4x4 chessboard, bishops and knights are removed, 4 moves to checkmate












13












$begingroup$



Four-by-four chessboard

Bishops and knights are removed

Four moves to checkmate




Minor spoiler:




Many ways to win

I counted nine solutions

But one is special




Source: Me, I think this website needs more haiku :)










share|improve this question











$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    there's not enough room for 8 pawns aside. can i assume 4 pawns a side are missing too?
    $endgroup$
    – SteveV
    Jan 10 at 0:22










  • $begingroup$
    No further comment / Time for explaining is past / Death of the author :-)
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 3:23
















13












$begingroup$



Four-by-four chessboard

Bishops and knights are removed

Four moves to checkmate




Minor spoiler:




Many ways to win

I counted nine solutions

But one is special




Source: Me, I think this website needs more haiku :)










share|improve this question











$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    there's not enough room for 8 pawns aside. can i assume 4 pawns a side are missing too?
    $endgroup$
    – SteveV
    Jan 10 at 0:22










  • $begingroup$
    No further comment / Time for explaining is past / Death of the author :-)
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 3:23














13












13








13





$begingroup$



Four-by-four chessboard

Bishops and knights are removed

Four moves to checkmate




Minor spoiler:




Many ways to win

I counted nine solutions

But one is special




Source: Me, I think this website needs more haiku :)










share|improve this question











$endgroup$





Four-by-four chessboard

Bishops and knights are removed

Four moves to checkmate




Minor spoiler:




Many ways to win

I counted nine solutions

But one is special




Source: Me, I think this website needs more haiku :)







chess poetry






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Jan 10 at 0:21







deep thought

















asked Jan 10 at 0:09









deep thoughtdeep thought

3,1641738




3,1641738












  • $begingroup$
    there's not enough room for 8 pawns aside. can i assume 4 pawns a side are missing too?
    $endgroup$
    – SteveV
    Jan 10 at 0:22










  • $begingroup$
    No further comment / Time for explaining is past / Death of the author :-)
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 3:23


















  • $begingroup$
    there's not enough room for 8 pawns aside. can i assume 4 pawns a side are missing too?
    $endgroup$
    – SteveV
    Jan 10 at 0:22










  • $begingroup$
    No further comment / Time for explaining is past / Death of the author :-)
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 3:23
















$begingroup$
there's not enough room for 8 pawns aside. can i assume 4 pawns a side are missing too?
$endgroup$
– SteveV
Jan 10 at 0:22




$begingroup$
there's not enough room for 8 pawns aside. can i assume 4 pawns a side are missing too?
$endgroup$
– SteveV
Jan 10 at 0:22












$begingroup$
No further comment / Time for explaining is past / Death of the author :-)
$endgroup$
– deep thought
Jan 10 at 3:23




$begingroup$
No further comment / Time for explaining is past / Death of the author :-)
$endgroup$
– deep thought
Jan 10 at 3:23










1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes


















14












$begingroup$

I'm going to assume this is the intended puzzle:




enter image description here
Mate in 4.




Here's one solution (or four, depending on how you count), I think:



Take twice on b3.
B-pawn takes; discovered check.
Queen to a2, mate.


Or in a more common notation:






1. axb3+ Qxb3
2. cxb3+ Kxb3
3. bxa3+ Kc4
4. Qa2#

If 2. - Kb4? instead, then 3. bxc3#


After ruling out pretty much everything else, here are four more solutions: (found the special one before these, but saving it for last in order to maintain dramatic tension..)



Start just like before.
Queen to A2 on move three,
then mate with a pawn





1. axb3+ Qxb3 (again, white can reorder the first two moves)
2. cxb3+ Kxb3
3. Qa2+ Kb4
4. bxc3# (or dxc3#)



And finally, the special one:



Sac queen on d3:
Exclamation marks galore.
Easy mate in two.





