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 Viktor Chepizhni
3rd HM., Shakhmatnaya kompozitsiya , 1997
Mate in 2
Show solution
1.c6? (2.Sf5#)
1...Bc5 2.Sb5#
1...Se3 2.Bc3#
1...Se7,Bxg7 2.Qb6#
1...Qxg7,Qd5 2.Q(x)d5#
1...Qe6 2.Sxe6#
1...Qf7!
1.e6! (5)
(2.Sb5#)
1...Se5 2.Sf5#
1...Sc3 2.Qxc3#
1...Bc6 2.Sxc6#
1...Bd5 2.Rxd5#
1.2 Efren Petite & Christopher Reeves
The Problemist , 2008 (v)
Mate in 2
Show solution
1.Rce6? (2.Qd6,Sxd5#) 1...Rxe6!
1.Ree6? (2.Qd6,Sxd5#) 1...Bxe6!
1.Be6? (2.Qd6,Sxd5#) 1...g4!
1.Qe7? (2.Qe5,Qe3#) 1...Re8!
1.Bg4! (5)
(2.Qf5#)
1...Qxg4 2.Qxg4#
1...Rf6 2.Rxf6#
1...Be6 2.Qd6#
1...Re6 2.Sxd5#
1.3 William H Reilly
Manchester City News , 1918
Mate in 2
Show solution
1.Qe8! (5)
(2.Sxf6#)
1...Kxd5 2.Sd2#
1...Rxc5+ 2.Sxc5#
1...S6~ 2.Rd4#
1...Sxd5 2.Qg6#
1...e6 2.Qxe6#
1...e5 2.Qxe5#
2.1 E Williams (version by PSV)
Sunday Chronicle , 1945
Mate in 3
Show solution
1.Be5! () (1)
1...Ba2 2.Sxf6 & 3.Re8# (½)
1...Bb5,Bxa6 2.Bb3+ Bc4 3.Bxc4# (½,½)
1...h5 2.Bxf6 & 3.Sxg5,Sd4# (½)
1...fxe5 2.Kxh6 & 3.Sxg5# (½)
1...c6 2.Re8+ Kd7 3.Sxf6# (½)
1...c5 2.Bxb8 (3.Rd6#) (½)
Sc7 3.Rxb6#
1...Ba7 2.Bg3 (3.Sd4#) (½)
c5 3.Rd6#
2.2 B N Lewis
Sunday Chronicle , 1944
Mate in 3
Show solution
1.Bg2! (1)
(2.Sg5+ Kc4,Kxd6 3.Qd5# (1)
Kd4 3.Qc3#
e4,Qe4 3.Qd3#)
1...Qf5 2.Qd3+ Ke6 3.Qc4# (½)
1...Qxe4 2.Qxe4+ Kxd6 3.Qd5# (½)
Ke6 3.Qxe5#
1...Bxf6 2.Qd3+ Ke6 3.Sc5# (½)
1...Kd4 2.Qd1+ Ke3 3.Qd2# (½)
Kc4 3.Bf1#
1...Kc4 2.Sd2+ Kxb5 3.Qb7# (½)
Kd4 3.Qc3#
1...Ke6 2.Sc5+ Kxd6 3.Qd5# (½)
3.1 Yuri Bazlov
5th Prize, Olympiev JT, 1997
White to play and win
Show solution
1.Rc8! (i) (½)
1...a2! (ii) 2.Be4+ (½)
2...Ka1! (iii) 3.Rc1+! (iv) (1)
3...Nxc1 (v) 4.b8B! (vi) (1)
4...Nd3 5.Bxd3 (1)
5...Qh4+ 6.Bhf4! (vii) 1–0 (viii) (1)
(i) 1.Rg8? Nc5+ 2.Kb5 (2.Kb4 Qxd5 3.b8Q Na6+ 4.Kc3+ Nxb8 5.Rg1+ Ka2 6.Kc2 Qe4+ 7.Kd2 Qd4+ 8.Ke2 Qxg1 9.Bxg1 Kb3 10.Bd4 Kc2 11.Be5 a2 12.Kf3 Na6 13.Bd4 Nc5 14.Ke2 Na4 15.Ba1 Kc1 16.Ke1 Nc5 17.Ke2 Kb1 18.Be5 Na4 19.Ke3 Nb2 20.Ke4 a1Q 0-1 ) 2...Qxd5 3.b8Q Nd7+ 4.Ka6+ Nxb8+ 5.Rxb8+ Kc2 0-1; 1.Bxb3? Qc5! =
(ii) 1...Qxd5 2.b8Q a2 3.Be5 a1Q+ 4.Bxa1 Kxa1 5.Qb4 Qd4 6.Rc4 Qd2 7.Qa3+ Kb1 8.Qxb3+ Ka1 9.Qc3+ 1-0
(iii) 2...Kb2 3.Rc2+ Ka1 4.Bd6! 1-0
(iv) 3.b8Q? Qa5+ 4.Kxb3 Qa3+ 5.Kxa3 =
(v) 3...Qxc1 4.Be5+ Qb2 5.b8Q Nc5+ 6.Ka5 Nb3+ 7.Ka6 Nc5+ 8.Ka7 1-0; 3...Kb2 4.Rc2+ Ka1 5.Bd6! 1-0
