Day 5 - Placement Mate

After hours of tense calculations and troubleshooting, you and Wesley take a breather in one of the factory’s living rooms.

In the corner, Magnus Carolsen is entertaining a small crowd of elves with a simultaneous exhibition. He glances up as you enter, grinning. “Ah, just in time! Care for a game?” he asks, gesturing at the board.

Wesley waves him off. “No thanks, Carolsen. I’ve had my fill of chess puzzles for the day.”

He chuckles and turns to you, saying, “But I do have a little chess problem for you. Care to try?”

The elves lean in as Carolsen sets up the position on the board. “It’s simple,” he says. “White needs to add a pawn to the board and deliver mate in two moves.”

White to add a pawn and mate in 2. Note that this is not a helpmate, so White must be able to force a mate regardless of Black’s response. First give the square at which to place the pawn, and then the sequence of moves leading to the mate in 2.