Tweet
Something different for ChessTalk.... a chess logic puzzle.
I created a logic puzzle based on a variant of chess I have created. I first of all wondered if an AI (Artificial Intelligence) could solve it, then I just decided to find out if any ChessTalker(s) could solve it. So here it is, I will leave it up for a few weeks and then provide my answer.....
Imagine you are one of the top 10 ranked chess players in the world.
One afternoon, on a break in your playing schedule, you are at your home alone and watching Home Alone when God appears in your living room. You know it is God because of the brilliance of the light coming from Him and Her. He and She says in a soothing, Bill Maher and Cyndi Lauper-like voice, "Don't be afraid. I just want to play a game of chess with you."
You jump at the chance. "Oh yes!" you exclaim, ready to lose if it means you can finally get the greatest post-game analysis ever.
"But wait," God says while you are already bring out your Simpsons chess set with the pieces already set up. "Before we begin, I have to tell you there are conditions. There is a rule change regarding piece movement, which affects, among other things, winning the game, that we will be playing by. Winning the game still does involve the King and only the King and this is not any variation of Suicide Chess. I will not tell you what the rule change is, you have to figure out what it is yourself based on what happens with each move. We must both announce our intended move before we actually make it, and once you announce your move, you cannot change your mind. Also, we will play just the 1 game, and if you lose before you can FULLY explain the rule change, which by the way does have a few corollaries, you forfeit your soul to Hell where you will spend eternity listening to all the Lawrence Welk music every recorded in an endless loop. Oh, and should you decide to describe the rule changes, you only get the one chance, and you must get it all correct, or again ... well, I hope you like Lawrence Welk music."
You are a little disappointed, but hey, its God and its chess. You can't say no. Maybe God will allow ear plugs in Hell.
So the game begins. At first everything seems normal. God is playing White. God announces "Pawn e2 to e4." He pushes His & Her e-Pawn 2 squares forward. You announce "Pawn c7 to c5" and move your c7 Pawn 2 squares forward. Ok, great, maybe the rule change is very minor. Maybe no castling or something, that would make Kramnik very happy.
Then something weird happens ... God announces "Knight at g1 to f3." But then there is a "bzz bzz" sound like they make on Wheel Of Fortune when someone guesses a letter and there are none of that letter in the solution. God's Knight on g1 doesn't move. God tells you it is now your move.
As the game goes on, many moves that are announced don't actually get played. Sometimes no move is made at all, as just described. But more often, the piece that was intended to move some number of squares moves ... less squares than intended. This never happens with Knights, they always either make their announced move or do not move at all and the turn switches to the other player. And Kings also, they either make their announced 1-square move or don't move at all and the turn passes to the other player. Similarly with any other piece that is just moving 1 square: it either makes the move or makes no move at all, and the turn passes to the other player. But if a Pawn attempts its first move as a 2-square move, sometimes it only actually moves 1 square and then the turn switches.
When Bishops, Queens and Rooks attempt anything more than 1-square moves, sometimes the announced move occurs, and sometimes the move that gets made is less than intended. Again, sometimes even no move at all, and the move switches.
You notice that capturing doesn't change any of this. Either the capture succeeds (always succeeds when the capturing square is reached), or it doesn't because the capturing square isn't reached.
You also notice that no piece ever makes any move that isn't allowed in standard chess, and God never attempts to make any such different move.
At one point, God attemps to castle Kingside. There is the "bzz bzz" sound and God says, "Your move."
On 3 different occasions, you attempt to castle Queenside. Each time, the "bzz bzz" sound and you lose your turn. Then God announces He & She are castling Queenside, and it succeeds.
At one point, a position is reached in which you are horrified ... God has a 1-move checkmate! You try and keep calm and try not to think about Lawrence Welk polkas. After an interminitely long time, God announces ... a move that is NOT the checkmating move!! You internally gasp but try not to show your surprise.
