December 23, 2003

Christmas PlayChess puzzles


Merry Christmas everyone!

The following puzzles are positions from HCL games in which the attacking player has missed the fastest way to finish off his opponent. As you can see the collected positions come from all levels, be it advanced or rookie. If you don’t want to miss the fun, then refrain from using chess engines. Computers are able to solve them in less than a second for most cases.


Mate in 2


HCL-E946-5   (1-0)
MindenFele - Max
Position after 28... Ka6

a8 b8 c8 d8 e8 black Bishop on f8 g8 black Rook on h88
black Pawn on a7 black King moving from b7 c7 white Queen on d7 e7 f7 black Pawn on g7 h77
black King on a6 b6 c6 d6 e6 f6 g6 black Pawn on h66
a5 black Pawn on b5 white Pawn on c5 d5 e5 black Pawn on f5 g5 white Pawn on h55
a4 b4 c4 d4 e4 f4 g4 h44
a3 b3 c3 d3 e3 white Knight on f3 g3 h33
white Pawn on a2 white Pawn on b2 white Pawn on c2 d2 e2 white Pawn on f2 white Pawn on g2 h22
a1 b1 white King on c1 d1 e1 f1 g1 h11
a b c d e f g h  

The first one is easy (I think). White plays and mates in 2. In the game White played 29.Qc6+, so this is not the solution.



HCL-C1793-6   (1-0)
footyhead - ronan48
Position after 31... Rf6

a8 b8 c8 d8 e8 black Rook moving from f8 g8 h88
white Rook on a7 b7 c7 d7 e7 black Rook moving over f7 g7 h77
a6 b6 c6 black Pawn on d6 black King on e6 black Rook on f6 g6 white Rook on h66
a5 white Pawn on b5 black Pawn on c5 d5 black Pawn on e5 f5 g5 h55
a4 b4 c4 d4 white Pawn on e4 f4 g4 h44
a3 b3 white Queen on c3 d3 e3 f3 g3 h33
a2 b2 white Pawn on c2 white Pawn on d2 white King on e2 white Pawn on f2 g2 h22
a1 b1 white Bishop on c1 d1 e1 f1 black Rook on g1 h11
a b c d e f g h  

It is White’s turn to play (Mate in 2). There are 2 solutions to this problem.



HCL-M309-5   (1-0)
Fabius - Tapiwa
Position after 48... Kh7

a8 b8 c8 d8 e8 f8 black King moving from g8 h88
a7 b7 c7 d7 e7 white Pawn on f7 g7 black King on h77
a6 b6 c6 d6 e6 white King on f6 g6 h66
a5 b5 white Knight on c5 d5 e5 white Pawn on f5 g5 h55
a4 b4 c4 d4 e4 f4 g4 h44
black Pawn on a3 b3 c3 d3 e3 f3 g3 h33
white Pawn on a2 b2 c2 d2 e2 f2 g2 white Pawn on h22
a1 b1 c1 d1 e1 f1 g1 h11
a b c d e f g h  

White played 49.Ne4 and just missed a mate in 2.
Hint: Read the stalemate article, to get the idea.


Mate in 3


HCL-B1723-10   (0-1)
speedmat - Validus
White has just played 55.b4

a8 b8 c8 d8 e8 f8 g8 h88
a7 b7 c7 d7 e7 f7 g7 h77
a6 b6 c6 d6 black Pawn on e6 f6 g6 h66
a5 black Pawn on b5 c5 black Pawn on d5 white Pawn on e5 black Knight on f5 g5 h55
black Pawn on a4 white Pawn on b4 black Pawn on c4 white Pawn on d4 e4 f4 g4 h44
white Pawn on a3 white Pawn moving over b3 white Pawn on c3 d3 e3 f3 g3 h33
a2 white Pawn moving from b2 black King on c2 d2 e2 f2 g2 h22
white King on a1 b1 c1 d1 e1 f1 g1 h11
a b c d e f g h  

Can you checkmate the White King in only 3 moves?



HCL-C2343-19   (1-0)
GrimRazor - Handkaes
Position after 26... Kf6

a8 b8 white Rook on c8 d8 e8 black Bishop on f8 g8 black Rook on h88
a7 black Pawn on b7 white Queen on c7 d7 e7 f7 black Pawn on g7 h77
black Pawn on a6 b6 c6 d6 black King moving from e6 black King on f6 g6 black Pawn on h66
a5 b5 c5 black Pawn on d5 e5 f5 g5 h55
a4 b4 c4 white Knight on d4 black Knight on e4 f4 g4 h44
a3 b3 c3 d3 e3 f3 g3 h33
black Queen on a2 b2 c2 d2 e2 white Bishop on f2 white Pawn on g2 white Pawn on h22
a1 b1 c1 d1 e1 white Rook on f1 white King on g1 h11
a b c d e f g h  

This one is a little bit complicated since you have to calculate all variations to make sure that you have found the solution (White mates in 3).


