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Checkmate in two moves

Checkmate in two moves

Only Chess

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Ruthlessly stolen from Godfrey Heathcote, of American Chess Bulletin, 1911-12 fame.
But it stumped me for a good hour, and the solution is brilliant, so I thought I was puzzle you guys with it too:

White to play in mate in 2 moves.



A hint if you're stuck:

the first move is the same in each of the variations for mate in 2


A big hint if you're really stuck:

the first move does not result in a check!


Answers PM'd or hidden too please
You hide comments like this, but without the capital letters: [HIDDEN] ta da [/HIDDEN]

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Had a beer and spotted this almost straight away, I should play all chess slightly tipsy!


Qb3


If it's wrong, I'll never drink again...

Edit: Spotted
Qg7+
This is a sad day, what I said earlier about quitting drinking was the alcohol talking

Edit Edit:
Kh5 - Now that\'s just plain silly

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Maybe a beer more then it will come 😉

Right ballpark but Qg7+ means you can't do it in two...

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Yeah, think my new edit is right though - time for a beer to celebrate!

Unless you're going to dash my hopes?

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Celebratory beer will have to be the next one (I think). Thaughbaer PM'd the same idea.

h6 in response to Kh5 means you're still looking for the same mate in two combo as before...

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Originally posted by morgski
Ruthlessly stolen from Godfrey Heathcote, of American Chess Bulletin, 1911-12 fame.
But it stumped me for a good hour, and the solution is brilliant, so I thought I was puzzle you guys with it too:

White to play in mate in 2 moves.

[fen]8/qQ5p/3pN2K/3pp1R1/4k3/7N/1b1PP3/8 w - - 26 36[/fen]

A hint if you're stuck:

[hidden] the first move is the ease
You hide comments like this, but without the capital letters: [HIDDEN] ta da [/HIDDEN]
1.Rh5 zugswang

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Originally posted by tomtom232
[hidden]1.Rh5 and black is in zugswang the queen cant move away from current/ diagonal or rank because of Nf2# and Qxh7# respectively the bishop can't move/ because of Qb1# and the pawn is pinned so it can't move[/hidden]
Again, we're getting closer, but that doesn't work because:

black can still prolong the agony past 2 moves by playing Qe3+. The reason this last one doesn't work is a big big hint

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Ng7


Nope because of
Qe3
again

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Ng1 zugswang


If this is wrong, I will literally cry

Edit: Sadness

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I was 100% not debunked by velvetears but I suddenly noticed that my continuation after his reminding of the d4 move doesn't work but I think I almost have it.

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Originally posted by VelvetEars
Defence to [hidden]Qe3[/hidden]?
See my edit if you want the answer... I'm 100% sure of it and I thought of it earlier but was stymied because it opened up a new move for black and I missed the continuation.

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Can't see the path after

d4 with the follow up d5

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Hi guys, I feel bad that this is so hard 😕
I won't hide the comment this time:

Ng1 and Nc7 don't work because the Queen just eats the Queen and danger is gone because the king still has the f5 flight square.
QxQ can be counteracted by giving the king another flight square (d4)

All of the reasons why the previous suggestions haven't worked are all clues (e.g. escaping via check, having a flight square, swapping queens) can be solved by this one magical move.

Final clue (and I'm off to the pub so next response will be a bit delayed).

there are 5 plausible possible moves for black after this magical move, each resulting in a DIFFERENT checkmate move by white. Hence the brilliance of this puzzle.

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Surely, Nd4 is the move.

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