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u/Zombielisk 15d ago
Call me a sceptic but I don't think that shirt ever got him to mating in two moves
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u/banditcleaner2 1800 Bullet Lichess / 1600 Blitz Lichess 15d ago
fair but if a woman wore this shirt, she'd be getting mated in -2 moves.
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u/SuitableUniversity68 15d ago
I don't understand pls elaborate
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u/POVwaltz 11d ago
I assume they mean because so many male chess players are super thirsty for female chess players
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u/Front-Cabinet5521 15d ago
Puzzles of this specific theme gets posted so much on here I instantly knew the move before calculating.
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u/radiant_jpb_31 15d ago
Not even just the theme, it’s this specific puzzle!
It is a fun one though1
u/ALCATryan 15d ago
Thought it was the one with the queen…? The one played in a real game a long time ago?
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u/pconners 15d ago
Feels bad. I thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle
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u/Front-Cabinet5521 15d ago
Why feel bad? It's a famous puzzle and it's good you enjoyed solving it.
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u/Happyranger265 Team Gukesh 15d ago
Rook next to its own pawn , if black pawn takes rook , white pushes it's pawn forward and check mates . If black moves the bishop , rook can just take the pawn before the queen and it's checkmate as well
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u/TheFreshMaker25 15d ago
Before the Queen?
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u/Happyranger265 Team Gukesh 15d ago
Yes before/above the black queen?? , I'm sorry I don't know board notations by heart
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u/DrHaphazard 15d ago
I always like to think the queen has her spiky crown denoting her essential offensive, go anywhere nature.
Whereas the king has a rounded crown that indicates he is constrained in his movements.
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u/Happyranger265 Team Gukesh 14d ago
😂 I can differentiate between queen and king , it's just I didn't even realise I wrote queen until someone mention , it's supposed to be kings . When I meant notation, i meant a6 , e5 and stuff like that . Here I am again confusion someone else , my apologies
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u/burning_stix 15d ago
Rook to any square on the a file to burn a turn works too. Black is in zuzwang and has no legal move except to move the bishop that's guarding the a pawn.
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u/Happyranger265 Team Gukesh 15d ago
They can push their first pawn forward by one step and then u don't have a 2 move win
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15d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/xsehu 15d ago
I fell for the same mistake initially. Black does not have to move the bishop, it could also push the pawn in front of the king, so this would not work.
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u/ScrotieMcBalls 15d ago
I thought so to at first but then black can push the pawn. Putting the rook in front of it forces a bischop move
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u/farseer6 15d ago
It doesn't force a bishop move because black can also take the rook with the pawn, but that also results in mate on the next white move, so either way it's mate in 2.
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u/UltraUsurper Dommaraju, I've come to bargain 15d ago
This is the most famous puzzle/composition of all time. I think nearly every chess player (including casuals) has seen this position multiple times.
It is the most famous for a reason though.
Morphy was ~10–12 years old when he composed it. The 1856 date confused me for a minute (as he was 19 that year), but looking it up, that was when it was first published.
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u/DocJeef 15d ago
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u/Somerandom1922 15d ago
Translated:
Classic puzzles are second nature to us ranked players, so it's easy to forget that the average chess player probably only knows Anderson's Immortal Game and Marshall's Gold Coins
And Morphy's Zugzwang, of course.
Of course.
Even when they're trying to compensate for it, OTB players wildly overestimate the average chess player's familiarity with puzzles.
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u/rainbowcentaur 15d ago
Checks out. I don't know any of those. (Rapid rating of 800, daily of 950).
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u/edderiofer Occasional problemist 14d ago
If we're restricting to compositions, it would probably be the Yarosh's Babson and Taverner's Organ Pipes.
And Morphy's Zugwang, of course.
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u/DiscussionSpider 15d ago
That's funny, I actually do know the chemical equation for quartz. Its just silicon and 2 oxygen.
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u/sampat6256 15d ago
Congrats on being one of today's lucky 10,000! This puzzle really is stunningly beautiful the first time you see it. Like the Yosemite of chess.
