This is perhaps the toughest chess puzzle I’ve ever seen.

White to move and win.

Win in one move you say?

Bubblecar said:

Win in one move you say?

I can’t see it.

party_pants said:

Bubblecar said:

Win in one move you say?

I can’t see it.

I’m a duffer at chess, but i can’t see how either side can do anything.

captain_spalding said:

party_pants said:

Bubblecar said:

Win in one move you say?

I can’t see it.

I’m a duffer at chess, but i can’t see how either side can do anything.

I can see moves but none of them are a one move checkmate?

Bubblecar said:

Win in one move you say?

No.

dv said:

This is perhaps the toughest chess puzzle I’ve ever seen.

White to move and win.

Pawn to G7 should do it.

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

This is perhaps the toughest chess puzzle I’ve ever seen.

White to move and win.

Pawn to G7 should do it.

Black knight to B6, now what?

dv said:

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

This is perhaps the toughest chess puzzle I’ve ever seen.

White to move and win.

Pawn to G7 should do it.

Black knight to B6, now what?

run away!

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

This is perhaps the toughest chess puzzle I’ve ever seen.

White to move and win.

Pawn to G7 should do it.

That’s the one.

roughbarked said:

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

This is perhaps the toughest chess puzzle I’ve ever seen.

White to move and win.

Pawn to G7 should do it.

That’s the one.

That leads to a quick black victory

Bubblecar said:

So what’s the verdict on this move, dv?

Bubblecar said:

Bubblecar said:

So what’s the verdict on this move, dv?

I was tempted to go G6 to F7, but it might be G6 to H7.

Bubblecar said:

Bubblecar said:

So what’s the verdict on this move, dv?

I don’t think it is one move. More like this is the scenario, you are white and it is your turn next. How do you proceed?

party_pants said:

Bubblecar said:

Bubblecar said:

So what’s the verdict on this move, dv?

I don’t think it is one move. More like this is the scenario, you are white and it is your turn next. How do you proceed?

It isn’t one move. The move above forces Black’s hand for a couple of moves, but then what happens? You be the judge :)

Bubblecar said:

party_pants said:

Bubblecar said:

So what’s the verdict on this move, dv?

I don’t think it is one move. More like this is the scenario, you are white and it is your turn next. How do you proceed?

It isn’t one move. The move above forces Black’s hand for a couple of moves, but then what happens? You be the judge :)

Yeah, I’m no good at chess either. I tend to just try to take all the opponents pieces as fast as possible and then work out how to check-mate the sole king with whatever I’ve got left.

Bubblecar said:

Bubblecar said:

So what’s the verdict on this move, dv?

Black QxWhite Q, leading very quickly to black winning.

btm said:

Bubblecar said:

Bubblecar said:

So what’s the verdict on this move, dv?

Black QxWhite Q, leading very quickly to black winning.

Then white pawn takes black, black king retreats to corner. What happens next?

btm said:

Bubblecar said:

Bubblecar said:

So what’s the verdict on this move, dv?

Black QxWhite Q, leading very quickly to black winning.

“White to move and win.”

I’m not sure that the original question results in your answer.

Bubblecar said:

btm said:

Bubblecar said:

So what’s the verdict on this move, dv?

Black QxWhite Q, leading very quickly to black winning.

Then white pawn takes black, black king retreats to corner. What happens next?

Then black uses the queen to keep white in check until the bishop on e7 is captured (eg … c8c6+; f6f5 (or e5 or g5), c6d5, etc), then either f7f8(Q), e7xe8 or …, e7xf7.

Bubblecar said:

Bubblecar said:

So what’s the verdict on this move, dv?

Going by the computer…

The only decent move for Black then is Q takes Q.

After that the best move for white is g takes f7 and check.

Black’s only legal move is king to h8. White then advances the pawn and promotes to queen with check and then queen takes queen, with check. Not much for white to do now but bishop takes queen and now white can literally not win.

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

Bubblecar said:

So what’s the verdict on this move, dv?

Going by the computer…

The only decent move for Black then is Q takes Q.

After that the best move for white is g takes f7 and check.

Black’s only legal move is king to h8. White then advances the pawn and promotes to queen with check and then queen takes queen, with check. Not much for white to do now but bishop takes queen and now white can literally not win.

Ta. I couldn’t see it going anywhere myself :)

Looking forward to the solution.

Rest assured I didn’t solve it.

But I do have the solution now.

I will say that Bubblecar’s solution is in the right area.

dv said:

I will say that Bubblecar’s solution is in the right area.

i was heading in the wrong direction but i expected that.

Am watching…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmhvlRsHD-I

Anna and Pia are both playing.

dv said:

Rest assured I didn’t solve it.

But I do have the solution now.

Alcohol is a solution. I used it on this question, and now…

Queen to x34, check. Or something.

