The Joy of Setting a Chess Problem

greenpawn34 View Profile

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23 Feb '11 14:36

greenpawn34
e4
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23 Feb '11 14:36
I enjoy the oddball problems.

It is the setting and the look on the pre-solvers face
when you give him the task that gives the most pleasure.

From this postion after 1.e4 e5.

White to play and mate in 5 moves.

White's last move is 6.Ke1 mate.

See how kind I am to you, not like SG.
I give you the first two moves to prove no skullduggery with switched boards
etc etc and 99.99% of you will have had that position after 1.e4 e5 in real games.

White's last move is 6.Ke1 mate.

Post but hide the solution.
If people want to peek and lose the buzz from solving it then it's up to them.

To 'hide' a comment do this.

[HIDDEN]text or move here[/HIDDEN]

But have the word 'hidden' in lower case.

Reveal Hidden Content
thus
morgski
In attack
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30139
23 Feb '11 14:531 edit
Reveal Hidden Content
1.e4, e5. 2.g3, Ke7. 3.Kd2, Kf6. 4. Nc3, Kg5. 5. d3+, Kg4. 6. Ke1#

I'm worried though, as there are 2 solutions within that solution, depending on order of moves, and move 4 could be lots of variations... Do I get a SOLV'D?
morgski
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23 Feb '11 14:59
I had to be quick with that edit, I missed that last sentence about lower case. Oops
Mephisto2
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23 Feb '11 15:051 edit
Originally posted by morgski

I'm worried though, as there are 2 solutions within that solution, depending on order of moves, and move 4 could be lots of variations... Do I get a SOLV'D?
Reveal Hidden Content
cooked see pm
morgski
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23 Feb '11 15:152 edits
Reveal Hidden Content
for 6.Ke1# to work the black king needs to be on the white file for the queen or bishop and for that he has to do some serious Kamikaze work

What am I missing?
greenpawn34
e4
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42492
23 Feb '11 15:16
On the right road morgski - 3rd move illegal.
morgski
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23 Feb '11 15:34
Reveal Hidden Content
can the king only move forward as a result of being forced to then?

That makes it a lot harder :-/
greenpawn34
e4
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23 Feb '11 15:39
Have to go out for a few hours.

This was coming in two parts. (an SG trick).

Once you get dross out of the way I now add:

The piece delivering the mate is the f1 Bishop.

So 6.Ke1 mate from the f1 Bishop.

shorbock

Joined: 17 Mar '08
Moves: 1568

23 Feb '11 15:44

Originally posted by morgski
[hidden]1.e4, e5. 2.g3, Ke7. 3.Kd2, Kf6. 4. Nc3, Kg5. 5. d3+, Kg4. 6. Ke1#[/hidden]

I'm worried though, as there are 2 solutions within that solution, depending on order of moves, and move 4 could be lots of variations... Do I get a SOLV'D?

I have the same solution

Reveal Hidden Content

(apart your move 3 that should be Ke2, not d2!)

and yes there are multiple solutions, but anyway fun to solve and even though easier than SG's problems, still a bit tricky (you can easily go in the wrong direction, as i did)

It reminds me of the famous game Edward (not emanuel) Lasker - Thomas, which fascinated me so much when i started chess especially because of it's last move (i think it has a big part in my current addiction to this game!)
It's one of the most famous game in chess history but just in case some of you don't know it yet, here it is, up to the start of the combination which of course you have to find yourself !

Invert Board PGN Headers

A little hint :

Reveal Hidden Content

the game actually finished with a mate with the king (Kd2 mate), although there are other solutions (some 1 move shorter)

davaniel
1.Nf3
The Hague
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23 Feb '11 16:42
Originally posted by shorbock
I have the same solution [hidden] (apart your move 3 that should be Ke2, not d2!)[/hidden] and yes there are multiple solutions, but anyway fun to solve and even though easier than SG's problems, still a bit tricky (you can easily go in the wrong direction, as i did)

It reminds me of the famous game Edward (not emanuel) Lasker - Thomas, which fascinated ...[text shortened]... ), although there are other solutions (some 1 move shorter)[/hidden]
Nice.

I like the following line:

FEN rn3rk1/pbppq1pp/1p2pb2/4N2Q/3PN3/3B4/PPP2PPP/R3K2R w - - 0 1
Invert Board PGN Headers

[FEN "rn3rk1/pbppq1pp/1p2pb2/4N2Q/3PN3/3B4/PPP2PPP/R3K2R w - - 0 1"]

1. Qxh7 Kxh7 1. Nxf6 Kh6 1. Neg4 Kg5 1. f4 Kxf4 1. g3 Kf3 1. 0-0#
morgski
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30139
23 Feb '11 16:48
Originally posted by greenpawn34
Have to go out for a few hours.

This was coming in two parts. (an SG trick).

Once you get dross out of the way I now add:

The piece delivering the mate is the f1 Bishop.

So 6.Ke1 mate from the f1 Bishop.
Took me while, with a lot of hopping knights all over the board, but...

Reveal Hidden Content
1. e4, e5. 2. Qf3, Ke7. 3. a3, Kd6. 4. Ke2, Kc5. 5. Qe3+, Kc4. 6. Ke1#

With two variants in that solution with moves 3 and 4 for white interchangeable.
shorbock
Joined
17 Mar '08
Moves
1568
23 Feb '11 17:26
Originally posted by davaniel
Nice.

I like the following line:

[pgn]
[FEN "rn3rk1/pbppq1pp/1p2pb2/4N2Q/3PN3/3B4/PPP2PPP/R3K2R w - - 0 1"]

1. Qxh7 Kxh7 1. Nxf6 Kh6 1. Neg4 Kg5 1. f4 Kxf4 1. g3 Kf3 1. 0-0#
[/pgn]
congratulations, you've improved on lasker's play (if one can say a shorter mate is an improvement)
in the game white played h4 instead of f4. longer mate but amazing final position (it mustn't be very common that the 2 possible mates in a position are Kd2 or 000!!)

in your line with f4+, black can last a bit longer with Kh4, then g3+ Kh3 Bf1+ Bg2 Nf2# is pretty too !
greenpawn34
e4
Joined
06 May '08
Moves
42492
23 Feb '11 20:46
Hi morgski

That's it.

There are a loads of these 'Sounds Impossible' mates
within the first 5 or 6 moves. But they are in there.

Good to see the most famous 5 minute game in history making
an appearance.

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The Joy of Setting a Chess Problem