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u/UltraUsurper Dommaraju, I've come to bargain 15d ago
There really always is a relevant xkcd lol (relevant xkcd)
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u/11thHourSorrow 15d ago
My brother-in-law was struggling to find something to get a wealthy friend for his birthday, so he just said, "How about I just chug a bunch of Diet Coke and swallow a Mentos and we'll see what happens?" The projectile vomiting made his friend's whole year.
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u/Far-Perspective-4889 15d ago
I love this response. I know at least one smartass that needs to see this.
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u/Book_Nerd_23 15d ago
As a 1600rapid and 1300blitz player on chess.com, I did not know this puzzle immediately. I probably have seen it before at some point, but I made sure I solved it before scrolling to the comments.
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u/PrudentKumquat 15d ago
What's the source for this being by Morphy? AIUI, it's often attributed to him on the internet, but there's little evidence.
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u/UltraUsurper Dommaraju, I've come to bargain 15d ago
Edward Winter has an article on it: https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/morphyproblem.html
It seems the consensus is that it is authenticated.6
u/PrudentKumquat 15d ago
Thanks for the link. I should have known that the mighty Edward Winter would have investigated it. Seems like the ultimate source for the attribution is an uncle, Ernest Morphy, which is closer than I had thought. I guess that's the best we will ever do.
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u/FreeRunningEngineer 15d ago
So Morphy's uncle wrote to the paper in 1856, saying that his nephew Morphy created it "as far back as 1849".
That seems pretty legit to me.
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u/Deathranger999 13d ago
I don't think I've ever before seen anybody abbreviate what I presume to be "as I understand it" before. That's a new one to me. :)
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u/F0r3en123 12d ago
What about any variation of smothered mate? Seems more popular to me
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u/UltraUsurper Dommaraju, I've come to bargain 12d ago
well, that's a type of puzzle or puzzle theme, not a specific puzzle/position
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u/Wattsforbreakfast 15d ago
What if you just move the rook to A2, will this work? Bishop has to move then rook can take pawn on A7 for mate?
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u/CrflWthThtFaxEugene 15d ago
No, because the bishop doesn't have to move. Black can move their pawn one square to a6. The solution to the problem avoids this by putting the rook on that very same square
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u/Financial_Olive_1644 15d ago
He can play a6 or a5
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u/MrMedium-4561 15d ago
I'm a bit new and can't really understand because of no markings too but a6 or a5 from the left pawn i see only a6 helping him right?
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u/Financial_Olive_1644 15d ago
You're right, a5 would still mean mate in 2 because the rook takes, bishop blocks and rook takes again
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u/faresar0x 15d ago
This was my 1st ever chess puzzle. I couldn’t solve it.
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u/ELLinversionista 15d ago
Think about it more
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u/faresar0x 15d ago
Now its easy. Back then as beginner i wasnt familiar with such tricks. My coach gave it to me as homework.
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u/mister_peeberz 15d ago
The answer is Ra6. Since this threatens mate in one, Black can't respond with a bishop move and has to capture with the b pawn. This doubles Black's pawns, giving White a decisive advantage. Bravo Morphy
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u/Soletestimony 15d ago
Captures with b pawn allows White paen to move and mate
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u/penenmann 15d ago
the nice thing is you can disregard basicly all moves except of rook takes pawn takes and the rA6 just by the uniquness of the solution
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u/AFogmentOfADream 15d ago
White rook moves to A6. If pawn takes rook then pawn checkmates. If bishop moves then rooks takes pawn and checkmate
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u/xXMoritzXx 13d ago
Wow really nice puzzle! Easy to remember and build, kinda hard to figure out and the result is unbelievable cause it is not intuitive at all for me 😞. I would have never gotten it without analyzing it on the website.
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u/Piglets_delight 15d ago
- White moves rook to A6 (the square to the left of white pawn)
- Black captures white rook with B7 pawn (the only available move)
- White pawn to B7 (checkmate)
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u/Real-Dark 15d ago
2) isn’t only move available
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u/Piglets_delight 15d ago
Yep, you’re correct. Black could move their bishop for some reason. Then rook mates next move
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u/Real-Dark 15d ago
so isnt the shirt wrong? because it’s not necessarily 2 moves?
