Selfmates with active white king 6

In orthodox selfmates it is naturally possible to move white king in 2nd moves too. In fact, the variation play can bring a lot of life and variability into so-often static selfmate mating positions. Naturally the king move is usually opening a white royal battery aimed at bK.
Milos Marysko
Feenschach 1970

1.e8Q! th. 2.Qe5+ fxe5#
1...Sf4 2.Kxe4+ Sd5#, Sd3#
1...Rf2 2.Kxe3+ Rd2#
1...Sb2 2.Kxc3+ Sd3#, Sxd1#
1...Rxf5 2.Qd5+ Rxd5#

Abovementioned white royal battery uses creation of black halfbatteries aiming to d4, wK captures pawn and forces mates by cross-checks.









s#2 (10+15)
Venelin Alaikov
3rd Prize JT Zabunov 1990

1.Qb5! th. 2.Sa3+ Rc4#
1...Bg2 2.Kxg4+ Be4#
1...dxc6 2.Ke6+ Re4#
1...Kxc2 2.Sxe3+ Sxe3#

Flight-giving key prepares a mate by black rook battery. If Black moves away with rear piece, it creates other battery, that is forced to open after White royal battery check. If Black guards rear piece of white battery (wQ), it gives wK a flight and wK really uses this flight to force double-check mate. Lastly, it bK uses his own flight, White opens his battery (now indirect) the other way.









s#2 (10+15)
Hugo Rohr
1st Prize Chess Club Budapest 1913

1.Bf7! th. 2.Sd5+ Kc4 3.Rc8+ Sxc8#
1...Rxe3 2.Ke6+ Kc4 3.Kxf6+ Sd5#
1...Sxe3 2.Kc6+ Ka4 3.Kc5+ Sxd7#

Defences capture Se3 playing in the threat. Very active wK opens and closes White lines and thus force mates by unpinned Sb6. Note the date of this selfmate!









s#3 (10+12)
Mike Prcic
4th HM The Problemist 1999-2000

1.Qb3! th. 2.Qb4+ axb4 3.axb4+ Kxb4,Kd6#
1...Sxf4 2.Kxf4+ Kd6 3.e5+ fxe5#
1...fxe4 2.Kxe4+ Kd6 3.Sf5+ Bxf5#
1...cxb3 2.Kxd3+ Kd6 3.Sxb5+ Bxb5#

White royal battery against black royal battery. They are aimed in the opposite directions, White just needs a place for his king, it is provided in 3 defences.









s#3 (12+15)
Andrej Selivanov
3rd Prize Orbit 2000

1.Se4! th. 2.Qc5+ bxc5 3.Kc8+ Rxd8#
1...Sb4 (Se3, Rxf7+) 2.Ke6+ Sd5 (Rd7) 3.Sf3+ gxf3#
1...Rg5 2.Kc6+ Rd5 3.Qb4+ Sxb4#
1...Kd5 2.Ke8+ Ke6 3.Re7+ Rxe7#

Here we see complete star of wK, even if its moves aren't all played in 2nd move of White. It is noteworthy how much varying mates could be attained in a quite short problem...









s#3 (12+12)
Alexej Kargapolov
2nd Comm Petkov 60 JT 2002

1.Sc5! zz
1...Rxg4 2.Kxd2+ Rd4 3.Sb3 axb3 4.Kc1 d2#
1...Rxh5 2.Kb4+ Re5 3.Sa6 bxa6 4.Bc3 a5#

White King finds his graves on seemingly innocent squares b4 and c1. Zugzwang mechanism allowed use of much lower number of Black pieces, however bBe8 is used only in one variation.









s#4 (13+8)
Petko A. Petkov
1st Prize Shakhmatna Misl 1991

1.b8R! th. 2.Ke4+ Kc5 3.Sd3+ Kd6 4.Sc4+ bxc4 5.Se5+ Kc5 6.Qd5+ cxd5#
1...b4 2.Kc4+ Ke5 3.Sd3+ Kd6 4.Sc5+ Ke5 5.Sxd7+ Rxd7 6.Qd4+ Rxd4#
1...c5+ 2.Kc3+ Ke5 3.Sd3+ Kd5,Kd6 4.Sb2+ Ke5 5.Sac4+ bxc4 6.Qd4+ cxd4#

Similar play in a threat and 2 variations: White places his king on appropriate square and then manoeuvres his knight via d3 to appropriate square. One of many many PAP's rich variation battery selfmates.









s#6 (12+11)

Comments to Juraj Lörinc.
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