Note: In these solutions, those moves that
were required are given in bold type. All else is given for the
sake of completeness and for the interest of solvers. The symbol
'S' is used for knight and threats are given in parentheses.
1.1 Marcel Segers
Problemas , 1999
Mate in 2
Show solution
1.Ra6?,Rb6? (2.Sg6#) 1...B(x)b6!
1.Rc6? (2.Sg6#) 1...d3!
1.Rgf6? (2.Sg6#) 1...Bf5!
1.Rf2? (2.Sf7#) 1...d3!
1.Rf3? (2.Sf7#) 1...Qd5!
1.Rff6? (2.Sf7#) 1...Be6!
1.Rf1! (2.Sf7#) (5)
1...Rxf1 2.Qe4#
1...Bf3 2.Qg5#
1...Be6 2.Rxe6#
1...Qd5 2.Qxd5#
1...d3 2.Qb2#
1...Sf2 2.Qg3#
1.2 Charles E Kemp
Western Daily Mercury , 1919
Mate in 2
Show solution
1...Sg~ 2.Q(x)e3#
1...Sd~ 2.Qxf5#
1...Se4 2.fxe4#
1.Bf6! () (5)
1...Sg~ 2.R(x)h4#
1...Se3 2.Qxd6#
1...Sd~ 2.Qd4#
1...Se4 2.fxe4#
1...c5 2.Sd5#
1...h6 2.Sg6#
1.3 Udo Degener
2nd Prize, Thema Danicum , 1993
Mate in 2
Show solution
1.Be3? (2.Qxe6#) 1...Sf5!
1.Re3? (2.Qxe6#) 1...Sg4!
1.Be4? (2.Qxe6#) 1...Sf2!
1.Re4? (2.Qxe6#) 1...Qe3!
1.Bc2! (2.Bxb3#) (5)
1...Bb5+ 2.Qxb5#
1...bxc2 2.b3#
1...Rd3 2.Bxd3#
1...Qc3 2.Qxe6#
1...Qe3 2.Qxb4#
2.1 Josef Svejda (v. BDS)
Ceske listy sachove , 1896
Mate in 3
Show solution
1.e4! (1)
(2.Sxd7+ Rxd7 3.e5#) (1)
1...Rxe4 2.Qg6+ Kxe5 3.Qg5# (1)
1...Sc4 2.Qh4+ Kxe5 3.d4# (1)
1...d6 2.Be3 (3.Qg5#) (1)
Ke7 3.Bg5#
dxe5 3.Bg5#
2.2 N Gambin
El Ajedrez Espanol , 1962-1964
Mate in 3
Show solution
1.Rg8! (½)
(2.Rxf7+ Rxf7 3.Rg6#) (½)
1...Bd4 2.e4 & 3.Sg4# (1)
1...Bc3 2.Be4 & 3.Sg4# (1)
1...Bb2 2.Sxd6 & 3.Sg4# (1)
1...Ba1 2.Qc2 & 3.Sg4# (1)
3.1 A Zinchuk
7th Place, USSR Championship, 1983
White to play and win
Show solution
1.Qd2+ (½)
1...Ke8 (i) 2.Qxb2 (½)
2...Kf8! (ii) 3.Nf4!! (1)
3...Rxf4 (iii) 4.Qh2 (½)
4...Rxf5 (iv) 5.Qh6+ (½)
5...Kf7 (v) 6.e6+! (1)
6...Rxe6 (vi) 7.Qh7+ (½)
7...Kf6 (vii) 8.Qg7# (½)
(i)
1...Rd7 2.Qa5+ Ke7 3.Qc5+ Ke8 4.Qc8+ Ke7 5.f6+ Rxf6 6.exf6+ Bxf6+
7.Kh7 1-0; 1...Kc8 2.Qxb2 Rf2 3.e6 Rh2+ 4.Kg8 Rg2+ 5.Kf8 Rc7 6.e7 1-
0; 1...Kc7 2.Qd6+ Kc8 3.Qxe7 1-0
(ii)
2...Rd7 3.e6 Rd6 4.Qf6 1-0; 2...Rh3+ 3.Kg8 Rh4 4.Nf4 Rg4+ 5.Ng6 Rg5
6.e6 Rxe6 7.Qb8+ Kd7 8.Qb7+ Kd6 9.Qb6+ Kd5 10.Qxe6+ 1-0; 2...Kd8
