2... b5!!! (yes 3 exclamation marks) 3. Qa7#
Error in Laszlo Polgar's Puzzle book?
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Argh, can't believe I didn't see that! :) Thanks!!
Actually it was not composed by Polgar, but by Tibor Schönberger, Magyar Sakkvilag 1935. And yes, there is only one correct solution...!
Yes, I know, it says so at the solution index. Did you recognize the puzzle or do you happen to own the book? :)
For enthusiasts, 2 more puzzles:
No mistake on this one, but i did find a mistake in excercise 1827, it is not a mate in 2. Anyone else?
Just 1. Qh3
Oct 13, 2014
0
#8
paco9208 wrote:
No mistake on this one, but i did find a mistake in excercise 1827, it is not a mate in 2. Anyone else?
I would have to look but I did find at least one mate in 3 in the mate in 2 section. May have been that one.
Here's a diagram for 1827 where black has a delaying move to make it a mate in 3 for the solution first move. Houdini gives a multitude of other mate in 3's.
I've got the book, it's great but I think there are a few errors in it (problems with more than one solution but only one olution listed at the back).
If I think I have an alternate solution I make a note to check it on Shredder later.
If you can get your hands on them Laszlo Polgar has written (or compiled) some other books that are worth looking at. There's one for Middlegame problems, one for Endgame puzzles and some others. The exact titles escape me at the moment. 
Puzzle 5207 error - checked with Houdini
EndgameStudent wrote:
Here's a diagram for 1827 where black has a delaying move to make it a mate in 3 for the solution first move. Houdini gives a multitude of other mate in 3's.
Aren't you forgetting that white can castle?
Jun 4, 2015
0
#13
heinzie wrote:
EndgameStudent wrote:
Here's a diagram for 1827 where black has a delaying move to make it a mate in 3 for the solution first move. Houdini gives a multitude of other mate in 3's.
Aren't you forgetting that white can castle?
I absolutely hate castling problems like that. There is absolutely no context saying white hasn't moved his king or that rook, other than the fact it is supposed to be Mate in 2.
Those kinds of puzzles suck 
It is a convention that in a problem, if it looks like a side can castle, then that side can castle unless you can prove the king or rook must have moved previously in all legal games leading to that position.
It is a written convention, in the Codex of Chess Composition. Much like how white always moves first in a game of chess. And also how white moves first if a problem is just "Mate in x" where no side to move is given. (Unless of course you can prove that black cannot have made the last move...)
Martin_Stahl wrote:
I absolutely hate castling problems like that. There is absolutely no context saying white hasn't moved his king or that rook, other than the fact it is supposed to be Mate in 2.
Those kinds of puzzles suck
Your feelings are irrelevant, captain.
EndgameStudent wrote:
White can mate in 2 moves. 1 Qh5 Bh3,Ke2#
Here's a diagram for 1827 where black has a delaying move to make it a mate in 3 for the solution first move. Houdini gives a multitude of other mate in 3's.
@keralavarma 1. Qh5+ Kg1 2. Ke2+ Bf1 3. Raxf1#(or Qh2#) is a mate in 3 ^_^
Murgen wrote:
I've got the book, it's great but I think there are a few errors in it (problems with more than one solution but only one olution listed at the back).
I noticed this as well. (for example #530 Rf4 & #606 Nf4)
Does anybody know of a list of errata somewhere?
May 12, 2016
0
#19
Remellion wrote:
It is a convention that in a problem, if it looks like a side can castle, then that side can castle unless you can prove the king or rook must have moved previously in all legal games leading to that position.
It is a written convention, in the Codex of Chess Composition. Much like how white always moves first in a game of chess. And also how white moves first if a problem is just "Mate in x" where no side to move is given. (Unless of course you can prove that black cannot have made the last move...)
That makes a lot of sense but I have found at least one exception in this book, Problem 1976:
Hey there, I've just acquired the well known Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games by Lazslo Polgar, and I'm puzzled (hah!) by puzzle # 323.
The solutions index states 1.Nd5 as the correct solution, but I think 1.Qd6 also works, since if 1... b6 2.Qd5# and 1...Ka5 2.Qc5#. I can't seem to find any errata anywhere on the web, so help me out chess.com: Am I missing anything?
(White to move, Mate in 2)