Chess Mazes is chess. The pieces move and capture just the same as in the normal game. The big difference is that the alternation of moves rule has been suspended. That means only White gets to move and the only piece he can move is his maze piece. Poor Black never moves; he has to sit back and watch, a helpless spectator.
As a chess teacher I’ve tried various techniques to get my beginner students familiar with how the pieces move and capture. An exercise where there is only one moving piece on the board seemed to fill the bill. Initially my main concern was moving the piece in the correct manner while staying off squares where the moving piece could be taken by the enemy.
Later, as the youngsters developed their skills, I found I could extract some bonuses from the visualization and planning techniques already built into the mazes concept. The ideal planning situation is where one side gets to make a plan and carry it through without interference from the opponent. If we don’t let the other side move it becomes possible to do this.
The presentation of Chess Mazes, of necessity, has to be in the form of an exercise or puzzle. There’s no point in randomly moving pieces around the board. There has to be a goal. And the goal of the maze is to check the enemy king. That at least conforms to normal chess; you want to get the king. So Chess Mazes also operates as a chess problem.
To do Chess Mazes it is assumed you know how the pieces move and the difference between check and checkmate. As for chess notation, you can figure out how it works from the early examples given in the book. So, without further ado let’s get to the rules for Chess Mazes. There are five in all. We’ll take Bishop Mazes as the example.
Rules for Bishop, Rook, and Knight Mazes
Rule Number One
You are White and your maze piece is the bishop. You can move the bishop around the board at will, or almost at will. The major restriction is Rule Number Four. Only the white bishop is allowed to move.
Rule Number Two
Black gets a king and some pieces, the number of which will vary from position to position. However, none of the black pieces, king included, is allowed to move. This makes Black a passive partner, observing the bishop as it moves around the board. The one exception, where we allow Black to move, is Rule Number Four.
Rule Number Three
The maze is solved when the bishop puts the black king in check. Just put the king in danger and you’ve got it. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?
Rule Number Four
White may not put his bishop (maze piece) on a square where it can be captured by an enemy unit. It’s called putting a piece en prise. If he does that, places his bishop on a capturable square, we suddenly let Black move, and he can take your bishop. White’s maze piece is gone from the board and he loses. You have to start over.
Rule Number Five
Go for the shortest solution. If a maze can be solved in x number of moves and you solved it in say x plus one, well, you sort of solved it but not in the most efficient way. You won’t find your solution given in the back of the book.
Bishop Mazes in Action
Now that we’ve covered the rules for mazes, lets see how it works in practice. We start with an example of a simple Bishop Maze:
The white bishop to check the king in the shortest number of moves. It can be done in one move.
1.Ba7-b6+ But this doesn’t count since it is violates Rule Four. Black simply takes the bishop, 1...Ka5xb6. Losing your bishop doesn’t solve the maze.
It turns out that check can be given in two moves and in four different ways.
(a) 1.Ba7-b8 and 2.Bb8-c7+
(b) 1.Ba7-d4 and 2.Bd4-c3+
(c) 1.Ba7-e3 and 2.Be3-d2+
(d) 1.Ba7-f2 and 2.Bf2-e1+
Of course the check can also be given in three moves (or more) but we’re only concerned with the solution that delivers check in the fastest way, Rule Five. Still, we don’t want a maze with four correct solutions; it’s too easy. So we’ll toughen it up so there’s only one solution.
Adding the black knight creates a series of mined squares, which limit the bishop’s movement. Thus c7 is ruled out, since the knight can capture; so too are c3 and e3. That leaves only one correct solution 1.Ba7-f2 and 2.Bf2-e1+.
If you took three moves to solve the maze, 1.Bf2 2.Bh4 3.Bd8+ you’re on your own. In the back of the book we give only the solutions in the fewest number of moves. So get into the habit of solving in the shortest possible way.
If enemy pieces stand in your way you can capture them, provided you don’t lose your bishop in the process. Our next example, showing a capture, is somewhat longer than those we’ve seen.
A quick examination of the position shows that the only available check is at a2. How does the bishop get there? Via b1 after removing the rook at b7. Here’s how it goes: 1.Be2 2.Bd1 3.Ba4 4.Bd7 5.Bc8 6.Bxb7 7.Be4 8.Bb1 9.Ba2+
I hope you figured it out.
Solving Bishop Mazes
There are two ways of solving bishop mazes, working forward and working backward. In the forward approach the bishop lurches ahead one move at a time till something clicks. It works best when the bishop has only one new, safe square each move along the way. Then, just by stumbling forward, you finally land the check that solves the maze. For some the backward approach seems to work best. Here the emphasis is on the planning aspect of the maze. The final checking square is established and the route backward to the starting square is worked out.
