Level
4-Rook
Chess Diagram
[Event "Puzzle #204"][Date "2012.10.13"][Result "0-1"][SetUp "1"][FEN "3r1r1k/1b4p1/pb5p/2ppPp1q/2p1nP2/2P1BN1N/PPQ3PP/3R1R1K b - - 0 1"]
Welcome to a new semester for this solving competition! We are going to get off the ground with a nice position riped for a great idea. It is Black's turn to move and you have to:
a) Analyse the position and determine who stands better
b) Find the great idea waiting to be discovered for Black and provide the best variation for it
Total available points for this puzzle is 20. The answers will be published next week together with puzzle #205.
Puzzle #203 solution:
My comments:
The challenge puzzle for the summer of 2012 should have given you an opportunity to read about chess history and more precisely about the times of arab and persian manuscripts. Mansubat means chess study or puzzle and it is interesting to note they were published more than a thousand years ago.
This is a mansubat by Al-Adli. In order to solve it we needed to learn from history how the pieces moved at that time. The rules different from today and important to use in this case were:
1. Firzan (Queen) was allowed to move only to the next square in every diagonal
2. Fils (Bishops) were allowed to move only two squares diagonally and could leap like a Knight over a piece in the way
3. The baidaqs (pawns) were allowed to move always only one square at the time
Using these rules it is now easy to find the long mate used by White to win:
[Event "Puzzle #203"][Date "2012.06.27"][Result "1-0"][SetUp "1"][FEN "rnb1kbnr/p2ppppp/1pp5/4NN2/2Q5/2K1B3/8/8 w kq - 0 1"]1.Nxg7+ Kd8 2.Nxf7+ Kc7 3.Ne8+ Kb7 4.Nd8# {The complete line given is 4... Ka6 5.Nc7+ Ka5 6.Nb7+ Ka4 7.Qb3+ Ka3 8.Bc1#}
Correct solutions:
The only 2 students who actually did some research and solved the puzzle correctly were Ziyao and Daniel. Congratulations to both!
a) Analyse the position and determine who stands better
b) Find the great idea waiting to be discovered for Black and provide the best variation for it
Total available points for this puzzle is 20. The answers will be published next week together with puzzle #205.
Puzzle #203 solution:
My comments:
The challenge puzzle for the summer of 2012 should have given you an opportunity to read about chess history and more precisely about the times of arab and persian manuscripts. Mansubat means chess study or puzzle and it is interesting to note they were published more than a thousand years ago.
This is a mansubat by Al-Adli. In order to solve it we needed to learn from history how the pieces moved at that time. The rules different from today and important to use in this case were:
1. Firzan (Queen) was allowed to move only to the next square in every diagonal
2. Fils (Bishops) were allowed to move only two squares diagonally and could leap like a Knight over a piece in the way
3. The baidaqs (pawns) were allowed to move always only one square at the time
Using these rules it is now easy to find the long mate used by White to win:
[Event "Puzzle #203"][Date "2012.06.27"][Result "1-0"][SetUp "1"][FEN "rnb1kbnr/p2ppppp/1pp5/4NN2/2Q5/2K1B3/8/8 w kq - 0 1"]1.Nxg7+ Kd8 2.Nxf7+ Kc7 3.Ne8+ Kb7 4.Nd8# {The complete line given is 4... Ka6 5.Nc7+ Ka5 6.Nb7+ Ka4 7.Qb3+ Ka3 8.Bc1#}
Correct solutions:
The only 2 students who actually did some research and solved the puzzle correctly were Ziyao and Daniel. Congratulations to both!
Knight's power