You often see positions in which you must hunt for a checkmate.

It may be mate in just one move, or it may be a more difficult mate in two, three or more moves. This time were having some fun with positions where there is a checkmate, but in half a move or less. We hope you have as much fun with them as we did !eres the solution to that tricky "erper #$%&c 'from page ()* +aybe I should have told you that ,lacks last move was e-.e/. +ake the first half of an en passant capture, but dont complete it 0oesnt removing the e/ pawn count as half a move1

In this issue* # +ate in half a move... or less by 2"T 3evin 45onnell 6 "!789:I89 ;hao '5hina) World <nder %# 9irls 5hampion = >u??les by 2"T 3evin 45onnell

3irsan Ilyum?hinov 2I07 >resident Gens Una Sumus 'We are one family)

@li 8ihat Ya?ici 5hairman, 2I07.5i" Gens Una Sumus 'We are one family)

FIDE-CiS FSM Magazine 069 FIDE Chess in Schools

Mate in Half a Move (or Less!)

!ere is one of my favourite positions that I created years ago. I am sure that I must have Areinvented the wheel. The stipulation is White to play and mate in half a move 'or less, in the case of the second diagram).

by FST Kevin OConnell

I have had a lot of fun with both versions of that position when coaching, but I never thought any more about them or about the idea behind them until I stumbled across an article 'The Shortest Checkmate) by 9+ 9regory "7C>7C that was published at www.chess.com at the very end of last year. "erper introduced his article with the words* To a! "e#ll talk a$out the %ositions "ith the shortest %ossi$le checkmates& I almost hear !our 'uestion ( )*re !ou talking a$out checkmate in one mo+e,- .o / checkmates !ou can eli+er faster than in one mo+e0 !e then produces several wonderful fantasy positions.

45onnell %B==a

I thought you would like to share in the fun. 2irst, though, I thought I should do some research and see whether I could find even earlier eDamples than mine and those given by "erper. I did, with the oldest from %&$ years ago !ere we go, with several sections* mate in half a move or a little less than half a move. We will follow up with mate in ?ero moves and finally mate in less than ?ero moves 45onnell %B==a Ca%.d%E 'second half of castling) 3c%.c# or 3c%.b# is a whole move.

45onnell %B==b

5an you guess1 "hall I give you the solution1 Its at the bottom of the page.

45onnell %B==b Ca%.d%E 'its less than half a move because its already in the air on its way to d%

FIDE-CiS FSM Magazine 069 FIDE Chess in Schools

Checkmate in half a move

White to play Thomas , C4WG@80 Chess Fruits %==( 0ragoslav @80CI5, Igra Miliona 1%B/#1) I found several positions by @ndric in the %B=$ edition of the book Igra Miliona& I eDpect that @ndric used it in the earlier editions of his book, so this and the others probably date to the %B/$s. "erper used an almost identical position 'king on a% and bishop on b#). The solution is the same 2igure out ,lacks last move and you should find the solution. It cant have been h/.h( F that pawn must have come from e- 'do you see why1 F look carefully at the g. and h. pawns ). That only leaves one possibility... 'see neDt page).

White to play 0ragoslav @80CI5 Igra Miliona '%B/#1) "erper #$%&b, 5heckmate in half a move. This one is easy F a variation on my %B== ones. 8eDt, lets go back to the earliest position I could find... FIDE-CiS FSM Magazine 069 FIDE Chess in Schools

It may look dead drawn, but you can play on and win 'see neDt page). In the first @ndric position, gently lift up the knight 'without moving it anywhere, otherwise g= and h- would be available to the king), discovering checkmate

In Cowlands position, the only possible move was ...c-.c/. In the last diagram, we saw the position after White made the first half of his en passant capture 'b/Dc6). This diagram shows the mate position after the second half

"erper #$%&c F tricky

@ndrics second diagram showed White part way through promoting an h.pawn to a Hueen. !ere is the completed move*

"erper #$%&e F mate in half a move What happened to "erper #$%&d1 Well have that neDt time, along with mate in ?ero and less than ?ero "erper #$%&b F Ca%.d%E "erper #$%&c F maybe I should have told you that ,lacks last move was e-.e/. +ake the first half of an en passant capture, but dont complete it 0oesnt removing the e/ pawn count as half a move1 "erper #$%&e F see the neDt two diagrams

In the neDt diagram, "erper combined several of the ideas we have just seen. Try to figure out the answer for yourself 'its on the front page if you need it).

FIDE-CiS FSM Magazine 069 FIDE Chess in Schools

@h, White must be half way through promoting ... mate

Gets carry on with "erper #$%&e...

