Think about who has an interest in a space far away from him. And then of course think about who else.
The challenge is to find the checkmate in 2 moves.
That is, try to find the move that White can play now that will allow him to win by checkmate in the next move. This is the winning move. Did you find it? With what checkmate move do you plan to win in the second move? Note that there are moves that only look like a winning move but are not… Then try to think about Black’s defensive attempts as well and find the appropriate checkmate move for each of them. Good luck and enjoy!
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In the given position, the ♖ on e1 pins the ♜ on e5, which itself pins the ♖ on d5.
Moving the ♗ from the h-file opens a path for the ♕ toward h8…
If Black tries to defend by moving the ♜ vertically — opening a line for the ♛ toward h8 — then the ♖ on d4 becomes unpinned and delivers mate on d8.
Another defensive idea for Black is playing ♟b3, which opens a line for the ♝ to f8 (where it could block after ♕h8+).
To make the response ♕a4# possible, White must preemptively block the path of the ♝ from f1 to b5.
Therefore, the first move must be ♗e2 — a move that blocks the ♖ on e1 and lifts the pin on the ♜, allowing it to capture the ♖ on d5 and give check.
In reply, ♗b5# blocks the check while delivering a double check — from both the ♖ and the ♗ — checkmate.
💡We especially liked:
💙How ♚ stands in the open, two entire rows just for him, and the entire attack happens “by remote control”.
And the elegance of moving the pieces from side to side of the board in all sorts of directions… We enjoyed it.
I liked this scene: He opens the door for her. She goes out. He closes it. Game over.
Thank you Victor for the response! But… did you mean to comment specifically on this puzzle? Your cool response seems really appropriate there 🙂