Here are the puzzles for the 2009 SPNI Puzzle Solving Championship (which took place at 7 pm last night). How long does it take you to solve all 10 puzzles (and correctly)? 🙂
Feel free post your answers for all 10 puzzles. The participants are given 30 minutes to write out all the complete answers. The one who solves the most correct in the least amount of time wins!
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Susan Polgar
July 28, 2009
Chess Research, SPICE / Webster, Susan's Personal Blog, Women's Chess
21 Comments
Ok, took me 20 minutes, no board, but here goes:
1.Rd7#
2.Na6#
3.h8N#
4.Qd6
5.d8N+
6.Ra6
7.Rxa6+
8.Qe8+
9.Rc8
10.Qc6+
is there a soultion for puzzle4 , I can’t see it (in two moves!!).
Qxb6
Qxb6
Qxb6 and Rc3 mate
Yes, think to zugzwang !
Yes, there is a solution, ano 1.
I think this is a problem composed by Euwe (?) when he was young and it is not easy to see.
Think of it as a chess problem not a real game mating line perhaps you’ll find then…
These exercices were doable but much harder than those solving exercices given the last time (which were quite easy), I had to take some time (about 3 minutes or so) to solve them all though I knew two of them (4 and 6).
Thanks for the problems, was fun to solve them. And I hope I do not have solved anything wrong now. 🙂
Did the first 6 in about 10 minutes, but #7 alone took me 15. (It was harder for me than #8 and #9.) Finished the rest in 20 minutes, but had to get out a board for #10. Less than an hour — not too bad.
Here’s my solution to #10:
1. Qc6 Kxe7
2. Re1 Kf7
3. Be6 Ke7
4. Bg8 Ne6
5. Rxe6#
the whole thing without looking at the screen without writing took me 90 seconds…. (btw, Im an IM)
I cant solve number four.
#6 was cute.
The first 6 took me less than a minute. The next 2 took me about 2minutes, and the last 2 took almost 20.
For 4. 1. Qxb6 d6. Think harder.
On puzzle four for the anonymous commenter and some of the proposed solutions- Qb6 is not the answer since black can play d7 and there is no mate on the next move. Qd6 is what you are looking for- it keeps black from creating a space on d7 for the king and leaves black with three options for legal moves- all of which allow for mates by either Qb8, Qa6, or Qd7.
Took me around 45 min.The ones that took most of the time are 5,7 and 10 (in that order).
1)Rd7#
2)Na6#
3)h8N#
4) 1.Qd6 (…cxd6 2.Rc2#; …R any 2.Qxd7; …c6 2.Qb8#; …b5 2.Qa6#)
5) 1.Qa4 Black any 2.c8Q#
6) 1.Ra6 bishop any (…bxa6 2. b7#) 2.Rxa7#
7) 1.Rxa6+ Rxa6 (…Kxa6 2.Qa4#) 2.Qd7+ Kb6 (2….Qb7 3.Qxb7#) 3.c5#
8) 1.Qe8+ Rxe8 2.fxe8Q+ Bxe8 3.Bxd6#
9) 1.Rc8+ Qxc8 2.Qxb6+ Qb7 3.Nc6+ Kc8 4.Qd8#
10) 1.Qc6+ Kxe7 (…Qd7 2.Qxd7#) 2.Re1+ Kf7 (…Ne6 3.Qxe6#) 3.Be6+ Ke7 (…Nxe6 4.Qxe6#) 4.Bg8+ Ne6 5.R(or Q)xe6#
how do we find out how the girls did?
anon – wow you did it without looking at the screen ? im impressed !!
July 28, 2009 8:06:00 AM CDT Anon:
You are also very modest.
“5) 1.Qa4 Black any 2.c8Q#”
Pavan, you are missing one line. In German this is called “fortgesetzte verteidigung” (continued defence would be a word by word translation) by black.
1. Qa4 Zugzwang, Kxa8 or N~ 2. c8Q#
But there is also the “fortgesetzte Verteidigung” 1. -, Nc8! after which white has the compensation mate 2. d8N#.
This is what makes the problem interesting. 🙂
(1. d8N+ as suggested by Jetze does not work – Kxa8 2.?)
Best wishes from Germany
Jochen
PS: Why are the shown posts so curious lately?
When I posted my last comment there was just one readable post (published so far) which is now the second one so Jetze’S post was already written while this post was published but was not published itself.
Susan, do you publish only some posts at once while holding others back (e.g. those with solutions?)?
Would be good to know as an adress as “ano 1” (or referring to post numbers) sometimes may confuse if afterwards another ano’s solution is published before…
The first to finish were the girls from IL and WA, but no idea if they did it correctly.
It took me about 10-15 minutes, not counting the time to write all this down. I did not keep exact track of time.
1) Rd7 mate
2) Na6 mate
3) h8=N mate
4) Qd6!! and if cb6 then 2 Rc8 mate, if 1…b5 then Qa6 mate, if c6 or c5 then Qb8 mate
5) A tricky one Qa4 seems to be the solution. If Nb5, Nc6, or Ka8 then c8=Q mates. If Nc8 then d8=N mates. 1 d8=N as suggested by the first poster fails to 1…Ka8 and White can not mate in the next move
6)Ra6! ba6 (bishop moves Ra7 mate) 2 b7 mate
7) Ra6 if Ka6 then Qa4 mate, if Ra6 then Qd7 Qb7 (Kb6 c5 mate) Qb7 mate.
8) Qe8 Be8 2fe8 Re8 3 Bd6 mate
9) Rc8 Qc8 2 Qb6 Qb7 3 Nc6 Kc8 4 Qd8 mate
10) Qc6 Ke7 2 Re8 Kf7 3 Be6 Ke7 4 bg8 Ne6 5 Qe6 mate minor deviations by Black lead to quicker mates.
-Justin Daniel
Hey Susan, do we have to write down all the sub-variations? Does a player lose credit for leaving one or two out?