Weird Position Challenge

Weird Position Challenge

Posers and Puzzles

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a

Joined
17 Dec 06
Moves
8208
12 May 07

This is a challenge to anyone who is interested, to post the weirdest and/or most creative (home made) chess positions you can think of. It's time for the redhotpawn community to escape from the restraints and boundaries of opposition for a while and create some cool chess positions!

*Odds are not everyone will like every position post, but please consider them to be works of art, and allow everyone to post of their own free will without criticism. On that note, please don't post anything that might be offensive or fraudulent! 🙂

S
Caninus Interruptus

2014.05.01

Joined
11 Apr 07
Moves
92274
12 May 07
1 edit


I call this one "Plaid".

e

Joined
29 Jan 07
Moves
3612
12 May 07

who's go is it?

J

In Christ

Joined
30 Apr 07
Moves
172
12 May 07



It's legal too. Incidentally, whoever's move it is wins.

S
Caninus Interruptus

2014.05.01

Joined
11 Apr 07
Moves
92274
12 May 07
3 edits

Are you sure? Seems each side just ends up with 3 Bishops at the end.

C

Joined
17 Mar 07
Moves
207
13 May 07

No, he's right. Say it's White's turn; he plays Bxh1. The threat of Bd5# is now unstoppable. Black can trade queens, get his queen in position to block, sac his queen for a bishop, try to escape with Kb3, whatever he likes, but mate is certain in a few moves at most. Nifty position.

S
Caninus Interruptus

2014.05.01

Joined
11 Apr 07
Moves
92274
13 May 07

Originally posted by CZeke
No, he's right. Say it's White's turn; he plays Bxh1. The threat of Bd5# is now unstoppable. Black can trade queens, get his queen in position to block, sac his queen for a bishop, try to escape with Kb3, whatever he likes, but mate is certain in a few moves at most. Nifty position.
1.Bxh1 Qxh7+ 2.Kxh7 and Black's K has two light diagonals to play on. Where's the mate?

C

Joined
17 Mar 07
Moves
207
14 May 07

...Yeah, ignore me, I'm just making a fool of myself as I always seem to do in these puzzle topics.

I think my first move has to be correct, though. White can't prevent the exchange of queens if Black wants to make it. Since no quantity of bishops is sufficient to mate if they're all dark-squared, he's got to take the h1 bishop if he wants to win.

S
Caninus Interruptus

2014.05.01

Joined
11 Apr 07
Moves
92274
14 May 07

Originally posted by CZeke
...Yeah, ignore me, I'm just making a fool of myself as I always seem to do in these puzzle topics.

I think my first move has to be correct, though. White can't prevent the exchange of queens if Black wants to make it. Since no quantity of bishops is sufficient to mate if they're all dark-squared, he's got to take the h1 bishop if he wants to win.
However, after 1.Bxh1 Qxh7+ 2.Kxh7, Black gets his piece back by 2...Bxe3. Everything from then on out is an even trade. White can't win.

J

In Christ

Joined
30 Apr 07
Moves
172
14 May 07

You should start by trading queens, then capture the bishop on the white square. It gives you a better position, since your king won't be stopping your white-squared bishop from checking the king.

Everything from then on out is an even trade.

Don't go for a trade. Just start moving your king toward the other. By the time your king gets close enough to affect the other, you should still have enough bishops to checkmate him. Then again, I haven't tried every possibility, so you may find a situation in which that's not possible. If so, then just ignore the final comment and appreciate the beauty of the [legal] position.

J

In Christ

Joined
30 Apr 07
Moves
172
14 May 07
1 edit

How about another perfectly legal position:



And (another entirely unintended incident), whoever moves mates in two.

S
Caninus Interruptus

2014.05.01

Joined
11 Apr 07
Moves
92274
14 May 07

Originally posted by Jirakon
How about another perfectly legal position:

[fen]8/1KNnNnq1/1Nn2Nn1/1n4N1/1N4n1/1nN2nN1/1knNnNQ1/8[/fen]

And (another entirely unintended incident), whoever moves mates in two.
1. Nba4+
1... Kc1 2. Nxb3#
1... Ka3 2. Nxc2#
1... Ka1 2. Nxb3#

S
Caninus Interruptus

2014.05.01

Joined
11 Apr 07
Moves
92274
15 May 07
1 edit


Is the position legal?
a) diagram
b) wQh1 instead of wB

Edit: Prove your answer.

g

Joined
15 Feb 07
Moves
667
15 May 07
1 edit

Originally posted by SwissGambit
[fen]8/8/2kP4/5r1b/8/6Kp/7P/2R2bBB b - - 0 1[/fen]
Is the position legal?
a) diagram
b) wQh1 instead of wB

Edit: Prove your answer.
The position is impossible to attain by normal play. The king is double checked by rook and bishop, but there isn't any way either of the 2 checking pieces could have been moved in a manner such that it blocked the other before the move.

The same is true even if the piece on h1 is a queen.

(Just as a matter of record, double check is only possible by means of discovery where the piece moving out of the way also threatens to take the king.)

a

Joined
17 Dec 06
Moves
8208
15 May 07
2 edits

Originally posted by SwissGambit
[fen]8/8/2kP4/5r1b/8/6Kp/7P/2R2bBB b - - 0 1[/fen]
Is the position legal?
a) diagram
b) wQh1 instead of wB

Edit: Prove your answer.
Actually I think this position is possible: the last move played was c5xd5+.