Betcha Can’t Solve this #Chess Puzzle! 81

Often in my youth I felt compelled to finish a chess puzzle as I would my homework; it must be done before I could rest. If my mind became too tired to solve the chess puzzle then I would admit defeat and look up the answer. As I have matured, I find the process of solving chess puzzles to be a pleasure rather than a chore. Now, I can relax at night solving chess puzzles and if I do get stumped, the unfinished puzzle gives me something to look forward to with my morning coffee.

Last night, I started looking at a nice Mate in 2 puzzle by the Italian chess composer Alberto Armeni. I spent a half hour listening to Alexander Scriabin’s music while calculating possible solutions to Armani’s puzzle. The process was quite a relaxing downshift for my brain and I decided to give up for the night and go to sleep.

This morning, I poured my self coffee and then set up the unsolved puzzle onto a chessboard from memory. It turns out that we remember unfinished business better than completed tasks and this unique aspect of our memory is called the Zeigarnik Effect. Named after the 20th century Soviet Psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, the Zegnart Effect can be thought of as an open looping thought process which closes when we finish the task. Most people feel a little uncomfortable as long as the loop remains open which explains why will feel stress when an important task gets interrupted midway through. However, because I view chess puzzles as a pleasant cognitive activity, I can use a chess puzzle to wind down at night while using the Zeigarnik Effect to recall the position the next morning. In fact, not only can I recall the chess puzzle in the morning, but after a good night’s sleep, I usually solve the problem in short order.

Below is the tricky Alberto Armeni chess puzzle that gave me great enjoyment. My advice is to go ahead and try solving this Mate in 2 before you go to sleep. If you fail to do so, look at it as an opportunity to try using the Zeigarnik Effect the next morning. Feel free to let me know how your experience goes with the Alberto Armeni chess puzzle and Bluma Zeigarnik’s Effect.