Saturday 27 April 2013

A simple puzzle

A pretty simple puzzle, based more on the Laws of Chess, than anything else. Which move for White immediately ends the game? If instead it was Black to move, what move could they play to bring the game to a halt? Is any result other than a draw possible?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

White to move: 1.cxd6 ep.
Black to move: 1.a5

Anonymous said...

surely if it's black's move anything draws.

Anonymous said...

1.cxd6 ep Kxd6 2. Ke4! (Not 2. Kc4? a5!) Ke6 (if 2..a5 then 3. Kf6 is permitted) 3. a5! then black must choose his poison. 3..Ke6 loses the kingside pawn and 3..Kf6 loses to 4. d5 cxd5 5. Kxd5 and eventually outflanking the kingside pawn.

Jeremy said...

Who ever moves next, Pa5 is a draw as no set of legal moves can produce a mate (both kings are cut off from capturing any pawns EVER).

If white gets his king to b4, then black plays Pa5+ then white plays Kxa5 and this is the only possible way for either side to have any chance of winning.

Shaun Press said...

And Jeremy wins a cookie! If White (or Black) plays a5 on the next move, the game is immediately finished, wit a draw being the result.
This position did come from a real game and although White held off a5 for a few moves, it was eventually played. However, when I went to stop the clocks, White said he wanted to play on!