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No, the boss has nothing to do with it. Pushkin doesn't either, and the whole thing didn't even happen in Russia.

According to a certain anecdote, in the 19th century, a station attendant, who was also a passionate chess player, surprisingly realized that it was easier to win without a queen than with one. What happened a few days before that?

Maybe he was traveling on a train with Alekhine. I once read that Alekhine once played a prank and, while playing chess with some stranger on a train, would first "sacrifice" his queen and then checkmate him.

So, was the trip by train with Alekhine the answer? No, that's incorrect.
Alekhine was born in 1892.

Or maybe he was playing with Lasker on a train, and Lasker, just for fun, "proved" to him that it's better to play without a queen. I just didn't remember exactly that it was Alekhine, and now I read about it online – it was about Lasker. They played in pairs, without a queen, and when the opponent played without a queen, Lasker let him win, but when Lasker played without a queen, he won.

Apparently, this should be considered a valid story, as there are likely several versions of it – and perhaps even all of them are true. In short, let's go through it in order. The station attendant has nothing to do with trains; those who remember Pushkin will recall that we are talking about a station where horses are changed, and yes, they existed in Europe as well. Once, after a major international chess tournament, Andersen was returning home – not as a world champion, because that concept didn't exist yet, but if it had, he would have been one of the main contenders. He had to wait for the horses for some time, so the station attendant suggested a game. Andersen decided, in modern terms, to troll and said that he didn't know how to play. The rest is clear: after receiving a handicap in the form of a queen, he deliberately played poorly and lost. Then he suggested switching roles and played at full strength, easily defeating the amateur. Until the amateur had a breakdown. I would consider the chess tournament version to be valid, but since there is a similar story about Lasker, perhaps Hermit answered correctly; I will just ask for confirmation. For example, about Andersen, see: Panov, The First Book of Chess, 1964.

I read it here. Note: "Without a queen. Lasker:" http://forum.gambiter.ru/index.php?topic=35.0
Can you make a wish?

Yes, it’s possible. I’m not even claiming that one story was copied from another; both could be fictional.

A riddle.

An ant runs along the edges of a regular tetrahedron, and a spider runs all over its surface. The ant's speed is v. What should be the minimum speed of the spider so that it can catch and eat the ant? The answer must be explained.

and a spider all over it

Hmm... Maybe "all over its surface"?

No, it's specifically about the volume.

Hmm... Maybe "across its entire surface"?

This is a mole spider; it can do that in terms of volume.

Assumption number one: Regardless of the initial positions of the ant and the spider, it is sufficient to calculate the scenarios in which the spider is at the center of the tetrahedron.

We need a mathematical expression for the spider's speed module, at which it can catch an ant.

Could you give me a hint?

I’m just not in the mood right now, to be honest. Maybe later.