Problem I.
White to play and mate in seven moves.
TWO KINGS TO ONE.
A common practice with young players is to give man for man; but this is only advantageous when you are a piece ahead, and even then it is sometimes found difficult to win within the twenty moves allowed. There is, however, no secret in the matter. The player with two kings can always force a win if he knows how to set about it. From any part of the board he can, in about eight or nine moves, drive the single king into the double corner, and when he is there he wins in eight moves, thus:—
| Black. | White. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | to | 6 | 5 | to | 1 |
| 14 | to | 10 | 1 | to | 5 |
| 6 | to | 1 | 3 | to | 9 |
| 1 | to | 5 | 9 | to | 13 |
It is at this point the tyro generally makes a mistake. Instead of moving away, he presses on his adversary, and gives him a chance of escape. He must move into square 15, not into 14:—
| 10 | to | 15 | 13 | to | 17 |
| 15 | to | 18 | |||
Now whether White move into 13 or 21, he is equally pinned by the Black at 22.