Author: Uri Blass
Date: 00:22:56 12/25/05
Go up one level in this thread
On December 25, 2005 at 03:03:00, Sune Larsson wrote: >On December 25, 2005 at 02:43:23, John Merlino wrote: > >>On December 25, 2005 at 02:32:15, Uri Blass wrote: >> >>>On December 25, 2005 at 02:24:19, Sune Larsson wrote: >>> >>>>On December 24, 2005 at 20:49:48, John Merlino wrote: >>>> >>>>>On December 24, 2005 at 20:30:05, Alessandro Scotti wrote: >>>>> >>>>>>On December 24, 2005 at 20:14:19, Mark Ryan wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>>http://www2.forthnet.gr/chess/xmasmil.html >>>>>>> >>>>>>>I do NOT know the answer. >>>>>> >>>>>>[D]8/3p4/3p4/2pPp3/1pPkPp2/1n1p1n2/P2p2P1/3K4 b - - - - >>>>>> >>>>>>Kiwi can't see it either... >>>>>> >>>>>> 3/ 9 +7.92 00:00 524 Ng5 axb3 Nxe4 >>>>>> 4/ 4 +7.92 00:00 579 Ng5 axb3 Nxe4 g3 >>>>>> 5/ 5 +9.44 00:00 3290 Ng5 axb3 Nxe4 g3 fxg3 >>>>>> 6/ 7 +9.52 00:00 3998 Ng5 a3 Nxe4 >>>>>> 7/21 M4 00:00 114504 Ng5 g3 Nh3 axb3 Kc3 >>>>> >>>>>It's a sort of trick question, but there is still a flaw in it. >>>>> >>>>>Unless I'm missing something, for it to be a Mate in 2 for Black White's last >>>>>move had to have been either c2-c4 or e2-e4. After EITHER of these moves, Black >>>>>capturing en passant leads to a Mate in 2. >>>>> >>>>>However, the designation on the page "there is a single answer" is not correct, >>>>>because White could have made either of those moves, and therefore there are two >>>>>possible responses by Black. >>>>> >>>>>jm >>>> >>>> >>>> I'm not following you here. How, in the name of all Houdinis, could the >>>> last white move be e2-e4??? >>>> >>>> /S >>> >>>I decided to post the solution after the hint that you give and after >>>understanding that the site is very old site and there is no point in keeping >>>the solution as a secret. >>> >>>Of course it cannot be e2-e4 because it means that the white bishop at f1 was >>>not captured by a pawn and the position is illegal because black needs too many >>>captures to get the pawn structure. >>> >>> >>>Uri >> >>Indeed, very impressive. >> >>I found a complete description of the solution (although the board is flipped >>such that it is WHITE to Mate in 2) here: >> >>www.gtryfon.demon.co.uk/bcc/news/dec98news.htm#Christmas%20tree%20puzzle! >> >>Fun problem! >> >>jm > > > Yes, and if you think like children do - you'll see in an instant that e2-e4 > couldn't have been white's last move. If the pawn was on e2 - then Bf1 would > never ever gotten out. That's why the Houdini hint ;-) > > /S This is still no proof and you need to count number of captures to find that Bf1 could not be captured not by a pawn. Uri
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