White to move and checkmate in …. Find the fastest checkmate!
8/8/8/7R/3k4/8/1N1K4/3B4 w – – 0 1
Sam Loyd, 1858
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Classic masterpiece
About Author
1Bf3
I didn’t find the quickest one, but I found the prettiest one!
The pieces are lined up nicely in the final position, and the Black king could only shuffle back and forth from d4 to e4.
1. Bg4 Ke4
2. Nd3 Kd4
3. Be6 Ke4
4. Bd5+ Kd4
5. Rh4#
Lucymarie
Wow!! I spent 30 minutes trying to make Be2 work in less than four moves, then decided to just look at the move I dismissed out of hand because it allows black to reach c4, and I was just far too intent on delivering the mate from a rook check on the fourth or fifth rank, but it is the right one- I was overlooking the possibility of white’s king moving and delivering the mate from along the files (I feel like an idiot today).
1. Nd3!! Kc4
2. Ke3!! Kc3 (only square)
3. Rc5#
And, it does black no good to go the other way on his first move:
1. Nd3 Ke4
2. Kc3 Ke3
3. Re5#
If there is a two move mate, I am simply missing it.
Rf5 Ke4 Bc2++
I’ve found it
1.Nd3!! Ke4 2.Kc3 Ke3 3.Re5 mate
or 1.Nd3!! Kc4 2.Ke3 Kc3 3.Rc5 mate !
mate in 3, starting n-d3
At first I thought, I`ll never get it. It might be 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 moves. But now I think, my solution is right, because it’s absolutely symmetrical, and that’s maybe why someone could call it a masterpiece:
1. Nd3 Ke4
2. Re5+ Kd4
3. Ke2 Kc3/4
4. Ke3 Kc3/4
5. Rc5#
Sure enough, if 1. … Kc4, all the moves will work in exactly the same way:
2. Rc5+ Kd4
3. Kc2 Ke3/4
4. Kc3 Ke3/4
5. Re5#
Greets, Jan
The symmetry appeals to me. 1. Nd3. Whichever way the Black king goes, the White king goes the other way.
1. … Kc4
2. Ke3 Kc3
3. Rc5#
or
1. … Ke4
2. Kc3 Ke3
3. Re5#
Fastest stalemate is Bf3.. Black say “Thank you very much”
The Black king has the opposition. Therefore White is doomed and might just as well resign.
not an easy one…this is the best I could find…
1.Nd3 Kc4 (if(Ke4, Re5+)
2.Rc5+ Kd4 (forced)
3.Bb3 Ke4 (forced)
4.Re5+ Kd4 (forced)
5.Rf5! Ke4 (forced)
6.Rf4#
Lucymarie,
After
4. Bd5+ Kd4
5. Rh4+
black will simply play Kxd5, as the rook is not supporting the bishop anymore…
Lucymarie @1:09 – your final position is not checkmate. 5. Rh4+ Kxd5.
1)Rf5 Ke4
2)Bc2+ 1-0
The best I could do was 1. Rb5 Ke4 2. Nd3 Kd4 3. Bf3 Kc4 4. Rb4#. Note that all black moves are forced.
Hi Susan Polgar,
Well,as usual fastest mate as already given by brainy minds of this blog,”Kuldhir” adds novelty to the word Mate which encompass Stalemate.
Yancey Ward & other brainy minds of this blog,as usual stole the show :very nice,kudos to everybody.
By
Venky[Chennai – India]