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Questions tagged [records]

For questions related to (world) records in chess, e.g. the longest game (in moves or in duration), highest obtained rating, longest mate in n puzzle, etc.

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The quickest selfmate in 2

Duh. Clearly, the one shown there with Qxh5+ Rxh5# can be easily turned into a s#2, by e.g. B-e2-f3, Qe2 from White and c6, Q-a5xd2-d1 from Black. 9.0 moves if I added correctly. Someone care to beat ...
Hauke Reddmann's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
132 views

The fastest dualed mates in n

Hauke Reddmann asked a cool question about the quickest dual-free mates in n's from the starting position. But this is a rather limited scope. I wish to attack this idea from a different angle. What ...
Rewan Demontay's user avatar
11 votes
3 answers
564 views

Who was the quickest from "unrated" to GM?

What player attained the GM title in the shortest amount of time, beginning from their entry into organized (rated) chess, to the award of the title (either via attaining norms, or by direct award)? ...
patbarron's user avatar
  • 3,529
0 votes
1 answer
195 views

List of female chess players by their peak FIDE rapid rating

Similar to these questions: List of female chess players by peak FIDE rating List of female chess players by peak FIDE rating with countries? List of chess players by their peak FIDE blitz rating ...
BCLC's user avatar
  • 1
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

List of chess players by their peak FIDE rapid rating

Similar to these: List of female chess players by peak FIDE rating List of female chess players by peak FIDE rating with countries? List of chess players by their peak FIDE blitz rating List of ...
BCLC's user avatar
  • 1
3 votes
1 answer
213 views

List of female chess players by their peak FIDE blitz rating

Similar to these: List of female chess players by peak FIDE rating List of female chess players by peak FIDE rating with countries? List of chess players by their peak FIDE blitz rating List of ...
BCLC's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
2 answers
490 views

List of female chess players by peak FIDE rating with countries?

same question as here but with countries please. hopefully we can have a list as close to the original wiki page as possible. I'll start: 1 - Hungary - Judit Polgar - 2735 - 2005-07 - 1976 - N/A - ...
BCLC's user avatar
  • 1
2 votes
1 answer
150 views

How many unoriginal pawn moves can be made in a single game?

Consider an "unoriginal pawn move" to be a pawn move whose notation matches a move already played in the game. For instance, after 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.e5, there is one unoriginal pawn move, ...
Steve Bennett's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
349 views

Who was, or is, the oldest WGM?

It is well known that (concerning GMs only) Lilienthal set a record - he died 3 days after his 99th birthday. Yuri Averbakh has since surpassed him and may well be the first 100 year old GM. What ...
Hauke Reddmann's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

Can there be a checkmate with maximum points of material (103) while covering 64 squares?

Is it possible to compose a game where these three conditions are simultaneously satisfied? No White piece is gone but every Black piece except the king is. All the white pawns are promoted to a ...
Vivaan's user avatar
  • 87
5 votes
2 answers
2k views

How many times can the same pawn move be made in a game?

How many times in a game can "the same pawn move" be made? By "the same pawn move", I mean, a move made by a pawn that would be notated the same way. For instance, after 1.e4 e5 2....
Steve Bennett's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
242 views

What is the shortest 1:16 mutual stalemate with the White king at home?

In this ancient r/chess thread, several users explored the shortest possible 1:16 mutual stalemate. StoofBuzze provided a record in 42.5 moves. However, what is the shortest such game in which the ...
Rewan Demontay's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
244 views

Another mobility puzzle

This is the "opposite" of A mobility puzzle - I held it back because it could have interfered with Schwalbe 2021 construction challenge. Thus: Put a maximal number m of pieces on the board ...
Hauke Reddmann's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
621 views

In Crazyhouse, what is the minimum number of moves to achieve maximum material difference?

If one side captures everything and promotes all pawns (including the opponent's re-placed pawns) to a queen, it is possible to achieve 206 points of material difference 18 queens, 4 rooks/knights/4 ...
F. George's user avatar
  • 179
0 votes
1 answer
303 views

I have discovered a selfmate requiring 1,351 moves to enforce. How does this move-count stack up against the 'record holder'?

I've discovered a selfmate requiring 1,351 moves to enforce. What is the highest move-count known for a selfmate? {The starting position is provably legal}.
Robert Linsley's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
225 views

Longest forced win after 3 moves

It is possible to reach (exactly) #8 after just 3 moves: [Title "#8 after 3 moves"] [FEN ""] 1. e3 f6 2. Qf3 Kf7 3. Nh3 Qe8! 4. Ng5+ Kg6 5. Bd3+ Kxg5 6. Qf4+ Kh5 7. g4+ Kh4 8. Qg3+...
user21820's user avatar
  • 2,725
4 votes
2 answers
953 views

Longest *shortest available* fixed sequence of moves leading to checkmate?

