but white picks the method... so it's a computer response.
None of white's moves are best, true, they are all mat01, but one (equally bad) move can be picked, I think.
A problem arises if the player has to make a choice which is ambiguous, or if the computer is playing sub-optimally.
Thankyou xdimkx . I had to put a white pawn on d4 to prevent Re5! which was also winning.
47th puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=124707
jbzdarkid can you suggest a move list where black has only 1 winning move each time (a TT user would play as black) ? The position provided some interesting variations.
46th puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=439739
45th puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=173409
44th puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=435831 with an absolutely stunning first move
43rd puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=328461
42nd puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=97282
Thankyou Powerlevel_9001
48th puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=463489
49th puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=102951 longer version of the above sideline with a stunning first move !!
50th puzzle! http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=472309 sideline
27th puzzle shoopi's http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=412215 will be hard to beat.
The trouble with high rated problems though is that very few people get to see them soI think its worth having a short easy version, with a link to the hard version in the comments section. I probably ought to do this for shoopi's problem.
Bf5 is such a hard move to find I felt the problem requiring this would climb too high and be seen by very few users. I shall look at the rating of the two problems once they've stabilised to see whether to delete one.
Here's a nice endgame that could have happened in one of my online games (http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=55470842 if white plays 35. Qb3-
g3+?) If 3.Kf1 then 3...Kd2 and black queens first.The only slight problem I see here is wherher after 3.g4 Kd2 4.g5 e3 5.g6 e2 6.g7 e1Q 7.g8Q gives black a large enough advantage to be an alternative, it which case the problem would have to stop after Ke3.
If this isnt the case the problem could continue a few moves with 4.Kf2 Kxg4 5.Ke3 Kf5.
Occasionally I come across a lovely puzzle in the approver pool of problems.
http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=55318
This problem is ripe for sideline/variation puzzles.
Feel free to explore these, and if you come across any unambiguous ones please post diagrams under the problem in much the same way I have done for shoopi’s problem below
http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=412215
Inspired by xdimkx’s suggestion, three more puzzles that shoopi will be glad to see
54th puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=354559
53rd puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=190601
52nd puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=201189
piphilologist, I’ll have a look at your puzzle tomorrow.
Powerlevel_9001
51st puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=213481
is an even shorter version to reach the masses
piphilologist, unfortunately 2...Ke5 is a winning alternative to 2...Ke3. I tried adding a white pawn on d4 to prevent 2...Ke5 but the position ends up pretty equal. In general its best to avoid an easy start to a puzzle as this can lead to a low problem rating with low pass percentage, with lower rated users being given a problem too difficult for them.
3....Kf4! would be a lovely starting move for a problem but unfortunately whatever white's fourth move, black has a variety of ways to win so the problem could only be 1 move long.
piphilologist, unfortunately 2...Ke5 is a winning alternative to 2...Ke3. I tried adding a white pawn on d4 to prevent 2...Ke5 but the position ends up pretty equal. In general its best to avoid an easy start to a puzzle as this can lead to a low problem rating with low pass percentage, with lower rated users being given a problem too difficult for them.
3....Kf4! would be a lovely starting move for a problem but unfortunately whatever white's fourth move, black has a variety of ways to win so the problem could only be 1 move long.
Yes, unfortunately the black pawn advantage on the other side of the board means that there are other winning moves. So I thought maybe if those queenside pawns were removed there would be a unique solution if only the K+P vs K ending wasn't drawn. The K+P vs K ending would be won if there was another e-pawn, so removing the queenside pawns and adding a pawn on e5 gives this position. I have checked with an endgame tablebase and these are the only black moves that win. It is easy to use the endgame tablebase at this site-->http://www.k4it.de/index.php?topic=egtb&lang=en
piphilologist, I take my hat off to you for your hard work and persistence. The puzzle would be perfect...except...the puzzle has to start with a move by white... I hope there is a way of fixing the problem because I like this endgame puzzle.
(a sad face)
ps. if you always start with the computer move for your diagram, the FEN of the diagram will be correct and allow be to copy/paste the FEN/movelist effortlessly into a problem, saving me having to create my own diagram.
piphilologist, I take my hat off to you for your hard work and persistence. The puzzle would be perfect...except...the puzzle has to start with a move by white... I hope there is a way of fixing the problem because I like this endgame puzzle. (a sad face)
ps. if you always start with the computer move for your diagram, the FEN of the diagram will be correct and allow be to copy/paste the FEN/movelist effortlessly into a problem, saving me having to create my own diagram.
Start with the same first move by white as the original, pawn on f2 takes queen on g3. I will remember to put the computer move on the diagram in future.
Of course ! I forgot about the queen exchange...phew
Despite a traumatic delivery, your offspring has been released into the world...
55th puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=341841
Thankyou Gopacklittlebro,
I removed the f6 knight to prevent alternative mate in 5 and mate in 6 solutions which would make the problem ambiguous. Unfortunately the problem would only be 1 move long because 2.Qxf1+ still leads to mate. 1 move problems are difficult for tactics trainer to give an appropriate rating. However mate was forced 1 move earlier if you take away white's f3 pawn (variation 1) providing a challenging puzzle, and black's defense blunder on move 17 provides some more puzzles.
variations :
56th puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=461789
The change in queenside pawn structure prevents there from being any advantageous alternative to mating white.
another
57th puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=373945
More variations. Black's correct 17th move should have been 17...Ne8!
59th puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=371733
17....Nf8?? as in the game allows
58th puzzle http://www.chess.com/tactics/server.html?id=450629
Help needed please with your approved problems.
Please add a link to the source game if available as a comment in tactics trainer under the problem.
If the problem is complex, and you are able, please also post some computer analysis as a comment. If you're able to do this for other people's problems, I'm sure they would be very grateful, as would I.
A perfect example would be :
Analysis by...(whatever engine you used)
1. ... Nxd5
1. -+ (-2.69): 1...Nxd5 2.0-0 Nc7 3.Ng3 0-0 4.Ne4 Be6 5.c4 Be7 6.b4 Nd7 7.Bg5 Bxg5 8.Nxg5 Rad8 9.Bb3 Qc6 10.Ne4 f5
2. +/= (0.38): 1...Qd8 2.Bg5 Be6 3.Bxf6 gxf6 4.0-0 Bf8 5.c4 Nd7 6.Ng3 Bxd5 7.cxd5 Qb6 8.Rb1
3. +/= (0.45): 1...Qa5+ 2.b4 Qd8 3.Bg5 Be6 4.0-0 Nbd7 5.Nxf6+ Nxf6 6.Bxe6 fxe6 7.c4 0-0 8.Ng3 a5 9.Ne4 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Re1 Bh4 12.g3 Bg5 13.Qg4
Not only am I unable to do this with the Arena platform I use, it appears to be very time consuming to do this for every move.
Game: http://www.chess.com/livechess/game.html?id=326222434, but move the g pawn to g3.
White plays 22.Rxb7. Black to move...
jbzdarkid