WINTON BRITISH CHESS SOLVING CHAMPIONSHIP

2022-2023 – The Final Problems

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) Yuri Vahlakov

3rd Prize, Zadachi i Etyudi, 2001

b3NQ2/4r2r/R5p1/2k1Bp2/P7/2p3nn/B1N5/3RK3

Mate in 2

1.Be6? (2.Bd4,Bd6#) 1...Bd5!
1.Se3? (2.Bd6#)     1...Se4!
1.Re6? (2.Bd4#)     1...Se2!

1.Rd3! (5)
       (2.Rxc3#)

1...Se2 2.Bd6#
1...Se4 2.Bd4#
1...Rh4 2.Qxe7#
1...Bd5 2.Rxd5#

2) Edgar Holladay

3rd HM., Chess Life, 1955

4R1K1/2pp4/2r2pNp/3k2qR/pQ6/Bn3Nn1/8/5B2

Mate in 2

1.Qg4!             (5)

1...d6              2.Qe6#
1...Rc1,Rc2,Rc3,Rc5 2.Qxd7#
1...Ra6,Rb6,Rd6,Re6 2.Qc4#
1...Rc4             2.Qxd7,Qxc4#
1...f5              2.Re5#
1...Qe5             2.Se7#
1...Qf5             2.Sf4#
1...Qxh5            2.Sf4,Se7#
1...Sb any          2.Q(x)d4#
1...Sg any          2.Q(x)e4#

3) Efim Rukhlis

4th Prize, Mat Plus, 1995

8/Kp2p2r/pR4Q1/1pk1p3/5N2/7q/B1N3p1/B4n2

Mate in 2

1.Qd3?     (2.Qd5#)          1...Se3!
1.Qe4?     (2.Qd5,Qb4,Qxe5#) 1...Qb3!
1.Qg4?     (2.Se6#)          1...Rh6!
1.Qe6?     (2.Qd5,Qxe5#)     1..Qf3!

1.Qg3! (5)
           (2.Sd3#)

1...Qd7,Qf5 2.Qc3#
1...e4,exf4 2.Bd4#
1...Qxg3    2.Se6#

4) Aleksis Rautanen

3rd HM., Nevanko-50 JT, 1965

Mate in 3

1.Sfe4!

1...bxa4  2.Sg5 @    & 3.Sxc4#
1...B any 2.S(x)f2 @ & 3.Sd1#
1...b3    2.Sc3 @    & 3.Sd1#
1...c3    2.Sc5 @    & 3.Rd3#
1...h4    2.Sf6 @    & 3.Sg4#
1...g5    2.Sg3 @    & 3.Sf5#

(@ 1 -> 1.5 -> 2.5 -> 3.5 -> 4 -> 5)

5) Lev Loshinski

1st Prize, Uzbekistan Sports Committee, 1955

4K3/2N1b3/ppr1p1p1/B5R1/3k4/R2P3Q/4q2n/1n2N2B

Mate in 3

1.Qg3!
           (2.Qf4+ @  Qe4          3.Qxe4#)

1...Bxg5    2.Ra4+ @  Kc5          3.Rc4,d4#
                      Rc4          3.Rxc4#
1...e5      2.Sc2+ @  Kc5          3.Bb4#
                      Qxc2         3.Qxe5#
                      Rxc2         3.Se6#
1...Qe3,Qe4 2.Bxb6+ @ Rc5,Rxb6,Bc5 3.Sc2#
1...Bd6     2.Qg1+ @  Qf2          3.Qxf2#
                      Qe3          3.Sxe6#
1...Sd2     2.Bxb6+ @ Rc5,Rxb6,Bc5 3.Sc2#
1...Sc3     2.Sxe6+ @ Qxe6         3.Sc2#
                      Rxe6         3.Bxc3#

(@ 1 -> 1.5 -> 2 -> 3 -> 3.5 -> 4.5 -> 5)

6) Martin Minski

Original for Magyar Sakkvilag

Win

1. Qg7 Qf7+ (i) 2.Qxf7 (1)
2...Rg1 (ii) 3.Qc4+ (iii) (1)
3...Kd1 4.Qxe4 Rg3+ (iv) 5.Kb2+ (v) (1)
5...Ke1 6.Bd1 (1)
6...Re3 (vi) 7.Qh1+ (vii) (1)
ie 7...Kf2 8.Qh2+ Kf1 9.Bxe2+ Rxe2 10.Qh1+ Kf2 11.Kc2 1-0

(i)	1...Qf3+ 2.Ka2 1-0
(ii)	2...Rf1 3.Qc7+ (3.Qc4+? Kd1 4.Qxe4 Ke1 5.Qh4+ Rf2) 3...Kd1 4.Qg3 1-0
(iii)	3.Qc7+? Kd1 4Kb2+ Ke1
(iv)	4...Ke1 5.Qh4+ Kf1 6.Qf6+ Ke1 7.Qc3 Rg5 8.Bd7 Rd5 9.Qg3+ Kf1 10.Bh3#
(v)	5.Ka2+? Ke1 6.Bd1 Re3 7.Qh1+ Kf2 and the wK is too far away. 5.Kc4+? Ke1 6.Bd1 Rg4 7.Qxg4 exd1=Q
(vi)	6...Kxd1 7.Qb1#
(vii)	7.Qxe3? Kxd1 8.Qf3 Ke1 9.Qg3+ Kf1 10.Qf3+ Ke1 11.Kc3 d1=Q

