Chess Problem Mystery: White to Move and Mate in Two???

[DaniloBolleman]

its mate in 3, white can move and then mate in 2 duh

[TheGameYouveLost]

Queen to b 7, pawn to c6....

[hitendermohanpuria]

guys answer is Qa1

[Powhentall]

chessmaster says mate in 5,THERE IS NO MATE IN 2!

THUMBS up!

[harder728]

rokade

[tarananakonda]

it still might have the castling option. there might be a bishop on a6 and queen might have taken it. last move is not has to be done by black rook or king.

[shadowofthewarriors]

@tarananakonda But it is white to move. Since what you said involves a move by white to reach the original position, it would be black's move. But then castling would move into check.

[ogdenvile]

why doesn't Qa3 work seems it is as good as Qa1. ?

[Donttouchmyguitar]

@ogdenvile C5!



[2edude333]

or the white queen took black knight that had moved the previous turn. i found the loop hole! lol

[CreativeBaxon]

@2edude333 then it would be black's move, but it's not. Black had to make a move last turn that resulted in this position.

[kolibrrik]

Its really funny how many people arent even able to understat whats going on:-). this chess probleme is amazing!

[mtflyer05]

Qc6. 'nuff said.

[WickedJargon]

castle is still possible. whites last move may have been to capture something a pawn with either its king or queen

[gentilguy]

very good chess problem, one of a kind,

Made me slap my forehead, why didn't I see it?

[Vince13192]

This guy is so wrong...anyways, Qc6 is the best move...why the fuck complicate things?

[SuperDreamliner787]

@Vince13192 A mate in 2 is not complicated. Of course Qc6+ also wins, but it needs much more moves to checkmate in black.

[Vince13192]

@SuperDreamliner787 I guess your right. Checkmate is better then capturing the rook and then checkmate :)

[SuperDreamliner787]

@Vince13192 Yeah! But you have to be careful as I thought 1.Qa3 would also be a mate in 2. But then a user wrote that it isn´t a mate in 2, because of 1.Qa3 c5!! And there is no mate in 2!

[lolazman]

@SuperDreamliner787 That's what I saw at first as well lol... then I didn't work out that all I needed to do was move the queen a little further up :P

[AlltimeTrance]

We know that it is white to move because the title of the video says White to move, therefore we can see that black has moved either his rook or King, in this case it looks like black has moved from D8-E8, if there was no title for the video and we were not told whos move it is next it is not possible to work out if black can or cannot castle because it could be blacks move first alothough it is erelevent cause black cannot castle into check.

[KeZGTAS]

it doesnt mater if isn't mate in 2 , the correct move is Qc6. lol

[derenkoff]

@KeZGTAS no thats how bégginérs play and non russians

[MoPar7055]

@KeZGTAS That's not the correct move, even though it prolongs the game it makes check-mate take longer.

[ItalianWarrior777]

interesting

[NMGDL5]

what the hell it's already in the end game and it's white's turn to move while black's king and rook can castle and the two pawns are still in place doi it's got to be black's turn

[shadowhnters]

1. Qa3(with a threat of mating black on 2 different squares e7 and f8). Now black cannot defend both squares so white will win irrespective of what black plays rite?

Did I miss something? The rite to castling thing was something that I didnt think of though. Nice Video. Keep up the good work :)

[PrinceArt77]

@shadowhnters : Qa3 move will be blocked by black's c7 pawn with the move c5. the only possible move for the white to mate black is Qa1. nice observation though. the castling right is pretty much explained in the video. if the black's king and rook were not moved in the first place....then maybe black's last move involved a captured piece by either white's queen or king. then it would be black's turn to move. but the title says...white to move and mate in two. this puzzle is interesting though.

[RoboPimp3000]

I can't believe so many commenters have a hard time figuring out who moved last. Especially when it says who's move it is in the title of the video

[koreankayagum]

Wait a minute...how do we know if white's queen hasn't just moved to a6 to capture a black piece? If so, black could castle after the queen goes to a1. There's no way to know if black's rook or king have moved already.

