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Frosted Board

Puzzle #17: Mill

  • DifficultyMedium
  • To moveLight
  • TaskMill in 3
  • Main line5 half-moves

Light to move, with 8 light and 8 dark men in the game. Placement is over; from here on a turn means sliding one man to an adjacent free point.

Your job is to close a mill in at most 3 of your own moves, and it has to work against every defence, including the opponent closing a mill of their own.

What the position is about

  • sliding phase — Every man is on the board; a move is one step along a line to an empty neighbour.
  • counter-mill — The defender can close a mill too and will take a man; the solution still works after that hit.

Finding the way in

Three-move mills usually need a quiet first move that builds two separate threats; check what the opponent can close in reply before you commit.

Play the position in your head from the opponent's side: what would you do against your favourite move? If there is a good answer, try the next candidate.

Show the first move

Start with a4-a1. Played out against the stiffest resistance, the whole line goes: a4-a1 f4-f6xg1 f2-f4 g4-g1 f4-f2xg1.

Solve it and the next puzzle of the same game is one tap away. Your solved puzzles are ticked in the list, in this browser only.