2025 Christmas Puzzle 11
Werner Keym, Landeszeitung für die Lüneburger Heide 2011
Add one piece to each diagram to construct a mate
In the first diagram, adding a white queen on f1 produces a clear mate. But the question arises: from which square could the queen have legally moved to f1 to deliver mate? And indeed there is a legal solution to constructing a mate with one additional piece. In the second position as well, but a different one. Can you figure this out?
2025 Christmas Puzzle 12
Werner Keym, Stuttgarter Zeitung 2020
Mate in two moves.
Looks fairly simple: in the first diagram we can play 1.Rc4 K×d3 2.Rf3#. But that is illegal, and the question is for what reason? So how can a mate be delivered in two legal moves instead? And why does this reasoning not apply to the second diagram?
2025 Christmas Puzzle 13
Here’s a little text problem I came up with. Werner Keym called it an ‘original’:
Place a white pawn anywhere on an empty board. What is the least number of moves you need to pass through (not necessarily land on) all nine squares in the a1-c1-c3-a3 square on the bottom left? From where must the pawn start? There is only one solution.
Please do not post any solutions in our feedback section below. Let other readers enjoy the problems. Please submit your solution feedback here. We will reveal the solutions to all Christmas Puzzle in the first week of January 2026.
