5
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This puzzle is part of the Puzzling Stack Exchange Advent Calendar 2024. The accepted answer to this question will be awarded a bounty worth 50 reputation.

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Previous puzzles:
1 2

General rules:

  • You are trying to captue OKG (opponent king)
  • Walls can be jumped over by knights, and floors can be passed through in any direction by any piece but cannot be fallen through.
    • This does not apply to ceilings. Ceilings cannot be passed through in the first place by any piece.
  • Pieces fall until they are blocked by a wall, floor, or a piece that you control.
  • Walls and floors can be passed through by KNI.
  • Lava automatically disintegrates pieces. You can no longer move pieces that are disintegrated.
  • If a piece touches a square labeled KEY, all squares labeled LOC (locks) will automatically disappear.
    • Note that knights, along with bishops, rooks and queens are required to actually touch the key for the locks to disappear. They can't just go through it, however they are allowed to fall onto it (even if the key is in the air).
      • This also goes for the pawn's ability to go up 2 squares on their first moves.
  • (New Gimmick) A square labeled with a number will require that many pieces to be disintegrated before being able to pass through it. No piece can pass through these.
  • (New Gimmick) Some platforms are passable. That means that any piece can go through them from below.

The puzzle

Pieces
+---+-------------+
|PWN|PAWN         |
|ROK|ROOK         |
|BIS|BISHOP       |
|KNI|KNIGHT       |
|QUE|QUEEN        |
|KNG|KING         |
|OKG|OPPONENT KING|
+---+-------------+

Objects
+---+-----------------+
|KEY|KEY              |
|||||PLATFORM         |
|PAS|PASSABLE PLATFORM|
|LAV|LAVA             |
|LOC|LOCK             |
+---+-----------------+

# Note: Whoops, did not plan out
#       that section of the tree
#       well lol ;)

            +---+
            |OKG|
            +---+
            |PAS|
        +---+---+---+
        |LAV| 2 |   |
    +---+---+---+---+---+
    |   |LOC|   |PAS|LAV|
    +---+---+---+---+---+
            |   |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|KEY| 1 |   |PAS|   |   |LAV|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|||||   |   |   |   |   |   |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|   |   |PAS|   |   |   |   |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
    |KNI|   |   |   |   |
    +---+---+---+---+---+
            |KNI|
            +---+
            |ROK|
            +---+

What is the minimum amount of moves needed to capturing the opponent king?

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13
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Where is 0KG? Is there a typo for 0KN there? Which ones are our pieces? Everything except opponent king? Where does KNI land when it stops on top of PAS? On it, or the square above it? Does KNI jump over 1/2? $\endgroup$
    – justhalf
    Commented Dec 15 at 7:03
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Can you clarify a bit where knights can and cannot go? In particular, why is it not allowed to just jump upwards with the upper knight (using the passable platforms) and capture the other king in just 4 moves? $\endgroup$
    – Tim Seifert
    Commented Dec 15 at 12:16
  • $\begingroup$ @TimSeifert Think of the outside of the given area as being a void filled with non passable platforms $\endgroup$
    – CrSb0001
    Commented Dec 15 at 21:32
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ How do you define a nights move. (e.g. can you go for the row one space wide into the lava. on the right, (Or is it unreachable). And is the lave on the left only accesable with a knight when the lock is unlocked? $\endgroup$
    – Mike
    Commented Dec 15 at 23:57
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ This is a really cool type fo puzzle looking forward to more. $\endgroup$
    – Mike
    Commented 2 days ago

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
3
+50
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After the clarification that KNI can go through bottleneck PAS to the LAV top right of it, then this should be a solution in 8 moves, right?

Knight goes A-B-C in the below image
+---+
|OKG|
+---+
|PAS|
+---+---+---+
|LAV| 2 | |
+---+---+---+---+---+
| |LOC| |PAS| C |
+---+---+---+---+---+
| B |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|KEY| 1 | |PAS| | |LAV|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
||||| | A | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | |PAS| | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|KNI| | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+
|KNI|
+---+
|ROK|
+---+

Then second knight goes to the same place via D-E-F-G
+---+
|OKG|
+---+
|PAS|
+---+---+---+
|LAV| 1 | |
+---+---+---+---+---+
| |LOC| |PAS| G |
+---+---+---+---+---+
| F |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|KEY| | |PAS| | |LAV|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
||||| | E | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | |PAS| | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| D | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+
|KNI|
+---+
|ROK|
+---+

And finally rook takes king
+---+
|OKG|
+---+
|PAS|
+---+---+---+
|LAV| | |
+---+---+---+---+---+
| |LOC| |PAS|LAV|
+---+---+---+---+---+
| |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|KEY| | |PAS| | |LAV|
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
||||| | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | |PAS| | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+
| |
+---+
|ROK|
+---+

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2
  • $\begingroup$ Hang on, but if the move from B to C is allowed, then surely there is no problem moving from the space diagonally above C directly to OKG right? $\endgroup$
    – Tim Seifert
    Commented yesterday
  • $\begingroup$ @TimSeifert There is still the numbered block which is not passable, OP clarified here. $\endgroup$
    – justhalf
    Commented yesterday
5
$\begingroup$

I think the answer is

13

By:

First sacrificing one Knight. bNd4, dNf4, dNe4, eNf5, eNg6

Then getting the key. Nd2, Nb3, Nc5, Na6.

Then sacrificing that knight. Nc5, Nd7, Nc9

Finally getting the King. Rd11

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