White to move. Can you find a checkmate in 4 for White WITHOUT using computer?
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1.Nd8+ Ka8
2.b7+ Kxa7
3.Nc6+ Ka6
4.b8N#
1. Nd8+ Ka8 (if 1. … Ka6 2. a8=Q#)
2. b7+ Kxa7
3. Nec6+ Ka6
4. b8=N#
easy =) Just take a knight insted of a queen with the b pawn
1) Nd8+ Ka8
2) b7+ Kxa7
3) Nec6+ Ka6
4) b8 = N#
underpromotion for mate
1. Kt-Q8 ch K-R1
2. P-Kt7 ch KxRP
3. Kt(K7)-B6 ch K-R6
4. P-Kt8(Kt) mate
~old style Descriptive notation, not used by chess programs (or shouldn’t …)
oops, mentally switching between Descriptive and Algebraic notation gives me a headache!
1. Kt-Q8 ch K-R1
2. P-Kt7 ch KxRP
3. Kt(K7)-B6 ch K-R3 (3rd rank relative for Black!)
4. P-Kt8 = Kt Mate
Plus all those wacky knights makes this more like an equestrian event than chess!
1. Nd8+ Ka8(Ka6 2. a8=Q++) 2. b7+ Ka7 3. Nec6+ Ka6 4. b8=N++
1.Nd8+ Ka8
(if 1…Ka6 then 2.a8=Q#)
2.b7+ Kxa7
3.N7c6+ Ka6
4.b8=N#
This isn’t that hard. The first two moves are obvious for white, and even the third move is obvious if you want to hold on to the b-pawn. The first move has to be Nd8- I simply can’t imagine any other beginning:
1. Nd8 Ka8 (Ka6 2.a8Q#)
And now, because of exposed white king, I would look at the only available check before looking at anything else:
2. b7 Ka7
3. Nec6
Of course, Ndc6 just drops the b-pawn, and is a likely draw since I don’t think black can win the Q vs 2N ending. Continuing:
3. …..Ka6
4. b8(N)#
The hardest move to find, I suppose, but even as bad as I am with knights, the under-promotion was the first thing I looked at.
Black’s new(?) queen can’t get back in time to stop the stampede.
Thanks for the nice puzzle! It was fun to solve.
1. Nd8+ Ka8
(… Ka6 2. a8=R#)
2. b7+ Kxa7
3. Nec6+ Ka6
4. b8=N#
I did use a computer, but only to see the diagram on this site. 😉
I think I see it-
1.Nd8+ Ka8 2.b7+ Kxa7 3.N7c6+ Ka6 4.pN8(N) mate!
Kamalakanta
1.Nd8+ Ka8
(1…Ka6 2.a8=Q#)
2.b7+ Kxa7 3.Nec6+ Ka6 4.b8=N#
Full source:
Robert Sinclair BRIEGER, The Joy of Mate, 1985, mirrored.
Why not search and add references?