GC34G69 Letterbox Hybrid Checkmate!
Type: Letterbox | Size: Regular Regular | Difficulty: 4 out of 5 | Terrain: 2 out of 5
By: K Trackers @ | Hide Date: 09/19/2011 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N38° 57.845 W104° 42.958 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
Dogs  Recommended for kids  Bicycles  No Park and Grab  Medium hike (1km-10km) 

The cache is not at the posted coordinates. The cache difficulty is rated a 4 due to the rextra research and puzzle solving required to determine the actual coordinates. The hide itself is rated as a 2.

Checkmate (frequently shortened to mate) is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture (in check) and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured. Delivering checkmate is the ultimate goal in chess: a player who is checkmated loses the game. In practice, most players resign an inevitably lost game before being checkmated. It is considered bad etiquette to continue playing in a completely hopeless position.

The cache is not actually at the posted coordinates. The actual coordinates are encrypted on a series of 4 overlays on a chess board. Knowledge of the game of chess is needed to break the encryption, however, a geocacher unfamiliar with chess can find all of the information needed by searching the internet or referencing a chess rulebook. Unlike a chess player, a geocacher is never in a completely hopeless position, so keep trying to avoid our version of a checkmate, a DNF.

Each latitude and longitude digit is represented by a separate space (square) on the chess board, for a total of 15 different digits. However, in order to find the final digit that each space represents, a math equation must be solved. Each overlay provides one component of each equation (a total of 15 different spaces / equations) to be solved. In order to make the proper calculations, here are some general rules:

1. The latitude (N) consists of 7 numbers, represented by 7 different squares on the chess board

2. The longitude (W) consists of 8 numbers, represented by 8 different squares on the chess board

3. White pieces, or a white square with a dark blue border, represent latitude

4. Black pieces, or a white square with a dark red border, represent longitude

5. Read the chess board left to right

6. The same 15 squares appear on each overlay. As you work thru each overlay, you will get a different piece of the equation for each square

7. Kings are not part of the equations

8. Overlays are posted under the images portion of the cache page

Overlay 1: This overlay represents polarity. It sets your first integer as a positive or negative number.

Overlay 2: The position of each square determines your first integer

Overlay 3: Determines the calculation to be performed

Overlay 4: Each chess piece determines the last integer

After solving all 15 equations on all four overlays, you should have the latitude and longitude to the cache.

You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.

This cache is not a park and grab. Recommend you carefully plan a safe mode of travel, parking plan, and approach route once you have the coordinates. The container has a lock, the combo is (from top to bottom) 3, 5, 9. The container is missing a hinge, so please take care with the remaining one. You must sign the log inside to get the find. Inside is the special chess stamp, so bring you stamp logs. You DO NOT need to stamp the cache log.

Special thanks to Mr. Rhett Langseth, Colorado's 2011 High School State Chess Champion, for leading the Beta-Testing Team.

Good Luck!

Additional Waypoints

 Custom URLs

Add cache to watch list
Log your visit
Picture Gallery

 Nearby Caches

GC8ZGNK Monument Event Cache#1 (11.76 kms NW)
GCAQ4PH Colorado Presidents Challenge (13.25 kms SW)
GC8DV13 Mean Ol' Jerks! (15.68 kms SW)
GC9075 Forgotten Genius (16.33 kms SW)
GCAECXV A Colorado Springs Connection (16.51 kms SW)

   


Driving Directions

 Logs

6 Logs: Found it 5  Didn't find it 1  

Found it 04/28/2019 By gampa&gamma
Gampa is a not-so-good chess player, so he enjoyed solving this puzzle. Cache is well hidden but the combo lock seems to be missing. Thanks for the cache-giving it a fave point.

Found it 03/24/2018 By Hives
After this morning's event we headed out for a very enjoyable day gathering several of the solved puzzles and letterboxes in this end of town, Also grabbed quite a few traditionals along the way. A really fun puzzle to solve - earns a FP from me. Nice hide. SL. TFTC

Didn't find it 07/21/2017 By TheATeam_COS
Dnf

Found it 08/01/2016 By LLYN-lhvwn50
I didn't think I was going to be able to get the puzzle, but then it gradually began to come together. There is construction near the cache, but it does not impact GZ. Thanks for a challenging puzzle, and TFTC.

Found it 04/28/2015 By YamaGypsy
Waiting for my son at therapy and decided to take the babies out for some treasure hunting. This was perfect. Close by the therapy, a short walk and a quick hunt. Fun cache! Tfth!!

Found it 04/25/2015 By RPieperCO
Thanks for the fun letterbox cache! This was a fun easy puzzle. I had started by printing all the overlays and getting everything all set. A quick search of the needed information confirmed what I had already known/guessed. A few minutes later the math was complete and I was looking at a complete set of coordinates. I was nearby completing another really fun cache from k Trackers and stopped for this one on the way out. Great fun puzzle! Nice cache! Signed and stamped the log book. As previously noted one of the hinge locks is broken so I was very delicate. Otherwise everything is fine. One of these days I need to get a stamp book. As this is only my third letter box I would like to try more. Thanks for placing and creating this cache for us all to enjoy!