February 14th

Jean Dufresne (14-02-1829 - 13-04-1893) chess player, composer and author

Jean Dufresne [Wikipedia]

He is known for the Evergreen game with Adolf Anderssen, whose student he was and for his "Kleines Lehrbuch des Schachspiels" (1881). What's he doing here?, you may righteously ask. Dufresne also composed some studies, of which you can find a sample below. Our readers will enjoy his anthology published in the end of the 19th century and kindly hosted by Anders Thulin:
"Sammlung leichterer Schachaufgaben, I" (1881)
"Sammlung leichterer Schachaufgaben, II" (1882)
"Sammlung leichterer Schachaufgaben, III" (1887)

An easy study:

Dufresne, Jean
bs53-521, 1910

+

3 + 3

Show Solution

1. b7 a2 2. b8=Q a1=Q+ 3. Qe5+ Qxe5+ 4. fxe5 and nothing can save Black.

Jiří Kauder (14-02-1887 - 1940?) Czech composer

Jiří Kauder
[Ceskoslovensky Sach 1937 page 17]

Kauder was a good chess player, a prominent chess official and organizer. Of course he composed in the suave Bohemian style.
More about his chess career can be read in this book. He died martyred by the Nazis during the German occupation.

Kauder, Jiří
1471 Cesky denik, 1940

#3

5 + 9

Show Solution

1.Sa6 ! (2.Qb4+ axb4 3.Sc5#)

1...Ka3 2.Qxc1+ Ka4, Ka2 3.Qa1, Sb4#
1...Bxa8 2.Qc2+ Sb3, Ka3 3.Qxb3/Qa2, Sxb5#

Oskar Wielgos (14-02-1916 - 05-11-1986) German composer

Oskar Wielgos
Schach-Echo 21/1966
[Thanks to Александр Никитин]

Wielgos, Oskar
Deutsche Schachblätter, 1977
1^st Prize

#2* v v v

12 + 8

Show Solution

Set play:

1...dxe6[a] 2.Bxe6#[A]
1...dxe5[b] 2.Qxc5#[C]
1...Sf1/Sf3/Sdc4/Sb1 2.Qf3#[B]

Tries:
1.Rxd2? (2.Qf3#[B])

1...dxe5[b] 2.Qxc5#[C]
1...Sxb3 2.Qxb3#
but 1...Bxb6!

1.Sc2? (2.Qf3#[B])

1...dxe5[b] 2.Qxc5#[C]/Qxe5#[D]
1...Kc6 2.Qxc5#[C]
1...Bd4/Bxb6 2.Sb4#
1...Be3 2.Sxe3#/Sb4#
but 1...Sxb3!

1.Sc6? (2.Sxe7#[E]/Qf3#[B])

1...dxe6[a] 2.Qf3#[B]
1...dxe5[b] 2.Qxc5#[C]/Qxe5#[D]
1...Kxc6 2.Qxc5#[C]
1...Bd4/Be3/Bxb6 2.Sxe7#[E]/Sb4#
1...Sxb3 2.Sxe7#[E]
1...Sxc6 2.Qc4#
but 1...dxc6!

1.Sdf5! (2.Sxe7#[E])

1...dxe6[a] 2.Qf3#[B]
1...dxe5[b] 2.Qxe5#[D]
1...Kxe6 2.Se3#
1...Kc6 2.Qxc5#[C]
1...Sc6 2.Qc4#

Barnes, flight-giving key, transferred mates, changed mates.

Wielgos, Oskar
Deutscher Schachbund 1977-1978
1^st Prize
Jubiläumsturnier DSB

h#2

2.1.1.1

9 + 14

Show Solution

1. Se4 Qh2 2. Rg2 Qxh3#
1. Se6 Qh8 2. Bg7 Qxh7#
Clearance, interference.

Werner Frangen (14-02-1929 - 31-10-2015) German composer

Werner Frangen composed mostly retro and task problems. One very simple example is the following:

Frangen, Werner
feenschach, 1975

#1

4 + 2

Show Solution

1.Qxa7#, isn't it? But then what was Black's last move in the diagram position?
There is no legal last move for Black, which means that White played the last move and Black to play: 1...Qb8#!

A constructional record (at least for the time):

Frangen, Werner
Feenschach, 1974

35.consecutive checks

13 + 13

Show Solution

1. g8=Q+ Kf5+ 2. g4+ Qxg4+ 3. e4+ Bxe4+ 4. Bd7+ Rxd7+ 5. Sd6+ Rxd6+ 6. Qd5+ Bxd5+ 7. e4+ Qxe4+ 8. dxe4+ Bxe4+ 9. cxd6+ Sab5+ 10. Rbxb5+ c5+ 11. Rxc5+ e5+ 12. Rxe5+ fxe5+ 13. Sxe5+ Bf3+ 14. Sg4+ Sb5+ 15. Qxb5+ c5+ 16. Qxc5+ bxc5+ 17. Rxc5+ Be5+ 18. Rxe5+

Imants J. Ķīsis (14-02-1929 - 13-09-1993) Latvian composer and FIDE Master

Imants J. Ķīsis
Problem, February 1968
[Thanks to Александр Никитин]

Ķīsis composed a problem achieving the Urania theme, but for now we prefer the following two problems, which were selected in the FIDE Album:

Ķīsis, Imants J.
Шахматы в СССР 1974
1^st Prize

#2 v v v

7 + 8

Show Solution

Tries:
1.Bh5[A]? (2.Bxg4#) but 1...Rb2!
1.Ra1[C]? (2.Rxb1#) but 1...Bf5!
1.Qa1[D]? (2.Qxb1#) but 1...Rb7!
1.Qh5[B]! (2.Qxg4#)

1...Bxh5[a] 2.Bxh5#[A]
1...Bf3[c] 2.Qxf3#[J]
1...Be2[d] 2.Qxe2#[G]
1...Rf7 2.Qxd5#

Diagonal-orthogonal correspondence in tries and solution.

Ķīsis, Imants J.
Magyar Sakkélet, 1974
3^rd Prize

#2* v

6 + 12

Show Solution

Set play:

1...Qd5[a] 2.Re3#[B]
1...Be7/Re5[b]/Rf8[c]/Rg8[c]/Rh8 2.Qe5#[A]
1...Ra5[d]/Rd4[e] 2.Qd4#[C]
1...Sf4[f] 2.Sg3#[D]

1.Bd6? (2.Sg3#[D])

1...Re5[b] 2.Qxe5#[A]
1...Rd4[e] 2.Qxd4#[C]
but 1...Bh4!

1.Qxf7! (2.Qxg6#)

1...Qd5[a] 2.Qxd5#[E]
1...Re5[b] 2.Sg3#[D]
1...Re6/Rf8[c]/Rg8[c] 2.Qxe6#[G]
1...Ra5[d] 2.Qc4#[F]
1...Rd4[e] 2.Re3#[B]
1...Sf4[f] 2.Qxf4#[H]
1...Qc6 2.Bxc6#

Ideal Rukhlis. Stocchi.

Josef Weisel (14-02-1939) Israeli composer

Josef Weisel has a s#4 published in the FIDE Album

Weisel, Josef
problem (Zagreb) 1960
1^st Prize

s#3

11 + 11

Show Solution

1.Rc1 ! ZZ

1...Sf6 2.Sxe7+ Kd8 3.Sd5 Qg2/g2#
1...Sd6 2.Sxd4+ Kd8/Sc4 3.Sf3 Qg2/g2#

Surprising pinnings of the black S on 2 different lines.