Dr Who on Saturday

[Neil Graham]

On Doctor Who on Saturday, chess played a prominent part with the Doctor having to play a cyber-version of himself in order to escape the clutches of the Cybermen who once again were regenerating and aiming to take over the Universe.

A position was reached where the Doctor dramatically forced checkmate to save himself and his crew from being assimulated. There is some doubt as to the original position being correct as the White K on the back rank appeared to be open to checks from the rook or queen. Anyway here is an amended position with the Doctor (White) to move

5rk1/5ppp/b1Q5/2pN4/3r4/PP2p1q1/K1P3P1/5R1R w - - 0 0

He thwarts the Cyber threat by playing Qg6.

Incidentally we have been informed that chess was invented by the TimeLords and certainly wasn't started in India.

I'm indebted to Steve Burke and Paul Madden for their e-mails on the position.

[David Sedgwick]

Clearly based on the Gold Coin game.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1094915

[Greg Breed]

Haha I saw it and thought "that reminds me of that Marshall game, but upside-down"

[Joey Stewart]

It is quite pleasing that sombody went to the trouble of finding that brilliancy and then reshuffling it to make the same tactic work, rather then the usual dodgy chess positions that are seen on screen.

[Andrew Zigmond]

Earlier in that episode a young companion of the Doctor announced he was in his school chess team and promptly lost to fool's mate which I felt lacked credibility. That aside, it's nice to know that the critical position was more logical than that in the Seventh Seal game - interesting in both dramas the ultimate result of the game proved unimportant.

[Alex Holowczak]

Clearly based on the Gold Coin game.

Interesting. You may have stumbled upon something there.

The Doctor was half-Timelord half-Cyberman in this episode for a time. One of the weaknesses of the Cybermen is gold. Indeed, the Doctor used gold in this episode to weaken the part of him that had become Cyberman.

The Gold Coin Game is therefore an entirely appropriate choice of game!

[James Toon]

It's an interesting position. Unfortunately the lead-up lacks credibility. The cyber-opponent announces a win for Black, shortly before the Doctor finds the queen sacrifice. One can understand a human opponent missing the sacrifice, but the cyber force is robotic and can presumably calculate 2 billion positions a second. Machines don't miss that sort of thing.

Reminds of a much earlier chess episode (The Sun Makers, 1977) in which the Fourth Doctor takes on K9. The Doctor is over-confident and assumes he is winning. Until K9 announces mate in 13 (or something) at which point the Doctor overturns the board. The robot dog was closer to today's computers than the cyber force.

[Richard James]

the Fourth Doctor takes on K9.

He has (at least) an 11x9 chessboard then?

[Richard Bates]

It's an interesting position. Unfortunately the lead-up lacks credibility. The cyber-opponent announces a win for Black, shortly before the Doctor finds the queen sacrifice. One can understand a human opponent missing the sacrifice, but the cyber force is robotic and can presumably calculate 2 billion positions a second. Machines don't miss that sort of thing.

Is Qg6 even the only winning move? What about something mundane like 1. Ne7+ and 2. Rxf7? Or even more mundane 2. Qxa6.

[James Toon]

the Fourth Doctor takes on K9.

He has (at least) an 11x9 chessboard then?

Oh come on he's a Time Lord. Of course he's got an 11x9 chessboard. Also captured pieces can travel in time and space, so they can reappear either earlier or later in the game and on different squares. Subject to the First Law of Time, which is that they can change the future but not the past.

I'm looking forward to the new Everyman series on Gallifreyan opening theory.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Earlier in that episode a young companion of the Doctor announced he was in his school chess team and promptly lost to fool's mate which I felt lacked credibility

Remember that episode of Columbo with the "chess master"?? A not dissimilar ending rather spoiled it, I feel (and the late Peter Falk was a chess fan, too)

[Stewart Reuben]

I am in Croatia. If somebody could provide me with a copy of this Dr Who episode, I would be most grateful.