Seriesmover

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This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.
Thomas Rayner Dawson
Fairy Chess Review, 1947
Image:chess_zhor_26.png
Image:chess_zver_26.png
a8 b8 c8 d8 e8 f8 g8 h8
a7 b7 c7 d7 e7 f7 g7 h7
a6 b6 c6 d6 e6 f6 g6 h6
a5 b5 c5 d5 e5 f5 g5 h5
a4 b4 c4 d4 e4 f4 g4 h4
a3 b3 c3 d3 e3 f3 g3 h3
a2 b2 c2 d2 e2 f2 g2 h2
a1 b1 c1 d1 e1 f1 g1 h1
Image:chess_zver_26.png
Image:chess_zhor_26.png
Serieshelpmate in 17 moves.

A seriesmover is a chess problem in which one side makes a series of legal moves without reply at the end of which the other side makes a single move, giving checkmate or yielding stalemate, depending on the precise stipulation. Checks cannot be given except on the last move of the series. There are various types of seriesmover:

  • Seriesmate: a directmate with white playing a series of moves without reply to checkmate black (the seriesmover analogue to the directmate).
  • Serieshelpmate: a helpmate in which black plays a series of moves without reply after which white plays one move to checkmate black (the seriesmover analogue to the helpmate).
  • Seriesselfmate: a selfmate in which white plays a series of moves leading to a position in which black is forced to give mate (the seriesmover analogue to the selfmate).
  • Seriesreflexmate: a reflexmate in which white plays a series of moves leading to a position in which black can, and therefore must, give mate (the seriesmover analogue to the reflexmate).

Thus a serieshelpmate in n moves consists of n legal unique moves by black (all but possibly the last non-checking moves) followed by one move by white that mates black. To the right is a serieshelpmate in seventeen by Thomas Rayner Dawson (published in Fairy Chess Review, 1947). An effective way to solve long serieshelpmates such as this is to envisage a position in which black could be checkmated, and then to work out how such a problem could be reached. Here, with just one knight, the only way to checkmate black is to have the black king in the corner and another black piece on a2, allowing Nb3 giving mate. It might seem there are many ways to do this, but the need to avoid exposing the white king to check means that there is only one, involving the black king walking half-way over the board and then back again. (As usual, chess problems with unintended multiple solutions are considered flawed; they are often said to be cooked.) The solution here is:

1.Ka2 2.Ka3 3.Kb4 4.Kc3 5.Kd3 6.Ke2 7.Ke1 8.f1R 9.Rf2 10.Ke2 11.Kd3 12.Kc3 13.Kb4 14.Ka3 15.Ka2 16.Ka1 17.Ra2 Nb3#
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