Chess Composers: November 19th

Sunday, November 18, 2012

November 19th

Frank Healey (19-11-1828 - 17-02-1906) British composer

Frank Healey
[Wikipedia]

Frank Healey is remembered for his amazing problems, compiled in "A collection of 200 chess problems" (1866) which can be downloaded and read from here.
In Healey's own words:

“Problems are indeed the poetry of chess. The same depth of imagination, the same quick perception of the beautiful, the same fecundity of invention, which we demand from the poet, are to be found, under a different form, in the humble labours of the problematist. Surely, without pressing the analogy too far, we may say that the thirty-two pieces form the alphabet of the composer, while the Chess board is the paper, and the positions finally resulting may be fairly likened to so many stanzas.”

Die Schwalbe presented one of his problems as a precursor of the Plachutta theme.
One of Healey's problems in particular spectacularly presented the clearance that was named Bristol theme, after the tourney won by the problem:

Healey, Frank
Bristol-Turnier, 1861 (1)
1^st Prize

12 + 7

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This twomover is also famous:

Healey, Frank
Chess Monthly, 1885
1^st Prize

10 + 9

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José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera (19-11-1888 - 08-03-1942) Cuban composer

José Raúl Capablanca
[Wikipedia]

José Raúl Capablanca is known for his exploits as a chess world champion and for his natural talent, but he also wrote a chess handbook "Chess Fundamentals" which included some didactic endgame studies such as this one.
The following position arose during an analysis of a game with Emanuel Lasker:

Capablanca Y Graupera, José Raúl & Lasker, Emanuel
Vossische Zeitung, 1914

4 + 4

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Tomislav Petrović (19-11-1931 - 01-10-2019) Serbian composer

Tomislav Petrović
[Beochess.rs]

Tomislav Petrović wrote "Kings & Pawns" featuring only problems with Kings and Pawns in 1996. He composes direct mates, series problems and helpmates, especially with a retro content.

Petrović, Tomislav
Mat Plus, 1994
2^nd Prize

s#18

6 + 7

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Jean Lochet (19-11-1940) French composer

Jean Lochet was a specialist in strategic three-movers and more-ultiple movers. He was the columnist at the problem’s sections of "Europe-Echecs" for a few years.
Alain Biénabe and Jean Lochet initiated together the website and online magazine Problemiste.

Lochet, Jean
Die Schwalbe, 1975 (1490)

8 + 6

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Gerhard Maleika (19-11-1951) German composer and International Master

Gerhard Maleika is a twomover specialist (#2 or =2) who mostly enjoys modern cyclic themes and non-standard ideas. For instance this twomover with 8 solutions:

Maleika, Gerhard
idee & form, 2000
1^st Prize