Park History:
Queen's Park was originally opened to the public in 1893, six years after the original idea to build a park commemorating Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee in 1887. Money was donated or fundraised locally to buy Maynard's Meadows and extra land was bought to expand the site, gradually adding the cricket field and later on the pavilion. By the end of the 19th century there was also the boating lake, bandstand and a cycle track. Over the 20th century the park saw other updates such as the curved paths, a new bandstand, a conservatory (greenhouse), a refreshments pavilion and the sports centre. The sports centre was relocated to the south of Boythorpe Avenue and opened in 2016 and the old building overlooking the west of the park has been demolished since then after this cache was launched (some clues and directions still refer to the location of the old sports centre). More recently there has been a major overhaul of the whole park with the lake restored to its former glory, new play areas and expanded eating areas opened, trees re-planted and shrubs tidied up. This was in part helped by lottery funding to maintain what is now a grade two listed park. Parking is available on certain roads around the park, e.g. on Park Road. Access to the park is via various entrances on Park Road, Boythorpe Road, Boythorpe Avenue or via the footbridge over the bypass.
The Game:
This is a challenge cache with a slight difference. There are 2 sets of puzzles to solve, one for the Black Queen and one for the White Queen. You can choose to solve either set of 8 chess piece puzzles, but as an added bit of fun for families or groups of cachers then why not challenge each other to defeat the King. Both sets of puzzle clues will take you around the park looking for different items (some the same but with different questions) and each one is set to be the same difficulty and covering the same shortest route of just over 1km. The starting point is the posted coordinates in the middle of the park at N 53° 13.960 W 1° 26.024, inside a yellow chequered box painted on a speed bump which is on the path between the cricket field and the main field. Starting from here you can then head off looking for your clues, although I would suggest not running around and drawing attention to yourself and your caching in the midst of a potentially busy park. As well as showing courtesy to other park users please avoid walking on the cricket oval on the east side of the park (use the path around the very outside of the fence for the cricket scorebox question for example) and there is no need to climb over fences or walk in flowered areas to access any answers. I have also kept all the puzzle waypoints away from children's play areas. Please be aware that during Summer there may be cricket games on at the weekends with extra people around the cricket ground and pavilion, and in the case of large events such as the week-long county cricket festival certain parts of the park may unfortunately be fenced off to the general public which could include waypoints or even the cache itself. See this link for upcoming games to see which cricket events are on and see which ones are located at Queens Park and the times of the matches.
Parents caching with younger children are advised to stay with them around the park and remember that there may be work vehicles driving around the park and certain other hazards such as the miniature railway train tracks to cross. None of the puzzles require you to go out of the park or down to the waters edge and you do not need to have any knowledge of how to play chess to play this game. You will need a pen and answer sheet to record your puzzle answers on unless you have a mobile device with you to take notes.
Each of the puzzles will be loosely based on a chess piece and the answers will either be a number or multiple choice which will give you a numeric value. Once you have solved the puzzles and taken out the 8 Pawns, Crushed the 2 Castles/Rooks, out-smarted the 2 Bishops and then taken on the 2 Knights Challenges, there will be the final visit to the Queen who will knight you if you answer her correctly and award you with the final piece of the puzzle..... the last bit of information needed to find where the King is hiding and win the battle. You can take on most of the puzzles in any order but it is recommended to leave the Queen in place until last as you will need certain answers from other puzzles to answer the Queen's question. From here you can work out the final coordinates which will lead you to a small cache hidden somewhere within the confines of the park. If you are playing the game on your own ensure you stick to one colour of puzzles, i.e. do not use a Black Knight's question if you are playing on the White Queen's side because the puzzle solution formula for each side is different, as are the individual answers for each black or white chess piece.
