chess puzzle 20070627—endgame study
This study is by Al-Adli [800–870 ce], considered the strongest Shatranj player [aliyat—players of the highest class] during the reign of caliph al-Wathiq [died in 847 ce]. Al-Adli wrote a book on chess, Kitab ash-shatranj [Book of Shatranj], and a book on nard [Kitab an-nard]. The books have long been lost, but some of his problems, endgames, and opening systems have survived. His book also contained information on the older game of Chaturanga.
Al Adli was the first to classify chessplayers, the highest being aliyat. He was the first to categorize the openings into positions called tabiya and the first to compile chess problems, called mansubat. He showed how to use the chessboard as a kind of abacus for purposes of calculation. He was the first to use coordinates to record positions and moves in chess. He may have been the first to discover the knight's tour.
White to move and win
Add a comment to this post with your solution. I'll buy a beer for the first person to correctly solve the problem next Tuesday, during our regular session at Matchless.
→ Solution | Solution to last week's puzzle.
sources :: Secrets of Spectacular Chess, Shatranj by Bill Wall
June 28th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
Nh5+…Rxh5
Rxg6+…Kxg6
Re6++
June 30th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Correct, sir. Next Tuesday, the beer is yours!
This composition by Al-Adli predates the modern form of chess—it's from the ninth century and the old form of chess, Shatranj.