If you are familiar with General Halftrack in the comic strip Beetle Bailey, you see him thinking “Now what?” when he sees his hapless recruits doing something odd. That might very well be your reaction to seeing the initial chess position as the day’s puzzle. However, it’s a real puzzle. Your task is to create a game where White moves and Black copies or mirrors White’s move and White mates on move four, so Black doesn’t get his fourth move. Try to find the two possible series of moves.

Solution:

If you have any additional solutions, do write me! Here are two. Nobody said they had to be good moves… 1.d4 d5 2.Qd3 Qd6 3.Qf5 Qf4 4.Qxc8# or 1.c4 c5 2.Qa4 Qa5 3.Qc6 Qc3 4.Qxc8#

Send questions and comments to PTamburro@aol.com.