Problem 10

It's easy but has a spiffy solution, so please don't post any solutions here. If you absolutely need validation, send me a PM. 🙂

Sam Loyd
Holyoke Transcript 1867

White mates in 3

Originally posted by SwissGambit
It's easy but has a spiffy solution, so please don't post any solutions here. If you absolutely need validation, send me a PM. 🙂

Sam Loyd
Holyoke Transcript 1867
[fen]b7/PP6/8/8/7K/6B1/6N1/4R1bk[/fen]
White mates in 3

I guess this is harder than I thought. I've had only one (wrong) try so far.

I sent a PM. The mate in 3 proviso is the kicker, so I had to "back up" a few times to do it.

SOLV'D [Mephisto2, Paul Leggett]

This one took me ages (about fifteen minutes). I guessed the wrong first move and it took ten minutes before I concluded that I'd guessed wrong.

Does it count as cooked if White has two ways to mate with his third move?

That frustrating moment where Swiss Gambit said it would be easy, then I can't do it 🙁

Originally posted by Fat Lady
Does it count as cooked if White has two ways to mate with his third move?

No - that's usually called a 'dual'. It's a more minor flaw. And Q/B or Q/R promotion 'duals' are exempted, because there is no way for the composer to avoid them.

Originally posted by Fat Lady
Does it count as cooked if White has two ways to mate with his third move?

I was hung up on that a bit as well, trying to figure if it made a difference somehow.

I finally decided that if it did, SG would surely tell me!