[PrinceArt77]

@koreankayagum : if black's king and rook didn't move in the first place, then black's last move must have been a captured piece by either white's queen or king. then, it would be black's turn to move, not white. but the title says...white to move... so black's last move must have been either its king or rook. then it is white's turn to move, as specified in the title. this is why it is a mystery and i like it...nice puzzle this is, right my friend? Qa1 is pretty much the solution. enjoy d game

[gunblade712]

@koreankayagum if the white queen have "just" moved to a6 to capture a black piece, it would have been Black's turn.

[PrinceArt77]

i really like this guy's puzzles..really easy to set up and memorize the positions...and very cool mate techniques....nice puzzles buddy..peace yah all !

[GRIMREAPER7752]

1. Qa1 any black move 2.Qh8#

[mattfca]

woot i found qa1

[bp56789]

I would have just used the fork. But interesting stuff none the less.

[jmwintenn]

what about queen going down 2,then diagonal up beside the pawn?the king couldn't take the queen without going into check and would have nowhere to go,and the rook couldn't interfere

[PrinceArt77]

@jmwintenn : white's queen going down 2 squares at a4+ will be replied with black's Kf8 and not Kd8(mate). from Kf8 there will be no mate in 2 moves by white. nice observation, though....keep enjoying the game guys...i love puzzles...especially this guy's puzzles...so easy to set up and memorize.

[jmwintenn]

@PrinceArt77 ah, rule of two moves, forgot about that rule.

[KBoogs719]

q to a1

[SPPepo]

Va1

[VitalSigns1]

That was really cool!!!

[NekkaLucifer]

What if Black was playing up, and once queen went to a1 (h8) and then black pushed the pawn, getting a queen and putting white in check... You have not given the board co-ordinates so we could be looking at it the wrong way round and so it is not definately a mate in two! =]

[doomdoomdoo]

what is everyone talking about? ofc this black cannot castle... if Na6 Qxa6 IT IS STILL BLACKS MOVE AND HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CASTLE ACCORDING TO THE POSITION

[Saifloveslife]

dubious crap

[ZettaiBaka]

@Ronanal Yeah I was thinking the same thing near the end of this video. What's excluding the possibility that there was something at a6 or e6 and black's move was Qxa6 or Kxa6? Nothing that I see.

[drno87]

If the last move involved white capturing a black piece, then it would be black's movie, not white's.

[Ronanal]

@drno87 completely true.

[timjmyall]

This is cheating, as a chess problem does not assume any previous move - a chess problem is an artificial set position that exists in its own right, with no prior move having been made.

[Elorviat]

This is not true. Classical chess problems have the restriction that it must be possible to reach the position with a set of legal moves from the starting position. In fact, there is a whole class of problems called retrograde analysis problems that require the solver to determine something about the position on the board on previous turns. The problem presented in the video is a classical style mate in two problem, with retrograde analysis being required to solve it.

In short: Not cheating.

[bobbyfearfactor]

Black's last move COULD HAVE been moving any piece to a6. Then, the white queen would capture, and mate in two. It is possibly, although highly unlikely, that this occurred, but it is possible that the king and rook have never moved and are able to castle.

[LanceChui]

This isn't possible, because if the white queen DID capture a black piece, then it would be black to move, not white, and thus, no mate in 2.

[sormu16]

I found Qa1 in less than three seconds - but forgot to consider the 0-0-0 thing at all.

[doomdoomdoo]

Black cant castle. last move, he had to have done something with his king or rook. if he had moved a knight to a6, and queen captures ITS STILL BLACKS MOVE

[grocop]

bullshit

[RiceToPower]

what if black was a retard and moved his knight to a6

[BlindLemonJaffaCake]

that was easy, saw it in an instant.

[elgatoalcofribas]

También el jugador es prisionero

(la sentencia es de Omar) de otro tablero

de negras noches y blancos días.

Dios mueve al jugador, y éste, la pieza.

¿Qué Dios detrás de Dios la trama empieza

de polvo y tiempo y sueño y agonías?

[cms271828]

Very good, I like this one.

I got the mate pretty quick, then realised the O-O-O problem, then I realised it wasn't a problem cause last black move was king or rook.

Great puzzle

[doggydog360]

holy shit !!!!!!!

I have found a video that couldn't possibly get any nerdier.... 0.0 (if you click thumbs down youre an epic nerd)

[scentamanta]

i wonder how chess could be if you cold eliminate yor own pieces per mooves?

