Chess Puzzle #18915

« TAP TO LOG IN

CHESS PUZZLE, FEN k7/p2N4/Pp2p1p1/1P1pPpR1/3P1P2/5Q2/8/5K2 w - -

Added by:	jwg1977
Added on:	17-Dec-09
Description:
Difficulty:	chess puzzle k7/p2N4/Pp2p1p1/1P1pPpR1/3P1P2/5Q2/8/5K2 w - -
Attempts:	1165
Solved:	731 (62%)


White to move, mate in 2

Comments: (14) » Last

From

Comment

mkchess
25-Jan-21, 05:01

» Report abuse

More solutions

According rules about en passent in chess problems I think that 1. exf6 e.p. or 1. exd6 e.p. are legal moves here (the last black move could be f7-f5).

After 1. exf6 e.p. or 1. exd6 e.p. the only black move is 1. ... e6-e5 and then 2. Qxd5 is mate.

So we have 2 more solutions for this.

If we try use option <<another solution>> the program don't accept the e.p. moves as kegal, but they are in this positionm acording the usual rules about chess problems.

(I am not interested in a discussion about "how fair" are the rules for chess problems, this is just a technical observation about the problem).

kingdawar
25-Jan-21, 06:15

» Report abuse

No, that's not how the conventions work for en passant in problem chess. It's only possible to take e.p. if you can prove from the diagram that it was black's only possible move.

mkchess
25-Jan-21, 08:07

» Report abuse

kingdawar

Thanks a lot for the observation.
This is not the case here.
Thanks!

jayelthefirst
05-Apr-22, 03:17

» Report abuse

Very easy but nice!

Black cannot move and since immediate white checks don't work, white must give black a move to avoid stalemate. Rxg6 and then Rg8# fails for the same reason. So Qh5 gives black a move and clears the way for the R. Low solve rate (currently 64%) for a 2-mover where the first move is a Q sac!
I like the idea of en passant captures being involved in solutions but, mkchess, there would be only one such capture possible in the given position. Black could not have played d5 from d7 because of the position of the white N and if it were possible (if the N stood on a6) exd6 e.p. would be mate in one. But I like how your mind works!

hagrids_beard
05-Apr-22, 07:08

Comment deleted on 06-Jun-23, 05:32

big-dags
05-Apr-22, 16:37

» Report abuse

mkchess

You appear to be making the assumption that the pawn on F6 got there in one move hence en passnt is possible but it could also have gotten there in two moves which for this puzzle is the most likely assumption

ctnz
05-Apr-22, 22:51

» Report abuse

Proving that En Passant is nearly impossible ...

... but for some studies, who are especially composed to do so.

A brilliant example for this is a "Dawson's Christmas Tree" puzzle, albeit an upside down version, which you can find in the link below including the solution:

www.chess.com

snailmate
08-May-23, 01:44

» Report abuse

big-dags

True. Not only that, there are many other possibilities. Black's last move could have been e7-e6, g7-g6, or even a king move in response to a check with White's rook or White's pawn.

Problems with an en passant solution tend to have a particular look about them. You get white pawn, black pawn and white king lined up together on the 5th rank. The king is there to negate the possibility that the black pawn moved from the 6th rank, therefore it must have moved from the 7th. There may be other ways to have a provable en passant position, but I can't think of any; they would probably involve having to look back further than one move to give the proof.

That inverted Christmas tree problem is very nice. I think I would have immediately seen that it required an en passant capture, but I doubt I would have figured out why only one of the two possible captures was the correct solution.

occulus
08-May-23, 14:06

» Report abuse

I did like this.

It made me think, and of course, once I got it I wondered why I didn't get it sooner. For me it was the hunting around trying to find a move that Black could play yet still allow a mate the move after.