it's easy and unlike SG I give clues.) 🙂


You must capture the pieces that can intercept the check and
those that can cover the final mating square in the right order.
The other clue is in the title of the thread.

K to G6+, to F8+, to G6+, to E7+, G6+, E5+, F7 mate.

I think thatsright

No it's not 9 moves

Originally posted by Patanjali
K to G6+, to F8+, to G6+, to E7+, G6+, E5+, F7 mate.

I think thatsright

Not quite, after your 4th move (Knight to e7+) black can play Qe4 or Qf5 derailing the whole sequence. The order in which you capture the pieces is important.

Nice puzzle!

Ng6+, Nf8+, Ng6+, Ne5+, Ng6+, Ne7+, Ng6+, Ne5+, Nf7mate

The Solution.

That's lovely. I'm quite pleased I was able to spot that the order of capture made a difference, and to come up with the correct order.

Thank you for the study.
Endgame studies tend to be very tactical and according to Aronian they are the best tactics exercise one can do.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
I was solving some puzzles from actual games a few days ago.
This idea cropped up as four mover.
I've added and removed pieces to jazz it up as a potential puzzle.

By fluke. It only has one solution. White to play and Mate in 9.
(don't be put off, it's easy and unlike SG I give clues.) 🙂

[fen]5rnk/4r1b1/4p2p/3pq3/7N/8/8/1B4K1 w - - 0 1[/fen] ...[text shortened]... er the final mating square in the right order.
The other clue is in the title of the thread.

It is hard for me to imagine a position like this coming up in a real game.

Originally posted by RJHinds
It is hard for me to imagine a position like this coming up in a real game.

To quote GP's original post:

"I've added and removed pieces to jazz it up as a potential puzzle. "

So it didn't come up in a real game.

In chess , pattern recognition is important.
The practical benefit of this study is the pattern.
The position can't occur in a real game but the specific pattern has occured thousand times.

Originally posted by C J Horse
To quote GP's original post:

"I've added and removed pieces to jazz it up as a potential puzzle. "

So it didn't come up in a real game.

I like chess puzzles too, but I want practical puzzles that will help me in a real game. I am not sure solving this will be of any practical benefit. I could be wrong, since I am just a patzer club player.

Originally posted by RJHinds
I like chess puzzles too, but I want practical puzzles that will help me in a real game. I am not sure solving this will be of any practical benefit. I could be wrong, since I am just a patzer club player.

If this thread has material that isn't what you want, and you see no practical benefit, why do you torture the forum by posting in it?

There are people who want this and do see a practical benefit, and you pollute the thread with an opinion that contributes nothing except to allow you to see your name in print.

Originally posted by Roper300
In chess , pattern recognition is important.
The practical benefit of this study is the pattern.
The position can't occur in a real game but the specific pattern has occured thousand times.

I have been studying endings with my "real world" friend Ocean64.

For the longest time I thought it was a waste of time to study bishop and knight vs king, because it hardly ever occurs, and I've never had it myself.

However, after grudgingly spending time on it, I have come to appreciate how learning it- and really going through the process of learning it- helps me get a much better feel for how bishops and knights operate and interact together.

We have 3 people in our Monday morning study group, and we started playing 5 minute games where one player had the king, knight, and bishop on the board randomly, and they have to mate. I feel pressure all out of proportion to a normal blitz game, and it has become fun. It's like a martial artist performing a kata.

In any event, it has increased my appreciation for all forms of analytical chess puzzles or tests, real or contrived.

Originally posted by Paul Leggett
I have been studying endings with my "real world" friend Ocean64.

For the longest time I thought it was a waste of time to study bishop and knight vs king, because it hardly ever occurs, and I've never had it myself.

However, after grudgingly spending time on it, I have come to appreciate how learning it- and really [i]going through the process ...[text shortened]... eased my appreciation for all forms of analytical chess puzzles or tests, real or contrived.

I had a B+N vs K ending recently OTB, one of the most fun endgames I've had in a long time. I suspect I might have gone over 50 moves, but we were playing on a floating board in a hotpot so were not exactly keeping score 😉