[d0wn10ad]

Why not try it?  :)

[syddalboy]

BLACK CANT CASTLE!!!!!!!!!! because it white to play meaning that black made the last move!!!

[JamesBurkeWeb]

What if black's last move was to capture a knight with his bishop or something?

[JamesBurkeWeb]

Sorry, I am wrong... you are right.

[Thewoodchuckchucker]

What is black advanced a nice onto the A file and white qeen captured? then there's the posibility of a queen side castle

[Sheendude]

Was just thinking that, if white had captured on a6, then it is possible that black can castle . . . oh well still a brilliant problem

[LanceChui]

Impossible, since then it would be black to move instead!

[slapmyfunkybass]

sorry, i meant c6

[slapmyfunkybass]

i've been over this in my head and i dont think it contains any errors... its just a beautiful move by the queen, most players would have moved the queen to d6, check, take rook... white would still win the game, just a few more moves

[JDAZAR2008]

that is truth, if white had captured anyother piece, a knight for example, itd be black's turn, and asumming black only has those 4 pieces, castling wouldnt be allowed, so it has its logic........well, unless black says ! I pass!!!! lol

[brabrabrali]

What if black started at the lower half of the board and develops his pawn to a Queen. Then black is checking the white king and white will have to move his king.

[guffeligufnamnam]

you're completely right. since there are no numbers on the board you can't know where the pieces started and therefore the paws could be on their way to promotion

[mrupsanddowns]

Nevermind, I was wrong. I didn't realize it was White to move and mate in two. Thus, a knight move (or any other, besides the K or R) is impossible...

[RussellsParadox]

...and now I look like a fool.

[mrupsanddowns]

his explanation regarding blacks last move is logical however incorrect. What if blacks last move was Na6 and the Q was hypothetically on f1?

[RussellsParadox]

Why, then it would be black to move, right? But in this excercise...

*inhales deely*

IT'S WHITE TO MOOOOVEEE!!!!!!!!!

*sigh*

(I apologize.)

[RelaxoII]

black could have had a knight or whatever that just has been beaten by the white queen..

so the two lazy pawns dont prove anything.

[equalite]

yea

[ColonelSaito]

Good point

[ColonelSaito]

Actually, because it's white's move there is no way that a piece could have been captured. Had it been black to move first then this might have been possible.

[Steve0016]

annoying voice

[gatewaynoble]

THAT WAS SIMPLE

[dragonbishop7]

Qa3 doesn't work because of c5

[ChrissAnderssenSzec]

1)Qa1 ! and after...Qh8 Ch. Mt.

is very easy...

[TheAfterIife]

God this is easy.

[Grn909]

Anyone know what program this is? I see it often.

[vibovitold]

Fritz

[ViorelZ11]

Chessbase

[Thugreds]

i figure out in 5 seconds

[l00l20r2]

took me about 20 seconds to solve this

[YuiCody]

oops, its whites move, nevermind sorry

[YuiCody]

what blacks last move was with a knight that was in its original position? (nb8-a6)

[obiwanfischer]

then it should have been black's move not white's because white will take the knight to get to the problem's starting position.

[HinatasChild666]

lol when i saw it i thought queen to a3 but both work i guess

[RobertoStelling]

By reading the comments one realize that Sam Loyd is universal and timeless!

He died in 1911 and his problems still make casualties by the bucket!

[ns822]

For the first mystery... the solution i found.. is also correct:

Queen to f1, and then...

Queen to f7 (or f8) - depending on king's position

Thats also a Checkmate!

And ya.. Black could still castle if he hasnt moved his King/Castle... now that depends on the situation (we cant assume) - what if last black's move was to kill some White Knight by Queen at a6? ...

So.. both the mysteries are irrelevant.

[aLeonDegiuamelle]

he cant castle. where is the piece witch killed the white one??

[comput3rsaysno]

Qf1 does not mate in 2 because if black doesnt move the king or do Rd8 then Qf8 gets taken by the king and Qf7 leaves the d8 square to escape to

[HinatasChild666]

its whites move

:P

[AlltimeTrance]

@ns822

All of that was so wrong it,s amazing.

