Don't check the analysis until you've made your guess, but here it is:
Surprising Custom Chess Positions
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What's particularly cool about the above puzzle is if at any point in time white captures the queen (that's threatened twice!), white can kiss his drawing chances goodbye... I'll be posting more puzzles/positions eventually.
The line starting 1...Qxh4 ends 4. b8=Q Qxb8 stalemate.
Why doesn't Black just play 4...Rf8 instead?
caveatcanis schreef:
The line starting 1...Qxh4 ends 4. b8=Q Qxb8 stalemate.
Why doesn't Black just play 4...Rf8 instead?
5. Qa7 spoils it for black. Unless 5... Qd6 works but it doesn't look great.
After 4... Qd7 white can play 5.Qa7 as well, but I am a bit troubled by 4... Bd3 5.Qxd8+ Kc4 6.d5+ Bxe4 7.dxe6 Looks complicated; black has a trump on b4.
Arisktotle wrote:
caveatcanis schreef:
The line starting 1...Qxh4 ends 4. b8=Q Qxb8 stalemate.
Why doesn't Black just play 4...Rf8 instead?
5. Qa7 spoils it for black. Unless 5... Qd6 works but it doesn't look great.
Yes, after 5.Qa7, white is attacking the a5 pawn and the c5 square. It is at this point black is banging his head on the table wishing he'd have accepted the stalemate ^_^
RedTatsu256 schreef:
Arisktotle wrote:
caveatcanis schreef:
The line starting 1...Qxh4 ends 4. b8=Q Qxb8 stalemate.
Why doesn't Black just play 4...Rf8 instead?
5. Qa7 spoils it for black. Unless 5... Qd6 works but it doesn't look great.
Yes, after 5.Qa7, white is attacking the a5 pawn and the c5 square. It is at this point black is banging his head on the table wishing he'd have accepted the stalemate ^_^
What about 4... Bd3? (see my edited comment above)
Arisktotle wrote:
RedTatsu256 schreef:
Arisktotle wrote:
caveatcanis schreef:
The line starting 1...Qxh4 ends 4. b8=Q Qxb8 stalemate.
Why doesn't Black just play 4...Rf8 instead?
5. Qa7 spoils it for black. Unless 5... Qd6 works but it doesn't look great.
Yes, after 5.Qa7, white is attacking the a5 pawn and the c5 square. It is at this point black is banging his head on the table wishing he'd have accepted the stalemate ^_^
What about 4... Bd3? (see my edited comment above)
Great question, I'll review the engine analysis immediately! Although it seems intuitively that White is just fine here...
So apparently, in the stalemate line, 4...Bb3?? is losing terribly to 5. Qxd8+ followed by 6.d5+!
whoops wait, I misread... You said d3 not b3 lol sorry hang on!!
DELETED; hanging on!
7.fxe4 is what you missed, Arisktotle.
RedTatsu256 schreef:
7.fxe4 is what you missed, Arisktotle.
I guess that is the best move; after 7... Rxf4 8.dxc6 white should win. OK, it works!
Here's a puzzle that is unique from any I've ever seen (and hopefully from any you've ever seen too!):
Nice puzzle, icy. The ending made me lol because I didn't read the caption first.
Here's another one!
2. ... Bb2+ is less spectacular but it wins as well. I suppose you want the shortest mate but in that case you should put up maximum resistance with 4. f8N+ which leaves black with a choice of correct king moves
RedTatsu256 schreef:
Here's a puzzle that is unique from any I've ever seen (and hopefully from any you've ever seen too!):
Re #14: I do not recall a double bishop promotion in an endgame but I suspect it is there. There are so many underpromotions in engame studies! In direct mates there are more spectacular examples like the Babson task collection with 2 Q promotions, 2 R promotions, 2 B promotions and 2 N promotions in one #4 - in different variations of course. A friend of mine even made one with an extra knight promotion.
Arisktotle wrote:
Re #14: I do not recall a double bishop promotion in an endgame but I suspect it is there.
And if 2.hxg8=N, the mate takes five moves longer.
Arisktotle wrote:
2. ... Bb2+ is less spectacular but it wins as well. I suppose you want the shortest mate but in that case you should put up maximum resistance with 4. f8N+ which leaves black with a choice of correct king moves
You're correct, the idea is to find the quickest path to victory. I admitted in the analysis the knight promotion is technically better as it prolongs defeat. But "Here, have a queen" sounded so enticing I had to go with the queen promotion ^_^.
Who has what it takes to put together a fantastic puzzle/position with either a surprising result or some sort of 1-move-shocker? (Using other people's puzzles/positions or using an engine to decipher someone else's puzzle/position is lame!)
Test your thinking ability on the following White to Move puzzle I put together and post your interpretation. Also post your own puzzle/position as well!