Author: ludicrous
Date: 22:03:57 04/08/03
Hi,
Here are four interesting chess logic puzzles, that I hope you will
like. By logic chess puzzles, I mean those that are not commonly known
as "studies", and which need a fairly strong classic chess
understanding. These puzzles take as a base the chess board, most of
the time the pieces move along as in classic chess, but the rules must
not necessarily be the same. I would includ retrograd chess problems
in this category. Just for info, if you want a superb book, and not
too hard, on retrograd chess problems, I would highly recommend: Chess
Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes by Dr. Raymond Smullyan, a true
masterpiece I would say !
The first two problems are by Mr. Henry Ernest Dudeney and are
relatively easy, the third problem is by me and is somewhat harder,
and the fourth one, unfortunately I do not know by whom, and is the
hardest of all, but if tackled appropriately, it can be found,
really.. :-)
1) Two rooks (these pieces can move as many squares as possible, only
vertically and horizontally) of opposite colors are placed randomly on
an empty chess board, without one menacing the other. Two players are
playing the game, one chooses the white rook, and the other one, the
black rook (they do not know the positions of the rooks before
choosing). The goal of the game being to capture the opponent's rook.
Now each rook cannot pass through, or be on, the "lines of fire" (that
is, the squares that it controls) of the opponent's rook without being
captured. This game can never end in a draw if both players know the
winning strategy. Question: What is the winning strategy ?
2) We have the following board configuration:
White: Pawn: f7
King: g7
Bishop: f6
Black: Rook: e5
This was a game between two persons. It does not matter where the
black king was, all we know is that black was completely lost, but the
person playing black was very smart, and, of course, needed to catch a
train. He could have abandonned, but instead he told the person
playing white: "Ok, I have to go now, you can finish the game for me,
I will just leave my king on a square on the board, and then you can
play all the moves in the world (black does not play, the black king
stays where it is forever) until you checkmate my king. You can even
leave my king in check with a piece (except the white king of course),
while playing with another piece (this is of course not possible in a
classic chess game). " The person playing white agreed, but to his
dismay, after much tries, he found it utterly impossible to checkmate
the black king ! Question: on which square did the person playing
black leave his king ?
3) We have the following board configuration:
White: Bishops: a2, b2
Black: Bishops: h3, d8
Now assuming the same rules as in Dudeney's first problem. That is, no
bishop of a color, can pass through, or be on, a square attacked by a
bishop of the opposite color without being captured. This may need a
clarification: a white bishop, on white squares, cannot pass through,
or be on, a square attacked by a black bishop, on white squares; but
this white bishop on white squares is not at all dependent on the
black bishop on black squares, etc. The goal being to capture both
opponent's bishops. Question: White to play and win, how ?
4) We have the initial chess board configuration, with all pieces on
their original squares. Now, playing a classic chess game, white plays
on each consecutive move:
1. Pf2-f3 (Pawn from f2 to f3)
2. Ke1-f2 (King from e1 to f2)
3. Kf2-g3
4. Kg3-h4
After white plays his last move, Kg3-h4, black immediately plays and
mates the white king. Again: this is a classic chess game which obeys
all of its rules (of course, I doubt anybody ever played like that
with white, but, well, we never know.. :-) ).
Question: What are the complete moves of this short game ?
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