A type of
chess problem where white moves first and forces an unwilling black to
checkmate him. For example, the stipulation "selfmate in five" means that white must induce his own checkmate on (at the latest) black's fifth move.
Here is the starting position for a selfmate in five by Laszlo Lindner: white has bishops at a1 and g2, knights at d1 and g3, rook at b2 and king at f1, while black has a bishop on e1, king at c1 and pawns at d2, d3, d4 and f2:
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | | | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | |BP | | | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | |BP | | |WN | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | | |BP | |BP |WB | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|WB |WR |BK |WN |BB |WK | | |
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
A description of the solution, printed backwards:
tniop gnitrats sti ot kcab pohsib eht evom neht,
thgink eht htiw kcehc evig, nwap a erutpac ot eciwt pohsib eht evom.