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The problem in losing chess
December 26, 2006 |
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Puzzle 2
“We were having a game of losing chess at the club
last night.”
“Losing chess?”
“Yes, losing chess, that game where you win if you
give away all your pieces, and you must make a capture if
one is possible.”
“Can you remember the position?”
“Yes, White had knights on c2 and g1, and Black had
a pawn on d3.”
“No kings?”
“No, in losing chess kings don’t have special
powers and both sides had already given away their kings.”
“What happened?”
“Well, White, who was to play, found a neat win.”
What was the win (White to play)?
(To clarify the rules of losing chess: if more than one
capture is possible, the side to play can choose which one
to make. A player who promotes a pawn may choose which piece
to promote to, just as in normal chess. You cannot promote
to a king.)
John Nunn
Two practice problems
For those of our readers who are unfamiliar with losing
chess (also called antichess, zero chess, giveaway chess,
suicide chess), here are two puzzles for you to practise
on.
H.
Klüver, Chess Amateur 1923
White to play and win
1.a8N! Kxa4 2.Nb6! ...
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P.H.
Törngren, Tidskrift för Schack 1929
White to play and win
1.h3! a5 2.h4 a4 3.h5 a3 4.h6
a2 5.h7 a1R! 6.h8B!!...
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Try to solve the above problems on your own. The first is
very easy, the second shows you that even with just two pawns
on the board a losing chess problem can be nontrivial. To
see the solutions drag your mouse across the area below the
board.
The solutions to all puzzles will be
published at the end of the week (after January 1st).
Some clues and feedback may be published during our Christmas
puzzle week.
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