Chess Puzzle #7925

CHESS PUZZLE, FEN 8/5k2/3K4/4Q3/8/8/8/8 w - -

Added by:	znoob
Added on:	07-Dec-08
Description:
Difficulty:	chess puzzle 8/5k2/3K4/4Q3/8/8/8/8 w - -
Attempts:	2054
Solved:	1233 (60%)


White to move, mate in 3

Comments: (16) » Last

From

Comment

donfernando
18-Nov-13, 07:14

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nice

nice way to do it short, regular this would take 4 or more steps

jaffis
18-Nov-13, 10:23

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I'm surprised about the low solve rating, only 63%

walterwego
18-Nov-13, 10:26

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way too low solve percentage...probably gives an indication of how often we try to check our selves into a mating position.

tugger
18-Nov-13, 10:34

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It's crazy that this has a lower solve rate than Saturday's puzzle. This is simple stuff and should be drilled into amateur chess players as they develop. The first move is ridiculously obvious and the rest clicks into place.

a_booth_1
18-Nov-13, 11:47

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OK, I agree that the rest clicks into place once you get the right first move, but I don't see how that was obvious. Something that's obvious to you can be the hardest thing to explain, but can you explain how you found that so easily?

jaffis
18-Nov-13, 11:48

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It is more obvious when you are given a certain number of moves

rooklecour1
18-Nov-13, 12:36

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Training

Unless students are given problems (programmed learning is probably best) regularly and at an early age they never develop the necessary tactical awareness. Most players are self taught, at least in America; so they don't always develop the tactical perception.

moe78
18-Nov-13, 12:40

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Re: Training

Very insightful. I learned from a 1200 player. My father. Wouldn't do that. Just give some checks until it's mate.

jett22
18-Nov-13, 13:27

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Quick note

A 1200 player with less than 20 games isn't necessarily a 1200 player.

max_planck_3511
18-Nov-13, 14:01

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In fact it's more chess library knowledge. For me it was rather hard 'cause it's first time I get this. For more experienced and learned players it should seem obvious. For the rest of the excited posts see www.ericberne.com

g-minor
18-Nov-13, 15:14

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Moves

Everybody can checkmate here, the low solve percentage is just because we're trying to mate in three. The puzzle helped show the faster way to get things done.

tugger
18-Nov-13, 19:15

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It's obvious because the objective is to trap the enemy king. g5 is the natural square for the queen to move to because it restricts black's movement to just two squares, both of which are on the 8th, which makes mating him easy. Once he's one those squares we don't even need a queen, a rook would suffice. It's literally the first move I considered.

queen4aday
18-Nov-13, 20:54

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I had to use the analyze mode to figure it out. The first move was the hardest. In some ways it seems irrelevant. Once you get down to these three pieces the game is over and it doesn't matter how many moves it takes. But I do see the application of trapping the king in this way in a much more complicated scenario. This was a useful puzzle to learn from.

noggins
09-May-23, 01:10

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Re: Moves

Not everyone can checkmate this endgame. Some will go 2. Qg6 and stalemate.

archduke_piccolo
09-May-23, 15:04

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A useful quide...

... to this type of end game. Move your queen so that it is a knight-move away from the enemy king bearing in mind not to deliver a stalemate.

E.g.

White checkmates in 6 moves:

1.Qf5! Kc6 (best; other defences shorten the game)
2.Qe6ch Kc7
3.Kb5 Kd8! (a stalemate try)
4.Qf7! Kc8
5.Kc6 Kd8
6.Qf8#

schizoidman
09-May-23, 23:20

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Mating position

Everyone knows the standard checkmating positions with K+Q vs K. The white king is already on the sixth rank. So, now you just have to chase the king to the eighth rank. Qg5 does it in one move. No other move available that accomplishes this first task. Then a beginner might play Qe7 followed by moving the king to the right and eventually mating. But in this case, moving the king instead forces black to move toward the king instead of to the corner and it ends quicker.

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