March 15th

Niels Rutberg (15-03-1899 - 07-10-1953) Swedish composer

Problem, September 1969
[Thanks to Александр Никитин]

Niels Rutberg was a fine composer (7 points in FIDE Album). He was able to show three different variations in #4 with only 5 pieces!

Rutberg, Niels
Nya Dagligt Allehanda, 1922

#4

3 + 2

Show Solution

1.Kb3 ! ZZ

1...Sc3 2.Kxc3 Kb1, Ka2 3.Ra5, Re1 Kc1,Ka3 4.Ra1#
1...Sa3 2.Kxa3 Kb1 3.Rc5 Ka1 4.Rc1#
1...Sd2+ 2.Kc2 (3.Ra5#)

• 2...Sb1 3.Ra5+ Sa3+ 4.Rxa3#
• 2...Sc4 3.dxc4 ~ 4.Ra5#
• 2...Sb3 3.Kxb3 ~ 4.Re1#

Daniel Itzhaki (15-03-1913) Israeli composer

Daniel Itzhaki is reknown as a problemist who composes only Babson tasks. One of his most outstanding achievements is

Itzhaki, Daniel
feenschach, 1987
1^st Prize

s#4

Maximummer Circe

7 + 13

Show Solution

1.Sd3+ !

1...dxc1=Q 2.gxxf8=S [+bSb8] Qh6 3.Sf4 Qa6 4.Se6 Qd6#
1...dxc1=S 2.gxf8=R [+bSb8] threat: 3.Rxb8 (4.Rb3+ Sxb3#)
1...dxc1=R 2.gxf8=Q [+bSb8] Rxh1 [+wBf1] 3.Qd6 Rxh5 [+wPh2]+ 4.Qd5 Rxd5 [+wQd1]#
1...dxc1=B 2.gxf8=B [+bSb8] Bh6 3.Bd6 Bc1 4.Bf4 Be3#

Babson Task.

Jacobus Theodorus Sanderse (15-03-1921 - 05-07-1989) Dutch composer

Jacobus Sanderse was a Dutch composer able to tackle all genres.
132 of his studies and problems can be seen on this site.
We select a simple classic - probably the most economical helpmate in which bK gets mated in two opposite corners

Sanderse, Jacobus Theodorus
Festgrüße 1969/70

h#6

b) bKg3-->h1

2 + 2

Show Solution

a) 1.Kg3-f4 Kd4-d3 2.Kf4-e5 c2-c4 3.Ke5-d6 c4-c5+ 4.Kd6-c7 c5-c6 5.Kc7-b8 c6-c7 + 6.Kb8-a8 c7-c8=Q#
b) 1.a7-a5 c2-c4 2.a5-a4 c4-c5 3.a4-a3 c5-c6 4.a3-a2 c6-c7 5.a2-a1=R c7-c8=Q 6.Ra1-g1 Qc8-h3#

Herbert Kromath (15-03-1934) German composer

Herbert Kromath
Verlag Waldkirch

Our thanks to Dr. S. Dowd for this information:

Herbert Kromath and Heinz Zander corresponded and composed together in the 1960s, according to Zander's book. Kromath was very enthusiastic and considered himself a member of the "school" of Dr. Ernst Bachl of Worms, and saw the modern three-mover as the pinnacle of problem chess. Kromath quit problem chess suddenly right after organizing the 1967 Schwalbe convention in Mannheim.

Herbert Kromath has original ideas: who would think that the best second move in a #3 would be to unpin a black piece which was just selfpinned?

Kromath, Herbert
Schach-Echo, 1964
2^nd Prize

#3

7 + 5

Show Solution

1.Sed6? (2.Sb5#) but 1...Rf7!

1.Qd8! (2.Sc3, B~+)

1...Rxd5 2.Sed6 (3.Sb5#) Rxd3/Rxd6 3.Qh4/Qxd6#
1...Rxd3 2.Sed2 (3.Sb3#) Rxd2+/Rxd5 3.Rxd2/Qh4#
1...Rf8 2.Qd6 (3.Qe5,Qxc5,B~#)

Logical threemover.

Рашид Кабирович Хатямов (15-03-1943 - 06-12-2007) Russian composer (Rashid Kabirovich Khatiamov)

Хатямов, Рашид Кабирович
Уральский проблемист 1999
1^st Prize

h#5

b) bPa6->h2           c) bBa3->c5

2 + 8

Show Solution

a) 1.Kf4 Sf6 2.Kg3 Kxd4 3.Kh2 Kxe3 4.Rc3+ Kf2 5.Rh3 Sg4#
b) 1.Rc8 Sc5 2.Kd6 Kc4 3.Kc7 Kb5 4.Kb8 Kb6 5.Qa8 Sd7#
c) 1.Kf4 Sxc5 2.Kf3 Kxd4 3.Ke2 Sa4 4.Kd1 Kd3 5.Qe1 Sb2#

Chameleon echo mates.

Jozef Ložek (15-03-1959) Slovak composer

Jozef Ložek
[www.goja.szm.com]

Jozef Ložek composes mainly twomovers.

Ložek, Jozef
Torre & Cavallo - Scacco!
Jun 2001

h#2

Duplex b) wKe4<->bKc5  2.1.1.1

3 + 3

Show Solution

a) Diagram

1.Be6 Rb6 2.Bc4 Be3#
Duplex: 1.Bc3 Rf3 2.Be5 Bc6#

b) wKe4<->bKc5

1.Rf4 Rb3 2.Bf5 Re3# & 1.Ke5 Bg5 2.Rf5 Re1#
Duplex: 1.Rb5 Rf6 2.Bb4 Rc6# & 1.Kc4 Ba4 2.Rb4 Rc8#

Златко Михаjлоски (15-03-1946) Macedonian composer and International Master (Zlatko Mihajloski)

Zlatko Mihajloski
[ARVES.org]

Zlatko Mihajloski started with problem chess in 1964 together with Boško Milošeski. He composes in all genres with a preference for long helpmate problems and studies. He has composed about 1300 problems and studies, and received the IM title in 2018.
More about his studies on the ARVES webpage.
He is an International Judge.

Михаjлоски, Златко
1st Prize Kotelec 1991

h#2

2.1.1.1

9 + 9

Show Solution

1.♖×d5 ♖d1 2.♔×d6 b5#
1.♘×g4 ♕h3 2.♔×e6 ♔d4#
Nice play with two masked half-batteries and anticipatory self-pin.

And finally, Jozsef Simon (15-03-1953) is a Romanian solver from Miercurea Ciuc and had very good solving results in the tourneys organized by Revista Romana de Sah.