Related papers: The Problem of Pawns
In this paper we study the number $M_{m,n}$ of ways to place nonattacking pawns on an $m\times n$ chessboard. We find an upper bound for $M_{m,n}$ and analyse its asymptotic behavior. It turns out that $\lim_{m,n\to\infty}(M_{m,n})^{1/mn}$…
To count the number of maximum independent arrangements of $n^2$ kings on a $2n\times 2n$ chessboard, we build a $2^n \times (n+1)$ matrix whose entries are independent arrangements of $n$ kings on $2\times 2n$ rectangles. Utilizing upper…
In 2015, Steinerberger showed that the number of legal chess diagrams without promotion is bounded from above by $2\times 10^{40}$. This number was obtained by restricting both bishops and pawns position and by a precise bound when no…
The number of ways to place $q$ nonattacking queens, bishops, or similar chess pieces on an $n\times n$ square chessboard is essentially a quasipolynomial function of $n$ (by Part I of this series). The period of the quasipolynomial is…
We derive recurrences and closed-form expressions for counting nonattacking placements of two types of chess pieces with unbounded straight-line moves, namely the bishop (two diagonal moves) and the anassa (one horizontal or vertical move…
We apply our geometrical theory for counting placements of $q$ nonattacking on an $n\times n$ chessboard, from Parts~I and II, to partial queens: that is, chess pieces with any combination of horizontal, vertical, and $45^\circ$-diagonal…
We apply to the $n\times n$ chessboard the counting theory from Part I for nonattacking placements of chess pieces with unbounded straight-line moves, such as the queen. Part I showed that the number of ways to place $q$ identical…
A well-known chessboard problem is that of placing eight queens on the chessboard so that no two queens are able to attack each other. (Recall that a queen can attack anything on the same row, column, or diagonal as itself.) This problem is…
The function that counts the number of ways to place nonattacking identical chess or fairy chess pieces in a rectangular strip of fixed height and variable width, as a function of the width, is a piecewise polynomial which is eventually a…
We consider the chessboard pebbling problem analyzed by Chung, Graham, Morrison and Odlyzko [3]. We study the number of reachable configurations $G(k)$ and a related double sequence $G(k,m)$. Exact expressions for these are derived, and we…
By means of the Ehrhart theory of inside-out polytopes we establish a general counting theory for nonattacking placements of chess pieces with unbounded straight-line moves, such as the queen, on a polygonal convex board. The number of ways…
We generalize the recent results of Chaiken et al. to a rectangular $m\times n$ chessboard. An explicit formula for the number of nonattacking configurations of one-move riders on such a chessboard is calculated in two different ways, one…
In this paper we answer a question posed by R. Stanley in his collection of Bijection Proof Problems (Problem 240). We present a bijective proof for the enumeration of walks of length $k$ a chess rook can move along on an $m\times n$ board…
We consider the classical $n$-queens problem, which asks how many ways one can place $n$ mutually non-attacking queens on an $n$ x $n$ chessboard. We prove that the total number of solutions to the $n$-queens problem $Q(n)$ is divisible by…
We answer a question posed in [Elkies 1996] (math.CO/9905198) by constructing a class of pawn endgames on m-by-n boards that show the Nimbers *k for large k. We do this by modifying and generalizing T.R. Dawson's ``pawns game'' [Berlekamp…
The Queen's Domination problem, studied for over 160 years, poses the following question: What is the least number of queens that can be arranged on a $m \times n$ chessboard so that they either attack or occupy every cell? We propose a…
Number the cells of a (possibly infinite) chessboard in some way with the numbers 0, 1, 2, ... Consider the cells in order, placing a queen in a cell if and only if it would not attack any earlier queen. The problem is to determine the…
We introduce a two-player game in which one and his/her opponent attempt to pack as many ``prisoners'' as possible on the squares of an n-by-n checkerboard; each prisoner has to be ``protected'' by at least as many guards as the number of…
On a convex polygonal chessboard, the number of combinatorial types of nonattacking configuration of three identical chess riders with $r$ moves, such as queens, bishops, or nightriders, equals $r(r^2+3r-1)/3$, as conjectured by Chaiken,…
We consider Chess played on an $m \times n$ board (with $m$ and $n$ arbitrary positive integers), with only the two kings and the white rook remaining, but placed at arbitrary positions. Using the symbolic finite state method, developed by…