Holiday Puzzles - Solutions!

It's time we collectively slap our foreheads and cry "Bombaclot!".

Working backwards for no better reason than that's the way I decided to do it, here are the solutions to the Holiday Puzzles.

Puzzle #6

After 1. Bg2+ d5#, it's Professor Black who wins and no amount of philosophising about the en passant rule will change the result or reveal God's phone number. If you still don't believe me you can read about it on FIDE's web site.

Puzzle #5

The easy part - Black's last move must have been ... Ka7-a8. Slightly trickier, White's only possible move before this was Nb6-a8 discovered check (with h2 blocked, the Bishop has no other way to legally be there). So technically Black's last move (for full points) was ... Kxa8.

Puzzle #4

1. Any legal move, Any legal move
2. Any, Any
3. Any, Any
4. Any, Any
5. Any, Any
6. Any, Any
7. d7# (the only legal move!)

This genre of problem is called a "no-brainer", because Chess is a Zugzwang (move-bound) game, both sides MUST move alternately, and in this position whatever choice either side makes, it must be mate on move 7... I hope you didn't spend too long on it!

Puzzle #3

Ah, the "mate-in-zero"... the clue was outside the board - it's the only diagram I've published on this blog without the board co-ordinates showing. Flip the board around and the pawn on *f4* mates the Black King on *e5*. I know, you hate me for that one. I hate myself for using a trick that cheap too.

Puzzle #2

There's only one way to play half a move in chess. We took this photograph after White had played Ke1-c1, and before he completed Queen-side castling with Ra1-d1#. Please don't get mad with me, I only work here...

Puzzle #1

This one's a gentle introduction to the 'proof game' genre of Chess problems. I promised no tricks, and I stand by that! But the Knight on b8 won't tell you it started life as the King's Knight on g8.

1. Nf3, d5
2. Ne5, Nf6
3. Nc6, Nfd7
4. Nxb8, Nxb8

No-one said they had to be sensible moves!