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
Mate in 2
This problem was original and unpublished and so can’t be
reproduced here until after it has been published.
1.2
Mate in 2
This problem was original and unpublished and so can’t be
reproduced here until after it has been published.
1.3 L Gugel & V Shipov
Magyar Sakkvilag , 1930
Mate in 2
Show solution
1.Se4! (2.Sd2#) (5)
1...Qxf5+ 2.Qxf5#
1...Qc6 2.Sfd6#
1...Qb7 2.Se7#
1...Kxe4 2.Bxd5#
2.1 Nikolai Glinskikh
Schach , 1997
Mate in 3
Show solution
1.c4! (1)
(2.Rg5+ Kf4 3.Sxe6#) (1)
1...Rc2 2.Qh6 (3.Qf4#) (1)
Se2 3.Sxf3#
f5 3.Qh8,Qg7#
1...Bc2 2.Kf7 (3.Qxf6#) (1)
Sd7 3.Sxc6#
1...Rxh5 2.Qxh5+ f5 3.Qh8# (1)
2.2 György Bakcsi
Sakkelet , 1998
Mate in 3
Show solution
1.Qg2! (½)
(2.Qg8#)
1...Bxg2 2.Sxf5+ Sxd3,Rxd3 3.Se7# (1)
1...Sxg2 2.Sc2+ Bxd3,Rxd3 3.Sb4# (1)
1...Rxg2 2.Se2+ Sxd3 3.Sc3# (1)
1...Sc7 2.Se6+ Bxd3,Sxd3,Rxd3 3.Sxc7# (1)
1...Sb6 2.Qg8+ Kc5 3.Qc4# (½)
3.1 L I Katsnelson & A P Maximovskikh
2nd Prize, Magadanskaya Pravda , 1986
White to play and win
Show solution
1.c6! (i) (1)
1...dxc6 (ii) 2.Rg8+! (1)
2...Kxe7 3.Rxg3 (½)
3...f4+ 4.Kxf4 (½)
4...f2 (iii) 5.Re3+ (½)
5...Kf6 (iv) 6.Rf3 (½)
6...c2 7.Ke3+ (½)
7...K~ 8.Kd2 1–0 (½)
(i)
1.Rxg3? f4+ 2.Kxf4 f2 3.Rf3 c2 0-1; 1.Rg8+? Kxe7 2.Ra8 (2.Rxg3? f4+
3.Kxf4 f2 4.Re3+ Kd8 0-1) 2...f2 3.Ke2 d5 4.cxd6+ Kxd6 5.Rc8 Ke5
6.Rxc3 f4 =
(ii)
1...c2 2.cxd7+ Kxd7 3.e8Q+ Kxe8 4.Rc7 1-0; 1...f4+ 2.Kxf3 dxc6 3.Rg6
g2 4.Rxg2 1-0
(iii)
4...c2 5.Rg1 f2 6.Rc1 Kf6 7.Kf3 1-0
(iv)
5...Kd6 6.Rd3+ Kc7 7.Rd1 1-0
3.2 Mario Matous
4th Prize, Chervony Girnik , 1984
White to play and win
Show solution
1.Nc5 (½)
1...Qc8+ (i) 2.Kh2 (ii) (½)
2...Qb8+ (iii) 3.Kh1 (½)
3...Qxb6 4.Be4+ Ka7 5.Be3 (½)
5...h5 6.Kg1 (½)
6...h4 7.Kh1 (½)
7...h3 8.Kg1 (½)
8...h2+ 9.Kh1 (½)
9...Qb5 10.Nd7+ (½)
10...Ka6 11.Bd3 Qxd3 12.Nc5+ 1–0 (½)
(i)
1...Qh5+ 2.Kg3 Qe5+ (2...Qxc5 3.Be4+ Kb8 4.Bf4+ Kc8 5.b7+ Kd7
6.b8Q 1-0) 3.Bf4 Qe1+ 4.Kg2 Qb4 5.Be4+ Qxe4+ 6.Nxe4 1-0
(ii)
2.Kh4? Qd8+ 3.Kg4 h5+ (3...Qxb6? 4.Be4+ Ka7 5.Be3 h5+ 6.Kh3
(6.Kxh5? Qb5 =) 6...h4 7.Kg4 h3 8.Kxh3 Qb5 9.Nd7+ Ka6 10.Bd3 Qxd3
11.Nc5+ 1-0) 4.Kh3 Qc8+ 5.Kh2 Qb8+ 6.Kh1 Qxb6 7.Be4+ Ka7 8.Be3
h4 9.Kg1 h3 10.Kh1 h2 =; 2.Kg2? Qg4+ 3.Kf2 Qh4+ 4.Ke2 Qg4+ 5.Ke1
Qg3+ 6.Kd1 Qg1+ 7.Ke2 Qg4+ =
(iii)
2...Qxc5 3.Be4+ Kb8 4.Bf4+ Kc8 5.b7+ 1-0; 2...Qg4 3.Be4+ Kb8 4.Na6+
Kc8 5.b7+ Kd7 6.Bg2 Qh5+ 7.Bh3+ Ke7 8.b8Q 1-0
4.1
Helpmate in 2
This problem was original and unpublished and so can’t be
reproduced here until after it has been published.
