Cool idea. Most examples of promoting to rook or bishop are positions where promiting to a queen would stalemate the opponent, it's nice to see that it can be also reverted.
@mkubecek
I came across this example in a previous Lichess forum discussion, where @ayrtontwigg posed this challenge:
"CHALLENGE:
Create a chess problem (in regular chess), where one of the moves has to be an underpromotion to a Rook or Bishop, and the purpose of the underpromotion is not to avoid stalemate. Note: The underpromotion move has to be the only correct move in the solution."
lichess.org/forum/general-chess-discussion/hardestimpossible-composition-challenge?page=1
The example above (#19, the defensive stalemate) meets the criteria of the challenge, because the purpose here is not to *avoid* stalemate, but to *force* it.
The elusive beast is a position where underpromotion to a Bishop is the only correct solution, but it has nothing to do with stalemate at all. Probably such a position cannot exist, but I'm not convinced by the previous forum posts (in the old thread I just linked) that claimed that this can be "proven logically"
I came across this example in a previous Lichess forum discussion, where @ayrtontwigg posed this challenge:
"CHALLENGE:
Create a chess problem (in regular chess), where one of the moves has to be an underpromotion to a Rook or Bishop, and the purpose of the underpromotion is not to avoid stalemate. Note: The underpromotion move has to be the only correct move in the solution."
lichess.org/forum/general-chess-discussion/hardestimpossible-composition-challenge?page=1
The example above (#19, the defensive stalemate) meets the criteria of the challenge, because the purpose here is not to *avoid* stalemate, but to *force* it.
The elusive beast is a position where underpromotion to a Bishop is the only correct solution, but it has nothing to do with stalemate at all. Probably such a position cannot exist, but I'm not convinced by the previous forum posts (in the old thread I just linked) that claimed that this can be "proven logically"
Well, the obvious part it that a queen can make any move that a bishop can so that the trick must be making an advantage from not being able to make those extra moves. Avoiding a stalemate and forcing a stalemate are clearly examples of such advantage but a proper proof that it has to be one of those is a different story. Naturally, to be able to prove such claim, one would have to start by providing an exact definition of "nothing to do with a stalemate". :-)
(Technically, the original study does not actually enforce a stalemate but uses it as a threat but that still has something to do with a stalemate.)
(Technically, the original study does not actually enforce a stalemate but uses it as a threat but that still has something to do with a stalemate.)
I'm still 99.99999% sure that, if stalemate counted as a loss for the player who cannot move, then there would never be a reason to underpromote to a rook or bishop.
So, "something to do with stalemate" means that a player underpromotes to a rook or bishop to avoid stalemate and win the game, or a player underpromotes to a rook or bishop to stalemate himself and prevent a loss. Those are the only choices.
So, "something to do with stalemate" means that a player underpromotes to a rook or bishop to avoid stalemate and win the game, or a player underpromotes to a rook or bishop to stalemate himself and prevent a loss. Those are the only choices.
If stalemate was a loss for the player unable to move, I think the only reason for underpromotion to rook or bishop would be psychological. Suppose the opponent was short of time, and suppose promoting to a queen would very obviously force the opponent to capture the new queen, whereas the best response to promoting to a lesser piece would not be so clear, this would give the opponent something to think about in their time trouble.
i made one as well lmao
although it is obviously impossible to get in a game
although it is obviously impossible to get in a game
@AuraZ0 said in #26:
> i made one as well lmao
Very nice with the combined themes of stalemate with Black's mating threats on f4 and f8.
> i made one as well lmao
Very nice with the combined themes of stalemate with Black's mating threats on f4 and f8.
See last movie
On the topic of underpromotion I found this gem in the database:
Beautiful idea - let's mate him with 4 horses! - but unfortunately...
Beautiful idea - let's mate him with 4 horses! - but unfortunately...
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