My favorite Pandolfini puzzle is the "any rook move mate". Put a white king on e6, white rook on e2, and black king on e8. White to move and mate in three. Yes, any rook move works for move one. The pattern is Rh2 Kf8 Rg2 (cut off) Ke8 Rf8. The combination of great pattern with catchy title stuck very well.
Token blitz complaint topic!
Sort:
I always take the easy way. It saves energy and avoids stalemate. If there is even a remote chance of a stalemate I will underprote to a rook instead of the queen. Why waste energy on a won game?
Dec 27, 2013
0
#24
I frequently ladder-mate.One option for the player on the losing end of a ladder mate is...RESIGN before an ignominous end.
Haha, when I was a beginner that was probably literally the only way I knew to consistently mate my opponent (possibly queen vs king; no, I couldn't do rook vs king!).
I might win a ton of pieces from guys who gave them to me, but the only way I could finish it was to take all of their pieces so that I could clear the way for a staircase mate, pretty much. I just didn't know how to mate. It was a crucial crutch for a while!