Checkmate
Solution
This is a Strands, a type of puzzle most associated with the daily NYT strands.
The objective is to form words using paths through the letters, and eventually to use each letter once. There is one Spangram that touches opposite sides of the grid, which is used in the meta of this round.
As hinted in the puzzle title, all words in the grid are actually chess pieces. Each word is semantically associated with a chess piece, and the path the piece takes is always a valid sequence of moves that a chess piece of that type could take. For pieces that can move multiple spaces in the same direction (rooks, queens, and bishops), moves are generally limited to adjacent spaces. There are exactly three of each piece type, for a total of 18 words (plus a spangram) in the grid.
Spangram: AVOID ROOKS AND ROYALS
Words:
| Word in grid | Piece | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FOOTSOLDIER | Pawn | Moves two spaces on its first move. Captures the SAMURAI to move diagonally once. |
| PROMOTER | Pawn | A pawn promotes, and is therefore a promoter. |
| PUPPET | Pawn | Moves two spaces on its first move. |
| CAVALRY | Knight | |
| LANCELOT | Knight | |
| SAMURAI | Knight | Gets captured by FOOTSOLDIER on its last step |
| CARDINAL | Bishop | |
| DIOCESE | Bishop | |
| SAINT | Bishop | |
| CROW | Rook | A rook is a bird species related to crows |
| CITADEL | Rook | Castles with CHARLEMAGNE on its first move. |
| TOWER | Rook | |
| BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY | Queen | A song by the British rock band "Queen" |
| CLEOPATRA | Queen | |
| ELIZABETH | Queen | |
| CHARLEMAGNE | King | Castles with CITADEL on its first move. |
| LOUIS XIV | King | The Sun King |
| QUAQUAPITZAHUAC | King | The first king of the Aztec City Tlatelolco |