I'm a pretty weak player but whatever one's playing ability it always lifts the spirits to finish a game well.
Playing the Ipod version of tchessPro at the lofty rating of 1627, still early in the game, very unusually I was already pretty much won (even allowing for my usual gross blunder) but managed to finish off nicely.
[d]1k1r2nr/N1pbq1pp/Qp2pp2/8/3P2P1/4PN2/3B1P1P/R3KB1R w KQ - 0 17
From this position it is mate in 6 - of course any reasonable engine will see it straight away, but for fun and over the board what would you play?
It made my day anyway!
Mate in 6 (Don't start your engines!)
Moderators: hgm, Rebel, chrisw
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Re: Mate in 6 (Don't start your engines!)
Nice finish. Took me too long, but I did find it. Won't spoil it for others.
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Re: Mate in 6 (Don't start your engines!)
There are 4 different moves that all end up as mate in 6.
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Re: Mate in 6 (Don't start your engines!)
I think you've done well Chris. I sat there looking at a whole array of
possibilities but nothing I did worked-I'm not a strong player either mind
you. In the end, out of frustration or curiosity, I resorted to Stockfish 6 which
showed me how. Definitely a good one.
Allan
possibilities but nothing I did worked-I'm not a strong player either mind
you. In the end, out of frustration or curiosity, I resorted to Stockfish 6 which
showed me how. Definitely a good one.
Allan
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Re: Mate in 6 (Don't start your engines!)
Donald Byrne rule: "If you see what looks like a mate, but you're not 100% sure and instead can easily win a lot of material, just take the material and mate later."
So I would probably play Nc8, threatening mate and hit the queen. It is not a Mate in 6, but I guess I would win that.
So I would probably play Nc8, threatening mate and hit the queen. It is not a Mate in 6, but I guess I would win that.
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Re: Mate in 6 (Don't start your engines!)
Thanks both - I had the advantage that the engine had just resigned so I knew something was close by! - looked to my untrained eye that there must be a mate, so I sat for half an hour looking for it and for once was lucky to find something!Nice finish. Took me too long, but I did find it. Won't spoil it for others.
I think you've done well Chris. I sat there looking at a whole array of
possibilities but nothing I did worked-I'm not a strong player either mind
you. In the end, out of frustration or curiosity, I resorted to Stockfish 6 which
showed me how. Definitely a good one.
So I found later, I was pleased to find just the one! Most engines seem to pick the variation I saw, which is perhaps the nicestThere are 4 different moves that all end up as mate in 6.
Great advice, my problem though is I tend to give it back quickly with a blunder - concentration isn't what it used to be!Donald Byrne rule: "If you see what looks like a mate, but you're not 100% sure and instead can easily win a lot of material, just take the material and mate later."
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Re: Mate in 6 (Don't start your engines!)
Not sure which variation you chose, but the bishop move to b5 was the only one that occurred to me.Chris Tatham wrote:Thanks both - I had the advantage that the engine had just resigned so I knew something was close by! - looked to my untrained eye that there must be a mate, so I sat for half an hour looking for it and for once was lucky to find something!Nice finish. Took me too long, but I did find it. Won't spoil it for others.
I think you've done well Chris. I sat there looking at a whole array of
possibilities but nothing I did worked-I'm not a strong player either mind
you. In the end, out of frustration or curiosity, I resorted to Stockfish 6 which
showed me how. Definitely a good one.
So I found later, I was pleased to find just the one! Most engines seem to pick the variation I saw, which is perhaps the nicestThere are 4 different moves that all end up as mate in 6.
Great advice, my problem though is I tend to give it back quickly with a blunder - concentration isn't what it used to be!Donald Byrne rule: "If you see what looks like a mate, but you're not 100% sure and instead can easily win a lot of material, just take the material and mate later."
The other ones are a lot less obvious.