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My Cylindrical Chess Problem

© Copyright 2000, Jim Loy

Cylindrical chess is chess on the surface of a cylinder. It can be played on a regular flat chess board. But you have to remember that the right edge is connected to the left edge. Pieces can go off the board to the right and end up on the left, and vice versa. The cylinder could be oriented 90 degrees from that, connecting the top and bottom; but you would have to start with a different opening position, as both kings would be next to each other, and in check four different ways. In the diagram on the left, we see that the Bishop on f1 is pinning the Knight on c6, and it is also attacking the Pawn on h7. Also the Knight on h4 is attacking squares b3, b5, and a6, as well as the squares it would normally attack from h4. An easy way to play cylindrical chess is to play with two boards side by side, and make the same moves on both boards. Then you can see that a Bishop or Knight on one board attacks squares and pieces on the other board.

When I was young, I thought up a problem in cylindrical chess. Starting from the opening position, White and Black can cooperate to achieve a White mate in four moves, with both players moving only Pawns (in other words, such a mate is possible). Do you think you can find the mate?

Solution:

This is the simplest order of moves: 1 a4 d5 2 c3 f6 3 g3 a6, and can you now find mate in one? OK, here is the last move: 4 a5#. It's double check, from the Queen and from the Bishop on f1. So interposing a piece doesn't work (and a piece cannot be interposed at a4, which would block both diagonals.

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