May 1st

Авенир Николаевич Попандопуло (01-05-1920 - 24-05-1988) Russian composer and International Master (Avenir Nikolayevich Popandopulo)

Avenir Popandopulo Problem, February 1968 [Thanks to Александр Никитин ]

Avenir Popandopulo was also an International Judge. He composed about 300 strategic multimovers. About 100 of his problems can be found in R.Kofman's "Избранные композиции" (1985) together with works by Grin, Dombrovskis, Kofman and Kuznetsov. A nice obituary by Russian metal scientists in "Metal Science and Heat Treatment" (August 1988, Volume 30, Issue 8, p 637) had been made available for free on resources.metapress.com but is now on Springer.com.

Попандопуло, Авенир Николаевич
Magyar Sakkélet, 1965
2^nd Prize

#4

6 + 15

Show Solution

1.Bd8 ! (2.Bg5#)
1...Rc2/Rd3 2.Ra7 (3.Rxh7#) 2...Rc3/Rd4/Rb2 3.Bg7 (4.Bg7#)
1...Rb2/Rd4 2.Bf6 (3.Bg7#) 2...Rc2/Rd3/Re4 3.Ra7 (4.Rxh7#)

Руденко, Валентин Федорович & Попандопуло, Авенир Николаевич
2^nd WCCT, 1980
1^st Prize, 1980-1983

#6

11 + 14

Show Solution

1.Be5! (2.Kxf2 [3.Sf~#] Sh3+ 3.gxh3 [4.Sf~#])

1...Rxa7 2.Sxg7+ Ke3 3.Sf5+ Ke4 4.Sxe7+ Ke3 5.Sxd5+ Bxd5 6.Qxa7#
1...d4 2.Sxe7+ Ke3 3.Sf5+ Ke4 4.Sxg7+ Ke3 5.Sf5+ Ke4 6.Qxb7#
or 4...Kd5 5.Bf7+ Re6 6.Bxe6#
1...Sgh3 2.Sxh4+ Ke3 3.Sf5+ Ke4 4.Sxh6+ Ke3 5.Sg4+ Sxg4 6.Qxh3#

Secondary variation: 1....Sf3 2.gxf3+ Kxf3 3.Rxf2+ Kg4 4.Se3+ Kg3 5.f5+ Kh3 6.Rh2,Rf3# 4...Kh3 5.f5 [6.Rh2,Rf3#])
Siers battery, line opening by systematic annihilation of black pieces.