Both you and God create an en-passant capture situation. You attempt the en-passant capture, it fails "bzz bzz". "My turn" says God. Later God attempts the en-passant capture on you, and it succeeds.
Both you and God have chances to promote a Pawn. In God's case, it fails with the "bzz bzz" sound. But in your case, it succeeds and God informs you that you can promote to Queen or Rook or Knight or Bishop, just as in standard chess. You jokingly say "I want to keep it a Pawn" and God replies with a smile, "No, that is not allowed.'
At one point, you realize that God's King has been on every square on the board, and that didn't result in the game ending.
Finally, after some 150-odd moves comes a point where you successfully make a move that puts God's King in check. It's the first time either King has been in check. To your surprise, God leaves His & Her King in check and makes some other move which succeeds. But God's King is still in check. You say to God, "Uh, Almighties, I think maybe you just made an illegal move? I mean, your King is in check."
"Yes it is," God replies and then says, "Your move."
Hmmmm, should you just announce the King-capturing move? Or could you LOSE THE GAME by attempting to capture the King?
You look at God, and He & She are smiling at you sublimely.
You realize the moment of truth has arrived.
God tells you He and She have "all the time in the Universe" to wait for you to make your decision. "But do keep in mind", He and She remarks, "Heat death is coming!" And they laugh.
Do you....
- figure out the rule change with all its corollaries and descrbe the changes to God, or
- attempt to capture the King and possibly (i)lose the game instantly, or (ii)WIN the game instantly, or (iii)possibly neither lose nor win instantly, the game will just continue?
There is only 1 correct answer. But to be fully qualified as the right answer, you must do the following:
If you answer that you must explain the rule changes to God, please provide the rule changes as you understand them.
If on the other hand you answer that you should attempt the King capture, you must provide a valid reason why you don't yet fully know the rule change and why you feel the attempt at the King capture will NOT cause you to immediately lose the game.
In the true spirit of fairness, I am not perfect and the answer I currently view as correct may NOT be correct, if you are clever enough to refute it.
I created a logic puzzle based on a variant of chess I have created. I first of all wondered if an AI (Artificial Intelligence) could solve it, then I just decided to find out if any ChessTalker(s) could solve it. So here it is, I will leave it up for a few weeks and then provide my answer.....
Imagine you are one of the top 10 ranked chess players in the world.
One afternoon, on a break in your playing schedule, you are at your home alone and watching Home Alone when God appears in your living room. You know it is God because of the brilliance of the light coming from Him and Her. He and She says in a soothing, Bill Maher and Cyndi Lauper-like voice, "Don't be afraid. I just want to play a game of chess with you."
You jump at the chance. "Oh yes!" you exclaim, ready to lose if it means you can finally get the greatest post-game analysis ever.
"But wait," God says while you are already bring out your Simpsons chess set with the pieces already set up. "Before we begin, I have to tell you there are conditions. There is a rule change regarding piece movement, which affects, among other things, winning the game, that we will be playing by. Winning the game still does involve the King and only the King and this is not any variation of Suicide Chess. I will not tell you what the rule change is, you have to figure out what it is yourself based on what happens with each move. We must both announce our intended move before we actually make it, and once you announce your move, you cannot change your mind. Also, we will play just the 1 game, and if you lose before you can FULLY explain the rule change, which by the way does have a few corollaries, you forfeit your soul to Hell where you will spend eternity listening to all the Lawrence Welk music every recorded in an endless loop. Oh, and should you decide to describe the rule changes, you only get the one chance, and you must get it all correct, or again ... well, I hope you like Lawrence Welk music."
You are a little disappointed, but hey, its God and its chess. You can't say no. Maybe God will allow ear plugs in Hell.
So the game begins. At first everything seems normal. God is playing White. God announces "Pawn e2 to e4." He pushes His & Her e-Pawn 2 squares forward. You announce "Pawn c7 to c5" and move your c7 Pawn 2 squares forward. Ok, great, maybe the rule change is very minor. Maybe no castling or something, that would make Kramnik very happy.