What is the longest fixed sequence of consecutive moves you can find in any legal position that guarantees checkmating the opponent regardless of their responses (whether by forcing particular ...
Mobeus Zoom's user avatar
  • 2,269
6 votes
3 answers
585 views

The quickest mate in n

Obviously inspired by the analogous selfmate question. (Helpmate would also be possible in principle, but looks a bit silly.) Thus, 1.f3 e5 2.g4 allows Black a #1, and 1.f3 e5 2.h3 a #2. 1.f4 e5 2....
Hauke Reddmann's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
415 views

Longest sequence of forcing moves?

What is the longest fixed consecutive series of moves for one player such that the other player's response is forced every move? Assume draw rules must be obeyed (threefold repetition, 50-move rule, ...
Mobeus Zoom's user avatar
  • 2,269
4 votes
1 answer
147 views

A mobility puzzle

[FEN "8/8/8/8/pp6/kp6/1p6/1K6 w KQkq - 0 1"] This is a well-known position: both sides are stalemated (if it's their move). It's the lightest position with this property. Devise the ...
Hauke Reddmann's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

List of female chess players by peak FIDE rating

Update: The answer currently doesn't include countries and other trivia like in the original one. Please consider posting an answer with at least the countries or editing current answer to include ...
BCLC's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
2 answers
1k views

What is the lowest ELO ever in history?

I have a lot of questions about ratings, which are sort of connected, but I think I better split them. This is pair 1. I Googled a bit: By definition, ELO>100, and someone said (chess.com) he ...
Hauke Reddmann's user avatar
10 votes
0 answers
1k views

Highest depth ever achieved

I saw a guy that went into depth 70 with no search moves at 41, 192, 897, 168, and 184 nodes from the starting position on Stockfish a few years ago. I would like to know if this is still a record or ...
Ropdup's user avatar
  • 193
3 votes
1 answer
511 views

Quickly losing a queen in style

I accidentally ran into this game again. [FEN ""] [startply "7"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 Qf6 3. e5 Qf5 4. Bd3 What would be the fastest way to lose a queen by a direct attack on ...
Hauke Reddmann's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
120 views

What is the longest sequence of consecutive captures in a FIDE rated game?

What is the longest sequence of consecutive captures (including both pawn captures and piece captures) in a FIDE rated game?
Brian Towers's user avatar
  • 89.9k
5 votes
1 answer
274 views

Is it possible to reach King vs King by moving each piece at most twice?

I'm interested in short games that reach a King vs King endgame. Sam Lloyd reached King vs King after only 17 moves. This has since been improved to 16.5 moves. (See this and that.) One can show that ...
Dustin G. Mixon's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
690 views

The quickest selfmate in 1

How quickly can a legal game reach a position where one side must give checkmate? This is in effect Evergalo's reading (see his (now deleted) answer) of Rewan Demontay's Question 33154; that question ...
Noam D. Elkies's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
203 views

What is the fastest way to reach a position in which one side is forced to choose between checkmate and stalemate?

I had an interesting idea recently. While there are many proof games ending in checkmate or stalemate, why not both, I thought. So, thus I wondered, what is the fastest way to reach a position in ...
Rewan Demontay's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
115 views

Fastest way to get both kings to the other side of the board?

Say that both players collaborate to get White's king to the eighth rank and Black's king to the first. What's the shortest sequence of moves that achieves this?
Robert Moore's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
162 views

Latest time to castle in a tournament game

In a casual game I played, my opponent castled around the 80th move. I want to know what was the latest move in which a player has castled, in an official game. I don’t think that there is an entry ...
user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
172 views

32 pieces protected once: How many moves?

From the orthodox starting position, how many moves will you need to have the 32 pieces protected exactly once? (The answer is astonishingly low.)
Eric ANGELINI's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
216 views

Shortest game controlling a single square 16 times?

Does someone know the shortest orthodox chess game such that a single square is directly controlled 16 times? After 1. Nf3 for instance, the square d2 is controlled 5 times. And 2. ... Qa5 pushes the ...
Eric ANGELINI's user avatar
21 votes
1 answer
4k views

Shortest stalemate in serious tournament game

I am looking for the shortest stalemate that has occurred in a serious chess game (there were no agreements between the players). So far, I have found only compositions, but is there a real game where ...
user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
84 views

What is the theoretical maximal total of material for the insufficient material draw? [duplicate]

The insufficient mating material rule says that the game is immediately declared a draw if there is no way to end the game in checkmate. This usually happens in KB vs K or KN vs K endgames. However, ...
Zuriel's user avatar
  • 8,739
1 vote
1 answer
312 views

Have there been computer-vs-computer chess games exceeding 493 moves?

