Lateral Chess Problem

Place any piece on any empty square; then White stalemates in one move.

Edits: tried to make the font size a bit bigger (is there a way to do this??)

Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
[fen]8/p7/kq6/1R1Q4/8/8/8/5K2[/fen]
Place any piece on any empty square; then White stalemates in one move.

Edits: tried to make the font size a bit bigger (is there a way to do this??)

Is it just one piece that is placed? If, yes, I cannot find a solution 🙂
And one more thing the diagram is not turned around is it?

Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
[fen]8/p7/kq6/1R1Q4/8/8/8/5K2[/fen]
Place any piece on any empty square; then White stalemates in one move.

Edits: tried to make the font size a bit bigger (is there a way to do this??)

Not any more. There was a backdoor way to do HTML for a little bit, but Russ programmed it out.

Originally posted by ilywrin
Is it just one piece that is placed? If, yes, I cannot find a solution 🙂
And one more thing the diagram is not turned around is it?

Yes, just one piece is placed.

However, it is necessary to read the stipulation quite literally to solve this.

Rf2?
1. ... Qxf2
2. Kxf2 1/2-1/2

Originally posted by richjohnson
Rf2?
1. ... Qxf2
2. Kxf2 1/2-1/2

Black does not move--only white does.

This problem wouldn't include pieces from fairy chess would it?

Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
Black does not move--only white does.

If "White stalemates" does that mean that after White moves once, Black cannot move and therefore there is stalemate?

I think it's a White Rook on d6. If White has such a Rook, and then plays 1. Qc6, Black cannot move.

Oops that doesn't work; Black can play 1...Qxc6.

Queen takes the pawn check the king takes queen rook takes other queen king takes rook

Originally posted by ilywrin
This problem wouldn't include pieces from fairy chess would it?

Nope. But it is a 'trick' problem.

Well as it is a 'trick' problem, that could make it either a knight or bishop on b6. Aside from Bxa7 or Bc5, any move should result in stalemate.

You cannot prevent the queen from moving, short of surrounding it. And a capture cannot be made by a rook or queen without giving check. It cannot be taken without a rook or queen on a8, as the pawn could then move.

The last king move would need to be from moving out of check by the rook (whites previous move being Rxb5+. So this means the white piece has to be a knight, a bishop would have prevented the king previously being on a5. Previous black moves prior to the final king move could come from several pieces.

So N on b6, move anywhere possible.

Originally posted by Peakite
Well as it is a 'trick' problem, that could make it either a knight or bishop on b6. Aside from Bxa7 or Bc5, any move should result in stalemate.

You cannot prevent the queen from moving, short of surrounding it. And a capture cannot be made by a rook or queen without giving check. It cannot be taken without a rook or queen on a8, as the pawn could then ...[text shortened]... or to the final king move could come from several pieces.

So N on b6, move anywhere possible.

b6 isn't empty, so I don't think that's allowed.

So, is this even possible?
-The black queen can't be prevented from moving on the next turn. If you pin it to the king with a rook/queen along row 6, the queen just takes whatever piece you're using.
-If you take the black queen, the only way to prevent PxB6 is to place a rook/queen at A8. But, if you do that, the only way to take the queen is RxB6, which is checkmate, not stalemate.

Unless....a "careful reading" of the OP states "Place any piece on any empty square". If that includes moving one of the pieces already on the board, then move the Black Queen to D7, and QxD7 is stalemate.

Originally posted by richjohnson
b6 isn't empty, so I don't think that's allowed.

My mistake, it does say empty square.