Cheers, I’m gonna have a nap.

dv said:

This is perhaps the toughest chess puzzle I’ve ever seen.

White to move and win.

Queen to C4.

fsm said:

dv said:

This is perhaps the toughest chess puzzle I’ve ever seen.

White to move and win.

Queen to C4.

Queen takes bish and check, and quickly a black victory.

Okay I’ll put you out of your misery.

I’m not sure how any human could work this out but someone did. This is white’s only path to victory.

First is the most counter-intuitive move, bishop to c7, sacrificing the queen.

Black has a several available moves but apart from Q takes Q, they all lead to very fast mate, so we’ll explore that line.

White’s only winning move now is pawn takes d8 with check.

Black has two legal moves now: king f8 which leads to immediate checkmate from the bishop, or king h8 which buys some time. After that, white again only has one good move, which is bishop to e5. The king is in the bishop’s firing line, protected only by white’s king.

Black has a lot of legal moves now but most of them lead straight to checkmate. If the king can move to g5, checkmate. If the pawn on h7 advances then king moves to g6, checkmate.
The only piece that can make it anything better than mate in 1 here is the queen.

Try to get on g file to intervene?
Try Qg4, white promotes the pawn to Q, and then black’s only legal move is to Qg8 to black that check, and white moves the king, it’s double check and checkmate.
Try Qg8, white moves king to allow check from bishop, black’s only legal move is to intervene Qg7, white promotes pawn to Q and again, double check and checkmate.

And plenty of others that are mate in 1 or 2.

Continued next post.

dv said:

Okay I’ll put you out of your misery.

I’m not sure how any human could work this out but someone did. This is white’s only path to victory.

First is the most counter-intuitive move, bishop to c7, sacrificing the queen.

Black has a several available moves but apart from Q takes Q, they all lead to very fast mate, so we’ll explore that line.

White’s only winning move now is pawn takes d8 with check.

Black has two legal moves now: king f8 which leads to immediate checkmate from the bishop, or king h8 which buys some time. After that, white again only has one good move, which is bishop to e5. The king is in the bishop’s firing line, protected only by white’s king.

Black has a lot of legal moves now but most of them lead straight to checkmate. If the king can move to g5, checkmate. If the pawn on h7 advances then king moves to g6, checkmate.
The only piece that can make it anything better than mate in 1 here is the queen.

Try to get on g file to intervene?
Try Qg4, white promotes the pawn to Q, and then black’s only legal move is to Qg8 to black that check, and white moves the king, it’s double check and checkmate.
Try Qg8, white moves king to allow check from bishop, black’s only legal move is to intervene Qg7, white promotes pawn to Q and again, double check and checkmate.

And plenty of others that are mate in 1 or 2.

Continued next post.

Looks like I wasn’t too far off, except for being too far off.

There are only two black moves from then that aren’t mate in 1 or 2, which are Qb8 and Qc5.

Qb8 is still mate in 3 though. Knight takes queen, and then black can make some pawn or bishop move, white promote pawn to Queen, and it’s soon over.

Qc5 is black’s best line. Threatens the bishop while keeping Q safe.

From here, there’s again only one winning move for white. Bb2. Every other move gives black an advantage that it can ultimately win with.

After that, all but one of black’s option leads to a quick loss. Black’s best option is Nc7. Why? Because now the king cannot go to e6: between the queen and the knight and the pawn, K cannot move to reveal that bishop attack.

Black needs all those pieces exactly where they are. White bishop to a1 to kill a move and make black move and all it can move is that a file pawn.

And bishop dances back to b2 to make black move that pawn again.

And again.

And again! All the other pieces are welded in place.

Black promotes, bishop eats.

Black now has to move one of the pieces of its cage. There are dozens of ways the game can go from here but all of them are mate in 1, 2 or 3.

dv said:

Okay I’ll put you out of your misery.

I’m not sure how any human could work this out but someone did. This is white’s only path to victory.

First is the most counter-intuitive move, bishop to c7, sacrificing the queen.

Black has a several available moves but apart from Q takes Q, they all lead to very fast mate, so we’ll explore that line.

White’s only winning move now is pawn takes d8 with check.

Black has two legal moves now: king f8 which leads to immediate checkmate from the bishop, or king h8 which buys some time. After that, white again only has one good move, which is bishop to e5. The king is in the bishop’s firing line, protected only by white’s king.

Black has a lot of legal moves now but most of them lead straight to checkmate. If the king can move to g5, checkmate. If the pawn on h7 advances then king moves to g6, checkmate.
The only piece that can make it anything better than mate in 1 here is the queen.

