Mate in 3

With captures on e5 giving flights at c4 and c6, the key 1.Kb5 is an obvious move to consider. It threatens to fire the front battery, with matching pin-mates to follow: 2.Sg4+ Re5 3.Se3; 2...Be5 3.Sf6. Black can defend by capturing the knight, after which the queen clears the rank, forcing the defender to self-pin. Now the rear battery opens, shutting off the remaining black piece. 1...Rxe5 2.Qf3+ Re4 3.Bf6; 1...Bxe5 2.Qxd3+ Bd4 3.Be3. There is one by-play variation – 1...Qa1 2.Sxd3+ any 3.Sf4. The threat and main variations complement each other perfectly. An artistic masterpiece.

Juha Neitola: The key threatens discovered check by the first battery. This would force a black piece to interpose, yielding a pin mate. Black defends by capturing the knight, self-pinning. White responds by checking with the queen, unpinning the black piece but pulling it to another pin. The rank has now been cleared for the second battery to give a discovered shut-off pin mate.