Fairy Chess Problem

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Avatar of pompom

There are many types of chess problems.  Most of these are to mate in a specific amount of moves.  Some of these can also be helpmates (both players work together to achieve checkmate) and selfmates (white tries to force black to checkmate white).

Fairy Problems include different rules, different boards, different pieces, and different goals.

Since this is the first one (that I saw) I'll make it an easy one.

This problem uses a cylinder board, which means the a and h files are connected.  The 1st and 8th ranks are not connected.  So for example, 1. b3 e5?? would be a mistake because white could just take the queen.  White's bishop goes from c1-b2-a3, then continues on to h4, g5, f6, e7, and finally at d8 where white takes the queen.

So now that you understand the rules, here's the problem (white to move and mate in 4, easy)

Avatar of TheGrobe

The bishop on c4 is protecting the rook on h7.  The problem is that I'm not seeing checkmate once the king moves to g8, simply drawing the rook back to any square on the h-file for checkmate by discovered check from the bishop doesn't work because of a6.

Avatar of TheGrobe

But a6 defends against mate.

Avatar of pompom

lol my mistake, didn't see that.  I'll have to fix that.

Avatar of pompom

Alright, well, it's fixed.  I hope...

Avatar of pompom

This is just a simple demonstration of a fairy chess problem.  I may put more (better) puzzles in this thread.  I have not seen a problem of this type on chess.com (tell me the link if you have seen a puzzle like this on chess.com) so just wanted to start a thread on it.

Avatar of gjcaesarxiii

You do know that white can get mate in 2 moves right? 3 moves tops. White moves Queen to H5 then if black moves bishob to f5 take it with pawn from e4 to f5, whatever move black does next is irrelevent as when white moves the queen to h7 next turn and takes out blacks knight its a checkmate.

Avatar of shoopi

What about 1. Rxh7+ 1... Kg8 2. Rh8+ 2... Kxh8 3. Qh5+?

Avatar of pompom
shoopi wrote:

What about 1. Rxh7+ 1... Kg8 2. Rh8+ 2... Kxh8 3. Qh5+?


If 3. Qh5, black would play 3... Ka7.

Avatar of shoopi

As I suspected :)

Avatar of doodinthemood

Not a big fan of Fairy Puzzles. They seem so detached from real chess that you have to get your head around a load of new rules and ideas before you start doing anything meaningful. It took me a good 5 minutes to drum up a mate in 1:

Avatar of shoopi

Funny... I suppose that the solution is 1. Qa8# (double check?)

These fairy chess problems are kinda funky.

Avatar of doodinthemood

Nope, because 1.Qa8+? can be met with Qxa8

The answer is 1. Qc8#

Avatar of pompom

Interesting example.

Here's another problem (also in cylinder chess).

How many moves mate in one, and what are the moves?

Avatar of shoopi

Qg8 - Qh8 - Qa8 - Qh6 - Nf6 - Nxa5 - Rh8

I think this is it.

Avatar of pompom

Qa8 isn't checkmate - the king could go to g7.

My puzzle's actually kind of flawed - there is supposed to be a pawn on f5.  Here is the position:

Avatar of pompom

The only difference is that white can take en passant over the edge of the board.

hxa6#

Avatar of shoopi

I see what you did there. Man this fairy thing is funky.

Avatar of pompom

Well, time to move on to the next variant.

Hmm... how about bughouse? (if you don't know the rules look it up)

White to move, mate in 2.

White pieces in hand: Q B P

Avatar of TheGrobe

Black has no pieces in hand?