All Questions
80
questions
3
votes
1
answer
122
views
Most delaying moves before checkmate
Consider a position where if was player A's turn, they could make a series of moves ("the mating sequence") with forced mate.
However, it is player B's turn, and they can make a series of &...
- 3,340
7
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Most mate options after 6 moves
Found this construction problem from '83 and liked it. I don't know the best solution (yet), and maybe you can top it anyway.
Consider the (help) "game" 1.e4 a6 2.Bc4 a5 3.Qh5 a4. Now White ...
- 16.8k
0
votes
1
answer
213
views
Questions about legality of last move
Question for FIDE Arbiters and similar knowledgeable folk...
FIDE Law Article 5.1.1 The game is won by the player who has checkmated his/her opponent’s
king. This immediately ends the game, provided ...
- 13.1k
0
votes
1
answer
147
views
A puzzle where you must find the mate in 3 solution but avoid mate in 2 and mate in 1 solutions?
I want to see if a puzzle could exist where you must avoid finding mate in 1 or 2 but just find the mate in 3 solution.
This is not subjective it is a hard math problem to make a move that forces mate ...
- 51
14
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Checkmate in ω² moves with finitely many pieces
The post Checkmate in ω
moves? has inspired a lot of discussion and mathematical research into positions on an infinite chessboard where white can mate in a transfinite amount of moves. The current ...
- 503
3
votes
1
answer
277
views
Mate-in-N problems where N scales indefinitely with board size
Motivation - Long range mating patterns
This question is inspired by my recent interest in infinite chess and the post on MathOverflow Checkmate in ω moves?. Since my chess endgame skills are quite ...
- 503
3
votes
2
answers
452
views
Are there any hard mate-in-2 problems?
I'm interested to know if there are any particularly challenging mate-in-2 problems. Since the second move will be essentially forced, the problem essentially comes down to 1 move. Typically, the ...
- 3,340
4
votes
1
answer
257
views
Longest sequence of unique legal moves for one player, always in check and ending in checkmate
I recently played a bullet game, in which I thought I was in checkmate, but then realized I had one legal move, this then repeated again and again 6 times until ultimately I was in checkmate. I share ...
- 51
2
votes
1
answer
139
views
Minimal forced checkmate
A forced checkmate is a situation in which the player whose turn it is has only legal moves which put the other player in checkmate.
I’m searching for the minimal forced checkmate (the smallest amount ...
- 123
3
votes
1
answer
128
views
How can I mate the black king in 4 moves or less (helpmate)
In this helpmate puzzle, it is White to move.
- 133
11
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Is there a position with the stupidest possible move?
I define a stupid move as a move that
puts the opponent in zugzwang so that all their moves result in mate in one (weaker version: a loss);
is chosen instead of a move that gives mate in one (weaker ...
- 229
2
votes
2
answers
221
views
Shortest game to "elegant" mate
Define an "elegant" checkmate as one in which
the king is not on the edge of the board
the king and each of the 8 squares surrounding it are each attacked by exactly one, different opponent ...
- 3,340
2
votes
2
answers
164
views
Puzzle: Forced game end in at most two halfmoves
Compose a position where
It's White to move
White can deliver checkmate or stalemate in 1 move
Or if they make a different move, then Black can deliver checkmate or stalemate in one 1 move
I needed ...
- 16.8k
2
votes
1
answer
543
views
What is the largest n such that discrete forced mate in one through mate in "n" exist?
This is admittedly a bit of an obscure question, so I apologize for the awkward wording of the question. To begin, assume you are playing as White, and that a "forcing move" is any move that ...
- 477
5
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What is the longest possible forced checkmate sequence?
As title says. My question is about legal positions (positions which could be reached in actual games), but if there is a known solution with an illegal position to start the sequence, I'd be ...
- 161