Grid Chess - Example Problem

Example Problem

It is possible to play entire games under grid chess conditions, and a number of chess problems using grid chess rules have also been composed. The one to the right won first prize in the first grid chess problem tournament. It is by H. Ternblad and was published in the Fairy Chess Review, 1954. It is a helpmate in four (black moves first and cooperates with white to checkmate him within four moves). The solution is 1.Ke2 Bc4+ 2.Kd3 (note that this brings the king into the same large square as the bishop, and so escapes the check) 2...Bxb5+ (withdrawing the bishop over a grid-line gives check again) 3.Ke4 Bc6+ 4.Kd5 (note that two kings can co-exist next to each other so long as they are in the same large square) 4...Bxb7#.

This problem displays attractive correspondence between the paths taken by the king and bishop. It is worth noting the zig-zagging path the black king must take to reach d5 — the straightfoward route Kd1-d2-d3-d4-d5 is not possible because two of the moves do not cross grid-lines, and d1-e2-e3-d4-d5 is not possible because on d4 the king is checked by white's king.