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Chess Easter Eggs in "The Looker"
A giant chess set stands prominently in the courtyard from the beginning of "The Looker".

Chess Easter Eggs in "The Looker"

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Alramech
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"The Looker" is a recently released, free, and fun parody indie puzzle game which sports very positive reviews.  With the exception of one notoriously difficult challenge, the game is easy, and it can be fully completed within a mere 90 minutes.  Because of the low time commitment, "The Looker" gained further attention through playthroughs from variety streamers such as Forsen and Sodapoppin.

The game is built on a simple maze mechanic: draw a line from the start of a maze to the end.  No knowledge of chess is needed to finish any of the puzzles, but the developer was keen to sneak in a few good chess nuggets.  The developer deserves credit for his attention to detail.

The Puzzle

There's a giant chess set in the middle of the first area.  From a nearby balcony, the player gets a better view of the chessboard and also an interface to "solve" it by drawing lines representing the movement of the pieces.

Puzzle Overlook
The actual chess puzzle is more interesting than the game's solution.

Game mechanic aside, this is a good chess puzzle.  Give it a try yourself below.  White to play and win.


There is a post-credits video of the developer in his apartment.  On his table, a chessboard is set up with the final puzzle position complete with a fallen Black king.

Post-Credits Puzzle

Position 1: Tal-Petrosian 1973

Nearby the balcony is a properly-set chessboard with a digital clock.  Interacting with the clock causes a position to form, and the following quote plays audibly:

You can only get good at chess if you love the game.
— GM Bobby Fischer

Position1
Position 1: The ending position from Tal-Petrosian 1973.  Notice how the clock correctly indicates it is White to move.  An excellent detail!



The game comes from Mikhail Tal vs Tigran Petrosian in the 1973 USSR Championship.  If you want a proper game analysis, check out this video from Kingscrusher or look at some of the discussion on Chessgames.

Position 2: Tal-Petrosian 1974

Interacting a second time with the clock results in a new position, and this quote is played:

I hate chess.  I hate chess.  I hate chess.
— GM Bobby Fischer

A note about the quote above: it is a shortened version of a slightly longer response from Bobby Fischer in this interview.  Here is the quote in full:

I hate chess very much.  I don't need the money - no, I don't need it.  I'll skip [it].  I hate chess.  I hate chess, really.
— GM Bobby Fischer

Position2
Position 2: The ending position of Tal-Petrosian 1974.  Notice how the clock correctly indicates it is Black to move.  An excellent detail!


The developer was apparently looking at some Tal-Petrosian rivalry because this position also comes from one of their games.  This time, it is from the 1974 Soviet Team Cup, and Tal gets some revenge on his compatriot.

Chess.com's own Sam Copeland provided his own analysis of this game.  As before, you can also check out the discussion on Chessgames.

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