Can you solve it? Are you on board with these quirky chess puzzles?
Alex Bellos presents a series of chess-inspired puzzles for readers to solve. The puzzles challenge players to think abstractly about chess movements and configurations. They are designed to engage math-loving children and promote problem-solving skills.
- ▪The puzzles include scenarios involving chess tournaments and knight movements on a chessboard.
- ▪One puzzle asks for the fewest moves needed for a pawn to get promoted and return to its original position.
- ▪The puzzles are part of a charity initiative that runs free maths circles for secondary school pupils in the UK.
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| Original publisher | The Guardian — Science |
| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/25/can-you-solve-it-are-you-on-board-with-these-quirky-chess-puzzles |
| Publication time | Mon, 25 May 2026 06:10:17 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-25T06:12:36.209Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-25T06:12:36.209Z |
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Photograph: Tetra Images/AlamyView image in fullscreen Photograph: Tetra Images/AlamyAlex Bellos's Monday puzzleMathematicsCan you solve it? Are you on board with these quirky chess puzzles?Check it outAlex BellosMon 25 May 2026 02.10 EDTLast modified on Mon 25 May 2026 02.12 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleToday’s four puzzles are inspired by chess. (If you haven’t yet watched the recent documentaries on Judit Polgár and Hans Niemann, I recommend them.)1. Oddities1. A chess tournament is taking place with several participants. Not every player played against every other player, and some players may have played many more games than others.Some of the players played an odd number of games. Prove that the number of such players must be even.2.
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