More (light) «chess» fun
ME: «A painter painting a chess diagram, in the style of Vermeer»
This diagram popped up in Alex Bellos' Monday Puzzle column (the Guardian online).
Alex:
> Can you find a path in which the queen captures all the pawns in exactly the same number of moves as there are pawns?
(There are 11 pawns above, thus 11 captures must be realised by the queen in 11 successive moves).
(The solution is written in white letters under this sentence – just highlight it with your mouse).
h2, b2, d4, g7, d7, c8, c7, a5, d5, d4, d1, f1
We could ask the same question for the 11 pawns to be catured here:
... and the same question for the 10 pawns hereunder:
... and for the 14 pawns below:
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Update: Scott Shannon sends me the above 14-move solution:
h3 g4 g6 e6 e8 f8 f7 b7 b4 a5 a2 d5 d1 c1
Thanks, Scott!
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Those four diagrams come from a 15-year old idea by Maurice Ashley the hereunder US chess grandmaster and author of the five books Pawn Mower :
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On April 3rd I've posted the herunder puzzle on France Échecs: «What is the length of the shortest chess game ending in checkmate and leaving 84 points on the chessboard (with pawn = 1 point, Knight and Bishop = 3 points, Rook = 5 points, Queen = 9 points and King = 0)»
Answer: such a 84 points/checkmate is possible after White's 5th move (of an orthodox chess game – length 4,5).
Here is the intended solution (there are many others – but none in less than 5 moves by White and 4 by Black):
1.d4/c5, 2.dxc/e6, 3.c6/Qh4, 4.cxd+/Ke7, 5.d8=Q++
FEN: rnbQ1bnr/pp2kppp/4p3/8/7q/8/PPP1PPPP/RNBQKBNR
(The black Queen can get closer to her King at Black's 3rd move)
I then had the idea of contacting François Labelle, a mathematician, a gifted chess lover and remarkable programmer: «Is there a k-checkmate leaving p points on the chessboard that forces the succession of the moves in an unique way?»
François was quick to reply "Yes!" We have this question now:
—«Find the unique game of length 4,0 leaving 62 points on the chessboard (with pawn = 1 point, Knight and Bishop = 3 points, Rook = 5 points, Queen = 9 points and King = 0)»
1.d4/e5, 2.dxe5/Qg5, 3.Qd6/Bxd6, 4.exd6/Qxc1#
Bravo and merci François, beautiful!
My next challenge posted on France Échecs was this one:
«How many legal moves (from the starting poisition of an orthodox chess game) do you need to stack 8 white pieces in a single column?»
I could do this in 10,5 moves but was unsure that this 10,5 was the best solution.
1. e4—e5
2. d4—Qh4
3. dxe—Bc5
4. Bc4—Ne7
5. Bg5–oo
6. Qxd—Qxh
7. Qe8–QxR
8. BxN—Qxg
9. Be6–Be3
10. fxB—Qe2+
11. NxQ
8 white pieces forming a single column in 10,5 moves
Gabriel Atha was quick to beat this 10,5 of mine. Here is his wonderful game of length 9,5:
1.e4/f5 2.Bc4/Nf6 3.exf5/Ne4 4.Qg4/Nxd2 5.Bg8/Ne4 6.Bg5/Ng3 7.hxg3/g6 8.fxg6/Bg7 9.Rxh7/Be5 10.Rg7
I've congratulated Gabriel – and challenged him again, with a joke-puzzle (in my mind): «And how many moves would one need to build two columns?»
I had in mind two white columns – and Gabriel stunned me with the herunder game and modest remark «One could do this»:
1. e4 f5 2. exf5 d5 3. c4 dxc4 4. b3 cxb3 5. Bc4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Ne4 7. Nd5 Nxd2 8. Nxe7 Ne4 9. Nd5 Ng3 10. Nb6 axb6 11. hxg3 g6 12. fxg6 Rxa2 13. Rxh7 Bf5 14. Bg8 Bb1 15. Rg7 Rb2 16. Bg5 Qd7 17. Qg4 Bb4+ 18. Kf1 Qb5+
ME: Two marble columns, ancient Greece style, erected on a chessboard, Mondrian look.
DALL-E:
Update, April 10
One could ask to build as quickly as possible a white 8-piece diagonal.
Here are the two constructions I came up with (both in 8,5 moves):
1.d4/h6 2.Bxh/Nf6 3.Bxg/Rxh 4.Nc3/Rxg 5.Rh8/RxN 6.e4/Rg2 7.e5/Rxf 8.Qf3/Rxc 9.QxN
1.e4/a6 2.Bxa/Nc6 3.Bxb/Rxa 4.Nf3/Rxb 5.Ra8/RxN 6.d4/RxB 7.d5/Rxc 8.Qc1/Rxf 9.QxN
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