Can chess get you out of Santa's house?
Welcome to Santa's house of chess! Here, a Christmas gift is hidden and only the best chess players will be able to find it. This house is full of rooms with puzzles that you will have to overcome to find the exit. Do you think you will be able to find the gift, or will you leave empty-handed?
Rules
- The house has 11 rooms.
- Each room has a question with multiple choices.
- If you answer the question correctly, you can choose which room to go to next. If you answer the question incorrectly, you will go back to the start.
Here is a map to help you find your way out (this map does not show the doors in each room, I'm not going to make it that easy for you).
Good luck, have fun and let the game begin!
This is the room where Santa Claus sleeps. You might have seen him visiting your house before, but can you tell which of these players most resembles him?
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This is where all the letters Santa Claus receives from all the kids in the world are stored. And while we're on the topic of letters, can you guess how many moves the longest correspondence chess game in history had?
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Christmas cookies are a popular Christmas sweet in some countries. Everyone loves sweets, even chess players. Can you guess what Ding Liren got when he managed to draw a very difficult game in the World Championship against Gukesh?
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This is the room where Santa Claus practises all the Christmas carols he's going to sing, but he also likes to listen to other kinds of music. Can you tell me which of these songs makes reference to chess?
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The living room is the biggest room in the house and where Santa Claus gets together with all his mates. He loves getting together with his family at Christmas. On the topic of Christmas get-togethers, can you guess which of these tournaments is always held at Christmas?
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Santa keeps all his books in his library. He's got some chess books where he looks back at the games from his favourite tournaments. Can you guess which of these was held at Christmas?
- 1972 World Chess Championship: Bobby Fischer vs. Boris Spassky
- World Chess Championship 1892: Wilhelm Steinitz vs. Mikhail Chigorin
- World Chess Championship 2000: Vladimir Kramnik vs. Garry Kasparov
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This is where the reindeer rest while they wait to start their journey around the world. Reindeer look a bit like horses. Can you tell which players have played a famous game where they only moved their horses?
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This is where Santa makes all his toys for children around the world. He also sometimes gives away pieces in his chess games. What do you think is the best sacrifice in this position?
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The Christmas tree is a festive decoration and a great place to put presents. Some chess puzzles are about Christmas. Can you find the fastest checkmate in this position?
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Correct. Steinitz's beard makes him look a bit like Santa Claus. We carry on moving through the house.
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Great! The game was between Roger Comte and René Vallatin in the ICCF (International Correspondence Chess Federation) correspondence chess tournament and ended in a draw. Which room would you like to continue to?
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Yes, reporter Mike Klein gave him an ice cream because of a question he had been asked the day before. You can watch the moment here. Now it's time to move on. Where are we going?
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Great job! This song uses chess to talk about life, decisions and intrigue in Bangkok. You can listen to it here. Where do we go from here?
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Good answer. The World Rapid and Blitz tournament is always played between 26-30 December (although this year there is an exception). Which room do you want to go to now?
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OK. The 1892 World Chess Championship was played between Wilhelm Steinitz and Mikhail Chigorin. It took place from 1 January to 28 February 1892. Where do we go from here?
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OK. During the 2023 World Blitz Championship, Dubov and Nepo were penalised for copying each other's moves. You can watch the game here. So, what happens now?
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Correct. With this move, you can checkmate in 2. What happens next?
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Oops, that's not the right answer. Don't worry, we'll keep trying.
Let's go back to Santa's room.
Here's the map, in case you want to try a different route.
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Well done! You have done well to get this far. Not many people can do that. I hope you enjoyed this adventure and have a happy 2025. If you liked this blog, you can also try to get out of the haunted house.