Try to get on g file to intervene?
Try Qg4, white promotes the pawn to Q, and then black’s only legal move is to Qg8 to black that check, and white moves the king, it’s double check and checkmate.
Try Qg8, white moves king to allow check from bishop, black’s only legal move is to intervene Qg7, white promotes pawn to Q and again, double check and checkmate.

And plenty of others that are mate in 1 or 2.

Continued next post.

Cunning, cunning as an Oxford fox.

Bubblecar said:

Looks like I wasn’t too far off, except for being too far off.

You had the right idea, Queen sacrifice and use the bishop pin

Peak Warming Man said:

dv said:

Okay I’ll put you out of your misery.

I’m not sure how any human could work this out but someone did. This is white’s only path to victory.

First is the most counter-intuitive move, bishop to c7, sacrificing the queen.

Black has a several available moves but apart from Q takes Q, they all lead to very fast mate, so we’ll explore that line.

White’s only winning move now is pawn takes d8 with check.

Black has two legal moves now: king f8 which leads to immediate checkmate from the bishop, or king h8 which buys some time. After that, white again only has one good move, which is bishop to e5. The king is in the bishop’s firing line, protected only by white’s king.

Black has a lot of legal moves now but most of them lead straight to checkmate. If the king can move to g5, checkmate. If the pawn on h7 advances then king moves to g6, checkmate.
The only piece that can make it anything better than mate in 1 here is the queen.

Try to get on g file to intervene?
Try Qg4, white promotes the pawn to Q, and then black’s only legal move is to Qg8 to black that check, and white moves the king, it’s double check and checkmate.
Try Qg8, white moves king to allow check from bishop, black’s only legal move is to intervene Qg7, white promotes pawn to Q and again, double check and checkmate.

And plenty of others that are mate in 1 or 2.

Continued next post.

Cunning, cunning as an Oxford fox.

So sacrificing the Queen is the go.
But I’ll sacrifice it early, I wont wait till the end game.
rubs hands

sarahs mum said:

dv said:

I will say that Bubblecar’s solution is in the right area.

i was heading in the wrong direction but i expected that.

Am watching…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmhvlRsHD-I

Anna and Pia are both playing.

Sorry Deevs, chess is for dummies.

Spiny Norman said:

Sorry Deevs, chess is for dummies.

You have to give him some credit.

i mean, he’s quite knowledgeable about ‘random spawn’.

captain_spalding said:

Spiny Norman said:

Sorry Deevs, chess is for dummies.

You have to give him some credit.

i mean, he’s quite knowledgeable about ‘random spawn’.

Well I say having him focus his attention on which is the better game is a good move.

ready player two

captain_spalding said:

Spiny Norman said:

Sorry Deevs, chess is for dummies.

You have to give him some credit.

i mean, he’s quite knowledgeable about ‘random spawn’.

Lol

Chess-Governing body FIDE upholds ban on Russian, Belarusian players

Sept 22 (Reuters) – Chess governing body FIDE’s general assembly on Sunday upheld a ban on Russian and Belarusian players imposed after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, while backing a move to consider easing restrictions on disabled and junior players.

—

https://www.reuters.com/sports/chess-governing-body-fide-softens-stance-some-banned-russian-belarusian-players-2024-09-22/

dv said:

Chess-Governing body FIDE upholds ban on Russian, Belarusian players

Sept 22 (Reuters) – Chess governing body FIDE’s general assembly on Sunday upheld a ban on Russian and Belarusian players imposed after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, while backing a move to consider easing restrictions on disabled and junior players.

—

https://www.reuters.com/sports/chess-governing-body-fide-softens-stance-some-banned-russian-belarusian-players-2024-09-22/

Jolly good.

A worried-looking Queen from the famous Lewis chessmen, 12th century.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/video/webcontent/web-content/vi-U6qnMyQQbHIAuA?vid=uyNDPKyxmQE&provider=yt&ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=2159dca758954b3cadb4f916760f45e2&ei=23

A couple of chess engines going at it.

I lost a game this morning.

I am black … I’m ahead on material: up a bishop and two pawns. But two white major pieces are up in my dojo, and the clock is ticking. I chose poorly, and checkmate ensued. I ran the analysis, and it turns out there was only one good move from here. Can you find it?

dv said:

I lost a game this morning.

I am black … I’m ahead on material: up a bishop and two pawns. But two white major pieces are up in my dojo, and the clock is ticking. I chose poorly, and checkmate ensued. I ran the analysis, and it turns out there was only one good move from here. Can you find it?

Queen to D7.

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

I lost a game this morning.

I am black … I’m ahead on material: up a bishop and two pawns. But two white major pieces are up in my dojo, and the clock is ticking. I chose poorly, and checkmate ensued. I ran the analysis, and it turns out there was only one good move from here. Can you find it?

Queen to D7.

That’s the move I made.

Turns out to be knight c8, which leaves white with no good options.

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

I lost a game this morning.