Most of the puzzle areas are marked on the map I have created, which can be printed off from within the photos list or click here for the link. This link should be viewable on smart phones as it is only within the photo gallery, but can be printed off from a computer printer first- save the image and print it, or right-click the photo and choose the print option; you may want to enlarge it 135% to get a larger A4 map. There is also a question and answer sheet for each side that can be printed off to help guide you and allow you to record your answers. (please note these answer sheets are screenshot photos of a word document so not quite as sharp to read as an actual word document. It is recommended you either save them to computer first then print as 'landscape' mode and select an option to 'Fit Picture To Frame' to enlarge it, or alternatively right-click the image and select print but select 'landscape' mode and enlarge by 140%). Once again these are contained within the image gallery, or alternatively click on either of the links below for the image: (please note the question for Black Pawns has changed because of damage to the drainpipe which was asked about in the question)
Black Queen answer sheet or the
White Queen answer sheet
Remember to write the answer for the correct letter as the order they are listed in below will probably not be the order you solve the puzzles in. The coordinates are given for most puzzle areas, but if there is only one gps device between two of you playing against each other then you can use the map and descriptions as a guideline to where you need to be heading. Some puzzle areas are not marked though so you'll have to figure it out from the descriptions. If you are playing head-to-head and only have one gps device you may choose to decide the winner in this case is the first person or team to solve the final coordinates. To defeat the King and find the cache you will need a gps though to enter the coordinates in to. Please include any stories of your quest in your cache logs, especially for those playing against each other- feel free to note your triumph if you have challenged someone and beat them to the King!
Well done to Grand Chess Master Toshack61 for being first to play and find the cache.
Black Queen's team challenge:
The order is up to you which pieces/puzzles you play when, but a suggested shortest route will be: Pawns, Bishop 2, Bishop 1, Rook/Castle 1, Knight 1, Rook/Castle 2, Knight 2, Queen.
8 Black Pawns
N 53° 14.013 W 1° 26.077
This is the old bandstand/gazebo by the boating lake. You will need to cross the train track to walk up the path to this puzzle. Here you can see the 8 Pawns holding up the roof, surrounded by painted fences most of the way around.
Question: How many gaps are there in the fence panels to get into the covered area? (please note this question has changed from the original one printed on the question sheet because the drainpipe asked about has been damaged/missing. The answer is still the same)
[Answer = A]
Black Castle/Rook 1
N 53° 14.029 W 1° 26.014
On the north east side of the boating lake is a viewpoint overlooking the water and the birds. You may not find a rook here but there are a lot of wildfowl birds shown on the sign, opposite the bottom of a spiral path leading to nowhere.
Question: Which bird is featured in the middle of the sign?
- Canada Goose [Answer B = 2]
- Mallard [Answer B = 4]
- Coot [Answer B = 7]
- Tufted Duck [Answer B = 9]
Black Castle/Rook 2
N 53° 13.920 W 1° 25.969
Moving towards the cricket pavilion you can see a balcony around the upstairs front of the building like the battlements of a castle. On the metal railings around this balcony are a series of repeated circles above a diagonal cross.
Question: How many circles are there in total? (including all 7 sides to the railing panels)
- 21 [Answer C = 1]
- 24 [Answer C = 3]
- 28 [Answer C = 6]
- 33 [Answer C = 8]
(Remember not to cut across the cricket field grass to get to this- if there is a cricket match on you should hopefully still be able to get close enough to answer the question.)
Black Bishop 1
N 53° 13.999 W 1° 25.991
Starting from the bottom of the footbridge by the café and looking towards the cricket field, there is a triangular bit of garden in front of you giving the bishop the option to move diagonally left or right. Just beyond this triangle on the other side of the railings is a tree with a plaque on the ground (this should be visible from the path without having to go around the fence).
Question: According to the plaque what tree is this, planted by Councillor R. Jepson, Mayor from 1983-84.
- Golden Ash [Answer D = 9]
- Oak [Answer D = 7]
- Sycamore [Answer D = 5]
- Silver Birch [Answer D = 3]
Black Bishop 2
N 53° 13.996 W 1° 26.053
On the north side of the main grass circle, near the central path, there is a crossing over the rail track to the boating lake by a red lifebuoy. At this point you may meet the bishop moving diagonally down the path coming from the waterside bandstand.
