Questions tagged [problems]
Chess problems consist of board position and a task. Most ask for a line of play that mates black in a set amount of moves, or a combination that results in a winning position. Many other types exist, including, but not limited to, construction tasks for various positions and proof games that have numerous goals, selfmates, helpmates, and retrograde analysis. Tournaments and championships exist for composing of original problems and for speed-solving.
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Chess Problem: Reset The 50-Move Rule!
While chess problems and such are usually meant for Puzzling Stack Exchange, I thought that this one should be an exception since it’s more relevant IMHO.
Reseting the 50-move rule, i.e. restart the ...
-2
votes
0answers
154 views
Looking for practical rulesets for when king promotion is allowed
One consistent feature of chess over the centuries if that there has only ever been one king for each side, and the rules of promotion were tightened to prevent promotion to a second king.
However, ...
2
votes
1answer
135 views
What is an example of a very difficult one-move checkmate? [closed]
Usually one-move checkmate puzzles are easy. However, I am wondering if there is a relatively more difficult one-move checkmate puzzle. Here are a few thoughts:
There are many legal moves.
One or ...
1
vote
2answers
124 views
Is there a way to prove a checkmate in 3 problem is not solvable?
I have been working on a checkmate-in-3 problem for a long time. So long that I am becoming convinced it is not solvable.
Is there a way to prove it is not solvable?
I want to avoid putting the ...
14
votes
3answers
5k views
Is the “Pawn Box” possible in standard chess?
Is it possible to create a "pawn box" as shown below (using legal moves and the help of black) in standard chess?
The positions don't need to be exactly as shown, and there can be more pieces on the ...
3
votes
1answer
2k views
Why does the black king evade to f8, and not to h7?
I'm trying to practice with the app https://f-droid.org/en/packages/jwtc.android.chess
Why does the black king go to f8, and not Kh7 instead?
[FEN "r2rb3/1p2RBk1/2pP1ppR/p7/P7/7P/1q3PP1/3Q2K1 w - - ...
2
votes
1answer
91 views
What effects would being able to capture while castling have?
Capturing an enemy piece while castling has been illegal for many decades, and the concept has been solidified in chess history.
But what effects would it have if it were allowed? First, some ground ...
2
votes
3answers
138 views
What is the highest value of pieces on this particular 6x6 board, without any of them attacking each other?
I got a question in school in which I have to get the highest score possible by adding pieces on a 6x6 board like this:
The rules are that they are the same color and may never attack each other, and ...
4
votes
1answer
99 views
Longest sequence before a certain capture
Inspired by a recent question, what is the longest possible sequence before White can make a certain capture? Basically, White is trying to capture a chosen piece, and Black optimally defends that ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Longest Sequence For Any Piece To Reach A Certain Square
What is the longest sequence of moves (by both White and Black) wherein White attempts to move one of their pieces from one square to another? Assume Black makes every move optimal towards the purpose ...
12
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6answers
3k views
Arrange 5 non-attacking knights on a 5x5 toroidal board
The celebrated British mathematician and lover of public transport, Simon Norton, was one of those who passed in 2019. He was the subject of a wonderful biography and one of my favourite human beings: ...
10
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2answers
373 views
Uniquely Satisfying Puzzle
Here is a fun puzzle I found some time ago. It was created by Karl Fabel in 1952 and published in Rätselstunde.
Goal
[title "White to move and NOT checkmate in one!"]
[fen "B5KR/1r5B/6R1/2b1p1p1/...
6
votes
3answers
307 views
Useful solving composed mate-in-2 problems?
I'm solving mate-in-2 puzzles from the Polgar 5334 problems book.
Many of these are composed problems, and are hard (for me) to solve. Often I have to spend 10-15 minutes before finding the solution....
28
votes
4answers
5k views
Stalemate situation with all pieces on the board
Suppose all the pieces are on the board. Does there exist a position such that
A) one of the players can't make any move (a stalemate)?
B) neither player can make any move (a double stalemate)?
0
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2answers
212 views
List of famous, but incorrect, chess problems
Surely it has happened, that a famous chess problem turned out to be incorrect because some move was overlooked. Maybe a chess engine found out that a classic problem was bad! Is there a collection of ...
7
votes
1answer
275 views
Pal Benko's final problem
EDIT: Link added
One of my chess heroes, Hungarian GM Pal Benko, is no longer with us. He overcame many difficulties in his early life to live one which was rich and full, and reached the age of 91 ...
