349.—­STALEMATE.

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.

[Illustration]

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
|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|
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

350.—­THE FORSAKEN KING.

Play as follows:—­

White.  Black.
1.  P to K 4th 1.  Any move
2.  Q to Kt 4th 2.  Any move except on KB file (a)
3.  Q to Kt 7th 3.  K moves to royal row
4.  B to Kt 5th 4.  Any move
5.  Mate in two moves
If 3.  K other than to royal row
4.  P to Q 4th 4.  Any move
5.  Mate in two moves
(a) If 2.  Any move on KB file
3.  Q to Q 7th 3.  K moves to royal row
4.  P to Q Kt 3rd 4.  Any move
5.  Mate in two moves
If 3.  K other than to royal row
4.  P to Q 4th 4.  Any move
5.  Mate in two moves

Of course, by “royal row” is meant the row on which the king originally stands at the beginning of a game.  Though, if Black plays badly, he may, in certain positions, be mated in fewer moves, the above provides for every variation he can possibly bring about.

351.—­THE CRUSADER.

White.                     Black.
1.  Kt to QB 3rd           1.  P to Q 4th
2.  Kt takes QP            2.  Kt to QB 3rd
3.  Kt takes KP            3.  P to KKt 4th
4.  Kt takes B             4.  Kt to KB 3rd
5.  Kt takes P             5.  Kt to K 5th
6.  Kt takes Kt            6.  Kt to B 6th
7.  Kt takes Q             7.  R to KKt sq
8.  Kt takes BP            8.  R to KKt 3rd
9.  Kt takes P             9.  R to K 3rd
10.  Kt takes P            10.  Kt to Kt 8th
11.  Kt takes B            11.  R to R 6th
12.  Kt takes R            12.  P to Kt 4th
13.  Kt takes P (ch)       13.  K to B 2nd
14.  Kt takes P            14.  K to Kt 3rd
15.  Kt takes R            15.  K to R 4th
16.  Kt takes Kt           16.  K to R 5th
White now mates in three moves.
17.  P to Q 4th            17.  K to R 4th
18.  Q to Q 3rd            18.  K moves
19.  Q to KR 3rd (mate)
If 17.  K to Kt 5th
18.  P to K 4th (dis. ch)  18.  K moves
19.  P to KKt 3rd (mate)

The position after the sixteenth move, with the mate in three moves, was first given by S. Loyd in Chess Nuts.