Threemover in Chess: What #3 Means

Explanation

A threemover is a that White must solve within at most three White moves against every Black defense. In a line that uses the full limit, the sequence is White, Black, White, Black, then White mate.

The first move must secure the objective against all legal replies. The extra White move allows preparatory maneuvers that cannot fit into a , such as changing piece coordination before the final mate. This gives composers more room for strategic ideas, although a threemover is not automatically harder to solve.

The usual notation is #3. When the limit is four White moves or more, the problem belongs to the category.

Common confusions

Three total individual moves

The three in #3 counts White moves. If the defense uses the full length, two Black moves also occur between them.

Sources

1.Glossary of Chess Problem Terms, OzProblems
2.Codex of Chess Compositions, World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC)
3.Estipulaciones y varios, Unión Argentina de Problemistas de Ajedrez

Explanation

Common confusions

Sources

Related terms