` thanks anon. that was one scenario i was thinking where it will take 5 steps - it is still not 4 steps and sometimes it MAY matter because people bet on the no. of steps, i.e. something like "i can beat you in x many steps..." hehe. for your scenario 3(a) as well when the rook advances from f6 to f8, the king can move to g7 because the queen is in e6. again, black's defeat is inevitable but it takes more than 4 steps. # btw here, what is the shortest route for black to win if black were to move first?