| From | Message |
Posted by justawful
uskidscompute.com
5/19/2003
12:30:25
Play online chess |  Subject: Seemingly Impossible
Message:
Here is a chess puzzle that was shown to me in which I was unable to find a solution. I deemed it impossible until I was shown the solution. The setup is as follows:
Black King on A7
Black Rook on A8
White Pawn on B7
White King on B5
White Rook on C7
There are no other pawns or pieces on the board.
It is White's move and White has Mate in 1. I repeat, white to move and MATE IN 1.
Let me warn you that there is a trick to this, and the mate would not be allowed under today's rules. This puzzle was apparently contrived by Tartakower less than 100 years ago.
Good luck.
|
Posted by chessnovice
uskidscompute.com
5/19/2003
16:28:28
Play online chess | ...
Message:
I'll admit I don't know. But I could come up with two guesses.
1. b8, and promote to an Admiral (former queen). I doubt this because I never read any rules that a king isn't allowed to capture an Admiral.
1. c8, and promote to Queen. Maybe the pawn used to be allowed to move diagonally without needing a piece to capture? I never read such a rule, but maybe...
I don't know.
|
Posted by gambitnut
uskidscompute.com
5/19/2003
16:44:43
Play online chess | I know the answer ...
Message:
... if you want to think about it some more, don't scroll down.
The rule used to be that you could promote to ANY piece, of EITHER COLOR so white checkmates by moving the pawn to b8 and promoting to a BLACK knight.
———
Chess Notes — And now for some unconventional chess. This game is Panchanathan v. Sadorra, played in the University of Texas-Dallas International, a Scheveningen tourney in which teams play each other and register both individual and team results. But who are these chess players, relative unknowns suddenly in the spotlight? Magesh Panchanathan, playing White in this game, is a 21-year-old Indian student at UTD who recently tied for first in the Philadelphia World Open and won norms sufficient to give him grandmaster status. His opponent, Julio Sadorra, is a Philippine who became a GM by virtue of his unusual wins in this chess contest. The game is from the fourth round in which Sadorra shows ...
|
Posted by chessnovice
uskidscompute.com
5/19/2003
16:45:55
Play online chess | ....
Message:
Ah, ok.
That makes sense.
———
Armenia makes chess compulsory in schools — Armenia is to make chess a compulsory subject in primary schools in an attempt to turn itself into a global force in the game, the education ministry said on Friday. "Teaching chess in schools will create a solid basis for the country to become a chess superpower," an official at the ministry, Arman Aivazian, told AFP. The authorities led by President Serzh Sarkisian, an enthusiastic supporter of the game of chess, have committed around $1.5 million (one million euros) to the scheme -- a large sum in the impoverished but chess-mad country. Children from the age of six will learn chess as a separate subject on the curriculum for two hours a week. Aivazian said ...
|
Posted by skeeterss0
uskidscompute.com
5/19/2003
17:22:39
Play online chess | thats cool......
Message:
but wondering how often you promote to your opponents color
———
Paranoia served Fischer well on chess board — Bobby Fischer was characteristically defensive and even conspiratorial. His anti-Semitic theories, for one, were off-the-wall. But his fears weren't always so patently without merit, as when he claimed that the "Russians" had tried to rig a chess tournament against him by accepting quick and easy draws against one another. His dread of journalists was motivated by grievous experiences at the hands of a sensationalistic press. His quirky, outspoken manner made him an easy, if not appetizing, target. Fischer clearly was aware of the issue of paranoia. During an appearance on Dick Cavett's talk show in 1971, Fischer looked over his shoulder and declared humorously: "The paranoids are ...
|
Posted by gambitnut
uskidscompute.com
5/19/2003
18:07:01
Play online chess | The book I have with this problem ...
Message:
... gives a second, similar problem.
Black King on E8
Black Rook on A8
Black Bishop on G1
White King on H1
White Pawn on F2
White Pawn on G2
Given that black has not moved their king, can they castle?
———
For World Chess Champion, Two Uncommon Losses — Except for the world’s top chess players, few people ever have the chance to play a world chess champion. The exceptions are simultaneous exhibitions, where the champion will play 20 or 30 people at a time. Even then, though the champion has a bit of a handicap, it is a potentially intimidating experience. Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion, who continues to give simuls, is so competitive that he hates to even yield a draw. Since he became world chess champion in 1985 and retired in 2005, he has rarely lost. Viswanathan Anand of India, the current titleholder, does not have Kasparov’s fire, but he would not be champion if he were not exceptionally competitive. It must have been a bit of ...
|
Posted by chessnovice
uskidscompute.com
5/19/2003
22:12:02
Play online chess | My answer
Message:
Only if black hasn't moved the rook, either.
———
Luke McShane tangles with The Spider at summit of British chess — Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky, then Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov, have been famous enduring rivalries at the summit of world chess, and the English game acquired its own version when Michael Adams and Nigel Short contested the UK No1 spot for most of the 1990s. Short was ahead when he challenged for Kasparov's world title in 1993, then later Adams narrowly beat Short in the 1997 world semi-final. The pair remained England's two best chess grandmasters for a further decade, with Adams ranked higher, though most of their individual meetings were drawn. Now Short is a chess veteran at 45 and Luke McShane is the new contender. Adams is rated around 2720, world ...
|
Posted by gambitnut
uskidscompute.com
5/19/2003
22:22:30
Play online chess | Yes, the point is ...
Message:
... the only way black could castle is if it is their move and white just moved. What was white's last move? The only possible last move would have been to promote a pawn into that rook on a8! So, the question is, can that rook be said to have moved?
|
Posted by gambitnut
uskidscompute.com
5/19/2003
22:36:32
Play online chess | To confuse you even more, ...
Message:
... suppose before white's last move there was a black rook which hadn't moved yet on a8 and a white pawn on b7. If white were to for some reason promote their pawn by taking the unmoved black rook and replace the pawn with a black rook, can the rook be said to have moved? And, therefore, can black castle?
|
Posted by chessnovice
uskidscompute.com
5/19/2003
22:38:03
Play online chess | ...
Message:
Argh. I just can't comprehend the idea of going through the effort of promoting just to give your opponent a piece.
|
Posted by justawful
uskidscompute.com
5/20/2003
08:22:37
Play online chess | Loopholes
Message:
It would seem as though Tartakower had found a "loophole" in the rules of chess (must've been a lawyer) in order to create this puzzle. I doubt the rules were set up so that you could promote a pawn to an opponents piece. However, at the time, the rules stated a pawn could be promoted to any piece except a King. Interpreted "literally", that would mean that you could promote to a piece of the opposite color. It's doubtful this was ever done in any game, but as we can see, until the rule was more clearly defined, it was possible to create some interesting possibilities.
|
Posted by rubicox
uskidscompute.com
5/22/2003
17:11:51
Play online chess | lol
Message:
they should keep the rule just for these frequent occasions :)
|
Posted by caldazar
uskidscompute.com
5/22/2003
18:34:16
Play online chess | gambitnut
Message:
If a player were to have promoted to rook of his opponent's color, the rook would not be considered to have moved so castling would be permitted.
This came up in another exploitation of the old rules (unfortunately, I can no longer find the exact story; I read it a long time ago). A player set up a mate in 2 puzzle on the chessboard and bet other players that they could not solve it. The solution was 1. e8=R and 2. O-O-O-O-O-O# (king on e1 to e3, rook on e8 to e2). FIDE has long since ammended the rules to state that castling can only occur when both the king and rook move along the same rank.
|