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) Jacobus Haring
1/2 Prize, Nederlandse Bond van Probleemvrienden-35 JT, 1966
Mate in 2
Show solution
1.Qc3? (2.Qe3,Qf3#) 1...Ra3!
1.Qc4? (2.d3#) 1...Rxc4!
1.Qc6? (2.Sf6#) 1...Sh5!
1.Bd6? (2.Sf6#) 1...Qf1!
1.Qe6! (5)
(2.Sf6#)
1...Rxd4 2.Rxd4#
1...Qf1 2.Bxg7#
1...Qxe6 2.d3#
1...Sh5 2.Bd6#
2) Vassyl Dyachuk & Vassyl Markovtsy
2nd Prize, Lukyanov-60 MT, 2007-2008
Mate in 2
Show solution
1.Sg6?(2.Se7#) 1...Qe2!
1.Sd7?(2.Sxf6#) 1...Qe2!
1.Sc6?(2.Se7#) 1...Se4!
1.Se4! (5)
(2.Sxf6#)
1...Qf2 2.Sc3#
1...Sxe4 2.Be6#
1...Sd7 2.Qxb7#
3) Aleksandr Mikholap
2nd Prize, Zvyazda , 1988
Mate in 2
Show solution
1.Bd2? (2.Qb1#) 1...Se5!
1.Bc8? (2.Bf5#) 1...Sd6!
1.Kxb6? (2.Sc5#) 1...Se5!
1.Qh3? (2.Qf5,Qxf3#) 1...Sh4!
1.Qh2! () (5)
1...Sf~ 2.Q(x)e5#
1...Bh~ 2.Qh7#
1...Bf~ 2.Rd4#
1...cxb3,c3 2.Bd3#
1...Sg~ 2.Q(x)f4#
1...Se3 2.Sd2#
1...b5 2.Sc5#
4) Yuri Gorbatenko
3rd Prize, SuperProblem , 2015
Mate in 3
Show solution
1.Sb4!
(2.Qd5+ Bxd5 3.Sd3# (1)
Rxd5 3.Sc6#)
1...Bb7 2.Qc6 (3.Re4#) (1)
Bxc6 3.Sxc6#
Rd4,Rd5 3.Qe8#
1...Rdd1 2.Qd3 (3.Bd6#) (0.5)
Rxd3 3.Sxd3#
Bd5 3.Qg3#
1...Rd2 2.Qd3 (3.Bd6#) (0.5)
Rxd3 3.Sxd3#
Bd5 3.Qg3#
1...Red1 2.Qxe2+ Bxe2 3.Sc6# (1)
Be4 3.Sc6,Rxe4,Qxe4#
1...Sxb4 2.Qxc3+ Rd4 3.Qxd4# (0.5)
1...Sc1 2.Qxc3+ Rd4 3.Qxd4# (0.5)
5) Allard Eerkes & Megchiel Schrader
2nd Comm., Het Belgisch Schaakbord/L’Échiquier Belge , 1983-1984
Mate in 3
Show solution
1.Re4!
(2.Re5+ dxe5 3.Qxe5#) (1)
1...Sc4 2.Sg6 (3.Sf4#) (1)
Qxg6 3.Bxa7#
1...Sc6 2.Sg2 (3.Se3,Sf4#) (1)
Bxg2 3.Bxa3#
1...Qxb8 2.Bxd6+ S3xb5,S7xb5,Bxb5 3.Qc5# (1)
1...exf6 2.Sxa6 & 3.Sb4,Qxd6# (1)
6) Ernst Pogosyants (v. Mario Garcia, 2012)
Schweizerische Schachzeitung , 1976
Win
Show solution
1.Rbf1 (1)
1...g2 (i) 2.Nh6+ (0.5)
2...Kg3 3.R1f3+ (0.5)
3...Kh4 4.R3f4+ (1)
4...Kg3 5.Rg5+ (1)
5...Rxg5 6.Rg4+ (0.5)
6...Rxg4 7.Nf5# (0.5)
(i)
1...Kh4 2.R1f4+ Rg4 3.Rf6 g2 (3...Rxf4 4.Kxf4 & 5.Rh6#) 4.Rh6+ Kg3 5. Rf3#; 1...Rg5 2.Rxg5+ Kh4 3.Rf4#
7) Andrei Jasik
HM., StrateGems , 2014
Win
Show solution
1.Rb1 (1)
1...Bd1 2.Rxd1 e2 3.Rxd2 (0.5)
3...g1=Q (i) 4.Rxe2 Qd4+ 5.Re5 (ii) (0.5)
