Strange Chess Puzzle

Logic Level 3

It's White's turn. What is the minimum number of moves to win the game?

If you believe the checkmate is impossible, or the checkmate can be done in moves not given, select "None of the choices."

1 2 3 4 None of the choices

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Michael Huang by Michael Huang , 29, USA

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2 solutions

Michael Huang
Jan 11, 2017

Here is the optimal play in the shortest amount of moves:

White Black
1. Rd2 Bb2
2. Qf1+

First move - Move the rook to d2 while "watching" row 2. If the black king were to move to f4, this is not the optimal play. If the black bishop were to either capture the rook or move left, regardless of how the Black can deal with this case,...

Second move - ...the queen is moved to f1 to checkmate the king along the f column.

Here is another possibility to win the game:

White Black
1. Rd2 Bxd2
2. Qf1+
8 Helpful 0 Interesting 0 Brilliant 0 Confused

I really like your chess puzzles!

I think you meant to say Qf1 mate. Or if the black king moves to f4, Rf2 mate.

Steven Perkins - 4 years, 5 months ago

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Fixed! Thanks for catching the typo!

Michael Huang - 4 years, 5 months ago

Usually, + is used for Check. As this is a checkmate, you should use #.

Sharky Kesa - 4 years, 5 months ago

If we moves KxC1 thwn??

shithil Islam - 4 years, 2 months ago

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then??????????

shithil Islam - 4 years, 2 months ago

I think you meant to say what if white's first move is Qxc1? In that case, the black king cannot move, and without a legal move (but not being in check) it would be a stalemate.

That would be a draw, or tied game and not the checkmate we're looking for.

If that's not what you meant, please clarify.

Steven Perkins - 4 years, 2 months ago

I think Qd4 works too

Austin Li - 20 hours ago

I'm not quite sure why the black king wouldn't move to f4. My understanding of 'optimal play' is to delay checkmate for as long as possible - so as black, the only move which doesn't cause checkmate after rook to d2 would be king to f4

Ruben Gaunt - 4 years, 5 months ago

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If the black king move to f4, then the rook has the chance to checkmate the king by moving to f2. At f4, the options that the king has are f3 and f5.

Michael Huang - 4 years, 5 months ago
Julio Catalino
Nov 2, 2017
  1. Rd2 Bxd2 2. Qf1#
1 Helpful 0 Interesting 0 Brilliant 0 Confused

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