Six nice tablebase studies

NOTE: It is entirely possible that someone else has found these positions before due to how few pieces are on the board.

I was messing around with an endgame tablebase and found these simple positions. All of them are "move and win" puzzles.

#1

#2

#3 (Personally, I don't like this because move 4 makes very little sense)

#4

#5

#6

Good endgames! It's OK that they come from a tablebase. The risk is that others have found them already. Also, I am sure AI systems will mine the tablebase for these within the next decade - if they haven't done that already. Still all these finishes could be worthwhile tail ends of longer studies. That trend is already visible in many recent compositions (like mine)

I love the 4th move ..Ra6! in the third one. It's thrilling precisely because it is mysterious though you can find explanations when you set your mind to it! The 6th one is probably well-known in compositions. It's easily within the logic and capabilities of the human chess mind!

Great endgamed

Could you do some more of these? They’re a lot of fun and very interesting. I got 5 and 6 in one go bit had a bit of trouble with the others

Sure!

#7

#8

#9

#10

Found another one, a ridiculously complex position:

I did my best to annotate. If @Arisktotle is still paying attention to this thread, I'd like to know if the sideline on move 15 could be the mainline.

That's right, there's 15 moves.

Generally main lines and side lines in endgame studies are separated on thematic content or exciting finishes. It's kind of hard to point at a definite theme or concept in this particular endgame - common for tablebase output. Theoretically, all variations with unique white responses are equal contributors to the content of the study but we only include those that are interesting or thematic. In this instance I would rate both lines as equal and rank them as main lines (as black responses in #2 puzzles). Note that chess.coms interface can't handle that but that is because it is a kids interface.

2 new ones:

#12

#13 (very complex, but understandable)

I looked a bit closer at this one and concluded that 15. Ba4+ leads to the repeat of an earlier position at best. Even if that one still wins the whole repeat-cycle is a waste of time and gains nothing for white. It doesn't matter how long the repeat cycle is. Be it 2 moves or 100 moves, it's a waste of time. So just forget the whole cycle unless you feel an inner need to explain it. The positive outcome is that the composition is still sound with the repeat options. They are not viewed as bothersome duals just as wastes of time!

Thanks, I removed the Ba4+ sideline.

In such instances I commonly remove the line like you did but add a comment like "Ba4+ only repeats the position after a few moves".

In itself identifying main lines is not that relevant for the composition - only for the solver. You just pick one that is most interesting to solve and shows most of the ideas. Of course, it must be sound - without cooks or white duals. Judges and composition lovers look at all of the relevant content including tries, interesting defenses and explanations of the concepts. One day, puzzle interfaces will be more advanced and walk you through all of these aspects as a guided tour. More like now in an elaborate endgame study book but with extra interactive options to solve (parts or all of) the study!

#14

#15

White to move and mate in 96! I don't know the moves though lol.

#16

The last endgame is a charm - up to and including the last move where white needs to make the right capture! Would be great to find an introduction where the queen comes from a promotion on b1! Hard to do in the exact diagram but several pieces can be in different positions which gives new opportunities.

I just tried, and it seems that the main problem for finding a nice intro is:

1. White can play Bc6+ early

2. Black can play Rxd3(+) instead of promoting.

Regardless, it's a very intuitive yet tricky study.

Yes, it's not simple for the reasons you give. I had already tried it myself and found an elegant way to achieve the promotion but I couldn't find a good white intro move before it. But I'll look again!

In itself an intuitive solution is not an advantage. Studies often try to make a fool of the player's intuition by demanding counter-intuitive solution moves. Then again once you are an experienced solver your intuition changes and you start ignoring common chess principles in favor of unlikely maneuvers that would commonly fail in a chess game. Or you would need to pick a move that appears to be functionally equivalent to a whole list of alternatives - except for one tiny detail of course! I recall "Ra6" in one on the earlier diagrams which looks totally mysterious. Why not any of the other rook moves? In hindsight there is always a logical reason for the correct choice which increases our admiration for and understanding of the complexity of chess!

I like your endgame for the unusual long solution where one wonders what the repositioning of pieces is leading to. A game player might play the same moves to feel safe - he can't bite me as long as I am checking him and perhaps I stumble onto a checkmate - but he is unlikely to foresee the whole series which runs like a clockwork! It's a miracle there are no duals (except repetitions) in it anyway!

#17

#18

#17 is pure endgame theory. I solved countless similar positions when training endgames. I have seen all those themes pass by in settings of the same complexity.

I still have the queen promotion in one of the earlier studies in my agenda (+ more). But it's not on the first page