Countdown #7

A reminder to read the contest rules (http://checkmateupdate.blogspot.com/2010/11/countdown-begins-soon.html) before attempting to send your answers :)

Countdown #7 - Your Turn at Top Ten

Value: 2 points for each list with ten items (1 point for each list with at least five correct items), bonus 1 point for completing all three lists fully

Had something important to do this morning, but since this post is quite late, I have doubled its point value (2 points per list instead of 1 point per list)!

Send lists for the following:

1. Ten movies that mention the word "chess"

2. Ten songs that mention the word "chess"
3. Ten pieces of literature that mention the word "chess"

Another bonus (2 points):

- Ten interesting things (street names, facts, etc.) associated with the word "chess"

Countdown #6

A reminder to read the contest rules (http://checkmateupdate.blogspot.com/2010/11/countdown-begins-soon.html) before attempting to send your answers :)

Countdown #6 - Mystery Image II

Value: 1 point for each correctly identified image

The images below can be found throughout this blog. Find the post containing the image (not including this post), and send a list of dates (of the posts) and a brief description of the content the image was associated with.



Image 1








Image 2










Image 3















Image 4









Image 5

Countdown #5

It seems some people were too busy to have a look at the first few contest puzzles, so instead of adding a new one today, I decided to give everyone an extended opportunity to complete countdown puzzles # 1 - 4. Send in your answers before 11:59 pm EST on Friday December 10, 2010 to receive a bonus 2 points for countdown #5 (you will receive these points as long as you attempt the puzzles, even if some of your answers are incorrect).

Countdown #4

A reminder to read the contest rules (http://checkmateupdate.blogspot.com/2010/11/countdown-begins-soon.html) before attempting to send your answers :)

Countdown #4 - Piece Scales

Value: 2 points

In a non-standard chess game, there are three types of pieces - pawns, knights and rooks. They have non-standard values which cause them to be in balance in the first two situations (scales). How many rooks are needed to replace the question mark to balance the third scale?

Countdown #3

A reminder to read the contest rules (http://checkmateupdate.blogspot.com/2010/11/countdown-begins-soon.html) before attempting to send your answers :)

Here's a short one:

Countdown #3 - Pawn Groups

Value: 2 points

On a standard 8 x 8 chess board, how can you arrange all 16 pawns so that each rank, file, and diagonal contains a maximum of 2 pawns?

Countdown #2

A reminder to read the contest rules (http://checkmateupdate.blogspot.com/2010/11/countdown-begins-soon.html) before attempting to send your answers :)

Countdown #2 - Cryptograms

Value: 2 points for each correctly identified quote (details below)

The phrases below have been encoded, with each number representing a unique letter. Each cryptogram contains a different code, so if A = 1 in one cryptogram, A may not equal 1 in another.

Your job is to decode the quote (1 point each), and find out who said it (1 point each - hint: you can just put the quote into a search engine like Google once it is decoded). Don't forget to send in your answers -your answers can simply be the quote and speaker - you don't have to send a chart of letters/numbers.

Note: click the cryptogram for a slightly better view!

(Sorry the cryptogram below has a title that won't seem to stay centred like the other two - I may have to fix that later :D)

Countdown #1

Happy December! Here is an interesting scavenger hunt to start off the contest. Remember to read the contest rules (http://checkmateupdate.blogspot.com/2010/11/countdown-begins-soon.html) before attempting to send your answers, and don't forget to have fun!

Countdown #1 - Mystery Image

Value: 1 point for each correctly identified image

The images below were found on various chess-related sites, all of which can be found in the quick links on the side bar. You are to find the image's original location, record the exact web address, and then send me your list of answers (web addresses).



Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5