7) Steffen Slumstrup Nielsen

Original for ChessStar

Win

1.d6+ e6 2.d7 (1)
2...f1=Q+ (i) 3.Kxf1 Rxd7 (ii) 4.Qxe6+ Rf7+ 5.Bf6 (1)
5...Qa6+ (iii) 6.Kf2 (iv) (1)
6...Bg7 (v) 7.Qe8+ (vi)  7...Rf8 8.Rh8+ (1)
8...Kxh8 9.Qxf8+ Kh7 10.Qxg7# (1)

(i)	2...Rxd7 3.Qxe6+
(ii)	3...Qxd7 4.Qa8+ Kf7 5.Rf2+ Kg6 6.Qg8+ Qg7 - eg 7.Qxe6+ Kh7 8.Rh2
(iii)	5...Qxe6 6.Rxh8#
(iv)	6.Kg1 Qa1+ 0-1; 6.Qxa6 Rxf6+; 6. Kg2 Qb7+ 0-1
(v)	6...Bxf6 7.Qxa6 Be5+ 8.Kg2 Bxh2 9.Kxh2 1-0
(vi)	7.Qxa6 Rxf6+

8) Nikos Siotis (version by Marko Ylijoki & Henry Tanner)

Suomen Tehtäväniekat, 2003

Helpmate in 3; 2 solutions

1.Bb2 Bf8 2.Rd3 Bc5 3.Kc3  Bb4#  (2.5)
1.Rd4 Rf6 2.Be4 Rf4 3.Kxe3 Rxf3# (2.5)

9) Viktor Sizonenko & Iosif Grosu

Ideal-Mate Review, 1984

Helpmate in 4; 3 solutions

1.Bf7 Kf3  2.Bd5+ Ke2  3.Ke4  Sf5 4.Bd4 Sd6# @
1.Be4 Bg1+ 2.Ke5  Kg5  3.Be3+ Kh5 4.Kf4 Bh2# @
1.Bc5 Bg1+ 2.Ke5  Sf3+ 3.Kf6  Sg5 4.Be7 Bd4# @

(@ 1.5 -> 3.5 -> 5)

10) Vladimir Aleksandrov & Nikolai Belik

Intelectualie Egri, 1993

2n5/2N5/K3P1p1/6p1/pQpk2P1/P2b1prP/qpp5/2B1R3

Mate in 4

1.Kb7!
        (2.Sb5+  Kd5  3.Qc5+ @  Kxc5    4.Re5#)

1...Be4+ 2.Rxe4+ Kd3  3.Qd2+ @  Kxe4    4.Qe3,Qd5#
                 Kxe4 3.Qe1+ @  Kd3,Kd4 4.Qe3#
1...Sd6+ 2.Qxd6+ Kc3  3.Sb5+ @  Kb3     4.Qb4#
1...Qxa3 2.Be3+  Ke4  3.Bf4+ @  Kd4     4.Be5#
                                Kxf4    4.Sd5,Qd2#
                                Be2     4.Qxc4#
                 Ke5  3.Bf4+ @  Kd4     4.Be5#
                                Kxf4    4.Sd5,Qd2#
                                Kf6     4.Se8,Be5#
1...Be2  2.Qd2+  Ke5  3.Qxg5+ @ Kd4     4.Qe3#
                                Ke4     4.Qe3,Qd5#
                                Kd6     4.Bf4#
                 Bd3  3.Re4+ @  Kxe4    4.Qe3#
                                Kc5     4.Qb4#

(@ 1 -> 1.5 -> 2 -> 2.5 -> 3 -> 3.5 -> 4 -> 5)

11) Wolfgang Bär

1st Prize, Sachsische Zeitung, 2008

2b2n2/3p4/8/3R1p1p/2R2pkr/5N1p/p3P2K/r2n4

Mate in 7

1.Rdd4!
        (2.Rxf4#)

1...Sg6  2.Rd6 (3.Rxg6#)
2...Sf8  3.Se5+
3...Kg5  4.Sf7+
4...Kg4  5.Rd3 (6.Rg3#)
5...Se3  6.Rxf4+ (5)
6...Kxf4 7.Rd4#

12) Waldemar Tura

1st Prize, Probleemblad, 2005

bB5b/1n2N3/1p3pQ1/1pNnrBP1/2pK1k1P/2P5/4P3/6R1

Selfmate in 3

1.Bg4!
        (2.e3+   Sxe3 3.Bxe5+ @ fxe5#)

1...Sxc3 2.Qxf6+ Bxf6 3.Bxe5+ @ Bxe5#
1...Sc7  2.Qf5+  Rxf5 3.Sd5+  @ Rxd5#
1...Sd6  2.Se6+  Rxe6 3.Qe4+  @ Rxe4#

(@ 1.5 -> 2.5 -> 4 -> 5)

13) Jorma Paavilainen & Pauli Perkonoja

2nd Prize, Suomen Tehtäväniekat, 2008-2009

2b1Q1N1/1p2b3/1r1p1BR1/1ppK1k2/4r2R/8/7P/1B2nN2

Selfmate in 4

1.Rg2!
       (2.Sxe7+ Kxf6 3.Sg8+ Kf5  4.Qe6+ @ Bxe6#)

1...Sd3 2.Qxc8+ Re6  3.Sh6+ Kxf6 4.Rf4+ @ Sxf4#
1...Sc2 2.Rf2+  Rf4  3.Rh5+ Kg4  4.Se3+ @ Sxe3#

(@ 1.5 -> 3.5 -> 5)

WINTONBRITISH CHESS SOLVING CHAMPIONSHIP

2022-2023 – The Final Problems

WINTON
BRITISH CHESS SOLVING CHAMPIONSHIP