Cyclotronic Overdrive: Spinning OnBy Jeff CoakleyThis column continues from where we left off last month, with seven more puzzles for your cycling pleasure.A cyclotron is a three-way switcheroo. Instead of switching two pieces, we switch three. In case you’re new to this type of puzzle, here are the rules.CYCLOTRONSSwitch the position of three pieces so that Black is in checkmate. No actual chess moves are made. The pieces simply swap squares.The pieces trade places in a “cycle”. Piece A goes to square B, piece B goes to square C, and piece C goes to square A.Any three pieces can trade places. Colours do not matter. The cycled pieces can be all white, all black, or a mix of … [Read more...]

Cyclotronic Overdrive: Gearing Up By Jeff Coakley This column features seven cyclotrons. Please fasten your seatbelt. These puzzles sometimes spin out of control. A cyclotron is a three-way switcheroo. Instead of switching two pieces, we switch three. In case you’re new to this type of puzzle, here are the rules. CYCLOTRONS Switch the position of three pieces so that Black is in checkmate. No actual chess moves are made. The pieces simply swap squares. The pieces trade places in a “cycle”. Piece A goes to square B, piece B goes to square C, and piece C goes to square A. Any three pieces can trade places. Colours do not matter. The cycled pieces can be all white, all … [Read more...]