I am black … I’m ahead on material: up a bishop and two pawns. But two white major pieces are up in my dojo, and the clock is ticking. I chose poorly, and checkmate ensued. I ran the analysis, and it turns out there was only one good move from here. Can you find it?

Queen to D7.

That’s the move I made.

Turns out to be knight c8, which leaves white with no good options.

Yeah, it’s a bit subtle if you’re not granting enough time to contemplate.

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

I lost a game this morning.

I am black … I’m ahead on material: up a bishop and two pawns. But two white major pieces are up in my dojo, and the clock is ticking. I chose poorly, and checkmate ensued. I ran the analysis, and it turns out there was only one good move from here. Can you find it?

Queen to D7.

That would have been my move, too. But I read that it’s the wrong one.

Michael V said:

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

I lost a game this morning.

I am black … I’m ahead on material: up a bishop and two pawns. But two white major pieces are up in my dojo, and the clock is ticking. I chose poorly, and checkmate ensued. I ran the analysis, and it turns out there was only one good move from here. Can you find it?

Queen to D7.

That would have been my move, too. But I read that it’s the wrong one.

Well at least we are all on the same page

dv said:

Michael V said:

Bubblecar said:

Queen to D7.

That would have been my move, too. But I read that it’s the wrong one.

Well at least we are all on the same page

I would have swept the board onto the floor and run off in a huff

Checkmate

Grandmaster plays the best checkmate EVER

https://youtu.be/XAlcDWQ6iTM?t=371

For the chessophiles.
A pawn piece that turns into a queen piece.

Building a REAL pawn that transforms into a queen (automatically)
Designing and building a real self promoting pawn that automatically transforms into a queen. You can even 3D print your own!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSOnnle3zbA

Spiny Norman said:

For the chessophiles.
A pawn piece that turns into a queen piece.

Building a REAL pawn that transforms into a queen (automatically)
Designing and building a real self promoting pawn that automatically transforms into a queen. You can even 3D print your own!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSOnnle3zbA

What if you want a rook, bishop or knnnnnigt

Survival odds

Bump.

Michael V said:

Bump.

Ta.
A 101 on interesting chess openings
https://youtu.be/faltK25jV3Y
Over.

In all my years on chess.com, this is the first time I’ve drawn this way. Definitely my shame since I was up on material.

i watched Anna Cramling play a lower rated player last night. Pia, her international grand master type mum was commentating.
At one stage she got all excited. It was an excellent move by Anna and she could check in a couple of moves from there! Such excitmenent. Pia was saddened at anna’s next move. It became obvious that anna never saw the winning play. The game went on forever and it was a tie.

sarahs mum said:

i watched Anna Cramling play a lower rated player last night. Pia, her international grand master type mum was commentating.
At one stage she got all excited. It was an excellent move by Anna and she could check in a couple of moves from there! Such excitmenent. Pia was saddened at anna’s next move. It became obvious that anna never saw the winning play. The game went on forever and it was a tie.

Well at least it was a good day for the other player

dv said:

sarahs mum said:

i watched Anna Cramling play a lower rated player last night. Pia, her international grand master type mum was commentating.
At one stage she got all excited. It was an excellent move by Anna and she could check in a couple of moves from there! Such excitmenent. Pia was saddened at anna’s next move. It became obvious that anna never saw the winning play. The game went on forever and it was a tie.

Well at least it was a good day for the other player

True.

Just had a KNN v KP endgame.
You can’t win with KNN v K but you can potentially win with KNN v KP. But I couldn’t get it working so I just settled for a draw. The nanalysis reckonned I had six chances to win so I might need to study these odd endgames.

Had a rare draw by the 50 move rule.
Opp had a rook, I had nowt, but I guess he forgot how to do a rook roll and just chased me around the middle of the board for 50 moves.

My dad many years ago bought a fancy expensive chess set. All the pieces are carved from wax. The board is marble and something something.

As my son is into his chess, I was going to gift it to him on his 18th birthday.

Many years ago I would play him at chess, he went to chess club after school and loves the game (and still to this day plays games of chess with others on some platform or another). one day, when he was about 8 or 9, we were playing and he almost beat me, in fact he would have had he not made one vital error that allowed me to take control.. it was too close for comfort so after my win I declared myself the reigning champion and retired unbeaten.

Kids have to learn how to lose..

I have never played him again.. however I did tell him just the other week that I have a gift from his grandfather for his 18th birthday and I will play him on that board… so I had either better find the time to get some practice in.. or be prepared to be beaten and say goodbye to my title.

Arts said:

My dad many years ago bought a fancy expensive chess set. All the pieces are carved from wax. The board is marble and something something.

As my son is into his chess, I was going to gift it to him on his 18th birthday.

