STALEMATE.
(
The Guarded Chessboard)
Some years ago the puzzle was proposed to construct an imaginary game of
chess, in which White shall be stalemated in the fewest possible moves
with all the thirty-two pieces on the board. Can you build up such a
position in fewer than twenty moves?
Answer:
Working independently, the same position was arrived at by Messrs. S.
Loyd, E.N. Frankenstein, W.H. Thompson, and myself. So the following may
be accepted as the best solution possible to this curious problem :--
White. Black.
1. P--Q4 1. P--K4
2. Q--Q3 2. Q--R5
3. Q--KKt3 3. B--Kt5 ch
4. Kt--Q2 4. P--QR4
5. P--R4 5. P--Q3
6. P--R3 6. B--K3
7. R--R3 7. P--KB4
8. Q--R2 8. P--B4
9. R--KKt3 9. B--Kt6
10. P--QB4 10. P--B5
11. P--B3 11. P--K5
12. P--Q5 12. P--K6
And White is stalemated.
We give a diagram of the curious position arrived at. It will be seen
that not one of White's pieces may be moved.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
|r|n| | |k| |n|r|
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |p| | | | |p|p|
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | | |p| | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
|p| |p|P| | | | |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
|P|b|P| | |p| |q|
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |b| | |p|P|R|P|
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| |P| |N|P| |P|Q|
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| | |B| |K|B|N|R|
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
