Chess Mazes

Bruce Alberston

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Chess Mazes

There are two types of chess mazes: checking and mating. For bishop, rook, and knight mazes the play is to check the black king. For queen, pawn, and king mazes the object is to checkmate the enemy king; here checks are not allowed.

The rules in common for each type of maze are as follows:

1. Black never moves.
2. Only the maze piece (in the case of pawns—the maze units) may move.
3. A maze piece may never move to a square commanded by enemy forces.
4. A maze piece may capture undefended enemy forces.
5. Plus we look for the shortest solution.

Helpers in queen and king mazes are frozen to the diagram position, unable to move or be removed. In pawn mazes promoted pawns are unable to move off their promotion squares. Also move order may be juggled without harm to the solution. Often, when running up the board to promote, pawns can advance in different sequences.

For those who may be interested in a more detailed introduction and overview to chess maze puzzles, we invite you to read more; otherwise, we hope you enjoy this week’s Chess Maze ...

A King Maze

The starting point is an illegal position. Either the knight jumped from c2 to e4 or the white king stepped into check. If the latter - cut it out - no stepping into check in a king maze. 

#252a

[FEN "2N5/b3Np2/R1p1k3/8/P1b1n2P/
1B1prPp1/1r1KR3/B1nQ4"]

Scroll down for the solution

1 Ke1 2 Kf1 3 Kg2 4 Kh3 5 Kg4 6 Kh5 7 Kh6 8 Kg7 9 Kf8 10 Ke8 11 Kd8 12 Kc7 13 Kb7 14 Kxa7 15 Kb6       

#252b
passed the one-third point

[FEN "2N5/4Np2/RKp1k3/8/P1b1n2P/
1B1prPp1/1r2R3/B1nQ4"]

16 Ka5 17 Kb4 18 Ka3 19 Kxb2 20 Ka3 21 Kb4 22 Ka5 23 Kb6 24 Kc7 25 Kd8 26 Ke8 27 Kf8 28 Kg7 29 Kh6 30 Kh5        

#252c
passed the two-third point

[FEN "2N5/4Np2/R1p1k3/7K/P1b1n2P/
1B1prPp1/4R3/B1nQ4"]

31 Kg4 32 Kf4 33 Kxe3 34 Kf4 35 Kg4 36 Kh5 37 Kh6 38 Kg7 39 Kf8 40 Ke8 41 Kd8 42 Kc7 43 Kxc6 44 Kc7#        

#252d
point of no return mate ends the maze

[FEN "2N5/2K1Np2/R3k3/8/P1b1n2P/
1B1p1Pp1/4R3/B1nQ4"]

© 2010 Bruce Alberston. All Rights Reserved.

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