Many years ago I would play him at chess, he went to chess club after school and loves the game (and still to this day plays games of chess with others on some platform or another). one day, when he was about 8 or 9, we were playing and he almost beat me, in fact he would have had he not made one vital error that allowed me to take control.. it was too close for comfort so after my win I declared myself the reigning champion and retired unbeaten.

Kids have to learn how to lose..

I have never played him again.. however I did tell him just the other week that I have a gift from his grandfather for his 18th birthday and I will play him on that board… so I had either better find the time to get some practice in.. or be prepared to be beaten and say goodbye to my title.

I inherited my father’s chess set. I think he received it as a thank you gift from an Estonian man who he helped migrate to Australia in the late 1950s. Carved wooden pieces, nice wooden box.

Arts said:

My dad many years ago bought a fancy expensive chess set. All the pieces are carved from wax. The board is marble and something something.

As my son is into his chess, I was going to gift it to him on his 18th birthday.

Many years ago I would play him at chess, he went to chess club after school and loves the game (and still to this day plays games of chess with others on some platform or another). one day, when he was about 8 or 9, we were playing and he almost beat me, in fact he would have had he not made one vital error that allowed me to take control.. it was too close for comfort so after my win I declared myself the reigning champion and retired unbeaten.

Kids have to learn how to lose..

I have never played him again.. however I did tell him just the other week that I have a gift from his grandfather for his 18th birthday and I will play him on that board… so I had either better find the time to get some practice in.. or be prepared to be beaten and say goodbye to my title.

Don’t the wax pieces melt or sag in your hot summers?

Michael V said:

Arts said:

My dad many years ago bought a fancy expensive chess set. All the pieces are carved from wax. The board is marble and something something.

As my son is into his chess, I was going to gift it to him on his 18th birthday.

Many years ago I would play him at chess, he went to chess club after school and loves the game (and still to this day plays games of chess with others on some platform or another). one day, when he was about 8 or 9, we were playing and he almost beat me, in fact he would have had he not made one vital error that allowed me to take control.. it was too close for comfort so after my win I declared myself the reigning champion and retired unbeaten.

Kids have to learn how to lose..

I have never played him again.. however I did tell him just the other week that I have a gift from his grandfather for his 18th birthday and I will play him on that board… so I had either better find the time to get some practice in.. or be prepared to be beaten and say goodbye to my title.

Don’t the wax pieces melt or sag in your hot summers?

surprisingly not.. I mean, I guess they may not be wax, they may be something else… or a composite of wax and something… but they are all still un melted and sag free..

Arts said:

Michael V said:

Arts said:

My dad many years ago bought a fancy expensive chess set. All the pieces are carved from wax. The board is marble and something something.

As my son is into his chess, I was going to gift it to him on his 18th birthday.

Many years ago I would play him at chess, he went to chess club after school and loves the game (and still to this day plays games of chess with others on some platform or another). one day, when he was about 8 or 9, we were playing and he almost beat me, in fact he would have had he not made one vital error that allowed me to take control.. it was too close for comfort so after my win I declared myself the reigning champion and retired unbeaten.

Kids have to learn how to lose..

I have never played him again.. however I did tell him just the other week that I have a gift from his grandfather for his 18th birthday and I will play him on that board… so I had either better find the time to get some practice in.. or be prepared to be beaten and say goodbye to my title.

Don’t the wax pieces melt or sag in your hot summers?

surprisingly not.. I mean, I guess they may not be wax, they may be something else… or a composite of wax and something… but they are all still un melted and sag free..

Excellent.

:)

Michael V said:

Arts said:

Michael V said:

Don’t the wax pieces melt or sag in your hot summers?

surprisingly not.. I mean, I guess they may not be wax, they may be something else… or a composite of wax and something… but they are all still un melted and sag free..

Excellent.

:)

Soapstone?

Michael V said:

Arts said:

Michael V said:

Don’t the wax pieces melt or sag in your hot summers?

surprisingly not.. I mean, I guess they may not be wax, they may be something else… or a composite of wax and something… but they are all still un melted and sag free..

Excellent.

:)

ok a quick google suggests that it may be soapstone…

Arts said:

Michael V said:

Arts said:

surprisingly not.. I mean, I guess they may not be wax, they may be something else… or a composite of wax and something… but they are all still un melted and sag free..

Excellent.

:)

ok a quick google suggests that it may be soapstone…

did Grandpa escape from Shawshank Prison?

People in the Murray Street mall in Perth have set up three chess boards.
Seems to be for anyone wanting to play.

wax can be rendered from uh human specimens right

Arts said:

My dad many years ago bought a fancy expensive chess set. All the pieces are carved from wax. The board is marble and something something.

As my son is into his chess, I was going to gift it to him on his 18th birthday.

