August 16th

Victor Holst (16-08-1844 - 25-03-1924) Danish composer

Victor Holst
[problemskak.dk]

Victor Holst composed direct mates and wrote some articles for "Skakbladet" at the beginning of the19th century. He was the problem editor of the "Familie-Journalen".
He gave his name to the Holst theme: a thematic try fails due to a black promotion; during the solution, White's foreplan forces the black pawn to make a promotion different from that in the try and then White can apply the main plan of the try, which now works.

Holst, Viktor
Husrennen, 1886

#3

5 + 9

Show Solution

Thematic try: 1. Kc4-c3 ? a2-a1=Q+!
1.Kc4-b3 ! (2.Sh3-g1+ Ke2-d2 3.Qa4-f4#)
1...a2-a1=S+ 2.Kb3-c3 (3.Qa4-g4# /Sh3-g1#)
Holst theme - its first realization.
Secondary variations:
1...Bh7-e4 2.Qa4xe4+
1...Ke2-d2 2.Qa4-a5+/Qa4-f4+/Qa4-b4+

May 11th

Emil Palkoska (11-05-1871 - 14-05-1955) Czech composer

Photograph from "Revista Romana de Sah", June 1928

Emil Palkoska was the author of more than 1200 problems in 3 or more moves in the Bohemian style and in the neo-Czech style.
He wrote with Alan C. White's Christmas Series "Schachprobleme Weiss: Dame und ein Läufer" (1911), "Idea a ekonomie v šachové úloze" in 1928 and "Idea a ekonomie v šachové úloze II" in 1947.
He was the editor of the problem column of the newspaper "Narodni Politika" during 38 years.

The two following problems have a feature in common:

Palkoska, Emil

In memoriam Dr. Jan Dobrusky
Časopis českých šachistů 1908

#6

7 + 6

Show Solution

1.Kh3 ! (2.b5#) Rxa3+ 2.Kh2 ! Rxh2+ 3.Kh3 Rh3+ 4.Ka4 Rh4 5.Ra1! (6.Rxa4#) 5..Rxa1 6.b5#
Several exposures to check in order to clear the a-file of all the superfluous white Pawns.

Palkoska, Emil
Tidskrift för Schack, 1921
1^st Prize

#3

5 + 7

Show Solution

1.Kb5 ! (2.Bf4+ / 2.Bc5+)

1...c6+ 2.Kxc4 Rh4+ 3.Bf4#
1...Rb8+ 2.Kc6 Rb6+ 3.Bxb6#

Once more exposure to check. The key is worthy of Sam Loyd's problems: the white King is exposed to check on the first move and incredibly in two variations on the second move.

April 16th

Esteban Puig y Puig (16-04-1878 - 29-01-1940) Spanish player and composer

Esteban Puig y Puig
[Ajedrez365]

Esteban Puig y Puig did not compose many problems, but he was a very good player. He founded the first Spanish chess column ("La Noticias") in 1909.  He was the first president of the SEPA (Spanish Problemists Association) and of the Catalan Chess Federation.
He wrote "Apuntes críticos sobre la obra 150 fins de partie de Mr. Henri Rinck, con una disertacion crítica sobre esta clase de composiciones" about Rinck's studies in 1908. In composing he favoured the "Good Companion" style.

Puig Y Puig, Esteban
4^th Concurso Nacional Español, 1920
1^st Prize

#2

7 + 12

Show Solution

1.Rd8! (2.Qd3#)

1...Re4 2.Qc8#
1...Sde4 2.Qf1#
1...Sge4 2.Qe6#
1...e4 2.Qd5#

(1...Rd4 2.Rc8#; 1...Qc3 2.Sa3#)