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weird positions
Compiled by smalldreams
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Inspired by the database of "real" puzzles at chesstempo.com, this collection is dedicated to odd configurations of pieces - the kind of positions that, if you walked up mid-game and saw them on the board, would make you say "what the heck happened here?"

30. down a rook, no pawns, checkmate
W R Ballard vs J Fagan, 1884 
(000) Chess variants, 30 moves, 1-0

26. all white pawns on fourth rank
B Alterman vs Deep Fritz, 2000 
(A03) Bird's Opening, 87 moves, 1-0

20. black pawns on all center squares
J F van der Hoeven vs F Lucas, 1989 
(A87) Dutch, Leningrad, Main Variation, 24 moves, 0-1

78. Newbie draw (GK threw away an entire tourney on this move)
Kasparov vs K Georgiev, 1988 
(A29) English, Four Knights, Kingside Fianchetto, 78 moves, 1/2-1/2

271. Five Bishops mate (of course it's Nakamura vs. Computer)
Rybka vs Nakamura, 2008 
(A00) Uncommon Opening, 255 moves, 0-1

155. Six Knights mate (guess who)
Crafty vs Nakamura, 2007 
(A00) Uncommon Opening, 155 moves, 0-1

3. Are you flipping kidding me?
Lindemann vs Echtermeyer, 1893  
(B01) Scandinavian, 3 moves, 0-1

7. ...=N# This can't be happening
Wiede vs A Goetz, 1880 
(C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 7 moves, 0-1

22. All white pieces on first rank (loses)
Karpov vs Kasparov, 1993 
(E86) King's Indian, Samisch, Orthodox, 7.Nge2 c6, 27 moves, 0-1

38. Quad pawns!
Alekhine vs V Nenarokov, 1907 
(D02) Queen's Pawn Game, 43 moves, 0-1

29. A win with all pieces still on the board
A Medina Garcia vs Gligoric, 1968 
(C93) Ruy Lopez, Closed, Smyslov Defense, 29 moves, 0-1

11. Seven black pawns on 6 (loses)
J Geller vs O Huguenin, 2004 
(A00) Uncommon Opening, 16 moves, 1-0

29. Quad pawns (very brief... but wins!)
Van der Wiel vs Hort, 1981 
(B12) Caro-Kann Defense, 40 moves, 1-0

21. All white pawns in a dark square pyramid (light square B's)
Petrosian vs Petrovsky, 1946 
(E11) Bogo-Indian Defense, 28 moves, 1-0

24. Something must have happened to get us to this point....
A Lehtinen vs J Sietio, 1996 
(A04) Reti Opening, 47 moves, 1-0

58. Two pawns, two knights, six queens, immortality
E Szalanczy vs T Nguyen, 2009 
(B90) Sicilian, Najdorf, 75 moves, 1/2-1/2

10. White queen herds all the black pieces into a corner
J Upmark vs R Johansson, 1995 
(A10) English, 10 moves, 1/2-1/2

12. Why isn't anybody moving? Oh...
J Hohmeister vs T Frank, 1993 
(A40) Queen's Pawn Game, 12 moves, 1/2-1/2

18 games

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