A Puzzle with Multiple Solutions

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AstroBullivant

Check out this puzzle with multiple solutions. Perhaps you could call it an "anti-puzzle". [Edit on 9/28/2023 at 2:43 PM EST: It is black to play]

Arisktotle

There is just one solution for the first 3 moves - provided you let white start. Educated solvers will generally assume that white starts when the coordinates show white started the game from the bottom.

You made an "error" in the FEN (where black starts) but it does not really matter as long as no text specifies anywhere which side starts! I hope that's clear since chess.com's puzzling rules are rather confusing.

So it's not an anti-puzzle.

AstroBullivant

It's black to play

Arisktotle
AstroBullivant wrote:

It's black to play

First, If it is, you need to specify it in text as solvers are not supposed to read out the FEN or analyze with an engine. Second, you just destroyed a perfectly sound puzzlewink

AstroBullivant

If it were white to play in this position, then it'd be a typical puzzle.

Arisktotle
AstroBullivant wrote:

If it were white to play in this position, then it'd be a typical puzzle.

Yes! It's not an achievement to create a puzzle with multiple solutions. When you drop a random bunch of pieces on a chessboard it is commonly either "no win" or "multiple wins". The art of creating a puzzle is to narrow it to precisely one solution. And the challenge for the solver is to find it. He has no clue what is expected of him in this "(anti-)puzzle".