[Retros] Shortest SPGs ending in mate

[Christoph Fieberg]

Hello Francois,


>Below are the problems for which I beat the record (I write the previous

>record, followed by my improvement). When there is a choice I give the

>first example in alphabetical order of FEN. I also mention the problems

>for which there is exactly one example of the minimal length.

>

>Then the same thing is repeated for one-sided chess.

>

>Thanks to Richard Stanley for sending me a summary of the 1996 discussion.

>

>Notation:

>   rc : mating move Requires Capturing

>   wc : Without Capturing in the mating move

>   mc : no Capturing during all the moves of the Mating side

>   nc : No Capturing at all

>   dc : mating move is a Double Check

>

>====================================

>Improvements:

>

>Mate by knight (3.0):

>rc: G"oran Wicklund, retros mailing list, october 1996

>     (5.5): 1.Nf3 e6 2.Ne5 Ne7 3.Nxd7 e5 4.Nxf8 Bd7 5.Ne6 Rf8 6.Nxg7#

>     Francois Labelle

>     (4.5): 1.d4 e6 2.Bg5 Ba3 3.Nxa3 Qe7 4.Nb5 Qf8 5.Nxc7#


In October 2002 we had an intensive and comprehensive discussion on 
shortest checkmates.
See http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/retros/2002-October/thread.html.

Record for knight already was at 4.5 moves found by myself.

White checkmates with Knight b1:
SPG in 4,5 moves - Christoph Fieberg - Retro mailing list 4.10.2002
1r1qkb1r/pp1pnppp/2nN4/2p5/8/8/PPPPPPPP/R1BQKBNR b KQk - 0 5
1.Nc3 c5 2.Nd5 Nc6 3.Nxe7 Rb8 4.Nxc8 Nge7 5.Nd6#

See http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/retros/2002-October/000301.html


>Mate by pawn promoting to queen (4.5):

>wc: Norbert Geissler, retros mailing list, may 1996

>     (5.0): 1.d4 b5 2.Qd3 b4 3.Qa3 b3 4.Bd2 bxc2 5.Bc3 c1Q#

>     Francois Labelle

>     (4.5): 1.c4 d5 2.c5 Qd6 3.cxd6 Bd7 4.dxc7 Bc6 5.c8=Q#


For all possible pawn promotions SPGs in 4.5 were already detected in 2002. 
First was Gianni Donati in 6/96: search
PROBID='P0008151' on PDB Server (http://www.softdecc.com/pdb/index.pdb).
See also http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/retros/2002-October/000317.html

II) Promotion checkmates
# ->Q:
a2    SPG in 4.5 - NDE 10/02
b2    SPG in 4.5 - JMS 10/02
c2    SPG in 4.5 - NDE 10/02
d2    SPG in 4.5 - JMS 10/02, UR 10/02
e2    SPG in 4.5 - GD 6/96, NDE 10/02
f2    SPG in 4.5 - NDE 10/02
g2    SPG in 4.5 - NDE 10/02
h2    SPG in 4.5 - NDE 10/02


>Mate by double check, no checking piece is attacked (minimal length ?):

>wc: open

>     Francois Labelle

>     (5.0): 1.e3 g6 2.Qg4 Bg7 3.Qxd7+ Bxd7 4.Ke2 f5 5.Kd3 Bb5#

>Mate by double check, both checking pieces are attacked (minimal length

>?):

>rc: open

>     Francois Labelle

>     (5.0): 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 Nd5 3.Bxc7 Nb4 4.Bxb8 Qa5 5.Bc7 Nxc2#

>mc: Unto Heinonen, retros mailing list, october 1996

>     (6.0): 1.Nf3 Nc6 2.Ne5 Nd4 3.Nc4 e5 4.f4 Qf6 5.Kf2 Qb6 6.Kg1 Nf3#

>     Francois Labelle

>     (5.0): 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 Nd5 3.Bxc7 Nb4 4.Bxb8 Qa5 5.Bc7 Nd3#



For white mating record games have 5.5 moves.
See http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/retros/2002-October/000323.html

and http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/retros/2002-October/000330.html

IV) Double checkmates

## P/
d2Q/Qd1     SPG in 5,5 - NDE 5/96
d2B/Qd1     SPG in 5,5 - NDE 5/96
e2N/Bc1     SPG in 8,5 - PRa 6/96

## N/
Ng1/Qd1     SPG in 5,5 - RS 6/96, NDE 10/02
Ng1/Bf1     SPG in 5,5 - NDE 10/02

## B/

## R/
Ra1/Qd1     SPG in 5,5 - NDE 10/02
Ra1/Bf1     SPG in 5,5 - NDE 10/02
Rh1/Qd1     SPG in 5,5 - NDE 10/02
Rh1/Bf1     SPG in 5,5 - NDE 10/02



>------------------------------------

>Those were the unique examples of the stated length:

>(so asking to find the proof game is a sound problem)

>Mate by queen (2.0):

>wc: Juha M. Saukkola, retros mailing list, june 1996

>     (2.5): 1.e4 f5  2.exf5 g5  3.Qh5#

>

>Mate by bishop (2.5):

>mc: Richard Stanley, retros mailing list, june 1996

>     (3.5): 1.e3 h5 2.Bd3 h4 3.Bh7 f5 4.Bg6#

>nc: Richard Stanley, retros mailing list, june 1996

>     (3.5): 1.e3 h5 2.Bd3 h4 3.Bh7 f5 4.Bg6#


RS mated by bishop on f1.
Mate by bishop on c1 needs 4.5 moves (nc and mc).

SPG in 4,5 moves - Christoph Fieberg - Retro mailing list 4.10.2002
rnbq1bnr/ppp1pppp/3p4/2kP4/8/1Q2B3/PPP1PPPP/RN2KBNR b KQ - 0 5
1.d4 d6 2.Qd3 Kd7 3.Qb3 Kc6 4.d5+ Kc5 5.Be3#
see http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/retros/2002-October/000301.html



Last overview (only white mates) you find here:
http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/retros/2002-October/000348.html

It would be interesting to know whether your computer analysis could break 
some of the records.

Best regards,
Christoph 
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