If the initial position has only short-range pieces, then at each stage each player has only finitely many possible moves, and so the game tree is finitely branching. Thus, for any given initial configuration, one may compute the entire (finite) game tree to depth $n$, which lists the complete spaceThe decidability of all legal moves for the next $n$ steps. By evaluating whether the resulting level-n positions have achieved checkmate or not, one can determine via back-propagation whether the initial position can force a checkmate in $n$ moves or not. Thus, we may compute the answer to the mate-in-n problem for such a position and furthermore compute the moves of a winning strategy.
The subtle difficultyspecial case of the mate-inwon-nposition problem arises, restricted to positions having only when there are longshort-range pieces, since in this case, the tree becomes infinitely branching, and so one cannot search the treeremains open to depth $n$ in finite timemy knowledge. Nevertheless, as we explain in the article, the mate-in-n problem is still decidable by other means than searching through the tree.
A similar issue arises with the stalemate-in-$n$ problem and the stalemate-or-win-in-$n$, as we explain in our paperyou suspected, since one can check the level $n$ positions of the tree (or earlier terminal nodes) to see if stalemate or checkmate has occurred, and use back-propagation to see if white can force this situation.
But when it comes to the draw-in-$n$ problem, a complication arises: what does it mean to force a draw in $n$ moves? If one can force a draw, in the sense that there is a finite spacemethods of positions, such that in $n$ moves white can force into that space, and white can force the position to stay in that space once in that space. Then, the drawmate-in-$n$ problemanalysis to suchprovide a space (or to space of size $k$) is decidable.
Update. But I see inmuch lower upper bound on the comments belowcomplexity. Whereas we had conjectured that you are interested not in the mate-ingeneral won-$n$position problem for short-range positionsmight not be arithmetic, but in the won-position problem for such positions. In this case of your restricted positions, the problem is totally open to my knowledge.
But let me point out that the issue of infinite game values can not arise with short-range piece positionsat worst computably enumerable.
Theorem. A position with only short-range pieces is a won position for white if and only if it is mate-in-n for white for some $n$. Thus, the won-position problem for short-range-piece positions is computably enumerable.
Proof: sinceSince the game position is finitely branching, the recursive game values on positions with black-to-move will always be taking the supremum of a finite set, and so inductively we can see that all game values will be finite. This is a general fact: in any open game, where black has only finitely many moves at any stage, then all the game values are finite. ThusIn particular, if the initial position has a value, itwhich is to say, if white can force a win, then the value must be finite. Thus, and so if white can force a win at all, then white will be able to force a win in finitely many$n$ moves for some specific $n$. This makesQED
In particular, the phenomenon of transfinite game values in infinite chess does not arise with positions having only short-range pieces.
Corollary. The won-position problem for suchshort-range-piece positions c.eis computably enumerable.
Proof: Given any finite position having only short-range pieces, since onewe can search for an $n$ such that it is mate-in-$n$, and those questions are decidable. By the theorem, this is equivalent to the original position begin winning for white. QED