5...Kc7 (iii) 6.Ba5+ (iv) (1)
6...Kd6 (v) 7.Kg8 (0.5)
7...Qxc4+ (vi) 8.Re6+ (vii) (0.5)
8...dxe6 9.h8=Q exf5+ (viii) 10.Kf8 (ix) (0.5)
10...Qc8+ 11.Kg7 Qb7+ 12.Kh6 (0.5)
(i)
3...e1=Q 4.Rxg2 Qxb4 5.Kg8 Qxc4+ 6.Kg7 Qd4+ 7.f6 1-0
(ii)
5.Kg8? Qg4+ =
(iii)
5...Qxe5+ 6.Kg8 Qe8+ 7.Bf8 1-0
(iv)
6.Kg8? Qxc4+ 7.Kg7 Qg4+ =
(v)
6...Kc6 7.Bd8 Qxe5+ 8.Kg8 Qe8+ 9.Kg7 Qe5+ 10.Bf6 Qxf5 11.h8=Q 1-0
(vi)
7...Qg1+ 8.Kf8 Qxh2 9.Re7 Qb2 10.Rg7 Qb8+ 11.Kf7 Qh8 12.Kg6 Qe8+ 13.Rf7 Qa8 14.Rf8 Qg2+ 15 Kf7 1-0; 7...Qg4+ 8.Kf8 Qh3 9.Re7 Qxf5+ 10.Rf7 Qh3 11.Bc3 Qxc3 12.Kg8 1-0
(vii)
8.Kf8? Qh4 9.Bb4+ Kxe5 10.Bc3+ Kxf5 11.h8=Q Qxh8+ 12.Bxh8 d5 =
(viii)
9...e5+ 10.Kg7 Qg4+ 11.Kf6 1-0
(ix)
10.Kh7? Qh4+ 11.Kg7 Qd4+ 12.Kh7 Qh4+ 13.Kg7 =
8) Venelin Alaikov
3rd Prize, Dzhon Niman MT, 1996
Helpmate in 3: 2 solutions
Show solution
1.Ke3 f6 2.Be2 Rd4 3.Se6 Sg4# (2.5)
1.Ke4 Kg5 2.Sd3 Bd4 3.Bf7 Sf6# (2.5)
9) V Koesjnerjov
2nd Prize, Probleemblad , 1974
Helpmate in 4: 3 solutions
Show solution
1.Qb6 Re7 2.Kb4 Rxe3 3.Ka5 Rxb3 4.Sb4 Ra3# @
1.Kd6 Kg6 2.Ke6 Rb4 3.Qd7 c5 4.Be4+ Rxe4# @
1.Kc6 Rd7 2.Sc7 c5 3.Kb7 c6+ 4.Kb8 Rd8# @
@ 1.5/3.5/5.0
10) Wolfgang Pauly
Deutches Wochenschach , 1913
Mate in 4
Show solution
1.Sc7!
(2.Qd5+ Kb6 3.Qa5+ Kxa5 4.Sc4#) (1)
1...Be2 2.Sd7+ Kd4 3.Qb6+ Kd3,Kc4 4.Se5# (1)
1...e3 2.Sd3+ Kd4 3.Qd6+ Kc4 4.Se5# (1)
Ke4,Bd5 4.Q(x)d5#
1...Kd4 2.Qb6+ Kxe5 3.Qc5+ Kf4,Kf6 4.Qg5# (1)
1...b5 2.Qc6+ Kd4 3.Qxc3+ Kxc3 4.Sxb5# (1)
11) Alois Johandl
2/3 HM., The Problemist , 1993
Mate in 6
Show solution
1.Sg7! (2.Be6+ Kd6 3.Se4#)
1...Kd6 2.Se4+
2...Kd5 3.Sg3 (4.Be4+ Kd6 5.S3f5#
4.Be6+ Kd6 5.S3f5,Se4#)
3...Kd6 4.Se8+
4...Kd5 5.Bh7 & 6.Bg8# (5)
12) Peter Sickinger
3rd Comm., StrateGems , 2017
Selfmate in 3
Show solution
1...Qf6 2.Qf4+ Qxf4#
1...Qxg6 2.Qxe4+ Qxe4#
1.Qc8!
(2.Bxd6+ Bxd6 3.Qc5+ @ Bxc5#)
1...Qf6 2.Sxd3+ exd3 3.f4+ @ Qxf4#
1...Qxg6 2.f4+ exf3 ep. 3.Sd3+ @ Qxd3#
@ 1.5/3.5/5.0
13) Gennady Kozyura
1/3 Place, Moscow Championship, 2003
Selfmate in 4
Show solution
1.Sf7!
(2.Qd8+ Sd7 3.Se2+ Kxe4 4.Qa8+ @ Sc6#)
1...hxg3 2.Qxc5+ Kxe4 3.Re1+ Kf4 4.Qb4+ @ Sc4#
1...exf6 2.Rd8+ Sd7 3.Rd1+ Kc3 4.Qb3+ @ Sxb3#
@ 1.5/3.5/5.0