4.2 A Semenenko
1st Prize, Vasilevsky-115 JT, 2011
Helpmate in 4
Show solution
1.Kxe3 Se4 2.Kd4 Sxg5 3.Ke5 Kxg6 4.Sd4 Sf7#
1.Kxd3 Sxb5 2.Ke4 Kh6 3.Ke5 Kxg5 4.Be4 exf4#
1.Kxc3 Kf7 2.Kb4 Ke8 3.Kc5 Kxd7 4.Sb4 d4#
1 solution = 1 point
2 solutions = 3 points
3 solutions = 5 points
5.1 Friedrich Binder
Springaren , 1993
Mate in 4
Show solution
1.Sd6! (1)
(2.Sg6+ Rxg6 3.Sf5#
2.bxa6 & 3.Sc8#)
1...Rf4 2.Sf5+ Rfxf5 3.Be1 & 4.Bb4# (1)
1...Rh5 2.Bg5 (3.Sg6,Sf5#)
Rgxg5 3.Sf5+ Rxf5 4.Sg6# (1)
Rhxg5 3.Sg6+ Rxg6 4.Sf5# (1)
Bxg5 3.Sf5+ Kf6 4.Rf8# (1)
5.2 Valery Kopyl
Problemist Ukrainy , 2011
Mate in 5
Show solution
1.Bg4! (1)
[2.Bh3 (3.Bxg2#)
Kf3 3.Rf2+ Kxe3 4.Sf5+ Ke4 5.Bxg2# (½)
Ke4 4.Bxg2+ Kxe3 5.Sf5#] (½)
1...Rxh5 2.Sxf6+ Ke5 3.Sd7+ Ke4 4.Bf5+ Kf3 5.Se5# (1)
1...Sd6 2.Sxc5+ Ke5 3.Sxd3+ Ke4 4.Sc5+ Ke5 5.Sc6# (1)
1...Sd8 2.Sxc5+ Ke5 3.Sxd3+ Ke4 4.Bf5+ Kf3 5.Se1# (1)
6.1 Yuri Berezhnoi (v. BDS)
Stella Polaris , 1966
Selfmate in 2
Show solution
1...Se2 2.Qd3 Bxg2#
1...Se4 2.Qxe4 Bxg2#
1...Sxf5 2.Rxf5 Bxg2#
1.Re3! () (2)
1...Se2 2.Rxe2 Bxg2# (1)
1...Se4 2.Rxe4 Bxg2# (1)
1...Sxf5 2.Qxf5 Bxg2# (1)
6.2 Carl Eckardt
Humour Prize, Die Schwalbe , 1928
Selfmate in 5
Show solution
1.Qa8! (1)
(2.Qe8 & 3.Qxe4+ Bxe4,Qxe4#)
1...Bf3 2.Qe8 (3.Qxe4+ Bxe4,Qxe4#)
Be2 3.Rxf6+ Kxf6 4.Qe5+ Kf7 5.Kxe4+ Bxc4# (4)
