Series helpmates with more solutions 1


This page is based on article by Alexander Hildebrand that appeared in Swedish magazine Springaren. Unfortunately, I have only three pages with article and no indication of precise number of issue (as there are errata from issue 78, it is probably issue with bigger number). I selected 7 problems.

The name describes the contents. While helpmates with more solutions are regularly published, they are as usual as twinned helpmates and helpmates with one solution only are less usual, these are series helpmates with more solutions that are not so common.

There is one constructional problem that must be solved by author of seriesmover of above described kind. White force must be arranged to be prepared to give 2 or more mates immediately after some black movements. It means there is no rearrangement of white units - with exception of some captures of white force. So variability of mating possibilities is slightly limited - but only slightly as our examples show. Also, WinChloe database includes hundreds of them.

Finally, it is worth remarking that 3 prizes in 18th TT CCM are series helpmates with more solutions - but fairy ones as TT was dedicated to them.
Petko A. Petkov
Fennschach 1966

1.d1B 2.c1Q (c1R?) 3.Qxc5 4.Qxe3 Bxe3#

1.d1S 2.c1R (c1Q?) 3.Rxc5 4.Rf5 Rg4#

Allumwandlung of Black. He must capture pc5 and then capture Re3 or block f5. The quickest way is to cut c1-f1 by d1 promotion and promote Q or R on c1. Then there appears dual avoidance - S guards e3 and B guards g4.









ser-h#4 (9+5)
2 solutions

Walther Jorgensen
Kennst Du die Bibel 1966

1.h1B 2.Bd5 3.Bb3 Sd5#
1.h1S 2.Sxf2 3.Sd3 Se2#
1.dxe1S 2.Sf3 3.Sd4 Be1#
1.d1S 2.Kd2 3.Sc3 Sc4#
1.c1S 2.Sd3 3.Sxb4 Rc5#
1.b1S 2.Kb2 3.Sc3 Sd3#
1.a1S 2.Sb3 3.Sd4 Re3#

Here we have rather strong white material and thus there are some idle pieces in more mates. On the other hand, there are 6 knight promotions plus one bishop promotion (that could have been avoided, but author undoubtedly wanted to have it there).









ser-h#3 (7+7)
7 solutions

Theodor Steudel
Hans Selb

Probleemblad 1966

1.fxe4 ... 4.e1R 5.Re8 6.Ke7 c8S#

1.fxg4 ... 4.g1B 5.Bxf2 6.Bc5 cxd8Q#

Another promotion problem, again with AUW, but this time by both sides. The annihilation of white pieces by advancing black pawn (and promoted bishop) is arranged very naturally.









ser-h#6 (5+4)
2 solutions

Chris J. Feather
British Chess Magazine 1970

1.b1B ... 4. Bxf3 5.Be2 6.f3 7.f2 8.Bf3 9.f1R ... 11.Rh4 12.Bg4+ Kf6#

1.b1R ... 3.Rxf3 4.Kh4 5.Rh3 ... 8.f1B 9.Be2 10.Kh5 11.Rh4 12.Bg4+ Kf6#

The promotions at b1 aand f1 are reciprocally exchanged and the play is different enough to avoid cook-like feeling although the solutions lead to the same final mating manoeuvre.









ser-h#12 (5+4)
2 solutions

Bo Lindgren
1st HM The Problemist 1978

1.c1S 2.Se2 3.Sxf4 4.Se6 5.Sd8 6.Sb7 7.Kb8 Rd8#

1.c1B 2.Bb2 3.Bf6 4.Be7 5.Kxd6 6.Qd7 7.Qe6 Rd4#

White halfbattery is transformed into battery by captures of white rook making the mating move in the other solution - Zilahi. Doublecheck mates.









ser-h#7 (4+8)
2 solutions

Viktor Bene
Springaren 1995

1.Ke1 2.Qd1 3.Sf2 4.Sg1 5.Se2 Sf3#

1.Kc1 2.Rd1 3.Se1 4.Sc2 5.Sb2 Sb3#

Analogy of two solutions is in fact partially only a symmetry, but the knight moves avoid that. Nice strategy.









ser-h#5 (2+5)
2 solutions

Christer Jonsson
Springaren 1997

1.a1Q 2.Qxd4 3.Qa7 4.d4 ... 7.d1R ... 9.Rb6 10.Qxa8+ bxa8Q#

1.a1B 2.Bxd4 3.Bb6 4.d4 ... 7.d1S ... 9.Sb5 10.Sa7 b8S#

We finish our short selection by black AUW in connection with two white mating promotions.









ser-h#10 (5+5)
2 solutions

Comments to Juraj Lörinc.
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