Many years ago I would play him at chess, he went to chess club after school and loves the game (and still to this day plays games of chess with others on some platform or another). one day, when he was about 8 or 9, we were playing and he almost beat me, in fact he would have had he not made one vital error that allowed me to take control.. it was too close for comfort so after my win I declared myself the reigning champion and retired unbeaten.

Kids have to learn how to lose..

I have never played him again.. however I did tell him just the other week that I have a gift from his grandfather for his 18th birthday and I will play him on that board… so I had either better find the time to get some practice in.. or be prepared to be beaten and say goodbye to my title.

time to abdicate

Arts said:

Michael V said:

Arts said:

surprisingly not.. I mean, I guess they may not be wax, they may be something else… or a composite of wax and something… but they are all still un melted and sag free..

Excellent.

:)

ok a quick google suggests that it may be soapstone…

that was my thinking. looks like wax. easy to carve as well. used extensively to make the pot holder for a bong.

Arts said:

Michael V said:

Arts said:

surprisingly not.. I mean, I guess they may not be wax, they may be something else… or a composite of wax and something… but they are all still un melted and sag free..

Excellent.

:)

ok a quick google suggests that it may be soapstone…

Just as well I read on a bit. I was about to suggest this.

buffy said:

Arts said:

Michael V said:

Excellent.

:)

ok a quick google suggests that it may be soapstone…

Just as well I read on a bit. I was about to suggest this.

I won that round.

Had this game which I was sure was headed for a draw. Our kings were dancing around for a bit. Eventually my opponent (black)lost patience and advanced pawn to d2.

I figured that mean I’d won, since I can now eat his pawns and the head north and assist my pawn to the finish line. I took pawn c2 and my opponent resigned, presumably having the same thoughts as me.

I then did the analysis and the engine says that even after d2, it’s a level game as shown above. I asked others about this and the mail is that when the bishop is the opposite colour from the corner, you can’t get mate like this. The king can just camp in the corner and force a draw. This has given me a bit to think about.

dv said:

Had this game which I was sure was headed for a draw. Our kings were dancing around for a bit. Eventually my opponent (black)lost patience and advanced pawn to d2.

I figured that mean I’d won, since I can now eat his pawns and the head north and assist my pawn to the finish line. I took pawn c2 and my opponent resigned, presumably having the same thoughts as me.

I then did the analysis and the engine says that even after d2, it’s a level game as shown above. I asked others about this and the mail is that when the bishop is the opposite colour from the corner, you can’t get mate like this. The king can just camp in the corner and force a draw. This has given me a bit to think about.

Seems quite clear that it’s not going anywhere.

One day I should make a systematic effort to learn how to play this game properly.

dv said:

One day I should make a systematic effort to learn how to play this game properly.

You’ve just been faking it all these years?

dv said:

One day I should make a systematic effort to learn how to play this game properly.

Contact Deep Blue. I think it won a game once.

dv said:

One day I should make a systematic effort to learn how to play this game properly.

It’s not difficult to learn.

It’s all pretty black and white.

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

One day I should make a systematic effort to learn how to play this game properly.

You’ve just been faking it all these years?

Pretty much.

dv said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

dv said:

One day I should make a systematic effort to learn how to play this game properly.

You’ve just been faking it all these years?

Pretty much.

So you’ve been losing a lot lately?

Bubblecar said:

dv said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

You’ve just been faking it all these years?

Pretty much.

So you’ve been losing a lot lately?

Ah no, I win about half of them because I specifynI only want to play within 200 of my ranking.

But I think I should probably be better than I am. Should learn all the best responses to the common openings etc.

Here, mate.

ChrispenEvan said:

Here, mate.

Ta.

Apparently when two 3000+ engines get it on they will play a draw so humans play the first 7 or 8 moves and then let them go at it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQWTRyzs26k

Unlike checkers, chess is not a “solved” game but I strongly suspect that perfect play always results in a draw. 70% of world championship games have gone that way in the last 10 years.

dv said:

Unlike checkers, chess is not a “solved” game but I strongly suspect that perfect play always results in a draw. 70% of world championship games have gone that way in the last 10 years.

pretty ridiculous eh given that they can gen爱 whatever the fuck they want but can’t even use all that power to sort out a weak little game

Don’t often see the backs of the Lewis chessmen (12-13th century). But some of them are richly decorated.