(vi) 4.b8Q? Nd3! 5.Bxd3 [Black threatened 5...Nb2+ 6.Kb4 (6.Ka3 Qa5+ 7.Kb3 Qa4+ 8.Kc3 Qc4+ 9.Kd2 Qd4+ 10.Ke2 Qxe4+ 11.Kf2 Kb1 0-1; 6.Kb3 Qe3+ 7.Kb4 Qxe4+ 8.Kc5 Nd3+ 9.Kd6 Qb4+ 10.Qxb4 Nxb4 11.Be5+ Kb1 12.Bh8 Nd3 13.Kc6 Nb2 0-1; 6.Qxb2+ Kxb2 0-1 ) 6...Qe7+ 7.Ka5 Qxe4 8.Qg8 Qd4 9.Qg6 Nd3 10.Kb5 Kb1 0-1] 5...Qa5+ 6.Kxa5 =
(vii) 6.Kb3? Qxh2! 7.Bxh2 =
(viii) 6...Kb2 7.Bbe5#
3.2 V Sabinin
3rd Prize, Odessa Ty., 1983
White to play and draw
Show solution
1.Na5+ (½)
1...Kxb5 (i) 2.a7 (1)
2...a3+ 3.Kb3 (½)
3...Be6 (ii) 4.c4+ (1)
4...bxc3 5.a8Q (1)
5...Rd8+ 6.Kxa3 (iii) ½–½ (1)
(i) 1...Kc5? 2.a7 a3+ 3.Ka2 Be6 4.Nb3+ Kb6 5.a8Q 1-0
(ii) The equivalent sequence 3...Rd8 4.c4+ bxc3 5.a8Q Be6+ will gain equivalent points
(iii) 6...Rxa8 ½–½ (stalemate)
4.1 Roman Fedorovich & Ivan Soroka
4th Comm., Ivunin-50 JT, 1997
Helpmate in 2 2 solutions
Show solution
1.Qh6 Qd1 2.Kg6 Se5# (2½)
1.Qf7 Bg2 2.Ke6 Sc5# (2½)
4.2 Zdenek Meergans
Comm., Sachova skladba , 1987
Helpmate in 4 3 solutions
Show solution
1.Bc4 Sxc2 2.Be6 Kd3 3.Re5+ Se4+ 4.Kd5 Sb4#
1.Re7 Sxc2 2.Qe4 Se3 3.Qc6 Kd4 4.Rc7 Sf5#
1.Bf4 Sxg2 2.Be5+ Kd2 3.Kd5 Se3+ 4.Kd4 Sb3#
1 solution = 1 point
2 solutions = 3 points
3 solutions = 5 points
5.1 Valery Shavirin
4th Place, 14th Team Championship of Russia, 2001
Mate in 4
Show solution
1.Rf7! (1)
(2.Sd6+ Kg5 3.Re5+ Kh4,Kh6 4.Rxh7#) (1)
1...Sf3 2.Rfe7 & 3.Re5+ Sxe5 4.Be6# (½)
1...Sd3 2.f3 (3.Sf~#)
Se5 3.Sh5+ Sxf7 4.Sg7# (½)
1...f3 2.Sd5+ Kg4 3.Se3+ Kh3,Kh4,Kh5 4.Rxh7# (½)
1...h6 2.h4 (3.Sd6#)
Rxh4 3.Sd6+ Kg5 4.Re5# (½)
f3 3.Sd6+ Kf4 4.Re4# (½)
1...h5 2.h3 (3.Sf~#)
Rxh3 3.Sd5+ Kg4 4.Rxf4# (½)
5.2 Hans Vetter
Manchester Guardian , 1952
Mate in 5
Show solution
1.Kg2! (1)
(2.Bh5#)
1...Qa8 2.c6 (3.Bh5#)
Qxc6 3.Kh3 (4.Bh5#)
Qxf3+ 4.Rxf3+ Bf6 5.Rxf6,h8S# (2)
Qc3 4.h8S+ Qxh8+ 5.Bh5# (2)
6.1 Viacheslav Kopaev
2nd Prize, Lebedkin MT, 1996
Selfmate in 2
Show solution
1.Qf5! (½)
(2.Qg6+ Rxg6#) (½)
1...Sd5+ 2.c5+ Qxc5# (1)
1...Sxc4+,Sc8+,Sa8+ 2.Qc5+ Qxc5# (½)
1...Bxc4 2.Qxd7+ Sxd7# (1)
1...Rxg5+ 2.Qf6+ Bxf6# (1)
1...Rg6+,Rh7+,Rxf7+,Rg8+ 2.Qe5+ Bxe5# (½)
6.2 Udo Degener
1st HM., US Problem Bulletin , 1993
Selfmate in 5
Show solution
1.d4! (1)
(2.Ra6+ e6 3.Sb6+ Kc6 4.Sc4+ Kd5 5.Se3+ Bxe3#) (1½)
1...Bg3 2.Rg6+ e6 3.Bxe6+ Kc6 4.Bg4+ Sf6 5.Bxf3+ Sxf3# (½)
Kd5 5.Bxf3+ Sxf3# (½)
1...Bxd4 2.Bf6+ Be5 3.Rxe5+ Kd4 4.Re3+ Kd5 5.Rd3+ Sxd3# (½)
Sxf6 5.Rd3+ Sxd3# (½)
exf6 5.Rd3+ Sxd3# (½)