Chess Puzzle Solvinggrades 4 & 5

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spRing distRict 2013-2014

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University Interscholastic League

UIL Chess Puzzle Solving—Spring District 2013-2014—Grades 4 and 5

IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS: [Test-administrators, please read text in this box aloud.]

This is the UIL Chess Puzzle Solving District Test for grades four and five. There are20 questions on this test. You have 30 minutes to complete it. All questions are multiplechoice. Use the answer sheet to mark your answers. Multiple choice answers purposelydo not indicate checks or checkmate symbols. You will be awarded one point for eachcorrect answer. No deductions will be made for incorrect answers on this test. Finishingearly is not rewarded, even to break ties. So use all of your time.

If you don’t already know chess notation, reading and referring to the section belowon this page will help you. Some of the questions may be hard, but all of the puzzlesare interesting! Good luck and have fun!

• To answer the questions on this test, you’llneed to know how to read chess moves. It’ssimple to do.

• Every square on the board has an “address”made up of a letter and a number.

• To make them easy to read, the questionson this test use the figurine piece symbols onthe right, above.

• When answering the puzzle questions, re-member that white pawns move “up” the dia-grams. Black pawns move “down” thediagrams.

At right are two sample moves.

If you look closely at the diagrams inthe questions below, you’ll see that theframe around the diagram labels theranks (1-8) and files (a-h) to help you.

White has just played e4. Black has just played ... Nf6.

Piece Names

King

Queen

Rook

Bishop

Knight

Pawn

Letter Abbreviation

(Algebraic Notation)

K

Q

R

B

N

a-h(We write the file it’s on.)

Each chessman canalso be representedby a symbol, except

for the pawn.(Figurine Notation)

K

Q

R

B

N

a-h(We write the file it’s on.)

How to read and answer questions on this test

a) 0-0 (castles kingside)b) 0-0-0 (castles queenside)c) Ke7d) All of the above.

It’s Black’s move. Which moves beloware possible?

#1. Black to move

UIL Chess Puzzle Solving—Spring District 2013-2014—Grades 4 and 5

#3. White to move

a) ... 0-0 (castles kingside)b) ... 0-0-0 (castles queenside)c) ... Kd7d) None of the above.

It’s Black’s move. Which moves beloware possible?

#2. Black to move

#4. White to move

a) Rxf5b) Rd8c) Rxa5d) Rxb2

a) Ne4b) Nf3c) Bb8d) None of the above.

Choose the best move for White. What White move wins Black’s queen?

a) Nc6b) Ne6c) Bf8d) White can’t win Black’s rook.

What White move will win Black’s rook?

#5. White to move

UIL Chess Puzzle Solving—Spring District 2013-2014—Grades 4 and 5

#7. White to move

a) Bc3b) Nf7c) Re8d) White can’t checkmate Black in onemove.

How can White checkmate Black inone move?

#6. White to move

#8. White to move

a) cxd6b) c6c) c5xb6 e.p.d) White can’t checkmate Black in one move.

a) Ba6 then Bc8b) Be6 then Bg4c) Be6 then Bd5d) White can’t win Black’s rook.

Black has just played ... b7-b5. How canWhite checkmate in one move?

Find the moves, in the right order, that leadto White winning the black rook.

a) Rg5b) Ke4c) Rc5d) White can’t win one of Black’s rooks.

What move wins one of Black’s rooks?

#9. White to move

UIL Chess Puzzle Solving—Spring District 2013-2014—Grades 4 and 5

#11. White to move

a) Qb8b) Rxa7c) Ra5d) White can’t checkmate Black in one

move.

How can White checkmate Black in onemove?

#10. White to move

#12. White to move

a) Ne2b) Nc6c) Ne6d) g3

a) b6b) Kb6c) Ka5d) White can’t stop the black pawn.

What is White’s best move? Can White’s king catch the black pawn before itpromotes? If so, with what move? (Remember,the black pawn moves “down” the board.)

a) Black wins—he has a big material advantage.b) White wins—he checkmates Black.c) It’s a draw by perpetual check.d) This position is unclear.

It’s White’s move. What is the result,given best play?

#13. White to move

UIL Chess Puzzle Solving—Spring District 2013-2014—Grades 4 and 5

#15. White to move

a) Qe8b) Qxf8c) Ne7d) White can’t checkmate Black in three

moves.

If White can checkmate Black in threemoves, what is White’s third move?

#14. White to move

#16. White to move

a) Bh4b) Bc5c) He can’t because a stalemate is a loss.d) White can’t achieve a stalemate position.

How can White draw the game byforcing a stalemate?

a) Kxc2b) Kxe2c) a7d) Offer a draw.

What is White’s best move?

a) Rh8b) Qc8c) Qc6d) White can’t checkmate Black in twomoves.

If White can checkmate Black in twomoves, what is White’s first move?

#17. White to move

UIL Chess Puzzle Solving—Spring District 2013-2014—Grades 4 and 5

#19. White to move

a) Whiteb) Blackc) It’s even.d) It depends on whose move it is.

Which side is ahead in material?

#18.

#20. White to move

a) Rh8b) Qh7c) Qh1d) White can’t checkmate Black in three moves.

a) Nh6b) Nf7c) Qg8d) White can’t checkmate Black in three moves.

If White can force checkmate of Black inthree moves, what’s White’s second move?

If White can force checkmate of Black inthree moves, what’s White’s third move?