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u/FoxFyer 15d ago
I accidentally recreated this exact puzzle as a kid when playing Battle Chess on a computer; I was setting up different checkmate positions so that I could see each kind of piece's checkmate animation against the king. This is the position I made to see the pawn's kill.
IIRC, the pawn holds out his lance (they all have lances), and a scroll rolls out from it labeled something like "Computer Bill"; the king sees it, and has a heart attack and keels over.
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u/FleetingIdentityX 15d ago
ra6, then bishop will have to move somwhere else, and then again ra7. If the pawn takes rook, then pawn b7.
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u/poyekhavshiy 15d ago
this is so famous i bet lazavik would concede that even nakamura would solve it
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u/iskar_jarak776 15d ago
One of the first puzzles I ever learned. Don’t even need to calculate this one
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u/GayShipperAhoi 15d ago
Rook to 5a then the black can either eat the rook which pawn goes to b6 and mate. Or move bishop and then rook 6a mate.
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u/Icy-Bottle-6877 15d ago
Such an iconic puzzle.
I find Morphy, after all these years later, is still such a fascinating enigma. Chess savant/genius, whatever you want to call it, the guy was head and shoulders above his peers, all while being in his early twenties and practicing law at the same time.
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u/FluidHips 15d ago
Not sure how it's possible, but it's my first time seeing this, and it was delightful.
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u/TightSpotz 14d ago
I don't know chess notation, but is this another solve?
White pawn takes black pawn
Only move black can do is advance remaining black pawn one or two squares
Then white pawn takes black bishop for checkmate?
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u/elibusta 14d ago
If you do this , black bishop takes white pawn. Which you could take with the white rook but it leave you with just the king
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u/EconomistExternal555 14d ago
Never seen this one. NGL had me scratching my head for too long, that's a beautiful solution.
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u/johnnybiggay 13d ago
took me a bit but is it moving your rook to where the pawn can capture? that way no matter if black moves bishop or pawn it is mate in 1
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u/DannyBands 13d ago
Zugzwang? Rook to a6. If black pawn takes, white pawn is mate. If bishop moves, rook takes pawn, mate
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u/Apprehensive_Fix1485 12d ago
Ra6, followed by mate (...b7xa7, b7++....otherwise ....Bishop moves anywhere, rxa7++)
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u/KarmaTheKid18 12d ago
can’t you move almost anywhere on the a file as a waiting move and mate next move?
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u/The_Bluemax3000 11d ago
FORCE Mate. Rook to A6. Then Black Bishop to anywhere, then Rook takes A7. OR p x r, then pawn to b7. ##
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u/timenowaits 14d ago
RA6. Bishop has to move. Ra7#. If pawn takes rook then pawn b7 mate
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u/vckane 14d ago
Why bishop has to move?
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u/cabronfavarito 14d ago
Only legal move
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u/vckane 13d ago
Nope, A6 is legal as well.
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u/cabronfavarito 13d ago
Only legal move for black….
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u/Deathranger999 13d ago
I think they meant bxa6 is legal, which it is. But then a pawn push is mate anyway. But there are two branches here.
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u/SmackEh 1800 Lichess 15d ago
Sure. This is a fun mate...
But white could just barely think at all, bring around their rook to capture the dark square pawn. Then capture the other pawn, then mate.
White would have to try really hard to lose this game.
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u/ValuableKooky4551 15d ago
It's a mate in 2 problem, it's not a game of chess at all. Completely separate things.
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u/Soft_Lunch_183 15d ago
You can say that for any puzzle that is in a winning position, that's not the point of it though.
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u/RRG-Chicago 15d ago
Move king away then bishop must move rook to mate
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u/XxPapalo007xX 15d ago
pawn can move forward. You have to stop that by putting your rook on top of the pawn. If he moves the bishop it's the same idea, if he takes the room you push the pawn and it's mate
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u/Striking_Resist_6022 15d ago
Instead of moving bishop I play a6. You can tell me your mate in one now…
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u/chessvision-ai-bot from chessvision.ai 15d ago
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