Larry Evans on chess: Marcel Duchamp’s vexing problem
August 10, 2008
“There is no solution, because there is no problem,” quipped Marcel Duchamp. In a recent issue of The Sienese Shredder, Francis Neumann discussed this diagram composed by Duchamp for a New York exhibition in 1943.
Many years ago Neumann also submitted it to my column in Chess Life, offering a reward of $15 to anyone who either could solve it or prove there was no possible solution. “I have since subjected this problem to the most powerful computers and I am now convinced that Duchamp has given us, in effect, a problem with no solution.”
The position was accompanied by an image of a Cupid with a bow and arrow. “Closer examination revealed that something is printed on the opposite side of the paper: below Duchamp’s signature in red ink one can faintly read the words ‘White to Play and Win.’ To chess enthusiasts this phrase can mean only one thing: a problem to solve in which White is instructed to move first and eventually win the game,” continued Neumann.
Duchamp presents us with a hint of its solution: a Cupid aiming his arrow. Cupid is, of course, the mythological god of love and his arrow is usually aimed in the direction of an amorous target; a direct hit can cause the recipient to fall deeply and blindly in love.
Here is the full story.
Judging from the board setup in the picture, Duchamp was playing Fischer Random Chess – before it was invented!
But the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel online doesn’t have an illustration of the position either. That’s not a problem without a solution; that’s teasing without pleasing.
The puzzle — and an analysis of it — is at this link .
“Anonymous said…
Judging from the board setup in the picture, Duchamp was playing Fischer Random Chess – before it was invented!”
No, it was his Alzheimers acting up.
“That’s not a problem without a solution; that’s teasing without pleasing.”
Actually if you look at his face carefully, you will see the satisfied visage of an old man who just farted.