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Chess problems consist of a 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.

51 votes
3 answers
17k views

How fast can checkmate occur by just moving the king?

How short can a game be in which (after the first move) one player moves only their king, and yet checkmates their opponent? This is assuming that the players cooperate, i.e. this is a kind of "helpma …
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15 votes
3 answers
2k views

Beautiful retrograde analysis problem by Alexsey A. Troitsky

I saw this beautiful, subtle & accessible problem a couple of days ago, and wanted to share it with you folks. (It's by the ground-breaking endgame theorist who e.g. invented the "Troitsky line" in KN …
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  • 13.6k
14 votes
2 answers
810 views

If repetition loses, who wins KvK?

And in any case, in compositions these rules are applicable by default only to retro problems, which this is not. …
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  • 13.6k
14 votes
7 answers
3k views

Arrange 5 non-attacking knights on a 5x5 toroidal board

The celebrated British mathematician and lover of public transport, Simon Norton, passed in 2019. He was the subject of a wonderful biography. He was not a particular fan of chess, but here is a tiny …
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  • 13.6k
12 votes
1 answer
2k views

How to solve proof games?

"I see a lot of proof game problems, where I am given a diagram and have to find the unique way to reach that position in the specified number of moves. They look fun, but difficult. …
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  • 13.6k
10 votes
4 answers
1k 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 wil …
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  • 13.6k
9 votes
2 answers
732 views

Pal Benko's final problem

I love the clarity and variety of his problems and puzzles, and am moved by an article by another Hungarian GM, Susan Polgar, to relay his new, final composition as a tribute. …
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8 votes
5 answers
826 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 go …
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6 votes
1 answer
136 views

Timeline of key historical changes to FIDE Laws & WFCC Codex?

A well-answered question here: FIDE Laws of Chess pre-2017 asks for locations of historical sets of FIDE Laws. I am asking for something which partially builds on that. Is there a timeline of "key" hi …
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  • 13.6k
5 votes
2 answers
1k views

Where does the term “cook” originate?

What is the origin of the term “cooked” for a chess problem with an additional, unintended solution?
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  • 13.6k
4 votes
2 answers
181 views

What is A Posteriori (AP)?

A number of problem-related questions recently mention AP by which they mean “A Posteriori”. What are they talking about? It seems as if the guys talking about it don’t have a common understanding. Is …
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  • 13.6k
2 votes
2 answers
195 views

How many moves needed to reach this position?

"Homebase" is where all the surviving pieces are apparently on their starting squares. Here is a very easy new example proof game: can you find the unique shortest game that leads to this position? [T …
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  • 13.6k
2 votes
3 answers
310 views

What are the castling & e.p. conventions, and how are they used?

Castling & en passant are often called "conditional moves". In the chess problem world, we frequently hear about the castling & e.p. conventions. What are these exactly, and how are they used? Particu …
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2 votes
0 answers
47 views

Chess problem content in Ludwig TV Show?

My UK-based brother informs me that a recent popular TV series called Ludwig contains some chess. According to one review there is a scene of "reverse chess (where maths, probability and reason are us …
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2 votes
1 answer
39 views

Engine to solve direct mates on larger boards?

Does anyone know of a problem engine that will solve direct mates on larger boards (e.g. 10x10, 12x12 etc), please?
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