The example just given (the bishop checking at a2) lends itself more readily to the forward approach, each move of the bishop opening up a new, safe square. But there is really no preferred method and often you’ll find yourself using a combination of the two.
To build your visualization skills we recommend that you solve the mazes directly from the diagrams, without the aid of extraneous gimmicks, lines or arrows. You can also set the position up on your chess board, but don’t move the pieces. Solve from your head.
The Rest of the Mazes
The rules for bishop, rook, and knight mazes are the same. The object is to check the king and you’ll find further examples in Chapter One. When we get to queen, pawn, and king mazes, some modification of Rule Three is necessary. Instead of check, the play is for checkmate. The whys and wherefores are explained, with examples, in Chapter Two.
Teaching Beginners
Anyone who has worked with beginners knows the problem. Beginner can tell you how the pieces move: bishops on diagonals, rooks on ranks and files, knights in an “L” shape, etc. But when you come to play a game this abstract knowledge doesn’t translate into seeing where the pieces can move. Knowing and not seeing isn’t really knowing.
A quickie example with White attempting the Scholar’s Mate:
Example #1
1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nf6 3.Qxf7+
Black replied with his only move, 3...Kxf7 and that ended the Scholar’s Mate. Of course, in the true Scholar’s Mate, the white bishop is supposed to be on c4, but its purpose, to defend the queen at f7, was never grasped.
Apart from misremembering, you’ll note that two captures were overlooked by White, the big one 3...Kxf7 and one ply earlier 3.Qxe5+
Example #2
1.e4 e5 2.Bb5 d6 3.Qh5 a6
White was all set to play 4.Qxf7 mate till she noticed her bishop was on the wrong square, a distinct improvement over Example #1. She corrected herself with 4.Bc4 and mate came a few moves later.
Clearly there are items more basic than the four move checkmate.
Example #3
This is a position from a scholastic summer camp event. It’s supposed to be Black to move and his king is in check. White’s king is also in check but we’ll ignore that (just as we ignored Black’s king in check in Example #2). We’ll also disregard that the g7-knight can take the queen.
To save his king Black played 1...Kf8. A camp instructor (it wasn’t me) came over and explained that the king is still in check and recited the applicable chess rule, “You’re not allowed to put your king in check.” That done Black retracted his king move and played instead 1...Ke7.
A repeat performance by the instructor and 1...Ke7 was retracted. Both 1...Ke6 and 1...Kg6 were tried and replaced, the king eventually ending up on e8. “These kids don’t understand the rules.”
Of course you can say that but even more fundamental is that they don’t see where the pieces are striking. And if you don’t see the captures it’s easy to put your men en prise, king included.
I get around the problem by ignoring it, letting the kings get taken, if the capture is seen. This seems preferable to taking moves back. As the youngsters improve the en prise kings will disappear of their own accord.
Another way to deal with the problem in its earliest stages, is to make a conscious effort to see the enemy captures. That’s built directly into Chess Mazes, the reason for Rule Four.
Initially, when working mazes with youngsters, I set up the position on the board and worked one on one. If a maze piece was put en prise I was there to snap it off. They quickly accepted the notion that before moving, it was a good idea to look around and see where it was safe to go. That’s what you want them to do.
The Helpless Spectator
Rules One and Two of Chess Mazes establish that only one side moves and the other sits back, looking on as a helpless spectator. This in fact is a common situation. It happens in real games where one party has a clear superiority and the other can do nothing much to stem the tide. It all comes down to whether the superior side knows how to convert to a win.
The position that follows is taken from the summer camp previously mentioned.
Since the players are beginners, one can imagine several scenarios.
(a) White gives the queen away: 1.Qc7+ or 1.Qc8+
(b) White mates in two: 1.Ke6 Ke8 2.Qc8# This is unlikely.
(c) Stalemate after 1.Qc6. This is more likely.
(d) Systematic play starting with a cut off, 1.Qh7. There can follow 1...Kc8 2.Ke6 Kb8 3.Kd6 Ka8 4.Kc6 Kb8 5.Qb7# If you see this, then you know the kid knows how to mate with the queen.
(e) Endless checks. Extremely likely, especially without prior instruction.
(f) Helpmate, which is what in fact occurred.
