Today’s Chess Problem 10/08/11
Black begins with a 45-minute artillery barrage of 155mm proximity-fused ordnance, followed by a quick series of high-speed strafing runs to soften up the front lines and throw the rear into confusion.
Bradley fighting vehicles outfitted with flamethrowers and backed by helicopter gunships pierce the left flank while snipers and sporadic mortar use keep the center and right of the field pinned down.
White move.
Posted by heldmyw
10/08/2011 at 09:57 AM
I’m having trouble typing this due to insane laughter. Not the solution we’re looking for. But at least as effective.
Sorry, I had more to say, but I’m still laughing my ass off…
I got over my laughing problem. White to move? Obvious: tactical nuke:
I have this one under my gun. Found the first move fast, well under a minute, took longer to make sure it was the right one. Chris I just made a comment on the last problem asking about downloadable chess software. Any suggestions?
Black sent sappers in the week before the game and planted massive mines under white’s line. As the nuke comes in, he sets off the charges, and it’s the opening move of the battle of the Somme all over again, except that this time both sides are eliminated before the troops go over the top.
Kind of puts chess in its proper perspective, don’t it? It’s a nice little game but far removed from both reality and fantasy. Heck, they didn’t even put a hill on the board that would +2/0 any pawns on it. Nor can the magi - later called the bishops after Christianity came around - cast power doubling spells on their other pieces at the cost of blood mana (sacrifice a pawn each time). There’s a game changer for ya: such a spell allows a rook to move diagonally that turn, or a bishop to move vertically, a knight to go forward 4 and over 2, a pawn to first advance 4 or attack 2 squares on the diagonal, or the king to move up to 4 squares instead of just 1. No spells are cast on the queen, as she has nearly magical powers to begin with.
Answered in the last problem Wes.
Drew, let’s face it: Everybody is screwed once nukes are deployed and used.
Kind of puts chess in its proper perspective, don’t it? It’s a nice little game but far removed from both reality and fantasy.
Straw man argument.
Yes, it’s a nice little game. Nobody ever said it reflected reality. What it does is make one think critically, make one think in both short term (tactics) and long term (strategy). It also promotes literacy. I met several kids in the Philippines during my Navy days that only learned to read so they could read chess books/magazines. During the day, it wasn’t abnormal to have to walk around a group of young kids involved in a chess game in Subic Bay.
Even in the ‘adult’ clubs during the evenings, I have fond memories of a young woman who played well enough to hold me to a draw. She was a nice young lady. Not a prostitute. She earned her living, for herself and her daughter, by being a ‘companion’ and chess opponent. Let me just say, it’s been almost thirty years, but my fondest memories of Subic Bay are just talking to this woman, and trying to beat her at chess. I did finally beat her. I think. Maybe she let me win?
You were stationed in Pubic Bay and all you did was play chess? Holy crap.
I don’t know where I ever said I was ‘stationed’ there. My ship, the USS Truxtun (CGN-35) popped in back ‘86. We left quickly, with Ferdinand Marcos onboard our flagship, the carrier Enterprise.
I also never said that all I did was play chess. I played a lot of pool. The locals really sucked at pool. I never have made so much money at pool as the two weeks I spent in Subic Bay. (admittedly, I also fleeced a lot of fellow Navy idiots)
But don’t try them at chess. Bet on pool. At chess? They’ll ruin you.
I know what you’re actually asking. When the ship docked the first time the doctor came over the 1MC. (ship-wide speaker system) He said, and I’ll quote, because this was both funny and serious–exactly the kind of thing I’d remember. The doc said we were docking at ‘adult Disneyland’, and he was looking forward to the visit as a ‘professional challenge’. The by-text was, keep your trousers on, and keep Mr. Happy in your trousers. Otherwise the doc will be ‘professionally challenged’ to cure whatever ‘social disease’ Mr. Happy finds.
Yeah, I played chess and pool. Flirted alot.
Hey Wes, post your solution. I think we’ve gotten enough fun out of this problem.
In most problems you would like to look for a mate by force, one where everything is determined. To do that your first move must be a check. The only one to do that in today’s problem is 1… QxR+ white is forced to play KxQ. Then black can get his rooks into the game. Unfortunately white will move Ke3 and black chases him but can’t quite him and the loss of his Queen will eventually do him in.
Black is fortunate in having time. The white Queen and Knight are locked up on the wrong side of the board and not an immediate threat to do much harm but for the white Knight aimed at the Rook on c8. So black plays:
1… Rc1 if white takes back then it goes like this 2.RxR Qd3+ 3.RxQ RxR# and it is over. White is trapped behind his wall of pawns and cannot play 2.RxR without loosing, so he moves a pawn instead to give him luft (life) --- a square to run to.
2.Ph4 QxR+ No other move is better for white and black wants to open the d file.
3.Kh2 Qh1+ White can dance around but it is all over. It could go like this:
4.Kg3 Rd3+
5.Pf3 Rg1 and white has nothing after 6.QxP Qxg2++.Chris I looked at your suggestions and the first is only for Mac and the other is about $50. I downloaded one called Pawn and I will let you know how it works.
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