Is a concept I continually try to do better with. I try to get my students to look at the board this way, too.

I have called it the shape of the pieces, but I may change that to the piece's "shadow".

White threatens 39.dxe8 = Q.

Pauses for effect in speech, breathing or pausing in singing, negative space in art, etc. - all critical to the intended effect.

< Great analogy! This reminds me of a "Columbo" episode >

I watched it last week, too. Something about the strange incident of the dog barking in the night? :)

My method of solution ran something like this: "d*mn, it's early in the week to have to think so much. What day is it, anyway?" One second later...

My solution was a little like Conan Doyle writing:

"This one's very puzzling, Holmes."

As others have remarked, knowing this is a puzzle with a mating solution alters one's focus and promotes inspiration. A nice way to progress in life as well.

Mate in three? Empty, occupied, shadowed squares...

[Focus]
As this is a puzzle I first look for ways to declare check and find two - <1. Ne7/h6>. <Ne7> seems to offer nothing. <Nh6> looks interesting - Black should take with <1. ... gxh6>. But that creates a gap in Black's defenses. More likely is <1. ... Kh8>. That draws my focus to the pawn on g7. Can the pawn be safely taken and more importantly, does it advance my cause?

[Inspiration]
Yes - <1. Bxg7> - and it leads to mate - but fails the puzzle as it requires 4 moves. And the solution suddenly appears - only White's knight and bishop are required for the mate (perverse thoughts come to mind...).

[Solution]
<1. Qf6 gxf6 (forced) 2. Nh6+ Kh8 3. Bxf6#>

direct oil?

it nearly there zebra!

Years ago I used to sit in a sunny verandah to play chess with friends. Whenever there was an adjournment due to a business call or an overly long game, we would make a mental note of the position and invert a small basket over the board until resumption.

One such position was left overnight. When we resumed next day, both of us noticed a rook missing, <empty space>. It had gone off my mind that I had recently acquired a rottweiler pup.

'Rotto', who had only a few days earlier eaten half my 'Chambers 20th Century' dictionary with little improvement in his English, was brought to chess presence for a dressing down.

It was too young to understand the commotion and playfully snarled back. We resumed replacing the missing R with a toffee and forgot all about 'Rotto' who nevertheless kept frolicking, sniffing around.

After a longish while it came closer again, impudently putting its dainty forepaws on the low table. I was about to hit my rocker when I saw the shape of a R in its delicate mouth. The chess heavy-weight, somewhat mutilated and lovingly nibbled, was deemed good enough to replace the 'toffee R'.

Re "toffee R" . I am aware that GM Larsen once had a disappeared bishop(on his pocket/travelling set)replaced by a german coin ;).And it worked very well too.

It was much more prosaic. Actually I got hustled into it. Years ago I was registering into BBC's sports blogging when I was caught unawares that I had to have a 'handle'.

At that instant I was reminiscing about David Seaman, the famous England goalkeeper until his copy got ruined by that long shot goal by the Brazilian, Ronaldinho in the 2002 footie WC. (An outstanding goal w/o doubt, you can google it!)