How Is This Position Legal?

    When I saw this position in a post on Tim Krabbe’s old online site it just had to be checked out. How can this position possibly be legal?! You can read about it HERE; it’s post #373.

    Tim Krabbe was born on April 13, 1943, in Amsterdam and is a renowned author and cyclist who is best known in the chess world for his long running online site Chess Curiosities, which explores endgame studies and historical chess curiosities of every kind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Event ""] [Site ""] [Date "???.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Puzzle"] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] [Annotator ""] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "1898.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2026.10.22"] 1. d3 h6 2. Bxh6 f5 3. Qd2 f4 4. Qxf4 a5 5. Qxc7 Kf7 {The K is headed for a1.} 6. g3 Kg6 7. Bg2 Kh5 8. Bxb7 Kg4 9. Nf3 Kh3 10. Bxc8 e5 11. Bxg7 e4 12. Kd2 e3+ 13. Kxe3 Kg2 14. Ng1 Kf1 15. Kf3 Ke1 16. Qxa5+ Bb4 17. Nc3+ Kd2 18. Rf1 Rh3 19. Bxd7 Nh6 20. Nd1 Kc1 21. Bxh6+ Kb1 {The white pieces gragually begin heading home.} 22. Bc1 Na6 23. Kg2 Rc8 24. Bxh3 Rc3 25. Nxc3+ Ka1 26. Nb1 Nc5 27. Rd1 Be1 28. Qxe1 Ne4 29. Kf1 Nd2+ 30. Rxd2 Qd5 31. Qd1 Qg2+ 32. Ke1 Qf1+ 33. Bxf1 {It's mate in 3.} (33. Bxf1 Kxb1 34. c4 Ka1 (34... Kxa2 35. b3+ Ka1 36. Ba3#) 35. b4 Kb1 36. Ba3#) (33. Bxf1 Kxa2 34. b4 Kxb1 (34... Ka1 35. c4 Kxb1 36. Ba3#) 35. c4 Ka1 36. Ba3#) *