From a FIDE Online Arena Facebook post (which appears copy/pasted from elsewhere), I'm interested in the part in bold: (Image of a chess board with two kings and no pawns nor pieces omitted.) This ...
Rebecca J. Stones's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
2k views

Longest possible FEN

What is the longest possible FEN? The reason for that question is, that I am designing a PGN viewer (again), and I have noticed that the FEN is dependent on the width of the board (the FEN test area ...
mliebelt's user avatar
  • 477
2 votes
1 answer
164 views

Maximum number of quiet moves in a position

The question of how many captures a position can have has been asked in the past: Maximum number of captures in a position Without captures, and without promotion, which I define as “quiet” moves, ...
konsolas's user avatar
  • 3,166
2 votes
1 answer
575 views

What is the fastest possible stalemate by castling?

It is known what the fastest stalemate is. But what but is the fastest possible stalemate in which castling must be the last move? 33 plies is my best result so far. [FEN ""] 1. e4 h5 2. ...
Rewan Demontay's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

Most pieces involved in checkmate in actual game?

I recall seeing a number of chess games where a lot of pieces are involved in the final checkmate, and was curious to know what is the maximum number of pieces of one player A that have been involved ...
user21820's user avatar
  • 2,725
7 votes
2 answers
550 views

Challenge: Create the longest set of moves where the game is able to be perfectly reproduced from only the current board state and move number

The challenge is to create the longest list of half moves whereby an AI could re-create that list of moves perfectly, only given the ending board state and the number of moves. As example I will first ...
jbernard3396's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
880 views

What is the longest tablebase win that includes draw rules?

It has been asked the longest mate that includes draw rules is, and it is known what the longest tablebase mate is. However, what is the longest tablebase mate, i.e. 7 pieces or less, that accounts ...
Rewan Demontay's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
221 views

What rearrangent of the starting position's pieces, in any manner, has the fastest stalemate?

It is well known that the fastest stalemate is in 19 ply. But what is the fastest possible if all pieces, not pawns, may be shuffled at will on their first ranks? This will be difficult since there is ...
Rewan Demontay's user avatar
28 votes
1 answer
6k views

What is the fastest way to reach stalemate?

It is known that the minimum number of moves required for checkmate is 2 moves (4 half moves) resulting in a victory for Black. However, what is the minimum number of moves required for stalemate? ...
Haran's user avatar
  • 621
2 votes
1 answer
178 views

What is the longest wait before a draw offer is accepted?

If I understand correctly, once player A makes a draw offer, the opponent player B retains the right to accept the draw offer as long as player B does not rejected it verbally, or touch a piece with ...
Zuriel's user avatar
  • 8,739
3 votes
1 answer
87 views

How many matches have there been at the top level which have ended up with a tied score and a winner?

In the current FIDE Grand Prix tournament in Jerusalem the first round match between Pentala Harikrishna and Sergey Karjakin ended in a tied score, 4.5-4.5, but Karjakin won because the last game was ...
Brian Towers's user avatar
  • 89.9k
6 votes
4 answers
2k views

What is the farthest away a game can be from a guaranteed checkmate?

What is the maximum number of moves away from checkmate that a player can be where checkmate is guaranteed? There are many positions that are a guaranteed win for a player if played perfectly, right? (...
Cotton Headed Ninnymuggins's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
325 views

Longest sequence of moves by one player with the same piece?

I suspect the following game in the European Club Champioship between David Howell and Pentala Harikrishna set a number of records. [title "Howell, David W L vs Harikrishna, Pentala"] [fen ""] 1. e4 ...
Brian Towers's user avatar
  • 89.9k
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is the maximum number of promoted pawns ever achieved in a competitive game?

In theory, a player could advance all eight of their pawns to the end of the board, promoting them all. In my own experience, games with more than two promotions on one side have been vanishingly rare,...
Robert Columbia's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
352 views

What is the record for the most pawn double-steps in a professional game?

Quite simply, what is the record for the most pawn double-steps in a professional game? Drawn and won games are both considered. Computer games of any kind are not to be considered. The most I have ...
Rewan Demontay's user avatar
27 votes
2 answers
3k views

From the start of the game what is the longest possible series of consecutive white moves where white can do those moves no matter what black does?

From the start of the game what is the longest possible series of consecutive white moves where white can do those moves no matter what black does? So I want the longest list of moves white can do ...
minoret's user avatar
  • 281