Just won a match where I used a terrible opening. My opponent’s frustration is relatable.

wait

so

why

isn’t

this

about

the

americans

disrespecting

the

sport

then

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-06/chess-player-throws-piece-after-checkmating-world-champion/105857474

why are we blaming the ASIANS again WTF seriously

Nakamura’s American teammate, Levy Rozman, later revealed on his popular GothamChess YouTube channel that it had been a prearranged stunt suggested by the event’s organisers. “I understand that without context it seems like Hikaru did that unprovoked and it was like some really disrespectful gesture, but we were encouraged to do that stuff,” Rozman said. “That was kind of the point, this kind of entertainment angle, and the last person was supposed to throw the king into the crowd.

maybe with context it still was like some really disrespectful gesture

Its just not cricket:

…

The sudden death of a young chess grandmaster and the cheating scandal upending the game

By Jesse McKinley, Dylan Loeb McClain and Jonathan Abrams

October 27, 2025

Chess has long produced prodigies with complicated personalities, prone to quirks, fierce rivalries and sometimes tortured relationships with the game itself. Daniel Naroditsky, a chess grandmaster, was at once a successor to that lineage and a merry subverter of it.

A primary-school wizard who topped US rankings for his age at nine years old, Naroditsky built a fervent online fan base with a sense of humour and humility about a pastime that has humbled even experts who study its seemingly endless permutations.

“More so than in any other game,” Naroditsky told The New York Times in 2022, “you’re going to suck for a while.”

Last week, the news of the death of Naroditsky, 29, stunned the same chess world that he had devoted himself to, leading to an outpouring of grief and bitter accusations that another elite player, Vladimir Kramnik, a Russian grandmaster and former world champion, had bullied him.

How Naroditsky died is unknown: He was found unresponsive at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the cause of death is being looked into as suicide, an overdose or natural causes, according to police.

As the investigation continues, several chess players have suggested that Kramnik bore responsibility for repeatedly insinuating, in a series of videos, comments and posts, that Naroditsky – known as Danya – had been cheating online.

“He has literally taken a life,” Nihal Sarin, an Indian grandmaster, wrote in an essay in The Indian Express.

Levy Rozman, a New York-based international master who posts on YouTube as GothamChess, echoed that outrage, saying, “It’s very difficult to separate the horrible news of Danya’s passing with the treatment he received from the former world champion, an idol of his”.

In a statement on Saturday on the social platform X, Kramnik wrote that he had “never made any personal attack or insult toward” Naroditsky, adding that efforts to link him to the death “cross all boundaries of basic human morality”.

The controversy comes as chess has surged in popularity, owing in part to the pandemic, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit and access to online play. Chess.com, a major force in the industry, has more than 225 million users, with 20 million games played daily, according to the company.

Chess, once the domain of suited men in stuffy clubs, is now enlivened by worldwide, 24/7 competition, popular social media personalities and games sometimes accelerated to the point of adrenaline overload.

But as the game’s popularity has exploded, cheating has become an increasingly common occurrence in online chess. Computers have long proved their dominance over humans in the game, and players can run nearly instantaneous simulations of complex positions.

Naroditsky’s specialty was a form of chess known as “bullet”, during which both players have only a minute to complete all their moves, or forfeit, with attacking and traps often taking the place of the game’s traditional deep thinking. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people tune in to watch these virtuoso displays of lightning chess.

Prize money for online tournaments has also grown, with the top tournaments offering hundreds of thousands of dollars, even as chess influencers claim healthy salaries sometimes without ever winning major titles.

Trash talk is also common, with anonymous social media accounts carrying out personal attacks. In many ways, Kramnik’s suggestions of cheating further delivered chess into the modern moment, with all its tech-native conspiracy theories and mutual suspicion.

Naroditsky, a prodigy whose parents emigrated from Eastern Europe, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from Stanford University. He became a grandmaster – chess’ highest ranking-category – at 18.

He attracted about 800,000 followers across YouTube, where he had posted more than 600 videos on his channel, and Twitch, and a glowing reputation as a commentator, teacher and promoter of the game.

“He showed that you could be a genius,” said Daniel Rensch, a founder of Chess.com, where Naroditsky was a contributor. “But you also didn’t have to be arrogant.”

From idol to rival
Kramnik, 50, was world champion from 2000 to 2007, and is widely considered one of the greatest players in the game’s history. Naroditsky grew up idolising the champion; there is a photo of him as a 12-year-old with Kramnik, both smiling.

In his statement, Kramnik expressed his “deepest condolences to all of Mr Naroditsky’s loved ones in connection with the tragic and untimely passing”, calling him a “remarkable chess player and person”.

At the same time, Kramnik wrote that he also stood ready to supply “evidence” questioning whether Naroditsky abided by rules of “fair play” online.

Kramnik’s insinuations about Naroditsky’s chess play date to at least last October, when Kramnik posted comments about the prodigy’s unusual accuracy and high ranking in high-speed chess.

The Russian also posted videos, including one called “Exposing Private Danya”. In it, the Russian grandmaster comments on recorded remarks by Naroditsky, accusing the young American of lying and being evasive. He also said Naroditsky had been elusive about his eye movements during streamed games – suggesting he was looking at other screens while playing.