4
votes
2answers
223 views
Does anyone have a version of the 50x50 article by Nikita Plaksin?
In 1979, Nikita M. Plaksin published a reportedly fascinating article containing 50 problems all related to the 50 moves rule. Unfortunately I can't find it anywhere, the only links that I could find ...
9
votes
2answers
2k views
Identify a problem where a potentially winning move draws because of the 50 move rule
I'm trying to recall a particular chess problem. It's related to retrograde analysis. All what I can remember is this: it's an endgame where there is only one way to reach the position, and during ...
2
votes
2answers
161 views
Attempting to create a retraction problem
I'm trying to create a retraction problem, but I'm not sure whether or not it is sound. I'm not sure where to find resources on how to make a retraction puzzle.
I have two related questions-
1-Is my ...
3
votes
2answers
189 views
Looking for an old problem that I can't quite remember
I remember seeing a chess problem once that I cannot find. I think that I saw it in a YouTube video, but I seem to find it again.
The theme of the puzzle, I think, was something like caging in the ...
0
votes
2answers
587 views
Most possible movement by the losing side in a zugzwang position
Usually, in a zugzwang, the idea is to limit the number of moves that the opponent can make so that they will have to make a bad move. But what if we decided to give them lots of freedom, given that ...
4
votes
3answers
306 views
Maximum number of ways to get out of check
What is the maximum number of legal moves in a legal position, given that the player is in check?
It's easy to see that 43 is an upper bound. Let's suppose the white K is in check along a diagonal by ...
6
votes
2answers
188 views
Looking for an iPhone app for working out chess problems
I'm looking for an iPhone app that will allow me to set up a chess problem and work out its solution. I've seen apps that present me with a battery of chess problems but don't allow me to set up my ...
3
votes
1answer
185 views
Where can I find these mentioned chess problems?
In his article on “The Horse Concoction", Tim Krabbe mentions retrograde analysis questions that center around checkmate and involve 10 rooks, knights, and bishops. The 10 rooks problem is one that he ...
0
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2answers
252 views
Regarding The Horse Concoction-A Retrograde Analysis Question
Long ago in 2000, Tim Krabbe presented Harry Goldsteen’s “The Horse Concoction,” presented here on the Internet, which some of us know about.
Take an empty board. Put white pawns on b3, b6, h4 and ...
30
votes
4answers
4k views
Endgame problem: How to avoid stalemate and win?
I'm stuck on this problem a friend shared with me recently, with barely any pieces left and apparently white is able to force a win but I've been hitting a wall with everything I've tried so far, as ...
1
vote
1answer
109 views
What is a “dual” in chess problems, such as the Babson task?
I’ve read up on Babson tasks, and they mention that all known tasks are not perfect because they are duals. I’m not sure what this means exactly. Does it mean that the problem takes place in two parts ...
2
votes
2answers
296 views
Longest series of mutual “!” moves
Normally I'd pester the/a computer chess forum, but I couldn't register yet...
On the Matplus chess forum, the following construction task came up.
Both White and Black are on the brink of ...
1
vote
2answers
427 views
An Interesting Idea: Pinned Pieces Stalemate
I had an idea for a type of stalemate: One side is stalemated with 8 pins in a legal position.
I wondered how many units. for both sides, could be “nessecary” in such a position. I define this as ...
3
votes
1answer
111 views
Is there a chess AI that can force checkmate on a specified square?
I'm looking for a program that can force a lone king into checkmate on a specific square. Are there any programs out there that can do this?
3
votes
1answer
190 views
What is the highest number of possible forced checkmates in a legally reachable legal position?
Not a duplicate of, but inspired by: A position in which checkmate is forced (obligatory)
What are the legal positions that have the most possible forced checkmates for one side, and for both sides?
0
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4answers
224 views
Can someone make a problem in which a KNN vs. K checkmate is forced in the end?
No, I am not asking if a KNN vs. K can be forced if those are all that's on the board. It is well known that this is impossible.
(I wasn't quite sure om if I should have put this in here or in the ...
0
votes
1answer
80 views
Resource for Chess Problems about particular topics
Most puzzles I find are where payout is relatively high. e.g mate in 2-3 moves, play right and get a piece etc. However, I needed a resource which gives me some puzzles/exercises about particular ...