Question: There is a warning sign nearby telling you about the Crossing with No Gates, but which way is the train travelling on the sign?
- Right-to-left [Answer E = 3]
- Left-to-right [Answer E = 8]
Black Knight's Challenge 1
At the north west side of the park the path heads between the old sports centre and the boating lake. Your first Knight's Challenge is to find a hidden path around here taking you to a waterside viewing position where you may encounter a number of ducks close-up. Warning: you will need to cross over a rail track. By the waters edge you are kept safe from the water by 6 metal fence panels next to a red lifebuoy.
Your challenge: The fence panels by the boating lake make up a pattern of metal arches (excluding the half arches on either end of the overall fence but including the arches at the joints made up from 2 touching fence panels). How many full arches are there in total?
- 50 [Answer F = 2]
- 60 [Answer F = 4]
- 42 [Answer F = 6]
- 64 [Answer F = 8]
Black Knight's Challenge 2
On the south side of the park there is a statue of a cheeky girl called Lalla, surrounded by glass walls and hiding a stolen rose behind her back.
Question: Which hand is she holding the rose in behind her back?
- Left hand [Answer G = 3]
- Right hand [Answer G = 8]
Black Queen
N 53° 13.916 W 1° 26.049
If you have the rest of the answers you now need to be standing at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee monument on the south side of the park. On the monument are a number of years and events listed from those years. To find the right year here you need the answers for puzzle B and puzzle D. The year you are looking for is 19DB.
Question: What event is mentioned as happening in this year?
- Queen Visits Cape Town [Answer H = 1]
- First Space Walk By A Briton [Answer H = 3]
- Queen Opens New MI6 Headquarters [Answer H = 5]
- Channel Tunnel Opens [Answer H = 7]
Now that you have answered all the questions and received the Black Queen's knighthood, you should be able to solve the puzzle for the final coordinates to go and hunt for the King to declare "Checkmate" and log the cache. Remember, the Queen can move in any direction so which way is it and how far?
The final cache is located at:
N 53° 13.TUV W 1° 26.XYZ
To solve the numbers for T,U,V and X,Y,Z they are as follows:
T = A + G
U = C + F - H
V = D - C - F
X = B - E - A
Y = E + F
Z = C + D - H
Or alternatively you could say the cache is located at:
N 53° 13.(A+G)(C+F-H)(D-C-F) W 1° 26.(B-E-A)(E+F)(C+D-H)
The cache container is a small black magnetic nano tube with a tightly wound up log sheet inside, approximately 30cm from the ground. There is no pencil inside and no room for any trackables. Please ensure the lid is back on secure and the cache replaced in the same location ready for the next chessmaster.
White Queen's team challenge:
The order is up to you which pieces/puzzles you play when, but a suggested shortest route will be: Pawns, Rook/Castle 2, Knight 1, Rook/Castle 1, Knight 2, Bishop 2, Bishop 1, Queen.
8 White Pawns
N 53° 13.939 W 1° 26.106
The bandstand towards the south west of the large grassy area is being held up by the 8 white pawns (disguised in red paint!). On each of the 'pawns' there is a painted green crown and above these are the painted stalks and leaves of a plant. Around the bandstand is a small fence which also looks like it is being held up by chess pawns.
Question: What is on the opposite side of the bandstand to where the steps are?
- Giant chess piece [Answer J = 1]
- Large stone sundial [Answer J = 3]
- Statue of the Queen [Answer J = 6]
- Green electrics box [Answer J = 7]
White Castle/Rook 1
N 53° 13.983 W 1° 26.057
At the north side of the main grassy circle there is a circular mini 'castle' of seats guarding some ornamental grey stones.
Question: excluding the one large stone in the outer ring of this castle how many large stones are there inside the circle?