5artoons by Iames 2lear

We turned the board round . a B$ degree half.turn, but a half.turn is not half a move. !owever, whats that pawn doing1

FIDE-CiS FSM Magazine 069 FIDE Chess in Schools

SHEN !"N #hao (China) $ %orl& 'n&er () irls Cha*+ion

;hao, now rated %=#6, gained the W2+ title 'Woman 2I07 +aster) as a result of her gold medal performance in @l @in. #. &. (. /. 6. >olina "!<J@G4J@ 'Cussia) = W2+ 9abriela @8T4J@ ',ulgaria) = W2+ Iennifer Y< '<"@) = W5+ @ssel "7CI3,@Y '3a?akhstan) = W2+ C. Jaishali 'India) -

White* "!789:I89 ;hao ,lack* 9abriela @8T4J@

1. g1-f3 g8f6 2.d2d4 d7d5 3.c2 c4 e7e6 4.g2g3 f8e7 5. f1-g2 0-0 6.0-0 d5xc4 7. d1-c2 a7a6 8.a2a4 c8d7 9. c2xc4 d7c6 10. c1-g5 c6d5 11. c4c1 b8d7 12. b1-c3 a8c8 13. c3xd5 e6xd5 14. f3e5 f6e4 15. g5xe7 d8xe7 16. e5xd7 e7xd7 17. g2xe4 d5xe4 18.e2e3 d7h3 19. c1-c2 f8e8 20.f2f3 h3e6 21.b2b4 e4xf3 22. f1xf3 e6 d5 23. g1-f2 e8e7 24. a1-a3 c8e8 25. a3c3 d5d6 26. c2b3 d6b6 27.a4a5 b6h6 28.h2h4 c7c6 29. c3c5 h6e6 30. b3xe6 e7xe6 31. f2e2 g8f8 32. c5f5 f7f6 33. e2d3 f8e7 34.e3e4 e7d6 35. f3e3 e8e7 36.g3g4 h7h6 37.g4g5 h6xg5 38.h4xg5 e7e8 39.g5xf6 g7xf6 40. f5xf6 e6xf6 41.e4 e5+ d6d5 42.e5xf6

;hao came from behind with a tremendous string of siD straight wins to overhaul the pre. tournament favourites >olina "huvalova 'Cussia) and Jaishali C 'India). ;hao lost in round / to the reigning @sian 9irls <nder.%# 5hampion, but that winning streak set up a tense last round game with the leader board* =./K%$ "!789:I8 L @8T4J@ = "!<J@G4J@, "7CI3,@Y L ,@G@I@Y7J@

;hao emerged triumphant from the game. 2inal scores* %. "!789:I8 ;hao BK%%

42... e8f8?
[42... e8xe3+ 43. d3xe3 d5 e6

FIDE-CiS FSM Magazine 069 FIDE Chess in Schools

and ,lack will be able to keep the white king from bothering the Hueenside pawns, for eDample 44.d4d5+!? c6xd5 45. e3d4
e6xf6 46. d4xd5 f6e7 47. d5c5 d7 48. c5b6 d7c8] e7

43. e3f3 45. d3c4

f8f7

44. f3f2

d5e6

c7c6+ 53. e6f5 c6c1 'to no avail here) 54. h4h8+ e8f7 55. h8h7+ f7g8 56. h7g7+ g8f8 57. g7xb7 c1-f1+ 58. f5e6 f1-e1+ 59. e6d6 e1-d1+ (59... e1-f1 60. b7b6! f1xf6+ 61. d6e5 f6f1 62. b6f6+! with the easiest of wins.3 60. d6c7 d1-f1 61. b7b6 ] 49... d7d6

50. b6a7 52. b8c8

d6d5 51. a7b8

d5c4

and the white king is going to get in.

45... e6d6 46. f2f3 d6d7 47. c4 c5 d7c7 48. f3f4 c7d7 see ne2t iagram 49. c5b6 [49.d4d5! c6xd5 (49... d7c7 50.d5xc6 b7xc6 51. f4f3 an the $lack king must gi+e "a!3 50. c5xd5 'opposition) 50... d7e8 51. d5e6 f7c7 'otherwise WhiteMs rook goes to the c.file) 52. f4h4 52... c4xb4 This makes WhiteMs task easier.
[52... c4d5 53. f4g4! d5c4 54. g4g6 c4d5 55. g6g5+ d5xd4 56. g5g7 f7xf6 57. g7g4+ d4d5 58. c8xb7 d5 d6 59. b7xa6 d6c7 60. g4c4 will then be

easyN 53. c8d8 b4xa5 54. d8e8 f7h7 55.f6f7 h7xf7 56. f4xf7 b7b5 57. e8d7 b5b4 58. d7xc6 b4b3 59. f7b7 a5a4 60.d4d5 1-0

FIDE-CiS FSM Magazine 069 FIDE Chess in Schools

Puzzles

selected by FST & F

!evin "#Connell 'www.kochess.com)

1 White to play. Cepeat moves with king to e# or try for a win by going to f(1

3 White to play. Whats best1

5!< Cuotong F "!789:I8 ;hao World Youth 5h u%# 9irls, @l @in #$%&

"!789:I8 ;hao F >olina "!<J@G4J@ World Youth 5h u%# 9irls, @l @in #$%&

2 ,lack to move. >ush or block1

4 ,lack, to play, is winning. Whats best1

+arija "I,@I7J@ F "!789:I8 ;hao World Youth 5h u%# 9irls, @l @in #$%&

Tarini 94Y@G F "!789:I8 ;hao World Youth 5h u%# 9irls, @l @in #$%&

S"$%T&"'S T" P%(($)S

FIDE-CiS FSM Magazine 069 FIDE Chess in Schools