1. cxd3+! Rxd3
2. Qxd3+!! Kxd3
3. dxc3+ Kc4
4. Rd4#






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Correct, that's one. Actually, that's two. The original notation can be translated into common notation two ways.
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 1:44










  • $begingroup$
    Changing the second line to "b-pawn takes: discovered check" brings that up to four, even :-)
    $endgroup$
    – Bass
    Jan 10 at 1:50










  • $begingroup$
    That's right, plus the nice one makes five, so you've got most of them!
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 2:06












  • $begingroup$
    ... And now nine. Well done! And extra exclamation points for your notation!!
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 2:44













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1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes








1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









14












$begingroup$

I'm going to assume this is the intended puzzle:




enter image description here
Mate in 4.




Here's one solution (or four, depending on how you count), I think:



Take twice on b3.
B-pawn takes; discovered check.
Queen to a2, mate.


Or in a more common notation:






1. axb3+ Qxb3
2. cxb3+ Kxb3
3. bxa3+ Kc4
4. Qa2#

If 2. - Kb4? instead, then 3. bxc3#


After ruling out pretty much everything else, here are four more solutions: (found the special one before these, but saving it for last in order to maintain dramatic tension..)



Start just like before.
Queen to A2 on move three,
then mate with a pawn





1. axb3+ Qxb3 (again, white can reorder the first two moves)
2. cxb3+ Kxb3
3. Qa2+ Kb4
4. bxc3# (or dxc3#)



And finally, the special one:



Sac queen on d3:
Exclamation marks galore.
Easy mate in two.





1. cxd3+! Rxd3
2. Qxd3+!! Kxd3
3. dxc3+ Kc4
4. Rd4#






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Correct, that's one. Actually, that's two. The original notation can be translated into common notation two ways.
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 1:44










  • $begingroup$
    Changing the second line to "b-pawn takes: discovered check" brings that up to four, even :-)
    $endgroup$
    – Bass
    Jan 10 at 1:50










  • $begingroup$
    That's right, plus the nice one makes five, so you've got most of them!
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 2:06












  • $begingroup$
    ... And now nine. Well done! And extra exclamation points for your notation!!
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 2:44


















14












$begingroup$

I'm going to assume this is the intended puzzle:




enter image description here
Mate in 4.




Here's one solution (or four, depending on how you count), I think:



Take twice on b3.
B-pawn takes; discovered check.
Queen to a2, mate.


Or in a more common notation:






1. axb3+ Qxb3
2. cxb3+ Kxb3
3. bxa3+ Kc4
4. Qa2#

If 2. - Kb4? instead, then 3. bxc3#


After ruling out pretty much everything else, here are four more solutions: (found the special one before these, but saving it for last in order to maintain dramatic tension..)



Start just like before.
Queen to A2 on move three,
then mate with a pawn





1. axb3+ Qxb3 (again, white can reorder the first two moves)
2. cxb3+ Kxb3
3. Qa2+ Kb4
4. bxc3# (or dxc3#)



And finally, the special one:



Sac queen on d3:
Exclamation marks galore.
Easy mate in two.





1. cxd3+! Rxd3
2. Qxd3+!! Kxd3
3. dxc3+ Kc4
4. Rd4#






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Correct, that's one. Actually, that's two. The original notation can be translated into common notation two ways.
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 1:44










  • $begingroup$
    Changing the second line to "b-pawn takes: discovered check" brings that up to four, even :-)
    $endgroup$
    – Bass
    Jan 10 at 1:50










  • $begingroup$
    That's right, plus the nice one makes five, so you've got most of them!
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 2:06












  • $begingroup$
    ... And now nine. Well done! And extra exclamation points for your notation!!
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 2:44
















14












14








14





$begingroup$

I'm going to assume this is the intended puzzle:




enter image description here
Mate in 4.




Here's one solution (or four, depending on how you count), I think:



Take twice on b3.
B-pawn takes; discovered check.
Queen to a2, mate.


Or in a more common notation:






1. axb3+ Qxb3
2. cxb3+ Kxb3
3. bxa3+ Kc4
4. Qa2#

If 2. - Kb4? instead, then 3. bxc3#


After ruling out pretty much everything else, here are four more solutions: (found the special one before these, but saving it for last in order to maintain dramatic tension..)



