Round and Round

Posted in Puzzles by Greg Ross on June 16th, 2007

A chess puzzle set on a Mobius strip, via Lawrence Kesteloot’s puzzles page.

There are no pieces on the hidden sides, and don’t worry about the direction of the black pawn. White to move and mate in two.

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The white queen travels clockwise until she captures the black knight next to the black king, giving check. Black’s only legal response is to capture the white knight. (The bishop can’t take the queen because it’s pinned by the rook at left.) Then the white rook at the top travels counterclockwise until it captures the black queen, giving mate. (Thanks for Ryan for the tip, and to Lawrence for permission.)

Futility Closet