Day 13 - Key Mate

Santa’s eyes flutter open, and he slowly sits up in the cryostasis pod. He blinks, his gaze sweeping the room. “Sleigh ready?” he asks.

Wesley looks to David, who steps forward. “Not exactly, sir. It’s… December 13th.”

Santa’s brow furrows, confusion flickering across his face. “December 13th? Why am I awake so early?”

David hesitates before replying, his tone measured. “There’s been an anomaly. We’ll explain everything shortly, but first, we need to make sure you’re fully recovered.”

Santa steps out of the pod, brushing frost from his crimson sleeves. “Anomaly or not, I assume the standard checks are in order?”

David turns to you, speaking quietly. “After a year in cryostasis, we always run cognitive tests to make sure everything’s functioning properly.”

Magnus gestures to the chessboard set up nearby. “You know the drill.”

Santa approaches the board with calm familiarity. “Same procedure as last year?”

David sets the pieces carefully. “Same procedure as every year, James. White to move, protected pieces can’t move, mate in two.”

Santa leans forward, his sharp eyes scanning the position. “My name is not James. But let’s begin.”

In this position, any piece protected by another piece of the same color may not move. A pinned piece, however, does not function as a protector, because it cannot move. That means that you can move a piece that is only protected by pinned pieces. White to force a mate in 2. Only the key move (meaning White’s first move) is needed for the solution.

Note that this is not a helpmate, so White must be able to force a mate regardless of Black’s response.