Start just like before.
Queen to A2 on move three,
then mate with a pawn





1. axb3+ Qxb3 (again, white can reorder the first two moves)
2. cxb3+ Kxb3
3. Qa2+ Kb4
4. bxc3# (or dxc3#)



And finally, the special one:



Sac queen on d3:
Exclamation marks galore.
Easy mate in two.





1. cxd3+! Rxd3
2. Qxd3+!! Kxd3
3. dxc3+ Kc4
4. Rd4#






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$



I'm going to assume this is the intended puzzle:




enter image description here
Mate in 4.




Here's one solution (or four, depending on how you count), I think:



Take twice on b3.
B-pawn takes; discovered check.
Queen to a2, mate.


Or in a more common notation:






1. axb3+ Qxb3
2. cxb3+ Kxb3
3. bxa3+ Kc4
4. Qa2#

If 2. - Kb4? instead, then 3. bxc3#


After ruling out pretty much everything else, here are four more solutions: (found the special one before these, but saving it for last in order to maintain dramatic tension..)



Start just like before.
Queen to A2 on move three,
then mate with a pawn





1. axb3+ Qxb3 (again, white can reorder the first two moves)
2. cxb3+ Kxb3
3. Qa2+ Kb4
4. bxc3# (or dxc3#)



And finally, the special one:



Sac queen on d3:
Exclamation marks galore.
Easy mate in two.





1. cxd3+! Rxd3
2. Qxd3+!! Kxd3
3. dxc3+ Kc4
4. Rd4#







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Jan 10 at 2:53

























answered Jan 10 at 1:21









BassBass

27.7k467170




27.7k467170












  • $begingroup$
    Correct, that's one. Actually, that's two. The original notation can be translated into common notation two ways.
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 1:44










  • $begingroup$
    Changing the second line to "b-pawn takes: discovered check" brings that up to four, even :-)
    $endgroup$
    – Bass
    Jan 10 at 1:50










  • $begingroup$
    That's right, plus the nice one makes five, so you've got most of them!
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 2:06












  • $begingroup$
    ... And now nine. Well done! And extra exclamation points for your notation!!
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 2:44




















  • $begingroup$
    Correct, that's one. Actually, that's two. The original notation can be translated into common notation two ways.
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 1:44










  • $begingroup$
    Changing the second line to "b-pawn takes: discovered check" brings that up to four, even :-)
    $endgroup$
    – Bass
    Jan 10 at 1:50










  • $begingroup$
    That's right, plus the nice one makes five, so you've got most of them!
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 2:06












  • $begingroup$
    ... And now nine. Well done! And extra exclamation points for your notation!!
    $endgroup$
    – deep thought
    Jan 10 at 2:44


















$begingroup$
Correct, that's one. Actually, that's two. The original notation can be translated into common notation two ways.
$endgroup$
– deep thought
Jan 10 at 1:44




$begingroup$
Correct, that's one. Actually, that's two. The original notation can be translated into common notation two ways.
$endgroup$
– deep thought
Jan 10 at 1:44












$begingroup$
Changing the second line to "b-pawn takes: discovered check" brings that up to four, even :-)
$endgroup$
– Bass
Jan 10 at 1:50




$begingroup$
Changing the second line to "b-pawn takes: discovered check" brings that up to four, even :-)
$endgroup$
– Bass
Jan 10 at 1:50












$begingroup$
That's right, plus the nice one makes five, so you've got most of them!
$endgroup$
– deep thought
Jan 10 at 2:06






$begingroup$
That's right, plus the nice one makes five, so you've got most of them!
$endgroup$
– deep thought
Jan 10 at 2:06














$begingroup$
... And now nine. Well done! And extra exclamation points for your notation!!
$endgroup$
– deep thought
Jan 10 at 2:44






$begingroup$
... And now nine. Well done! And extra exclamation points for your notation!!
$endgroup$
– deep thought
Jan 10 at 2:44




















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