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Subject: Re: K+Q vs. K: always mate in at least 8 moves?

Author: Steve Coladonato

Date: 12:11:41 11/15/00

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On November 15, 2000 at 13:01:29, Bruce Moreland wrote:

>On November 15, 2000 at 12:53:28, Steve Coladonato wrote:
>
>>On November 15, 2000 at 12:20:30, Robert Ericsson wrote:
>>
>>>A friend of mine claims that the stronger side will, from any start position,
>>>deliver a mate in at least 8 moves in a K+Q vs. K endgame.
>>>
>>>Is his claim correct? If not, how many moves would be the correct claim?
>>>
>>>Kind regards,
>>>Robert
>>
>>I remember the following from long ago:
>>
>>From any start position, a mate can be accomplished in at most the following
>>number of moves:
>>
>> KQ v K =  9 moves
>> KR v K = 12 moves
>>KBB v K = 20 moves
>>KBN v K = 34 moves
>>
>>I don't recollect if the stronger side is on the move or the weaker.
>>
>>Also, the latest tablebases may have shed some light on the above numbers.
>>
>>Regards,
>>
>>Steve
>
>You are quoting numbers produced by Ruben Fine in Basic Chess Endings, in at
>least two of these cases (KQ vs K, and KBN vs K).
>
>The correct numbers are 10, 16, 19, and 33.
>
>bruce

Thanks Bruce.

The numbers I am recalling are from a softcover chess book from around 1972.  I
do not recall the title of the book but it was not the Ruben Fine book.  I no
longer have the book but as I recollect it had a black and white chess board
motif on it with some red somewhere about 8x10 in size.

I am assuming the numbers you gave are from the tablebases.  The rook one
differs quite a bit but back then I believe the numbers were from human analysis
of the basic endings and were probably calculated quite some time before 1972.

Steve



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