Then it gets pretty easy pretty quickly.

This is all wrong! Both Black & White could get 2 queens each by moving pawns one square, the Black Queen is not under threat by d4 pawn etc. Quite good solution though, works due to a5 not being covered. But I agree with donnaclara that I cannot believe this layout would happen under normal conditions.

The upside-down board is used in a lot of puzzles to throw you off. That's why I always first look at the coordinates when attempting a puzzle.

See #165776 for the "right side up" version.

The right side up version referenced by justin was much more satisfying.

We all agree that it looked like a regular game, but someone should have added something like "Adapted from...", instead of "Fox P. vs. Efremova D. 2006". At least, that description should be corrected. There is no fun in the rest. 0 stars.

Impossible position!!!

The White pawns are coming TOWARDS you.

This puzzle looks like a c***-up, with the board flipped but not the pieces. Check out donnaclara's posting above for the mate in 5.

chess-db.com

If you are Black.. the board is set up correctly. And...... you are Black.. 'cause that is the first move.. wasn't confusing to me.

In the game the position is "normal", the winner move was Rh1+, not Ra8+ as the "puzzle" show.

I think that idea was show a position that you can "invert" the board. This is a bizarre situation.

A palindromic chess position...

Poetic, a stetic question... See it as a curiosity, not as a chess position.

I stand corrected, you're absolutely right. At first blush I thought it would require too many piece captures for the pawns to get past one another and forgot that the pawns can move to a new file by capturing each other too (duh) - moving the g pawns to the 3rd and 6th ranks and then capturing on h2 and h7, for example. I actually set up two boards, one with the final position and the other a 'working' board and found one of numerous ugly but legal solutions. It was an enjoyable exercise. Thanks again for pointing this out.

Hi everyone,
I thought at this, playing Ra1+ in second move instead of Qc8+ considered as incorrect by GK :
1. ... Ra8+
2. Kxa8 Ra1+
3. Na5 Qxc8+
4. Ka7 Rxa5#

I can’t see why il is incorrect ? When playing this, the only piece to move for the whites is the king. So the end is the same.

Can anyone tell me why this is not considered as good ?
Thanks

I love all the ways people are rationalising the fact that they had trouble solving it by saying "Unfair! The board is upside down!" (Which is not strictly true; it's more accurate to say that on first glance the position looks as if White is at the bottom.) The position is neither illegal nor impossible, just highly improbable, It's intentionally misleading, and that's the point. If you didn't solve it because you assumed that White was at the bottom, then admit it, you missed the trick. You didn't get it. Stop criticising the person supplying the puzzle, just relax and have a laugh at it.

Set up the puzzle with the board the 'right way round', you have a mate in 5 - of no special difficulty, but a more interesting checkmate to finish. I still think the 'author' of this puzzle made a booboo of some kind.