3.Qb8+ Kd7 4.e6+ Kc6 5.Nd4+ 1-0; 2...Kd7 3.Qb7+ 1-0; 2...Rxf5
3.Qb8+ Kd7 4.Qd6+ Ke8 5.Qg6+ 1-0
(iii)
3...Rf1 4.Ng6+ Ke8 5.e6 Rh1+ 6.Kg8 Rd1 7.Qb5+ Rdd7 8.f6 Rh7 9.f7+
Rhxf7 10.exf7+ Kd8 11.Qb8#
(iv)
4...Rf1 5.e6 Rxf5 6.Qh6+ Ke8 7.Qg6+ Kd8 8.Qxf5 1-0
(v)
5...Ke8 6.Qg6+ Ref7 7.Kg8 Ke7 8.Qd6+ Ke8 9.Qe6+ Kd8 10.Qxf7 Rxf7
11.Kxf7 1-0
(vi)
6...Ke8 7.Qg6+ Kd8 8.Qxf5 1-0
(vii)
7...Kf8 8.Qxf5+ 1-0; 7...Ke8 8.Qxf5 1-0
3.2 Jens Kristiansen
Problem-skak , 2008
White to play and win
Show solution
1.Bc8+ (½)
1...Kc6 2.Rh6+ (i) (1)
2...Qd6+ 3.Rxd6+ (½)
3...Kxd6 4.c5+ (½)
4...Kc6 5.Bb7+ (1)
5...Kxb7 6.Na5+ (½)
6...Ka7 7.Kc7 (½)
7...Nd7,Nc6 8.N(x)c6# (½)
(i)
2.Rc7+? Kd6 3.c5+ Qxc5 4.Nxc5 Nc6+ 5.Rxc6+ Kxc6 6.Nxa6 Ra7 =
4.1 Anders Uddgren (v. BDS)
2nd HM., Springaren , 1988
Helpmate in 2 2 solutions
Show solution
1.Rc7 Sxf6 2.Sb7 Se5# (2½)
1.Bc7 Sg5 2.Sb8 Se7# (2½)
4.2 Mirko Degenkolbe & Franz Pachl
1st HM., StrateGems , 2004
Helpmate in 4 2 solutions
Show solution
1.Qb2 exf6 2.Kxc3 f7 3.Bg5 f8=Q 4.Bd2 Qc5# (2½)
1.Qd6 Sxe2+ 2.Kxe5 Sf4 3.Bc4 c3 4.Bd5 Sg6# (2½)
5.1 Aleksandr Galitzky
Shakhmatnoe obozrenie , 1902
Mate in 4
Show solution
1.Se4! (1)
(2.Bd7+ Kxf3 3.Bh3 & 4.Sd2# (1)
1...Kxf3 2.Sd2+ Kg4 3.Bd7+ Kxg5 4.Se4# (1½)
1...Kf5 2.Bd7+ Ke5 3.c4 & 4.Bc3# (1½)
5.2 Brian Stephenson (after Leonid Kubbel)
The Problemist , 2013
Mate in 4
Show solution
1.Sd5! (1)
(2.Sxc3 & 3.Ra3 & 4.Ra4#) (1½)
1...cxb2 2.Sf4 (3.Sd3 & 4.Sxb2,Se5#) (½)
fxe4 3.Re5 & 4.Rxe4# (½)
Bb8 3.Sd3 (4.Sxb2#)
Be5 4.Sxe5#
1...f4 2.Rb4+ cxb4 3.Sxb6+ Bxb6 4.b3# (1½)
6.1 Milos Tomasevic
3rd HM., feenschach , 1984
Selfmate in 2
Show solution
1.Sd6! (1)
(2.Be2+ Qxe2#) (½)
1...f1=S 2.Qd2+ Sxd2# (1)
1...f1=B 2.Qe2+ Bxe2# (1)
1...Rb3 2.Rc3+ Rxc3# (½)
1...Sb3 2.Rd2+ Sxd2# (½)
1...Rg4 2.Be4+ Rxe4# (½)
6.2 Camillo Gamnitzer
Schach , 2012
Selfmate in 6
Show solution
1.e3! (1)
(2.Be5+ Kxe5 3.Qh2+ Kxe4 4.Qf4+ Kd5 5.Qc4+ Ke5 6.Qe6+ Bxe6# (½)
Kd6 6.Qe6+ Bxe6#) (½)
1...Qh1,Qg1,Qe1 2.Sa3 (3.Sc4+ Kxc6 4.Sa5+ Kd6 5.Sb7+ Bxb7#)
Rb8 3.Sb5+ Rxb5 4.Qxf6+ Be6 5.Be5+ Rxe5 6.Qd8+ Bd7# (1+1+1)