This week, a superb multi-solution helpmate, by a master of the genre. No clues, but
once you have found the five solutions, look for the cyclic pattern they form!
Don’t forget that Black moves first in a helpmate.
The five solutions are as follows:
1 Rxb4 Sc4 2 Bd7 Bd6#
1 Bxb8 Rf7+ 2 Kd6 Sc4#
1 Bxb6 Re8+ 2 Kd7 Bc6#
1 Rxd5 S4xd5+ 2 Ke6 Rf6#
1 Rxf8 Bf7 2 Kd8 Sc6#
Analysing these further, we note that each white piece is captured in one solution,
gives mate in another solution, and assists in the mate in the other three
solutions. Furthermore, there is a cyclic pattern to the captures and mates: the
piece which mates in solution one is captured in solution two, the piece which
mates in solution two is captured in solution three, etc. Finally, the piece which
mates in solution five is captured in solution one. In summary, we have a fivefold
cyclic Zilahi – “an astonishing achievement with 12 units”, as
John Rice put it in The Problemist, September 1996.