4
votes
3answers
510 views
Solvable studies that computers fail to crack
Are there chess studies that require an outside of the box thinking that goes beyond the concrete calculation capabilities of today's engines (e.g. Stockfish)?
I have sometimes seen certain endgames ...
1
vote
3answers
256 views
What are the quckest helpmates delivered by rook, knight, bishop, and pawn?
What are the quickest helpmates, which is where both sides help administer checkmate to one side, delivered by the rook, knight, bishop, and pawn? Said piece has to deliver the checkmate on the final ...
2
votes
1answer
442 views
Searching for a “where is the black king” puzzle?
Sometimes ago, a friend showed me a position where he had the black king removed. The goal was to find where is the black king using some pretty weird reasoning.
I tried to remember the puzzle but I ...
19
votes
5answers
4k views
What is the theoretical maximal material difference of a dead draw which is not a stalemate?
I have noticed the following example, which should be a dead draw:
I am wondering what is the theoretical material difference of a dead draw which is not a stalemate? (I am not asking about agreed ...
1
vote
4answers
201 views
Position with the largest material imbalance that is a draw, no matter whose turn it is?
I am curious if there is a known position with the largest material imbalance that, no matter who it is to move, the weaker side can hold a draw.
0
votes
1answer
141 views
super stalemate [duplicate]
Your challenge.
Find a position such that one side cannot make any legal or illegal moves. I.E. Make it such that that even if you were allowed to move your king into check there would still be no ...
11
votes
2answers
642 views
Benko's three-mover that stumped Fischer
In Christian Hesse's book The Joy of Chess one reads about a mate-in-3 problem composed by Pál Benkö that stumped Bobby Fischer. Hesse gives the following diagram:
[FEN "8/8/8/4k3/8/8/8/2BQKB2 w - - ...
11
votes
3answers
715 views
Using the king to prevent castling
What is a more difficult problem which involves using the king to prevent castling than the following problem?
White to play and win:
[FEN "r3k3/5p2/2K2P1P/b1N1P2P/8/8/4n3/8 w q - 0 1"]
1
vote
2answers
186 views
How does white mate in two?
In this problem, it’s White to move and mate in two. What is the solution?
1
vote
1answer
263 views
White gives checkmate in two moves
It’s White to move and checkmate Black in two moves. Can anyone find the solution?
3
votes
2answers
275 views
Easy mate in three
This time an easy puzzle I made up today. White mates in three.
[FEN "7k/4Kp2/P4Np1/6R1/8/R6P/8/8 w - - 1 0"]
15
votes
2answers
3k views
Can white win in this almost 20 year old puzzle?
White to move. Can white force a win? (left bottom is a1 as usual)
[FEN "4k2r/6p1/p4pKb/p2N3p/p7/p5Q1/p1n5/qrn5 w - - 9 9"]
Note for people who saw an earlier version: the position was edited (...
4
votes
2answers
257 views
Is this selfmate solvable or fixable?
This is a kind of a repost of a fascinating chess problem that appeared yesterday. The original poster got shy or something, and bafflingly deleted his own post, which was beginning to attract some ...
8
votes
4answers
524 views
Can you mate with each of your 16 pieces on its original square?
An opinion poll conducted by problem composer Roberto Osorio over 10 master-level chess players in the Argentine Chess Club produced 100% wrong answers! :-)
When the right answer is posted here, I ...
9
votes
2answers
325 views
E.Umnov's chess problem, 1944. Checkmate in two moves
White to play and checkmate in two moves.
[title "E.Umnov's chess problem, 1944"]
[FEN "k7/5QK1/3n1pb1/1R1p1r2/5p2/8/1p6/4R3 w KQkq - 0 1"]
2
votes
1answer
123 views
Checkmate in two moves [duplicate]
White to play and checkmate in two moves.
[fen "5Kbk/6pp/6P1/8/7R/8/8/8 w KQkq - 0 1"]
Is it possible? If so, please write a solution.
22
votes
2answers
4k views
Why underpromote in this KNNP-KR endgame?
In the position below, I'm promoting my pawn. The app says promoting to a Queen is incorrect, but a Rook is correct? In this setup it doesn't make sense.
[FEN "8/1P6/3N4/8/8/3k4/r7/4KN2 w - - 0 1"]
...
