Interesting position

[Norm Pollock]

Either color can mate in a minimum of 6 moves

[d]2r5/4kr2/1p2p1P1/3pP1K1/1p1P4/1Pp5/P4R2/8 w - -

[d]2r5/4kr2/1p2p1P1/3pP1K1/1p1P4/1Pp5/P4R2/8 b - -

2r5/4kr2/1p2p1P1/3pP1K1/1p1P4/1Pp5/P4R2/8 w - - bm Rf2xf7+; ce +M6; pv Rf2xf7+ Ke7-e8 Kg5-f6 Rc8-c7 Rf7xc7 c3-c2 g6-g7 Ke8-d8 Rc7-e7 c2-c1Q g7-g8Q+;

2r5/4kr2/1p2p1P1/3pP1K1/1p1P4/1Pp5/P4R2/8 b - - bm Rf7xf2; ce -M6; pv Rf7xf2 g6-g7 c3-c2 a2-a3 c2-c1Q+ Kg5-h5 Qc1-h1+ Kh5-g5 Qh1-g1+ Kg5-h5 Rf2-h2+;

[Ajedrecista]

Hello Norm:

Very interesting indeed! I have been searching for something similar on the Internet without success. May I ask where or how did you get that position? Thanks in advance.

Regards from Spain.

Ajedrecista.

[Norm Pollock]

Hi Ajedrecista,

Last night I was doing housekeeping on my epd database collection of 25,000 checkmate puzzle positions. I was trying to remove near-duplicates. And I happened to find this position (and it's flipped counterpart) in the database. Amazingly the mates are in the same number of moves.

The database can be freely downloaded from the links below. I am surprised that such a position exists. Maybe there are similar positions out there with mates in even more moves?

Best,
Norm

[Ajedrecista]

Hello again:

[...] I am surprised that such a position exists. Maybe there are similar positions out there with mates in even more moves?

[...]

Curious way of find such a position. I have just 'composed' a very simple position which is a checkmate in 17 for the side to move according to online EGTB at Shredder site:

[d]8/p7/6K1/8/8/1k6/7P/8 w - - 0 1

[d]8/p7/6K1/8/8/1k6/7P/8 b - - 0 1

The symmetry of the pieces helps to get such a long solution.

Regards from Spain.

Ajedrecista.

[Dann Corbit]

1591 pairs with distance to mate at least 2: