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Brilliant Checkmate


White to move. Can you find the fastest checkmate combination? Posted by Picasa

Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar

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12 Comments

  1. Anonymous Reply

    The best I could come up with is:
    1. Re7+ Kh6
    2. Qg7+ Kh5
    3. Qxh7+ Kg5
    4. f4+ Qxf4
    5. h4+ Kf5
    6. Qf7+ Kg4
    7. Qxf4+ kh5
    8. Rh7#

    Seems long though…

  2. Anonymous Reply

    Why say “I”, when it’s obviously your chess program solving this one?

    Susan, may I recommend posting strategy problems, instead of tactics?

  3. Vohaul Reply

    i don’t think, the first variation is a silicon one … it’s too long 🙂

    1.Re7+ Kh6
    2.Qg7+ Kh5
    3.g4+ Kg5 (3….Kh4 5.Qh6#
    4.Qe5+ Kh6 (4…Kh4 5.Rxh7#)
    5.g5+ Kh5
    6.Rxh7#

    by the way:
    2…. Kg5
    3.h4+ Kf5 (3….Kg4 4.f3+ Kf5 5.Qe5#; 3….Kh5 4.Qxh7+ Kg4 5.Qxg6#)
    4.Qe5+ Kg4

    no silicon variations, but i used a real chess board, which might be allowed for real chess players?

    greetungs, Vohaul
    5.Qg5#

  4. Anonymous Reply

    That was inspiring vohaul! I’ll have to make place for a chess board next to my comp, cause of your post!

  5. Anonymous Reply

    A question: why couldn’t the computer find the fastest checkmate? Is something wrong with the algorythms? Or maybe my pc is not good, it can’t find?

  6. I lind Reply

    It’s mate in 8.
    Vohaul must have missed
    the black queen. Checked
    with my program, there is
    no short solution.

    So anonymous computer was
    right..

  7. fun chess Reply

    1. Re7+ Kh6
    2. Qg7+ Kg5
    3. h4+

    -either-
    3. … Kg4
    4. f3+ Kf5
    5. Qe5++

    -or-

    3. … Qxh4
    4. gxQ+ Kxh4
    4. Qf6+ Kg4
    6. f3+ Kh5
    7. Rxh7++

    -or-

    1. Re7+ Kh6
    2. Qg7+ Kh5
    3. Qxh7+ Kg5
    4. h4+ Kg4 (4…Qxh4 5.QxQ+ Kf5 6.Qf4++)
    5. f3+ Kf5
    6. g4+ Kf4
    7. Qh6+ g5
    8. Qf6++

  8. fun chess Reply

    -or-

    1. Re7+ Kh6
    2. Qg7+ Kh5
    3. Qxh7+ Kg5
    4. f4+ Qxf4
    5. h4+ Qxh4
    6. QxQ+ Kf5
    7. Qf4++

    -or-

    1. Re7+ Kh6
    2. Qg7+ Kh5
    3. Qxh7+ Kg5
    4. f4+ Qxf4
    5. h4+ Kf5
    6. Qf7+ Kg4
    7. Qxg6+ Qg5
    8. Qxg5++

    [in addition to the solution already supplied by anonymous]

  9. Vinay Reply

    Re7+ and qg7+ is easy. Its also not too bad to find the rest of the moves. Please dont use comps. There is no point, and no fun.

    – Vinay

  10. fun chess Reply

    vinay and Susan are right, if you use computers, what’s the point?

  11. Vohaul Reply

    oh oh – i concede that i’ve missed these useful queen sacrificing variations which protract the mate to eight moves.

    As a practical player i’m used to think pragmatic – for sure … 🙂

    greetings, Vohaul

  12. Wizard Reply

    I think it should be 6 moves:

    1. Re7+ Kh6
    2. Qg7+ Kh5
    3. Qe5+ g5
    4. Rxh7+ Kg6
    5. Rg7+ Kh5
    6. Qxg5#

    or
    3. … Kh6
    4. g5+ Kh5
    5. Rxh7#

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