June 2021 - Chess

Tap on any hint box to view it.

Location

  1. The first step is to fill in the missing pawns. Take a look at the column that says 1 at the bottom. There's already a pawn in that column so we know the rest of the tiles must be empty. Now you can fill in the top row as it has 5 pawns (except the previously mentioned column which stays blank). You won't need to worry about the color of the tiles until you place the very last pawn.
  2. Need some help placing the pawns? Going top-to-bottom there's 5 pawns in the top row, then 2 in the second row, then 1, then 3, then 4, then 1. Going left-to-right, there's 4 pawns in the first column, 2 in the second, then 2, then 1, then 4, then 3.
  3. Got all the pawns placed? The final step is to read each 2x3 rectangle as braille.
  4. GAMBIT

THE CHESS BOARD

  1. Each column and row has a different rule that connects those tiles. It's easier to identify the rule based on the actual words the pictures represent. Try to work those out first.
  2. Each row and each column only has one tile that breaks the rule, meaning six tiles are out of place.
  3. Once you've figured out the rules and the mistakes, use those rules to return the incorrectly placed tiles back to their correct location - before indexing the tiles.
  4. BISHOP

BISHOPS

  1. The first thing to tackle is the answers to the crossword clues. Perhaps the spelling mistakes are important?
  2. The missing letters in each crossword clue can be anagrammed to get the corresponding answer.
  3. Once you have each word placed on the board, you need to work out which bishop is which. You can work this out logically!
  4. The tiles that the bishops land on spell out new words... well, they almost do.
  5. Maybe the missing letters from these new words are important?
  6. PAWN

THE KING'S WALK

  1. The clues below are hidden in the grid. The puzzle is similar to a word search; however, tiles are used only once and words don’t need to continue in straight lines.
  2. Start finding words using the prefilled letters. There's not too many words that can work with "_ _ L K".
  3. As you start to fill in the blanks, pay attention to what each column of words has in common. This will help confirm if you have the "correct" word.
  4. Once you have all the words, look to the remaining tiles.
  5. BLACK TILES
  6. The answer is a single word. Maybe if you shade in certain tiles?
  7. ROOK

SETTING UP A GAME

  1. The positions of the pieces on the board can be logically deduced. Don't forget that every row and column has exactly one empty tile.
  2. A good starting point is the bottom-left corner which you know must be empty.
  3. The "I" tile in the top row is also empty.
  4. Once you have all the pieces placed, start grouping the letters, beginning with the empty tiles.
  5. IN THIS PUZZLE ANSWER EQUALS MISSING PIECE
  6. KNIGHT

META

  1. The answers from the previous puzzles and the puzzle names will help you get started.
  2. For the first move, there's only one place the Knight can reach.
  3. Keep an eye on future moves. The instructions describe a unique set of moves which you can deduce logically. Just remember that each tile can only be visited once.
  4. Note which tiles the pieces land on... and in which order. This will help you extract the final answer.
  5. THESE LESSONS ARE ALMOST FINISHED SOLVE FINAL MYSTERY VIA READING BOARD AND NOTING THE THIRD LETTER.
  6. ENDS IN A STALEMATE

BONUS

  1. The openings and responses are related to the hints below.
  2. Each opening has a single corresponding response.
  3. You might find there's "something" missing when connecting an opening to a response.
  4. CHECKMATE