ChessBase Puzzle 2

A dangerous game

In the year 1713 the Swedish king Karl XII was waging war against the Turks. A man of great equanimity he liked to enjoy a quiet game of chess, even while his soldiers fought outside his tent. During the Battle of Bender he was playing a game against his general and with White he reached the following position:

Mate in three moves!", said the king.

But before he was actually able to execute a move 
a bullet strayed into the tent and smashed the knight on e1.

The general froze, but King Karl continued to calmly study the position. 
"Well", he said, "then mate in four moves!"

But once again he wasn't able to make a move, 
because a second bullet entered the tent and shattered the pawn on h2.

The king remained unperturbed and after a few seconds announced mate in five move.

The general, his nerves completely frayed, watched his monarch execute the mate. With a wry smile he said, "What a pity, your majesty, that the first bullet didn't remove the rook instead of the knight."

"Then", answered the King, "I would simply have delivered mate in six!"

The first three parts of this wonderful little problem was composed by the congenial Samuel Loyd. It is interesting that the editor of the magazine "Chess Monthly", where it appeared in 1859, thought up the story and asked Loyd to compose a chess position to suit it. Loyd did so in less than a day. Part four was added some years later.

In 2003 Brian Stewart drew my attention to the fact that if the second bullet had struck the g-pawn instead of the h-pawn then the king would would also have been able to win.

White to play and mate in ten

Frederic Friedel

Solutions