Then something weird happens ... God announces "Knight at g1 to f3." But then there is a "bzz bzz" sound like they make on Wheel Of Fortune when someone guesses a letter and there are none of that letter in the solution. God's Knight on g1 doesn't move. God tells you it is now your move.
As the game goes on, many moves that are announced don't actually get played. Sometimes no move is made at all, as just described. But more often, the piece that was intended to move some number of squares moves ... less squares than intended. This never happens with Knights, they always either make their announced move or do not move at all and the turn switches to the other player. And Kings also, they either make their announced 1-square move or don't move at all and the turn passes to the other player. Similarly with any other piece that is just moving 1 square: it either makes the move or makes no move at all, and the turn passes to the other player. But if a Pawn attempts its first move as a 2-square move, sometimes it only actually moves 1 square and then the turn switches.
When Bishops, Queens and Rooks attempt anything more than 1-square moves, sometimes the announced move occurs, and sometimes the move that gets made is less than intended. Again, sometimes even no move at all, and the move switches.
You notice that capturing doesn't change any of this. Either the capture succeeds (always succeeds when the capturing square is reached), or it doesn't because the capturing square isn't reached.
You also notice that no piece ever makes any move that isn't allowed in standard chess, and God never attempts to make any such different move.
At one point, God attemps to castle Kingside. There is the "bzz bzz" sound and God says, "Your move."
On 3 different occasions, you attempt to castle Queenside. Each time, the "bzz bzz" sound and you lose your turn. Then God announces He & She are castling Queenside, and it succeeds.
At one point, a position is reached in which you are horrified ... God has a 1-move checkmate! You try and keep calm and try not to think about Lawrence Welk polkas. After an interminitely long time, God announces ... a move that is NOT the checkmating move!! You internally gasp but try not to show your surprise.
Both you and God create an en-passant capture situation. You attempt the en-passant capture, it fails "bzz bzz". "My turn" says God. Later God attempts the en-passant capture on you, and it succeeds.
Both you and God have chances to promote a Pawn. In God's case, it fails with the "bzz bzz" sound. But in your case, it succeeds and God informs you that you can promote to Queen or Rook or Knight or Bishop, just as in standard chess. You jokingly say "I want to keep it a Pawn" and God replies with a smile, "No, that is not allowed.'
At one point, you realize that God's King has been on every square on the board, and that didn't result in the game ending.
Finally, after some 150-odd moves comes a point where you successfully make a move that puts God's King in check. It's the first time either King has been in check. To your surprise, God leaves His & Her King in check and makes some other move which succeeds. But God's King is still in check. You say to God, "Uh, Almighties, I think maybe you just made an illegal move? I mean, your King is in check."
"Yes it is," God replies and then says, "Your move."
Hmmmm, should you just announce the King-capturing move? Or could you LOSE THE GAME by attempting to capture the King?
You look at God, and He & She are smiling at you sublimely.
You realize the moment of truth has arrived.
God tells you He and She have "all the time in the Universe" to wait for you to make your decision. "But do keep in mind", He and She remarks, "Heat death is coming!" And they laugh.
Do you....
- figure out the rule change with all its corollaries and descrbe the changes to God, or
- attempt to capture the King and possibly (i)lose the game instantly, or (ii)WIN the game instantly, or (iii)possibly neither lose nor win instantly, the game will just continue?
There is only 1 correct answer. But to be fully qualified as the right answer, you must do the following:
If you answer that you must explain the rule changes to God, please provide the rule changes as you understand them.
If on the other hand you answer that you should attempt the King capture, you must provide a valid reason why you don't yet fully know the rule change and why you feel the attempt at the King capture will NOT cause you to immediately lose the game.
In the true spirit of fairness, I am not perfect and the answer I currently view as correct may NOT be correct, if you are clever enough to refute it.
Comment