![]() ![]() "The only way the position is possible is that the White pieces are really moving down the page and that the White knight is really a White pawn that just came from a4, capturing a Black pawn on b4 en passant. If the White pawn on c7 now captures the Black rook and becomes a knight, then the Black king will be mated no matter on which of the two squares he stands." Therefore, the Black king is now either on c8 or d7. If the latter, then the Black king must have just moved from c8 to d7. This means it is either on c8 or White is in check from the Black rook. Hence, the Black king does not stand on d8. "It is White's move, so Black is not in check. Falak (Arabic: ) is the giant serpent mentioned in the One Thousand and One Nights. Here are the solutions to last week's problems: ![]() Send your solutions to me at, by next Wednesday. On the last problem, the conventional 3 points for giving a complete variation, and so a total of 15 points are possible this week. On the second problem, 5 points for not only identifying the spy, and what piece it actually is, but a full proof. On the first problem, 7 points for not only giving the mating move, but a complete proof. Raymond Smullyan The Chess Mysteries of the Arabian Knights 1981 #3 What piece is disguised, and what is it really?" "In this game, one of the pieces is a spy in disguise. "Well, your majesty, the situation is this." And the vizier set up the chessboard as below. "Show it to me," cried the caliph eagerly. I don't know if you would call it a thriller exactly, but it contains an interesting chess puzzle." "Hm," said the vizier, "let me think! Why yes, your majesty, I know a spy mystery. "What kind of story would you like, your majesty?" "Things have been rather slow around here." "Could you tell me a story?" Haroun asked his vizier, one sultry day. Although it is during an important battle, and Haroun (WK) is greatly concerned at not being able to see Kazir, Haroun's powers of reasoning are so remarkable that he is able to mate the Black monarch as unerringly as if he were in full view-and that in only one move! What is the move?" "Now the Black king, Kazir, has made himself invisible. Thanks again to Barry Keith for sending me material from The Chess Mysteries of the Arabian Knights: 50 New Problems of Chess Detection by Raymond Smullyan, which are this week's problems two retroanalysis problems and one conventional directmate. ![]()
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