We hope you enjoyed the puzzles! Here are the solutions…
5 Christmas Puzzles
Santa has had a very long day delivering presents and has forgotten which way round the board is in this puzzle.
So White can be playing up or down the board. Either way it is mate in 3! Can you find both solutions?
Solution for White playing up the board
Solution for White playing down the board.
It wouldn’t be Christmas without an Xmas Tree puzzle. Here is a nice easy one to start with. It is Black to move. How many ways can Black deliver checkmate in one move?
There are 4 mates. Solution
And once again it is White to play and mate in 2. This one is perhaps a little harder still.
Solution
5 Easier Christmas Catchphrases
Can you name the local chess players, one from each club. We start with an example and 5 easier puzzles.
Example
Answer = Bar Ray Jolly i.e. Barry Jolly
Hint: Ringwood
Answer = Male Comb Day i.e. Malcolm Day
Hint: Poole
Answer = John (Kennedy) Weather Lake i.e. John Weatherlake
Hint: Southbourne
Answer = P (B)all Sand E i.e. Paul Sandy
Hint: New Milton
Answer = J On Bees Ant i.e. John Beasant
Hint: Bournemouth
Answer = Pool Jack Son i.e. Paul Jackson
5 Christmas Caterpillars
Each of the puzzles below has a pawn caterpillar in it. In three of the puzzles the caterpillar wriggles around the board, in one it stays still, and in one case it gets eaten!
White to play and mate in 6
This was a wriggly caterpillar! Solution
5 Harder Christmas Catchphrases
Name the Local Chess Players. We continue with 5 harder puzzles, including a very tricky one to finish!
Hint: Dorchester
Answer = Mark Potter
Hint: New to Wimborne
Answer = Bill Add A Way i.e. Bill Adaway
Hint: Highcliffe
Answer = And Roo Mansion i.e. Andrew Manson
Hint: Weymouth
Answer = Frank Pit Man i.e. Frank Pittman
Hint: Purbeck
Answer = Nick O Lass Stout i.e. Nicholas Stout
5 Unusual Christmas Chess Puzzles
While nobody was looking the pieces decided to play a game on their own. However, they have had a little too much Christmas, ahem, spirit and have been staggering drunkenly all over the board. Can you work out on which square the white queen was captured?
The queen was captured on h6.
Black has made 4 captures but the white bishops were captured on their home squares, so that leaves the white queen and knight being captured on e6 and h6. For the queen to get out to be captured the white squared black bishop must have previously been captured on b3, but to release that bishop a piece must have previously been captured on e6. Therefore the knight was captured on e6 as part of releasing the white queen. So the queen was captured on h6.
Santa, playing White, and his friend, playing Black, have been having a game. Black has been playing like a beginner and Santa is winning easily. Just as Santa was about to deliver mate in 1 his queen got knocked off the board. Can you put it back in the right place and deliver the mate in 1? We didn’t say if Santa was playing up or down the board… can you find the solution for both cases?
Playing up the board the queen was on a1. Solution for White playing up the board
Playing down the board the queen was on d6. Solution for White playing down the board
Santa was playing White in a friendly game and had just made his move when he realised it was a mistake. His opponent allowed him to take back the move whereupon Santa delivered mate in 1. What move did he take back and how did he deliver mate?
There had been a black pawn on f5 and he took back 1.exf6 e.p. and played 1.e8=Q mate instead. Solution
Once again, Santa was playing White in a friendly game and had just made his move when he realised it was a mistake and again his opponent allowed him to take back the move. Again Santa delivered mate in 1. What move did he take back and how did he deliver mate?
There had been a black knight on e8 and he took back 1.dxe8=Q and played 1.d8=N mate instead. Solution
For the final time Santa was playing White in a friendly game and had just made his move when he realised it was a mistake and again his opponent allowed him to take back the move. Once more Santa delivered mate in 1. What move did he take back and how did he deliver mate?