[derenkoff]

@ns822 Qf1 is wrong , pawn goés up to c5 so no maté in two.... for thé othér mystéry blacks had to mové with thé king or thé rook bécoz its whité turns... u should try néxt timé to think

[blahyapyap]

What is he talking about? The black side could've moved a piece that was then taken so it still can have the "right" to castle.

[charlesworthd]

The problem is that it is white to move. You mentioned a piece that was taken (this would be whites move) and it would be black to move. The fact it is white to move, means white didn't *just* take something before this scenario. Black moved into this scenario, because he had last move. The pawns haven't moved that we know for sure. Therefore the king or the rook have moved.

[sagov9]

@charlesworthd unless the pawns are moving the other way, but in that case castling would be really strange :D still mate in two then

[wailallnight]

@charlesworthd

yes, well said... I solved it. Knowing that I had to cover the g7 square in two moves (while the king cannot leave the defense of the d7 square) led easily and quickly to the solution.

[rob2011r]

This is wrong... What if black's last move was Nb8-a6? Or Bc8-a6 or something like that? Or even Pxa6? Black can still castle if that is the case. As long as he hasn't moved his King or Rook.

[BlackYoshi2]

You cannot castle thru into, or out of check/checkmate.

[sagov9]

which has nothing to do with it... after Qa1 0-0-0 doesnt move through any checks

[sagov9]

it's white's turn!... there is a white queen on a6, not a black piece! if black's last move wasnt with his rook or king, the piece he moved would still be out there

[ajimboooooo]

your a fucking dickhead,u can only switch your rook and the king if thier is 2 spaces between em

[mmatejj]

ever heard of a differce between 0-0 and 0-0-0? (large and small castle)

[rob2011r]

It's called a queenside/long castle you idiot.

[sagov9]

learn chess

[chamakeado]

HEY! Theres another ONE! even if castle is allowed.

White: queen F3

Black: any move

White: Queen takes Rook and checkmate!

there you have it :)

[baablelalalheh]

black king can move to the right than avoid mate.

[Robotman42]

Well...I figure that Black's last move probably lost him a piece on a6, that's why Black can still castle queenside, but if it's white's move, you should be playing Qc6+ if you know that the opponent can still castle (in a real game, you shouldn't need to FIGURE OUT whether the opponent is still allowed to castle). One cannot castle into, through, or out of check, nor can they castle if either the king or the rook has moved previously.

[Membersacc]

Queen f3 Check

King e1

Queen h1 Check Mate!

[RussellsParadox]

...you have your coordinates mixed - that variation is impossible.

[aaronmcc23]

Loved this video haha. It was quite a fun scenario and I'll be telling the guys this at the club next time I'm down.

[tennisballs9]

lol scenARIOS at 2:39 *not scenarios*

[krivec123]

BLACK LAST MOVE COULD HAVE BEEN bxa6 !!!!!

[mckill2007]

no, i don't think so, coz if bxa6 then Qxa6, and it should be BLACK TO MOVE not WHITE TO MOVE!

[fugundes]

I could be completely wrong.. but couldn't the Queen also move to F1 for mate in two?

[bboychoco]

no, say black just plays a5. no mate there.

[2Jef]

If 1 Qf1, white can mate on the next move only if black blunders by moving the king or the rook to d1.

[Chessjock]

Wow big mystery, any good player would have known that, I figured it out within the first 20 sec of the video. Not such a mystery after all, I feel bad for those of you that were perplexed.

[southpawpwnage]

he may have moved a bishop and you took it with queen.........

[Gekkam]

it's white to move.. you might want to think about that again

[southpawpwnage]

lol ur right well than maybe the rook was diagonal from the queen so it ran

[crawford18]

SPOILER ALERT: It's possible that black moved some other piece on his last move, and white responded by capturing it. Therefore, I think it's possible that black can castle here.

[casualchessplayer]

If White had just responded by capturing a black piece then it would be Black's move not White's. The problem says it's Whites move therefore Black must have moved the Rook or the King just like the video says.

[crawford18]

You (and the video poster) are completely right. Somehow I forgot that it's white to move. Thanks.

[sagov9]

it's white's turn.... black can't lose a piece in its own turn.. there's no move like Ba3 to nowhere, the piece black has moved can't disappear into thin air

[efinis]

This is great! Thanks for uploading it!