Wednesday, February 23, 2011

CRAZY QUEEN CHESS PUZZLE

The Introduction
Previously we have saw crazy bishop puzzle in The Most Beautiful Chess Problem’s posting in which one single bishop destroyed an armada of army, a few weeks ago we saw a crazy rook puzzle (in which a single rook which could not be taken, keep on giving check no matter where black’s king hide) and now...crazy queen chess puzzle!

This puzzle was first shown to me by Ghalam Sani some 20 years ago. If i am not mistaken, Gambit (Fairul Yusof) manage to solve this puzzle.

The Puzzle

White to play and win

The Solution
1.h8 = Q a1 = Q
White could not take black’s queen due to stalemate.



2.Qg8 Qa2
Again, black’s queen is taboo.

3.Qe8 Qa4


4.Qe5 Ka8
5.Qh8 winning...white threaten to move his king to seventh rank with a fatal discovered check.

Black could no longer played 5. ...Qa1 because white could then play 6.Qa1 with a check, stalemate trap no longer there.

Trivia
A few years later, i discovered about this puzzle inside John Nunn’s Tactical Chess Ending though inside the book, the puzzle start from below diagram and with a longer solution.

Solution
1. b6+! Kb8!
2. h4 a5
3. h5 a4
4. h6 a3
5. h7 a2
6. h8=Q a1=Q
7. Qg8! Qa2
8. Qe8 Qa4
9. Qe5! Ka8
10. Qh8 winning

According to John Nunn this puzzle was composed by D, Joseph and was published inside British Chess Magazine in 1922.

Dr John Nunn called this puzzle “...one of the most famous endgame studies ever composed, but nevertheless it may be new to some people”

I have once show this puzzle to Abdullah Che Hassan...after a few minutes he managed to find the solution!

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