Chess Puzzle #28749

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CHESS PUZZLE, FEN R7/3nkn2/2K5/8/4N3/8/B7/4Q3 w - -

Added by:	wote
Added on:	30-Aug-10
Description:
Difficulty:	chess puzzle R7/3nkn2/2K5/8/4N3/8/B7/4Q3 w - -
Attempts:	1042
Solved:	790 (75%)


White to move, mate in 3

Comments: (5) » Last

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jonellis
25-Oct-20, 03:10

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And to think White has a queen and for once DOESN'T need to sacrifice it...

1. Qb4+

Black's K cannot move, so his only moves are to successively interpose knights on c5 and d6, to be captured in turn by the queen.

jonellis
25-Oct-20, 03:12

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And there are two solutions here...

...because the mirror image of the above solution also works with 1. Qh4+ and Black interposing on g5 and f6.

existentialist
15-Dec-22, 06:03

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7 solutions

The queen can go to either b4 or h4 on move one.

Then after 1. Qb4= Nc5 2. Qxc5+ Nd6 white can move the queen to d6, e5 or g5, and, after

1. Qh4+ Ng5 2. Qxg5+ Nf6 white can checkmate by moving the queen to f6, g7, e5 or c5.

This problem is based on an interesting idea, but the details are sloppy.

schizoidman
15-Dec-22, 23:31

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2 moves

When I saw Qb4 and Qh4 as options, I thought there must be a flaw in those ideas since a chess problem is supposed to have only one solution. I could not find a flaw in either move. So, I just picked one and played it.
It would be pretty easy to eliminate one of the first move options. Block one of the diagonals with a pawn or add another black defender to the g5 or c5 square.

snailmate
16-Jan-25, 08:56

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The only aspect of this problem that made it other than dead easy was the existence of two mirror-image solutions, leading me to think that there must be a flaw in one of them. The existence of an alternate key is a significant flaw. I have seen problems where there appears at first sight to be two or more possible key moves on a similar theme, and the challenge is figuring out which is the only one that works, and why.

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