1.Qd2+ Kc7 2.Qc1+ Kd6 3.Qd1+ Kc5 4.Qg1+
Our first and only diagonal check. Note that in checking, the beginner’s queen keeps her distance, lest she get too close to the king and get captured. 4...Kc4 5.Qc1+ Kd4 6.Qd1+ Ke4 7.Qe1+ Kf4 8.Qf2+ Kg4 9.Qg2+ Kh5 10.Qh3#
From this example it is impossible to tell if White really knows how to checkmate with king and queen versus king. I suspect not.
Our next position, with White to play, is taken from the East-Penn Jersey Chess League, 1957-58 season. Here Black is not exactly helpless, he has a rook, but nevertheless his game is quite lost. The queen will beat the rook in all but exceptional positions. So the question becomes “Does White know how to convert his material superiority.” In short, “Does he know how to win?”
The winning set up for White is to place the queen on a5 and the king on c6. Then he wins in all variations. For now he’s two moves away and to avoid any stalemate problems he should start with 1.Qa5. Instead, not quite realizing the problem, he comes forward with the king.
1.Kc6 Rc7+
Only now did White notice that 2.Kb6 runs into 2...Rc6+ gaining the queen or else producing stalemate after 3.Kxc6. 2.Kd6 Rd7+ 3.Ke6 Again avoiding 3.Kxd7 stalemate. But in the process his king has gotten pushed farther away. 3...Rb7 Returning to his old stand. By now White has figured out his queen is too close and backed off. 4.Qa5 Rc7 5.Kd6 Rb7 Black’s play is perhaps a bit cooperative allowing White to reached the desired position after 6.Kc6
Black has lots of moves but none that are any good. 6...Kc8 7.Qa6 puts him in pin, while 6...Ra7 7.Qd8 is mate. If he moves the rook elsewhere he loses it to a queen fork, as almost happens in the game. 6...Rh7 7.Qe5+ Ka8 8.Qa1+
Here Black saw that 8...Kb8 9.Qb1+ catches the rook. He avoided that and fell into mate. 8...Ra7 9.Qh8#
So initially, White did not know how to win, but along the way he figured it out. That’s good.
Puttering
We come now to Rule Number Five: only the shortest solution counts. The emphasis here is on efficient play, making every tempo count. Puttering around with the pieces does not count even when the player is a master. We’ll take a well-known example:
Paulsen vs. Morphy
New York 1857
After 15...Bd7
The black queen is a thorn in White’s position, paralyzing the queenside, inhibiting development of the c1-bishop. So the top priority is to get the queen off of d3, exchanging it or pushing it away. All this can and must be done before Black activates his queen rook, ...Rae8. So the only right move is 16.Qa6 and if 16...Qf5 17.d4 when White is back in the game.
Instead there came the puttering move... 16.Ra2? Figuring on 17.Qc2, as though he had all the time in the world. 16...Rae8 It’s hard to imagine what other move Paulsen was expecting. In any case this knocks out 17.Qc2 because of 17...Qxf1+ 18.Kxf1 Re1#. 17.Qa6 Now 17...Qxf1+ is answered by 18.Qxf1. So all the same White had to play Qa6, but the loss of a tempo allows Black an additional option.
17...Qxf3!! 18.gxf3 Rg6+ 19.Kh1 Bh3 Threatens 20....Bg2+ 21.Kg1 Bxf3#, so White clears f1 for his king. 20.Rd1 Bg2+ 21.Kg1 Bxf3+ 22.Kf1
22...Bg2+ By now several roads lead to victory. In practical play it’s often best not to get too fancy. The way Morphy handles the position, he recovers his queen and emerges with both material and positional superiority. 23.Kg1 Bh3+ 24.Kh1 Bxf2 25.Qf1 Bxf1 26.Rxf1 Re2 27.Ra1 Rh6 28.d4 At last the d-pawn can advance. 28...Be3 0-1
Paulsen resigns in view of 29.Bxe3 R6xh2+ 30.Kg1 Rg2#
Precision in the selection of squares and accuracy in the timing of moves is what Rule Five is meant to get across. You may not turn into a Morphy (after all 17...Qxf3 is not that easy to spot) but a heightened sense of timing will enable you to win more games and salvage some dubious ones.
Conclusion
As the reader already knows, Chess Mazes was originally designed as an exercise for beginners. It still works as an exercise but it has also graduated to the level of chess puzzle. Plus it is possible to find other uses for Mazes. I’ve noticed that before a tournament round some players work a handful of Mazes as warm-ups, to get the mental juices flowing, so that when they sit down to play the game they are already in gear.
And you don’t have to have any self-improvement motive at all. You can do Chess Mazes for the fun of it. I had fun composing Mazes and then had fun solving them. Fun is good.
Bruce Alberston
Astoria, New York
May 2008
