7

The road narrowed as the carriage went on. Snow lay thick along the verges, and the horses pulled with their heads low. After one bend the driver pulled up short.

A man stood by the roadside with three cases at his feet and snow on the brim of his hat. He waved as if greeting an old friend.

“Sir Basil Pinewood,” he said as he climbed in opposite you. “Very much obliged. I was beginning to think I should be found here in the spring.”

He settled his luggage with care. One of the smaller cases slipped, fell open an inch, and you caught a glimpse of green glass and wire before he shut it again with a quick hand.

“You are for Snowfall Manor?” he asked. “I can tell. There is a look about those of us who have been summoned by evergreen wax.”

He tapped his breast pocket where an envelope lay. To pass the time, he began describing a curious chess position he claimed to have seen in “a monastery somewhere nobody can spell”.

When his story ran out of detail, you took out your travelling set and began to arrange the pieces roughly as he had said.

It would serve as something to look at while the carriage rocked on through the snow.

This is a helpmate, which means that both sides cooperate to achieve mate. With Black to move first, how can White, with Black's assistance, mate on the second move? Black plays 2 moves and White 2, and White's 2nd move is mate. Here's the position on Lichess. If you are confused, check out Offerspill's Discord server.