(ii) White still has all sixteen original White units, and each White unit has exactly one legal move (thus, White has sixteen legal moves overall). Target: 17 units.

One possible 17-unit solution to Puzzle (ii) appears in the diagram below.

This particular layout is pleasingly symmetric (and easy to remember if you challenge a chess friend!) – simply place the eight White pawns on the third rank, the White queen and king in their respective corners, and the other pieces on their starting files, with the bishops and rooks nudged forward.

(Those who enjoy variants such as Freestyle Chess might wish to try out the initial position in which White and Black both have the 16-unit pattern indicated for White below (with the kings on h1/h8, and of course no castling) – a nicely balanced starting position in which everything can already move!)

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Sample solution, 17 units (T. Paulden, 2026)