Saturday, December 27, 2008

The twelve puzzles of Xmas


White to play and mate in two moves.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Since there are two answers i can presumably give one of them without spoiling the puzzle!

1. Qh5+

Richard

ejh said...

Well cooked!

....so I've changed the puzzle...

ejh said...

(...and the original has been moved here)

Jack Rudd said...

Oooh, there's a Grimshaw in the set play:

1...Rd2 2.Re3
1...Bd2 2.Nd3

1...N moves 2.Ng6
1...Rd3 2.Nxd3
1...Rd4 2.Qe7
1...R along rank 2.Nd3
1...Bxf4 2.Qxf4
1...Be3 2.Rxe3
1...B along short diagonal 2.Re3
1...d4 2.Qe7

So that's the set play. A quick examination reveals that there is, however, no move keeping the set play in place.

Jack Rudd said...

Ah, that's it.

1.Rd3

As the set play, except for:

1...Bxf4 2.Qe7
1...d4 2.Qxd4
1...R along rank 2.Rxd5
1...Bd2 2.Rxd5

ejh said...

Indeed. Puzzle by Alvey, Surrey Weekly Press 1919, taken from (page 23) BP Barnes' Pick Of The Best Chess Problems (Paper Fronts, 1983) which I think I may even have bought in Ilfracombe.

(The original puzzle was also from that book: page 21, Lipton [version by Jönsson] 1st HM Ring Tourney, Evening News 1958.)