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Solving Leetcode Interviews in Seconds with AI: Minimum Moves to Capture The Queen

Updated
5 min read

Introduction

In this blog post, we will explore how to solve the LeetCode problem "3001" using AI. LeetCode is a popular platform for preparing for coding interviews, and with the help of AI tools like Chatmagic, we can generate solutions quickly and efficiently - helping you pass the interviews and get the job offer without having to study for months.

Problem Statement

There is a 1-indexed 8 x 8 chessboard containing 3 pieces. You are given 6 integers a, b, c, d, e, and f where: (a, b) denotes the position of the white rook. (c, d) denotes the position of the white bishop. (e, f) denotes the position of the black queen. Given that you can only move the white pieces, return the minimum number of moves required to capture the black queen. Note that: Rooks can move any number of squares either vertically or horizontally, but cannot jump over other pieces. Bishops can move any number of squares diagonally, but cannot jump over other pieces. A rook or a bishop can capture the queen if it is located in a square that they can move to. The queen does not move. Example 1: Input: a = 1, b = 1, c = 8, d = 8, e = 2, f = 3 Output: 2 Explanation: We can capture the black queen in two moves by moving the white rook to (1, 3) then to (2, 3). It is impossible to capture the black queen in less than two moves since it is not being attacked by any of the pieces at the beginning. Example 2: Input: a = 5, b = 3, c = 3, d = 4, e = 5, f = 2 Output: 1 Explanation: We can capture the black queen in a single move by doing one of the following: - Move the white rook to (5, 2). - Move the white bishop to (5, 2). Constraints: 1 <= a, b, c, d, e, f <= 8 No two pieces are on the same square.

Explanation

Here's the breakdown of the solution:

  • Check for immediate captures: Determine if either the rook or the bishop can capture the queen in one move without being blocked.
  • Consider two-move captures: If no immediate capture is possible, explore all potential moves for the rook and bishop to see if a two-move capture is possible. This involves checking if the rook or bishop can move to an intermediate square, and then capture the queen from that square.
  • Return the minimum moves: If an immediate capture is possible return 1, else if a two move capture is possible return 2, otherwise return -1 indicating that the queen cannot be captured.

  • Runtime Complexity: O(1), Storage Complexity: O(1)

def solve():
    a, b, c, d, e, f = map(int, input().split())

    def can_rook_capture(r1, c1, r2, c2, br, bc, bb, bd):
        """Checks if rook at (r1, c1) can capture queen at (r2, c2) with bishop at (br, bc) and bishop's dest at (bb, bd) as an obstacle."""
        if r1 == r2:
            blocked = False
            for col in range(min(c1, c2) + 1, max(c1, c2)):
                if br == r1 and bc == col:
                    blocked = True
                    break
            if not blocked:
                return True
        if c1 == c2:
            blocked = False
            for row in range(min(r1, r2) + 1, max(r1, r2)):
                if br == row and bc == c1:
                    blocked = True
                    break
            if not blocked:
                return True
        return False

    def can_bishop_capture(r1, c1, r2, c2, rr, rc):
        """Checks if bishop at (r1, c1) can capture queen at (r2, c2) with rook at (rr, rc) as an obstacle."""
        if abs(r1 - r2) == abs(c1 - c2):
            blocked = False
            row_dir = 1 if r2 > r1 else -1
            col_dir = 1 if c2 > c1 else -1
            row, col = r1 + row_dir, c1 + col_dir
            while row != r2:
                if rr == row and rc == col:
                    blocked = True
                    break
                row += row_dir
                col += col_dir
            if not blocked:
                return True
        return False

    # Check for immediate captures
    if can_rook_capture(a, b, e, f, c, d, c, d):
        return 1
    if can_bishop_capture(c, d, e, f, a, b):
        return 1

    # Check for two-move captures with the rook
    for i in range(1, 9):
        if i != b:
            if can_rook_capture(a, i, e, f, c, d, c, d) and can_rook_capture(a, b, a, i, c, d, c, d):
                return 2
        if i != a:
            if can_rook_capture(i, b, e, f, c, d, c, d) and can_rook_capture(a, b, i, b, c, d, c, d):
                return 2

    # Check for two-move captures with the bishop
    for i in range(1, 9):
        for j in range(1, 9):
            if abs(c-i) == abs(d-j):
                if can_bishop_capture(i,j, e,f, a,b) and can_bishop_capture(c, d, i, j, a,b):
                    return 2


    return -1


    # Code
    ```python
    def solve():    a, b, c, d, e, f = map(int, input().split())

    def can_rook_capture(r1, c1, r2, c2, br, bc):
        """Checks if rook at (r1, c1) can capture queen at (r2, c2) with bishop at (br, bc) as an obstacle."""
        if r1 == r2:
            blocked = False
            for col in range(min(c1, c2) + 1, max(c1, c2)):
                if br == r1 and bc == col:
                    blocked = True
                    break
            if not blocked:
                return True
        if c1 == c2:
            blocked = False
            for row in range(min(r1, r2) + 1, max(r1, r2)):
                if br == row and bc == c1:
                    blocked = True
                    break
            if not blocked:
                return True
        return False

    def can_bishop_capture(r1, c1, r2, c2, rr, rc):
        """Checks if bishop at (r1, c1) can capture queen at (r2, c2) with rook at (rr, rc) as an obstacle."""
        if abs(r1 - r2) == abs(c1 - c2):
            blocked = False
            row_dir = 1 if r2 > r1 else -1
            col_dir = 1 if c2 > c1 else -1
            row, col = r1 + row_dir, c1 + col_dir
            while row != r2:
                if rr == row and rc == col:
                    blocked = True
                    break
                row += row_dir
                col += col_dir
            if not blocked:
                return True
        return False

    # Check for immediate captures
    if can_rook_capture(a, b, e, f, c, d):
        return 1
    if can_bishop_capture(c, d, e, f, a, b):
        return 1

    # Check for two-move captures with the rook
    for i in range(1, 9):
        if i != b:
            if can_rook_capture(a, i, e, f, c, d) and can_rook_capture(a, b, a, i, c, d):
                return 2
        if i != a:
            if can_rook_capture(i, b, e, f, c, d) and can_rook_capture(a, b, i, b, c, d):
                return 2

    # Check for two-move captures with the bishop
    for i in range(1, 9):
        for j in range(1, 9):
            if abs(c-i) == abs(d-j):
                if can_bishop_capture(i,j, e,f, a,b) and can_bishop_capture(c, d, i, j, a,b):
                    return 2


    return -1

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