Please help with Chess puzzle

[thewok]

WAREHOUSE 13 SPOILER WARNING

Inspired by the season finale of Warehouse 13, I am wanting to design a chess puzzle like the one seen there. I will put what I need inside a spoiler block so I don't offend those who have not yet seen the finale.

[sblock]I want to create the chess puzzle in the season finale. What I need is this:

- Following chess movement rules, White should be unable to checkmate black in less than four moves.
- Breaking chess rules, White should be able to checkmate Black in one move.[/sblock]

I can play rudimentary chess, but I am not well versed in it. I am hoping that some people here will take up the challenge and help me out some.

 

[Dausuul]

Not quite clear on what you mean by "breaking chess rules." Does this mean white gets to pick up one piece anywhere on the board, and put it anywhere else on the board?

I mean, "breaking rules" covers a lot of ground. If the rules are no obstacle to victory, you could just say "Checkmate," and knock your opponent's king over.

 

[ACreepierFolklaw]

i used to make chess puzzles to annoy my gf with, they're really not that difficult to do...
just get a chess board and take off all the pieces except a king and the piece you want to take it with, then go backwards the amount of moves it will take, then start putting on pieces to block all the alternatives.
i'm sure you could generate 20 in just an hours work.

 

[wingsandsword]

Not quite clear on what you mean by "breaking chess rules." Does this mean white gets to pick up one piece anywhere on the board, and put it anywhere else on the board?

I mean, "breaking rules" covers a lot of ground. If the rules are no obstacle to victory, you could just say "Checkmate," and knock your opponent's king over.

Well, for purposes of explanation, here is how it went in the show:
[sblock]
A magical lock was protecting a portal that was essential the BBEG's plan. The lock could only be opened by someone who sat in a metal chair, which immediately shackled the person to the chair so the could not leave, while arming an elaborate death trap over their head involving machinery and a huge axe blade, and setting up a chessboard to an a place late in the game where the player is at a strong disadvantage.

A large pile of split/crushed skulls by the chair hints at what happens if you get this wrong.

To win, you must checkmate the other player. The problem is, it is impossible. Every move you make moves the blade closer to slamming down lethally on the head (since you're held in place, for D&D reasons I'd definitely call it a coup de grace, with a magic greataxe, by machinery with an effective strength of 30+). You cannot win by playing by the rules, it will take more than 4 moves to win, and I think it was in 4 moves the blade comes down and kills you.

The only way to win is to ignore the rules of chess and cheat. The hero is forced into the chair because the BBEG needs the portal open for his evil plan. Since the hero had met the creator of the trap more than a century earlier, she had an insight into how it was built, and wins by remembering the creator hated playing by the rules. Thus, she takes a pawn and moves it all the way across the board in one move (like a Rook or Queen), taking the King. The moment this is done, the trap disarms and the portal opens.
[/sblock]

That said, I think a trap just like that would make a lousy game trap, because it relies on PCs to ignore the rules laid out before them. Most PCs would be killed quite dead, because they would assume that violating the rules would not work. It could only work in a gaming context if, like the show, the PCs had some strong hint that you would have to cheat to win. A trap that could be won by playing by the rules would be a little better, but still harsh.

I was even thinking of that while watching the episode: I'd freaking hate to deal with that trap in a game because the only way you'll make it through that is plot fiat.

 

[fireinthedust]

that's no plot fiat, per se.

Sounds to me like it's a set up ahead of time. Even a skill check could be a hint.

Still, even with it, you really want to get the character's player to do the solving and not just some outside-the-box hint.

Should I spoiler-text the Harry Potter chess game? There is one in the first movie (shh!) and that's neat.

another option is to read the Dragon issues with stats for Chess-monsters: kings, queens, rooks, knights, and so forth. Paizo went out with a bunch of them in the penultimate issue. It's not a trap, but it's another way of doing the Chess thing.

As for example puzzles: look online for one of those Move and Mate in 2 puzzles. The more moves you need to mate, the harder they are due to the number of potential moves involved.

What's the context of the trap?

 

[jonesy]

That's a really lazy trap design and has nothing to do with chess. If you need to cheat to win you could replace it with anything.

You might as well design a Calvinball trap.

As a player I'd be more interested in a trap that actually relied on the rules.

 

[Dragon Sin-Camealot]

Like I asked. How weird is the idea? You give me the impression you want to patronize your players.

 

[the Jester]

Wow, that's a crap trap.

A chess trap should rely on the rules of chess, not violate them. It plays against all reasonable expectations and really comes down to the kind of Gotcha! trick that even I, an avowed high-lethality, merciless, mean RBDM wouldn't pull.

I think all something like this would actually accomplish is to piss off your players, unless they watch the tv programs you prefer. Highly lame, IMHO.

 

[Jhaelen]

Wow, that's a crap trap.

A chess trap should rely on the rules of chess, not violate them. It plays against all reasonable expectations and really comes down to the kind of Gotcha! trick that even I, an avowed high-lethality, merciless, mean RBDM wouldn't pull.

I think all something like this would actually accomplish is to piss off your players, unless they watch the tv programs you prefer. Highly lame, IMHO.

Agreed. I'd be extremely annoyed about something like this.

To make something like this work you need to establish rules for bending chess rules and make them known to the players. I.e. show them how the trap/bbeg makes an invalid move as an introduction of a new/alternate rule, e.g. by letting them watch a couple of moves including ones that would be illegal in regular chess.

The important thing is to not allow just any invented rule. Decide beforehand in what ways you'd like to modify or add rules and make them known in some way. To give an example:

Instead of moving a piece, two pieces may switch places. Or you may sacrifice one of your pieces (remove it from the board) to allow another piece to make a single move like it was the piece removed, etc.

 

[Evilhalfling]

I hate chess puzzles.
There are always arbitrary rules.
DM Fiat is frequently needed
they take forever to solve.

as a PC before venturing onto a chess board I will always investigate the options of teleporting, flying, or polymorphing into a badger and digging a tunnel around the room.

chess puzzles are a lot more fun to design (apparently ) than they are to play.