Puzzles with more than one solution
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It seems to me some puzzles have more than one solution. In some instances check mate, for example, in the same number of moves. In others, maybe one move more. However, if I don’t move exactly as the suggested solution I lose a lot of points. Is there a forum where alternate solutions can be provided to chess.com and is it possible for chess.com to allow for different solutions, maybe with less points awarded if my answer has the same result with one move more?
trishy83 wrote:
It seems to me some puzzles have more than one solution. In some instances check mate, for example, in the same number of moves. In others, maybe one move more. However, if I don’t move exactly as the suggested solution I lose a lot of points. Is there a forum where alternate solutions can be provided to chess.com and is it possible for chess.com to allow for different solutions, maybe with less points awarded if my answer has the same result with one move more?
Post them here. Usually, when people make those claims, they have overlooked something.
However, Chess.com has been adding a lot of new puzzles recently. It is certainly possible that they added a few bad ones.
Puzzle #1113590 1.Bf5 Rxf3, 2.Bxc8 Be8, 3.Be6+ Kh8, 4.Rd8 Re3, 5.Rxe8#
NicolausVI wrote:
Puzzle #1113590 1.Bf5 Rxf3, 2.Bxc8 Be8, 3.Be6+ Kh8, 4.Rd8 Re3, 5.Rxe8#
Bf5, is fine but not as good, from an analysis standpoint.
Puzzle https://www.chess.com/puzzles/problem/1033136 After Black's exd4 and White's Bxd4, Stockfish gives Black's Nxd4 as -4.41, but the puzzle wants to see the inferior (-3.86) Bxd4.
swr2408018 wrote:
Puzzle https://www.chess.com/puzzles/problem/1033136 After Black's exd4 and White's Bxd4, Stockfish gives Black's Nxd4 as -4.41, but the puzzle wants to see the inferior (-3.86) Bxd4.
"inferior" will only depend on the depth of the engine.
Lagomorph wrote:
swr2408018 wrote:
Puzzle https://www.chess.com/puzzles/problem/1033136 After Black's exd4 and White's Bxd4, Stockfish gives Black's Nxd4 as -4.41, but the puzzle wants to see the inferior (-3.86) Bxd4.
"inferior" will only depend on the depth of the engine.
Yep, at depth 25 Nxd4 is essentially even
..
Lagomorph wrote:
"inferior" will only depend on the depth of the engine.
Indeed! So letting it run a bit longer, they do get closer together; but at depth 27 the engine (Stockfish 8 64) still prefers Nxd4 (-4.40 versus -3.90.) Clearly Nxd4 should count as *a* valid solution (if not necessarily the *only* solution). The point of the puzzle, after all, is not what happens a dozen moves in the future, but nailing the pawn fork.
swr2408018 wrote:
Indeed! So letting it run a bit longer, they do get closer together; but at depth 27 the engine (Stockfish 8 64) still prefers Nxd4 (-4.40 versus -3.90.) Clearly Nxd4 should count as *a* valid solution (if not necessarily the *only* solution). The point of the puzzle, after all, is not what happens a dozen moves in the future, but nailing the pawn fork.
Stockfish 12 (depth 34) and Dragon (depth 25) both say Nxd4 is essentially even at depth. The only good move is Bxd4.
Puzzle ID #1228969.... The fourth move for black can be either c5 or Kb5. Engine seems to be struggling with this position but finds that both moves are equally good after a while. @chess.com, could you take a look?
vegetaaaaa wrote:
Puzzle ID #1228969.... The fourth move for black can be either c5 or Kb5. Engine seems to be struggling with this position but finds that both moves are equally good after a while. @chess.com, could you take a look?
I've reported it but you can do that when you find such a puzzle: https://support.chess.com/article/1223-how-do-i-report-a-bad-puzzle
I just encountered this with a puzzle in which the horse can move to one of two locations for a reveal check. The preferred location seems to be the inferior of the two. How do I find the puzzle number?
mbellis wrote:
I just encountered this with a puzzle in which the horse can move to one of two locations for a reveal check. The preferred location seems to be the inferior of the two. How do I find the puzzle number?
https://www.chess.com/puzzles/problem/1511490/practice
Only one knight move works. The point of the puzzle is in the second move. If you check with the wrong knight move, you don't end up mating.
Thanks. You are correct. Clearly I was asleep at the wheel this morning.
The daily puzzle of today (July 7th, 2024) titled “Major Attack, Minor Finesse” has the final move as Qg2# and says Qh2+ is wrong even though it’s mate on the next move, so this definitely does happen.
SGxFlow wrote:
The daily puzzle of today (July 7th, 2024) titled “Major Attack, Minor Finesse” has the final move as Qg2# and says Qh2+ is wrong even though it’s mate on the next move, so this definitely does happen.
Daily puzzles aren't the same as regular puzzles, in general
SGxFlow wrote:
The daily puzzle of today (July 7th, 2024) titled “Major Attack, Minor Finesse” has the final move as Qg2# and says Qh2+ is wrong even though it’s mate on the next move, so this definitely does happen.
You are failing to understand rule number one of chess puzzles. If mate is the solution, then the shortest number of moves is always the correct answer.
In the puzzle today, Qh2+ is wrong, because Qg2# is the shorter mate.