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Check out Janggi (Korean Chess), our featured variant for December, 2024.
Check out Janggi (Korean Chess), our featured variant for December, 2024.
Nowadays I am concentrating on games where stalemate is a draw and checkmate is required for victory. We know that a Bishop and a Knight are sufficient mating material. We also know that the lone King must first be chased to one of the two corners that this Bishop is capable of attacking. Today I am going to replace the Bishop with a pair of Elephants from Shatranj Kamil X - moving like the Padwar in Jetan - as strictly interpreted.
WHITE: King (c5), Elephants (g5, h6), Knight (h8) BLACK: King (e8)
WHITE mates in 12 moves:
1. Kc6 Kd8 2. Nf7+ Kc8 3. Ee5 Kb8 4. Ec5 K moves 5. Ef6 Kb8
6. Ne5 K moves 7.Kb6 Kb8 8. Ka6 K moves 9. Ea7 Kb8 10. Nd7+ K moves 11. Nb6+ Kb8 12. Ed6 mate.
NOTES: If 2... Ke8 3.Nd6+ Kd8 4. Ef8 mate. If the Elephants are replaced by (AmD) from Shatranj Kamil (64) - then 4. Ef6 mates and the main line is two moves longer (changes starting with move six below).
6. Ng5 K moves 7. Nh7 Kb8 8. Nf8 K moves 9.Kb6 Kb8 10. Ee5 K moves 11. Ka6 Kb8
Observe how the last ten moves have shifted every piece two squares to White's left.
12. Nd7+ K moves 13. Nb6+ Kb8 14. Ed6 mate.
MORE NOTES: When a lone King is trapped on the edge of the board - - then King, Knight and a pair of Elephants (on the same color squares, a Ferz move apart) can force checkmate, even if they happen to chase the King to the "wrong corner". I will let the computers decide if these four pieces are sufficient mating material on 8x8 or 9x9 or 10x10 boards, no matter where the lone King starts.