But Kramnik treaded delicately, never accusing Naroditsky directly of cheating in competitions.

“I’m not accusing,” Kramnik said. “I’m just asking questions.”

Last October, Kramnik also challenged Naroditsky to a match with each player putting up $US50,000 ($77,000). Naroditsky turned it down, but did debate him on a Russian chess program – in Russian – defending himself.

But Naroditsky’s friends and followers noticed that the accusations seemed to weigh on him and threatened his standing in the community. His pace of posting videos had slowed in recent months, as he stepped back from chess commentating.

“It had clearly taken him to a point where he was not in a great space,” Magnus Carlsen, the world’s top-ranked player and a five-time world champion, said in a YouTube video on Tuesday.

Two days before his death, Naroditsky livestreamed from North Carolina, playing dozens of games, one after another, while speaking about the cheating accusations that Kramnik had made.

In the video, which ran for more than two hours, Naroditsky at times seemed out of sorts, disorientated and exhausted, his head sometimes falling into his hands.

Some fans had expressed concern about Naroditsky’s recent behaviour and his obsession with suggestions that he cheated.

On a podcast last year, he called Kramnik “one of the most wicked, wicked people that I’ve ever dealt with”, and accused him of “trying to ruin my life”.

But in the final video, Naroditsky seemed sorry that there had ever been a dispute with Kramnik.

“There’s nothing I’d rather wish for than for this to never have happened,” he said.

The cheating issue
Kramnik wrote in his statement that he had received death threats and intended to pursue criminal and civil cases against people who have made “blatantly false and criminal statements against me regarding Daniel’s death”.

In recent texts sent to The New York Times, Kramnik added that he felt he was being targeted by a PR campaign that was “working well this time”.

Kramnik, who retired in 2019, began a campaign to expose online cheating about two years ago, and had also once been accused of cheating.

In 2006, a world championship match between Kramnik and Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria was stopped when Topalov’s manager accused Kramnik of cheating by using a computer during bathroom breaks. Organisers locked the bathroom.

Kramnik refused to continue until it was reopened. They did, and Kramnik won the match.

Many chess players initially backed Kramnik’s efforts to combat cheating, said Kostya Kavutskiy, an international master, streamer and commentator.

“He’s definitely not the only top player who thinks it’s a huge issue,” Kavutskiy said. “I think virtually all of them do. But he was very public about it and started to really, really try to go after players in a public way.”

There have been several cheating accusations in the chess world. In 2022, Carlsen accused Hans Niemann, a young American, of cheating after losing to Niemann, a lesser ranked player, in a tournament in St Louis.

Niemann later confessed to cheating in online chess as a young player, but insisted he never cheated during in-person games.

In his video on Wednesday, Carlsen said he had initially thought Kramnik had been “fighting a good fight” in trying to root out cheating.

But, Carlsen said Kramnik had gone too far with attacks on players like Hikaru Nakamura – the world’s top streamer, who is also ranked No. 2 in the world – and for going “so hard” after Naroditsky.

“I don’t think anybody thought that Naroditsky was cheating,” Carlsen said.

‘Danya truly was adored’
Kenneth Regan, a computer science professor at the University at Buffalo in New York who has studied cheating in chess, said he estimated 1 to 2 per cent of participants cheat in general online chess.

Naroditsky was one of several dozen prominent players Regan said he had recently examined to see whether they had significant anomalies between their performances in slow chess and blitz chess, tracking his results across several months.

His results found no indication that Naroditsky was cheating.

On Thursday, players from around the world attended a memorial service in San Francisco. FIDE, the international governing board of chess, has announced that it will investigate “all relevant public statements” made by Kramnik about Naroditsky.

Rensch, from Chess.com, described the mood of attendees at the San Francisco event as “devastated”.

“It’s been both shock, in terms of how this happened, and, of course, just no one really knowing fully why yet,” he said, adding: “Danya truly was adored by the chess community.”

Other players said they understood how criticism and accusations from a champion such as Kramnik could be painful, especially when repeated by others.

“If somebody like him accused you, no matter what, there are people who would follow his opinion and would also keep saying the same things,” said Anastasiya Karlovich, a Ukrainian women’s grandmaster and journalist.

In a statement posted by the Charlotte Chess Centre, where Naroditsky was a head coach, his family asked for privacy while praising him. “Let us remember Daniel for his passion and love for the game of chess,” it read.

In his final video, Naroditsky said that “since the Kramnik stuff, I feel like if I start doing well, people assume the worst of intentions”.

Moments later, he mentioned “the lingering effect of it” and became slightly choked up.

“One final game,” he said, his voice breaking, before signing off moments later.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/the-sudden-death-of-a-young-chess-grandmaster-and-the-cheating-scandal-upending-the-game-20251027-p5n5fi.html?dicbo=v2-8mbHpeQ