Themes Familiar 8d

Themes Familiar

8. In The SPOTLIGHT ... Page 4 - Games 2

A further opportunity to indulge in some simple - and some not-so-simple - games
- courtesy of the compilers' creative skills.
Most will need Macromedia Shockwave in order to play, but this can be downloaded free by clicking on any of the links provided.

Balloon Pop HANGMAN

Try out your word skills on this variation on the game of Hangman. A lot of fun!.

Click on 'PLAY GAME' to start.

No time limit, and no death sentence for failure, but you do need to avoid bursting balloons

CHESS PROBLEMS
Chess Problems have been called the 'Poetry of Chess'. Their value is largely aesthetic and they serve as what the poet calls a 'pastime and delight'.
The presented chessboard scenario is normally an invented position requiring one side (usually White) to perform a stated task - usually for mate to be performed in a given number of moves. Other problems require the demonstration of a win or draw against best defence.
Over time, many different types of problem have been devised. I give 4 of them here.
[CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ANSWERS]

There are many websites which cater for the chess problem enthusiast.
One which I recommend can be visited by clicking on the link below:

http://thinks.com/chess
This will take you to a page with a Selection of Classic Chess Problems.
The site also has many links to other chess problem pages.
Visitors may also be interested in the daily crosswords, jigsaws, codebreaker and word searches to be found at 'Thinks.com''

Chess Problem 1

White to move and mate in half a move !!!

Chess Problem 2
'Masterpiece' problem by Eric M.Hassberg
New York Post 1945

White to move and mate in two moves

Chess Problem 3
'Joe Hurd' problem

White to move and mate in two moves

Chess Problem 4
The 'Indian' Problem
by Rev.H.A.Loveday, 1845

White to move and mate in four moves

Click on the image above to play.
All you need do is point your mouse cursor
and shoot with the left button

If PAINTBALL doesn't appear above, you need to (it's free).

Paint Small

STRESS PAINTBALL
Relieve the tension. Take out your frustration on those grinning faces scattered around the office.
You've got to be quick! The speed of your mouse finger is critical!

SPACERUNNER
RUN ... JUMP ... ROLL ... DIVE ...
That's what you do to stay alive!
Try this assault course in a minimalist space landscape.
Click on the SPACERUNNER to the right to connect to this Swedish website and test your reaction skills.
If the Spacerunner Game doesn't appear above,
click here to (It's free).

PREPARE TO RUN FOR YOUR LIFE -
Click 'PLAY GAME' and then use the arrow keys to Run, Jump, Dive and Roll. See how many metres you can travel

SHEEP MAY SAFELY GRAZE
.... but not if you get too close !!!
Click 'PLAY Mini Game' for your first tries before playing the full game.
Use the mouse to see how quickly you can guide the sheep into their fold - without any escaping.

Click on the image above to play.
Same rules as ever.

If MASTER SOLITAIRE doesn't appear above, you need to (it's free).

Solitaite Small

SOLITAIRE
Anyone for cards?
That's right!
Good old Patience!
No more ... No less
But, give it a try -
perhaps your luck will change?
At least it looks just a little bit different!

SOLUTIONS TO CHESS PROBLEMS - above

(Algebraic Notation - except where stated otherwise)

Problem No.1

1. R-d1

In other words,
White completes the
second half
of Castling Queen's side.
S/he's already played
the other half !!!

Problem No.2

(Descriptive Notation)

1. Q-B2!
(Threatens Q-KR7#
If ... RxQ; R-KR7#)

This Pawn-less wonder
is claimed to be
one of the great
achievements in
problem composition.

Problem No.3

1. Rhg7 ! Kc8
2. Ra8#
OR ...
1. Rhg7 - Ke8 2. Rg8#
1. Rhg7 - Nb7 2. Ra8#
1. Rhg7 - Nf7 2. Rg8#
1. Rhg7 - Ne8 2. Ra8#
1. Rhg7 - Nc8 2. Rg8#

Problem No.4

1. Kb1 b4
2. Bc1 b5
3.Rd2 Kf4
4. Rd4 mate

Alternatives for White
are 1. Bh1 or 1. Rd8,
but the solution is
essentially the same.

Top of Page

Go to NEXT PAGE (9. LINKS)

Go to PREVIOUS PAGE (8. SPOTLIGHT - Page 3)

Return to HOME PAGE

Home of the CoffeeCup HTML Editor

CHESS PROBLEMS Chess Problems have been called the 'Poetry of Chess'. Their value is largely aesthetic and they serve as what the poet calls a 'pastime and delight'. The presented chessboard scenario is normally an invented position requiring one side (usually White) to perform a stated task - usually for mate to be performed in a given number of moves. Other problems require the demonstration of a win or draw against best defence. Over time, many different types of problem have been devised. I give 4 of them here. [CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ANSWERS] There are many websites which cater for the chess problem enthusiast. One which I recommend can be visited by clicking on the link below: http://thinks.com/chess This will take you to a page with a Selection of Classic Chess Problems. The site also has many links to other chess problem pages. Visitors may also be interested in the daily crosswords, jigsaws, codebreaker and word searches to be found at 'Thinks.com''		Chess Problem 1 White to move and mate in half a move !!!
Chess Problem 2 'Masterpiece' problem by Eric M.Hassberg New York Post 1945 White to move and mate in two moves	Chess Problem 3 'Joe Hurd' problem White to move and mate in two moves	Chess Problem 4 The 'Indian' Problem by Rev.H.A.Loveday, 1845 White to move and mate in four moves