13

Yes, it is silly.

So you begin at the normal starting position and help-play until Black is mated (White shall have the last move since Black begins in checkers) and the mating position looks like the starting position of checkers, with any remaining piece acting as a checkers piece. See here

I do have a solution but of course the shortest one wins.

Hauke Reddmann
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  • When you play checkers with chessmen, what happens when you make a king? – bof Feb 03 '22 at 06:38
  • @bof: In German checkers, the king is a queen...oh wait, doesn't actually solve the main problem :-) – Hauke Reddmann Feb 03 '22 at 08:24
  • At our local chess club, we invented a bughouse variation where one board played (international) draughts and the other one chess. Captured pieces could be used on the other board but kept their intrinsic movement rules. – Glorfindel Feb 03 '22 at 13:18

3 Answers3

8

Here is a proposition in 29 plies.

[FEN ""]
[startply "29"]

    

  1. Nc3 b6 2. e3 Bb7 3. Ne4 h5 4. g3 Bxe4 5. Bd3 h4 6. Bxe4 hxg3 7. Bxa8 gxh2 8. a3 Nf6 9. c3 Nd5 10. Bxd5 f6 11. Bf7+ Kxf7 12. Qf3 d6 13. Qf4 Kg6 14. Qg3+ Kh6 15. Rxh2#
    2.

We can probably save 2, 4, or 6 plies on the way.

Rewan Demontay
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Evargalo
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5

I have found another solution, 25 plies.

[FEN ""]
[startply "25"]

    

  1. a3 b6 2.Nc3 Nh6 3. Nd5 d6 4. Nxb6 axb6 5. c3 f6 6. e3 Kf7 7. g4 Nxg4 8. Bd3 Nxh2 9. Bxh7 Bg4 10. Bg6+ Kxg6 11. Qxg4+ Kh6 12. Qg3 Ra7 13. Rxh2#
    2.
Rewan Demontay
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anion
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  • For the record, here is mine, also 25, but rather different: 1.a4 Nf6 2.Na3 b5 3.axb5 d6 4.b6 axb6 5.g4 Nxg4 6.Bh3 Nxh2 7.c3 Bxh3 8.Qc2 Ra7 9.Qxh7 f6 10.Qxh3 Kf7 11.e3 Kg6 12.Qxg3 Kh6 13.Rxh2# – Hauke Reddmann Feb 08 '22 at 16:42
2

Arriving at 28. Na1#

  • a1=N, 5 moves incl. the mating move Na1#;
  • a3=R, 2 moves incl. pushing a-pawn;
  • b2=Q, 3 moves incl. pushing c-pawn;
  • c3=R, 6 moves incl. 0-0, excl. Q-clearance, see above;
  • c1=B, 2 moves (clearance for Rfc1);
  • d2=p, -
  • e1=N, 1 move, excl. 0-0, see above
  • e3=p, 1 move
  • g3=p, 0 moves (accounted for in c3=R).

Got another 8 moves for pushing b-pawn, recaptures on the queenside and g2 as well as preparing Na1# discovered mate tempowise. Rather confident though that this can be done more efficiently.

starrin
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