September 12th

Roland Lecomte (12-09-1925 - 02-10-2016) French composer

Roland Lecomte & Jean Morice
[Maroc-echecs]

Roland Lecomte was the editor of the chess column of the newspaper "Combat". He was an International Judge and a chess journalist for AFP.

Lecomte, Roland
StrateGems, 1999

h#3

4.1.1...

4 + 14

Show Solution

1.Kd6-e6+ Kb8-a8 2.Se7-d5 b7-b8=Q 3.Sh6-f7 Qb8-c8#
1.Kd6-d7+ Kb8-a8 2.Be5-b8 Ka8xb8 3.Se7-c8 b7xc8=Q#
1.Kd6-c6+ Kb8-a8 2.Se7-d5 b3xa4 3.Rg7-c7 b7-b8=S#
1.Kd6-d5+ Kb8-a8 2.Se7-c8 b7xc8=Q 3.Bh1-e4 Qc8-c4#
4 different promotions of wPb7 depending on the square where the bK goes.

Пётр Л. Макаренко (12-09-1927) Russian composer (Pyotr L. Makarenko)

Pyotr Makarenko composes direct mates and selfmates.

Макаренко, Пётр Л.
Mat-Pat, 1993
3^rd HM

s#2

8 + 12

Show Solution

1.Qc6-d5 ! (2.Re2xe3+ f4xe3#)
1...Rf6-c6 2.Qd5-c4+ Rc6xc4#
1...Sb8-c6 2.Qd5xd4+ Sc6xd4#
Two Dentist variations (A black piece indirectly unpins a white unit. Then, that white unit moves and the so created black battery plays.).
1...Sf2~ 2.Qd5-e4+ Ba8xe4#
1...Rf5xd5 2.Sa6-c5+ Rd5xc5#

Валерій Володимирович Копил (12-09-1957) Ukrainian composer and Grandmaster (Valery Volodimirovich Kopyl)

Valery Kopyl

Valery Kopyl composes direct mates, selfmates and helpmates. He is also Grandmaster for solving. His website can be found here.
Valery Kopyl will be present at the World Chess Composing Congress this week, as every year.

Копил, Валерій Володимирович
BIT, 2008 (983)
3^rd Prize

h#2

4.1...

7 + 10

Show Solution

1.Sd6 Rc3 2.Kxe5 Rxf3#
1.Sd5 Rc2 2.Kxe4 Rc4#
1.Bb7 Rc4 2.Bd5 exd5#
1.Re3 Rf1 2.Bg3+ fxg3#
2 pairs of white batteries.

Ladislav Packa (12-09-1958) Slovak composer and FIDE Master

Ladislav Packa, Marianka 2011
[Marianka 2011 Bulletin, thanks Dieter]

Ladislav Packa composes direct mates. He has become International Judge in 2017.

Packa, Ladislav
Match: Czechoslovakia - Israel, 1992
1^st Place

#2

13 + 10

Show Solution

Set play:
1...Sf4 2.Sc4#[A]
1...gxf3 2.Sd5#[B]
1...Sh1/Sh5/Sf1/Sf5 2.Sf5#
Try:
1.Rf8? (2.Sd5#[B])
1...Rxd3[a] 2.Sc4#[A]
1...Sf5 2.Sxf5# but 1...Sf4!
1.Qf6! (2.Sc4#[A])
1...Bxd3[b] 2.Sd5#[B]
1...Sf5 2.Sxf5#
1...gxf3 2.Qxf3#
Pseudo-Le Grand.

Андрей Евгеньевич Спирин (12-09-1961) Russian composer (Andrey Evgenyevich Spirin)

Andrey Spirin composes direct movers. He is interested in strategic combinations with promoted pieces.

Спирин, Андрей Евгеньевич
The Problemist, 2005
2^nd Prize

#4

10 + 12

Show Solution

1.f7-f8=R ! (2.Rc4xe4#)
1...Be5-d4 2.h7-h8=B ZZ
    2...Bd4-f6 3.Bh8xf6 ~ 4.Bf6-e5#
    2...Se4-f6 3.Rf8xf6 ~ 4.Rf6xf5#
These two variations explain the reason for the minor promotions in Rook or Bishop, which allow White raising the stalemate at the 3rd move.
Secondary variation:
1...Be5-f6 2.Ba1xf6 (3.Bf6-b2 ~ 4.Rc4xe4#) 2...a1=R/Q 3.Bf6xa1 ~ 4.Rc4xe4#

Александр Михайлович Михолап (12-09-1970) Belarusian composer (Aleksandr Mikhailovich Mikholap)

A.Mikholap, Poltava 2007

Aleksandr Mikholap composes in direct mates, helpmates and selfmates.
He will be present at the World Chess Composing Congress this week, as every year.

Михолап, Александр Михайлович
Информ-прогулка (Лунінец) 2003
3^rd-4^th Prize

#5

11 + 9

Show Solution

1.Re8-d8 ! (2.Re1-e4#)

1...Bb8-d6 2.Sd1-c3 (3.Sc3-b5#) 2...Ba8xc6/Sc8-a7 3.Sc3-e2+ Kd4-e5 4.d2-d4+ Ke5-f6 5.Rd8-f8#
1...Sc8-d6 2.Sd1-e3 (3.Se3-c2#) 2...Kd4-e5 3.Se3-c4+ Ke5-f4 4.Sc4-e5 (5.Sc5-d3#) or 3...Ke5-d4 4.Sc4-a3 (5.Sa3-c2#) 4...Sd6-e4 5.Re1xe4#

A recent success of the Belarusian team let by Aleksandr Mikholap:

Михолап, Александр Михайлович & Булавка, Александр Геннадьевич & Волчек, Виктор Фёдорович
8WCCT
1^st Place

s#3 vvv

13 + 13

Show Solution

Tries:
1.Sf4-e2 ? Sf1xg3 !
1.Sf4-h3 ? Bh2xg3 + !
1.Sf4-g6 ? Rg2xg3 !
Key:
1.Sf4-h5 ! ZZ

1...Bh2xg3+ 2.Ke5-f5+ Bg3-e5 3.Qf6-g5+ Rg2xg5#
1...Sf1xg3 2.Ke5-d5+ Sg3-e4 3.Qf6xc3+ Sb1xc3#
1...Rg2xg3 2.Qf6-h6+ Rg3-g5+ 3.Ke5-f6+ Bh2-e5#

A superb selfmate battery play.

Bojan Vučković (12-09-1980) Serbian composer

Bojan Vučković

Bojan Vučković is o.t.b. Grandmaster and also solving Grandmaster. He composes occasionally.

Vučković, Bojan
13.Sabra TT, 2010
5^th HM

h#2

3.1...

7 + 10

Show Solution

1.Sxe5 Qa5 2.Sd3 Bg2#
1.Bxe5 Qb8 2.Bd4 Sg3#
1.Rxe5 Qh8 2.Rf5 Sc3#
Echo mates and manoeuvres.

Éric Angelini (12-09-1951 - 27-09-2024) Belgian composer

Éric Angelini
Source

Éric Angelini had many passions: typography, maths, Oulipian literature but also chess problems.
His chess problems and chess-related ideas can be found on this page of his website or on his blog, for instance here for capped file or here for Modulo 7 chess.
His obituary in French can be read here.
The problem below is a good example of his wit.

Angelini, Éric
Europe Échecs, Apr 1990 (376/376/16)

Add a square, then #2

3 + 1

Show Solution

Add square e9!
1.Se9! Kxe9 2.Qc7#
Ingenious.