[Answer = K]
White Castle/Rook 2
N 53° 13.958 W 1° 26.147 (approximate coordinates for this area)
As rooks move in a straight line, finding this clue will involve you looking down a line of trees to find the right one, but how many spaces will you need to move? The trees run north-to-south on the west side of the grassy field by the old sports centre. Five of these smaller trees have commemorative plaques in front of them. One of these is a Tilia X Europaea which was planted in 200_ to replace a tree originally planted to commemorate the opening of the Sports Centre in 1987.
Question: What is the missing last digit from this year 200_?
[Answer = L]
White Bishop 1
N 53° 13.920 W 1° 25.969
Following the path around to the cricket pavilion, you will see a number of diagonal lines on the building (which are a bishops favourite kind of lines!) Under one of the pointed diagonal roofs there is a clock. Question: If the time was approximately 4:20pm what would the 2 diagonal hands both be pointing towards?
- Weather vane [Answer M = 8]
- Outdoor wall light [Answer M = 5]
- Six white pillars [Answer M = 2]
- Flag pole bracket [Answer M = 1]
White Bishop 2
N 53° 13.955 W 1° 25.894
Our second diagonal move for the white bishop refers to the diagonal steps up to the cricket score box. This is the one on the east side of the cricket field, not the score box next to the pavilion. You will need to go around the outer path to get to see the back of it as the cricket field is out of bounds and there is also a fence around it.
Question: How many metal steps are there in total (including the top square platform which counts as a step)?
[Answer = N]
White Knight's Challenge 1
At the north west corner of the park near the old sports centre location there is a large triangular flower bed and grassy area between the paths which is fenced off with short painted metal fence panels. Your first Knight's Challenge will require you to do some basic maths.
Question: How many fence panels are there in total around this triangle?
- 85 [Answer P = 7]
- 74 [Answer P = 8]
- 67 [Answer P = 9]
- 51 [Answer P = 0]
White Knight's Challenge 2
Near to the café at the north of the park, just down from the footbridge coming over the road, there is an engraved commemorative stone next to the path.
Question: If our Knight was standing here on the 13th September 2005 which member of the royal family would they be protecting?
- HM The Queen [Answer Q = 1]
- HRH The Earl of Wessex [Answer Q = 2]
- HRH The Prince of Wales [Answer Q = 6]
- HRH The Duke of York [Answer Q = 7]
White Queen
N 53° 13.916 W 1° 26.049
If you have the rest of the answers you now need to be standing at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee monument on the south side of the park. On the monument are a number of years and events listed from those years. To find the right year here you need the answers for puzzle J and puzzle P. The year you are looking for is 19PJ.
Question: What event is mentioned as happening in this year?
- Chesterfield FC in FA Cup Semi-Final [Answer R = 6]
- UK Hands Back Hong Kong To China [Answer R = 9]
- Millenniun Dome Construction Begins [Answer R = 5]
- Great Boxing Day Storms Hit The UK [Answer R = 8]
Now that you have answered all the questions and received the White Queen's knighthood, you should be able to solve the puzzle for the final coordinates to go and hunt for the King to declare "Checkmate" and log the cache. Remember, the Queen can move in any direction so which way is it and how far?
The final cache is located at:
N 53° 13.TUV W 1° 26.XYZ
To solve the numbers for T,U,V and X,Y,Z they are as follows:
T = K + R
U = N - P - Q
V = J - L - Q
X = L - K - M
Y = N - J
Z = P + Q - K
Or alternatively you could say the cache is located at: N 53° 13.(K+R)(N-P-Q)(J-L-Q) W 1° 26.(L-K-M)(N-J)(P+Q-K)
The cache container is a small black magnetic nano tube with a tightly wound up log sheet inside, approximately 30cm from the ground. There is no pencil inside and no room for any trackables. Please ensure the lid is back on secure and the cache replaced in the same location ready for the next chessmaster.
Number of visitors to this page:
Accurate Visits