Most mate options after 6 moves

Question

Found this construction problem from '83 and liked it. I don't know the best solution (yet), and maybe you can top it anyway.

Consider the (help) "game" 1.e4 a6 2.Bc4 a5 3.Qh5 a4. Now White can mate in two ways (and I doubt this value can be increased having 6 preceding half-moves). Maximize the number of possible White mates after 12 half-moves (which you choose).

The count for 6 preceding half-moves can be increased! 1.e4 f5 2.Bc4 fxe4 3.Qf3 g5, followed by 4.Qh5#, 4.Qf7# or 4.Bf7# — James Martin, Jan 23 '24 at 00:33
THX. If I had had formulated as a question, the post might have been closed due to one question too many :-))) — Hauke Reddmann, Jan 23 '24 at 07:29
I can confirm by brute force that 1. e4 f5 2. Bc4 fxe4 3. Qf3 g5 is the only position with 3 different mates after 6 half-moves. There are also 5 other transpositions of those moves that yield the same position. — LegionMammal978, Jan 23 '24 at 18:04

score 10 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 22 '24 at 23:18

10

11 without discovered checks:

[FEN ""]
[startply "12"]

e3 e6 2. d4 Ke7 3. Bc4 Kf6 4. Nh3 Kf5 5. Bxe6+ Ke4 6. Qh5 Qe8

answered Jan 22 '24 at 23:18

Noam D. Elkies

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I count 12, 3 knight, 1 pawn, 2 bishop, 6 queen – Charles Roddie Jan 23 '24 at 22:59
6

@CharlesRoddie only 1 bishop mate because alas Bf5+ Kd5 – Noam D. Elkies Jan 23 '24 at 23:40

score 8 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 22 '24 at 21:27

8

5.5 moves to 14 fool's mates:

[FEN ""]
[startply "11"]

b4 e6 2. Bb2 Qh4 3. Bxg7 Ne7 4. Bb2 Rg8 5. g3 Rxg3 6. f4

For 6.0 moves, start with something like 1. a3 and then reverse the colors (1. a3 b5 2. e3 Bb7 3. Qh5 Bxg2 etc.).

answered Jan 22 '24 at 21:27

Noam D. Elkies

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This raises the old adage of if unique or not and such is wanted. – Rewan Demontay Jan 22 '24 at 22:23
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@RewanDemontay Usually in such tasks different discoveries do count as different mates; I note that you accepted such an answer yourself https://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/24061. – Noam D. Elkies Jan 22 '24 at 22:45
Very true; I raised the point as Hauke did not specify, and you can never quite know with him. – Rewan Demontay Jan 22 '24 at 23:45
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Hauke says that in this setting, discovered checks are perfectly OK and he already tried in vain to set up such a battery (to his defense, 6 o'clock in the morning half asleep in his head :-) – Hauke Reddmann Jan 23 '24 at 07:27
Accepted; I lack the imagination how a full rook cross shall be beaten. – Hauke Reddmann Jan 25 '24 at 22:04

score 3 · Answer 3 · answered Jan 22 '24 at 19:29

3

I bid 7.

[FEN ""]
[startply "12"]

e4 f6 2. Qf3 Kf7 3. Be2 Kg6 4. e5 Kg5 5. d4+ Kh4 6. d5 e6

answered Jan 22 '24 at 19:29

Rewan Demontay

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score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 27 '24 at 21:26

2

15:

[FEN ""]
1. e3 f6 2. a4 Kf7 3. a5 Kg6 4. Ra4 Kf5 5. Bc4 Ke4 6. Qh5 Qe8

There are 11. discovered check mates plus 7. Qd5# 7. d3# 7. f3# and 7. Nc3#

answered Jan 27 '24 at 21:26

Albert.Lang

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I moved the "accepted" to this. Funny, a position like that was I instinctively strived for initially. – Hauke Reddmann Jan 28 '24 at 16:15
I wonder whether there is a way to improve this considering that black has a semi-move spare. – Albert.Lang Jan 28 '24 at 17:25

Most mate options after 6 moves

4 Answers4