November 12th

Арвид Иванови Куббель (12-11-1889 - 11-01-1938) Russian composer (Arvid Ivanovich Kubbel)

Arvid Kubbel
[Wikipedia]

Arvid Kubbel was Evgeny and Leonid Kubbel's brother and like them he was a chess player and composer. He composed problems and studies, mostly Bohemian threemovers.

Куббель, Арвид Иванович
Neue Leipziger Zeitung, 1933
2^nd Prize

#3

7 + 6

Show Solution

1.Se8-d6 ! (2.Qg4-g5+ Ke5-d4 3.Sc7-b5#)

1...Sg1-f3 2.Qg4-g7+ Ke5-f4 3.Sc7-d5#
1...Ke5-f6 2.Sc7-d5+ Kf6-e5 3.Qg4-e4#
1...Sd8-e6 2.Qg4-g3+ Ke5-f6, Ke5-d4, Se6-f4 3.Sc7-d5, c2-c3, Qg3-c3/Qg3-g7#
1...Sd8-f7 2.Sd6-c4+ Ke5-f6 3.Sc7-d5#

Model mates

John Hugh Barrow (12-11-1890 - 14-05-1943) British composer

John Barrow composed direct mates and helpmates.

Barrow, John Hugh
Grantham Journal, 1926
1^st Prize

#2

7 + 5

Show Solution

1.Be5! (2.Qb5#)

1...Kxe5 2.Qc5#
1...Bxe5 2.Be4#
1...Sxe5 2.Sf4#
1...Rxe5 2.Rd1#

Novotny, Stocchi.
Elegant pawnless problem.

Barrow, John Hugh
Western Morning News, 1927
1^st Prize

#3

8 + 11

Show Solution

1.Rf5-f4 ! (2.Rf4xh4+ Bg5xh4 3.g2-g4#)
1...e5-e4 2.Kc2xc1 (3.Qa4-d1#) 2...e4-e3 3.Rf4xh4#
Selfpin of bBg5, selfpin of wRf4 followed by unpin of wRf4.
Secondary variation:
1...e5xf4/Bg5xf4 2.Se6xf4+ Kh5-g4 3.Qa4-d7#

József Bajtay (12-11-1902 - 26-04-1988) Hungarian composer

József Bajtay
[magyarsakkszerzok]

József Bajtay has composed in all genres but preferred helpmates. He gave his name to a helpmate theme.
Bajtay theme: at the first move, Black selfpins a unit. Then White unpins it, selfpinning another unit. The black unpinned unit then unpins the pinned White piece, which mates the black King (example here).

Bajtay, József
Memorial Havel, 1960-61

h#2

2.1.1.1

5 + 8

Show Solution

1.Bf4-d6 Rg3-c3 2.Ke7-f6 Rc3-c7#
1.Sb7-d6 Rg3-g4 2.Ke7-e6 Rg4xg7#
Anticipatory selfpins, white battery creation.

Charles Wermelinger (12-11-1922 - 03-2008) French composer

Charles Wermelinger
[Problem 31-32 1955 page 286]

Charles Wermelinger was an excellent composer who beat all records of the "Europe-Echecs" solving competition. He was an International Judge and the moremovers editor of French magazine "Diagrammes".
He composed direct mates, helpmates and retro problems.

Wermelinger, Charles
L'Echiquier de France, 1956
1^st Prize

h#2

b) bRh6 c) bBh6 d) bSh6

7 + 3

Show Solution

a) 1.Qxf4 Sd2 2.Qd4 Sf1#
b) 1. Rh2 Sd4 2. Rd2 Sxf5#
c) 1. Bg5 Bh2 2. Bxf4 Bg1#
d) 1. Sg4 Be1 2. Sf2 Bd2#
Forsberg twins.
Two pairs of variations (wS moves vs wB moves) with black selfblocks on squares d2-d4-f2-f4.

Wermelinger, Charles
A. Grünenwald MT diagrammes, Mar 2001
4^th Prize

s#7

2.1.1... Maximummer a8: Grasshopper

2 + 4

Show Solution

1.Sa3! Ga2 2.Sc4 Gd5 3.Se5 Gf5 4.Sf3 Gf2 5.Sg5 Kg8 6.Sf7 Gf8 7.Sg5 Gh8#
1.Sa5! Ga4 2.Sc6 Gd7 3.Sd4 Gd3 4.Se2 Gf1 5.Sg1 Gh1 6.Sh3 Gh4 7.Sg5 Gf6#

Ion Murăraşu (12-11-1955 - 31-12-2010) Romanian composer

Ion Murăraşu collaborated with both Romanian magazines "Buletin Problemistic" and "Quartz". He was very much appreciated for his excellent technique and his availability to help beginners. This is also why he composed many problems in collaboration with other composers. He met success in all genres of composition.

Murăraşu, Ion
The Problemist, 1998
2^nd Prize

h#2

b) wSe5->a4 c) wBd4->h8 d) wBd4->f8

7 + 13

Show Solution

a) 1. dxe5 Bxb5 2. exd4 Bc4#
b) 1. Kxd4 Re5 2. Kxd3 Rd5#
c) 1. Bxd3 Sxd3 2. Rxe6 Sxb4#
d) 1. Kxe6 Bc4+ 2. Kxe5 Bg7#
Cyclic Zilahi, where all white thematic pieces (wBd3, wBd4, wSe5, wRe6) are successively captured at the 1st move, at the 2nd move, or give mate.

Murăraşu, Ion
idee & form, Oct 2000 (68/1272)
1^st Prize

h#3

b) wBh7 c) wSh7

6 + 13

Show Solution

a) 1. Kc5 Qxd6+ 2. Kxd6 Rxe7 3. Qc5 Rxe6#
b) 1. c6 Qxd5+ 2. Kxd5 Bg8 3. Qc5 Bxe6#
c) 1. Qc3 Qxd4 2. Kxd4 Sf8 3. Sc4 Sxe6#
Forsberg twins, mate on the same square. Kniest theme three times by the wQ.

Геннадий Владимирович Козюра (12-11-1955 - 30-12-2023) Ukrainian composer and Grandmaster (Gennady Vladimirovich Kozyura)

Gennady Kozyura
[Grigory Popov]

Gennady Kozyura was an author of direct mates, helpmates and selfmates who started composing in 1975.

Козюра, Геннадій Володимирович
Юбилейный конкурс Лобусов-40, 1992
1^st-2^nd Prize

#3

6 + 6

Show Solution

1.Rb6-b5 ! (2.Qf5-f6+ Kh6xh5 3.g3-g4#)

1...Se2xg3 2.Qf5-f4+ Kh6xh5 3.Be6xf7#
1...f7xe6 2.Qf5xh7+ Kh6-g5 3.Qh7-g6#

Model mates with pin.

Козюра, Геннадій Володимирович
Уральский проблемист 1998
2^nd HM

s#3

10 + 8

Show Solution

1.Be4-d3 ! (2.Se3-c4+ Kc5-d5 3.Sc4xb6+ a7xb6#)

1...a7-a6 2.Qf6-e5+ Kc5-c6 3.Bd3xb5+ a6xb5#
1...a7-a5 2.Se3-c2+ Kc5-d5 3.Sc2xb4+ a5xb4#

Echo variations trigger the Rook-pawn battery.