Mate in more than 3


HCL-M416-10   (1-0)
PretenderMC - EmK
Black resigned immediately after he played 23... Bxh2+.

a8 b8 black Rook on c8 black Queen on d8 black Knight on e8 black Rook on f8 g8 black King on h88
a7 black Pawn on b7 c7 d7 e7 black Pawn on f7 g7 black Pawn on h77
black Pawn on a6 b6 c6 black Bishop moving from d6 black Pawn on e6 white Pawn on f6 g6 h66
a5 b5 c5 d5 black Bishop moving over e5 f5 g5 h55
a4 b4 c4 white Bishop on d4 e4 black Bishop moving over f4 g4 white Queen on h44
a3 b3 white Pawn on c3 d3 e3 f3 black Bishop moving over g3 h33
white Pawn on a2 white Pawn on b2 white Bishop on c2 d2 e2 f2 white Pawn on g2 black Bishop on h22
a1 b1 c1 white Rook on d1 e1 black Bishop on f1 white King on g1 h11
a b c d e f g h  

White is in check but Black’s position is helpless. White needs 4 moves to checkmate.



HCL-M336-2   (1-0)
Salo - aadje
Position after 26... Qc6

black Rook on a8 b8 black Bishop on c8 black King on d8 e8 f8 g8 h88
black Pawn on a7 black Pawn on b7 c7 black Pawn on d7 white Rook on e7 f7 g7 h77
a6 black Knight on b6 black Queen on c6 white Bishop on d6 e6 f6 black Pawn on g6 h66
a5 b5 c5 black Queen moving over d5 e5 f5 white Pawn on g5 h55
a4 b4 c4 white Rook on d4 black Queen moving over e4 f4 g4 h44
a3 b3 c3 d3 e3 black Queen moving from f3 g3 h33
white Pawn on a2 b2 white Pawn on c2 d2 e2 black Knight on f2 g2 h22
a1 white King on b1 white Queen on c1 d1 e1 f1 g1 h11
a b c d e f g h  

It looks like Black has a material advantage. However, it is White’s turn to play. In 7 moves Black is checkmated. You may think that this is a difficult problem but as soon as you get the idea, you’ll see that Black can only delay the end.


The last problem is the one I enjoyed most. It is a beautiful endgame study.



HCL-C1870-2   (1-0)
footyhead - daveboy6968
Position after 50... Re8

a8 b8 c8 d8 black Rook on e8 black Rook moving from f8 black King on g8 h88
a7 b7 c7 d7 white Pawn on e7 f7 g7 h77
a6 b6 white Rook on c6 d6 e6 white Bishop on f6 g6 h66
a5 b5 white Pawn on c5 d5 e5 f5 white King on g5 h55
black Pawn on a4 black Pawn on b4 c4 d4 e4 f4 g4 h44
white Pawn on a3 b3 c3 d3 e3 f3 g3 h33
a2 b2 c2 d2 e2 white Pawn on f2 g2 h22
a1 b1 c1 d1 e1 f1 g1 h11
a b c d e f g h  

Black has a lot of replies to every White's move but the result cannot change. White wins this game inevitably. I consider this, as a very educative example arising from a position which appeared in a C class game. I am not going to tell you how many moves White needs. As you can see Black is lost, but there is one move that ends the game faster.


PS: Please, do not post any comments containing the solutions. Allow other playchess members to solve the puzzles without tempting them to scroll down the page. I’d like to read your comments about the difficulty level. I have checked hundreds of games with my chess engine, and I read the analysis window, before looking at the position. I cannot evaluate the difficulty. I have to remind you that in all cases the moves actually played are not the solutions.

Posted by Michalis Kaloumenos at December 23, 2003 09:19 PM
Comments

What a nice article - thank you!

I have not seen anything of this article before it was published. I consider this a wonderful christmas present (a little early).

Don't you think that *you* could write interesting articles yourself? It is really easy. Just send me a note and get your author password and some instructions.

Merry christmas to all!
Thomas

Posted by: Thomas Stahl at December 23, 2003 10:30 PM

Love these! Thanks Michalis. Magnificent and timely present for Christmas.

Posted by: PamperedPawn at December 24, 2003 02:25 PM

Thanks, you put here a wonderfull enigma. Especially because I'm in it. ;-).
Merry Christmas.

Posted by: Ronan48 at December 25, 2003 03:40 PM

Thanks, you put here a wonderfull enigma. Especially because I'm in it. ;-).
Merry Christmas.

Posted by: Ronan48 at December 25, 2003 03:40 PM

Thanks, you put here a wonderfull enigma. Especially because I'm in it. ;-).
Merry Christmas.

Posted by: Ronan48 at December 25, 2003 03:40 PM

Thanks, you put here a wonderfull enigma. Especially because I'm in it. ;-).
Merry Christmas.

Posted by: Ronan48 at December 25, 2003 03:41 PM

I think this is a fabulous way to make use of the game archives. Thanks very much!

Posted by: Wee_Doogie at December 26, 2003 01:05 AM

Very intersting games. I really enjoyed playing all the games.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year - 2004


Posted by: googleforu at December 27, 2003 06:17 AM

Thanks! I had to look at my game once more. In this game, I was lucky since aadje at one point played too fast and then I started to analyse deeply all positions... and, yes, I missed the checkmate in 7 moves.

Happy New Year to all chess lovers! And peace for 2004.

Salo

Posted by: Salo at December 28, 2003 08:52 PM


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