January 19th

Roger Colas (19-01-1924 - 2003) French composer

Colas, Roger
Mémorial Camil SENECA Thèmes-64, 1978
2^nd HM

#6

14 + 12

Show Solution

1.Rh1 ! ZZ
1...c2 2.Bd1 cxd1=~Q 3.Qxd1 g4 4.Qg1 g3 5.Bxb6 Bxb6 6.Qxb6#
Consecutive white Bristols.

Another problem by Roger Colas is more representative of his predilect theme, the King's march:

Colas, Roger
Phénix, 1992 (R53 p.1830)

#8

7 + 6

Show Solution

1.Sf4! Kb4 2.Sd3+ Kc4
(2...Ka4? 3.Rc5 Ka3 4.Rxa5#)
3.R×a5 Kd4 4.Se5 Ke4 5.Sf3 Kf4 6.Sg5 Kg4 7.Se6 Kxh4 8.Ra4#
A long horizontal King march from a4 to h4.

Erwin Groß (19-01-1932 - 10-08-1993) German composer and FIDE Master

Groß, Erwin
Festival Ibero-Americano, Xeque ao Rei, 1984
1^st Prize, 1984-1985

#2

9 + 7

Show Solution

Set play:

1...Rc4[a]/Rb3/Ra3/Rxe3[b] 2.Qxc4#[A]
1...Qa5/Qa4[c]/Qa3/Qa1/Qd8/Qb7 2.Qb7#[B]
1...Nf3[d] 2.Qxf3#[E]
1...Nf5[e] 2.Qxf5#[D]
1...Re5/Bf4[f]/Bf8/Bxc5[f] 2.Rf4#[C]
1...Ng2/Ng6 2.Qf5#[D]/Qf3#[E]
1...Be7 2.Rf4#[C]/Qe6#

Try:
1.Rd1? (2.Rd4#)

1...Rc4[a] 2.Bd3#[F]/Qxc4#[A]
1...Rxe3[b] 2.Qc4#[A]
1...Qa4[c] 2.Qb7#[B]/Qd5#[G]
1...Nf3[d] 2.Qxf3#[E]/Qg6#[I]
1...Nf5[e] 2.Bg2#[J]/Qxf5#[D]
1...Bxc5[f] 2.Rf4#[C]/Qf4#[H]
1...Rd3 2.Bxd3#[F]
1...Qd5 2.Qxd5#[G]
but 1...Be5!

1.Rd2! (2.Rd4#)

1...Rc4[a]/Rd3 2.Bd3#[F]
1...Rxe3[b] 2.Rxe3#[K]
1...Qa4[c]/Qd5 2.Qd5#[G]
1...Nf3[d] 2.Qg6#[I]
1...Nf5[e] 2.Bg2#[J]
1...Bf4[f]/Bxc5[f] 2.Qxf4#[H]
1...Be5 2.Nf2#

Stocchi, changed mates

Анатолий А. Петров (19-01-1936) Russian composer (Anatoly A. Petrov)

Петров, Анатолий А.
Ideal-Mate Review, 1985
4^th Prize

h#5

2 solutions

2 + 3

Show Solution

1.Bd5 Kg3 2.Bb7 Kxf4 3.Ka7 Ke5 4.Kb8 Kd6 5.Kc8 Re8#
1.Rc4 Rxf7 2.Rc7 Kg4 3.Kb7 Kf5 4.Kc8 Ke6 5.Kd8 Rf8#

Chameleon echo mates, exchange of functions between bR and bB.
And of course ideal mates.

Rolf Wiehagen (19-01-1947 - 21-07-2026) German composer and FIDE Master

He composed more than 2000 problems, most of them helpmates. More than 800 of them received awards.

Wiehagen, Rolf
Schach, 1995
3^rd Prize

h#3.5

2 solutions

3 + 2

Show Solution

1...Ra4 2.Kf6 Bb4 3.Ke5 Kd2 4.Kd4 Bd6#
1...Rf1 2.Kg6 Kf2 3.Kf5 Ke2+ 4.Ke4 Rf4#

Battery creation, critical moves.

Another successful helpmate by Rolf:

Wiehagen, Rolf
Olympic tourney on chess problems composing Khanty - Mansiysk, 2010
5^th Place

h#3.5

2 solutions

3 + 8

Show Solution

1... Bd5+ 2.Ke7 Ba2 3.Qf5 Rb3 4.Ke7-e6 Re3#
1... Re5+ 2.Kf7 Re1 3.Rf5 Be2 4.Kf7-e6 Bc4#

The 2^nd Black move is not a repetition (the bK does not come from the same square).
The orthogonal-diagonal correspondence is excellent.

Владимир Григорьевич Савченко (19-01-1942 - 14-04-1983) Georgian-Ukrainian composer (Vladimir Grigorievich Savchenko)

Vladimir Grigorievich Savchenko
(© "Problem". 1979. № 88-193. P. 210-211)
[Thanks to Александр Никитин]

Савченко, Владимир Григорьевич
H.Matisson-75 MT, 1971
1^st Prize

#3

10 + 10

Show Solution

1.Sd3! (2.Sxc5+ [A] Bxc5 3.Sc3# [B] or 2...Kxd5 3.Qxd4#)

1...Qxd5 2.Sc3+ [B] Bxc3 3.Qe3# [C]
1...Qb8 2.Qe3+ [C] Bxe3 3.Re5# [D]
1...Rb6 2.Re5+ [D] Bxe5 3.Sxc5# [A]

The cycle of white moves ABCD at the 2^nd and 3^rd moves is all the more impressive as the motivation for White's 2^nd move is the same (deflection of bBd4). The final aesthetic blow is the star of the black Bishop.

Фёдор Васильевич Давиденко (19-01-1952) Russian composer and International Master(Fyodor Vasilievich Davidenko)

Давиденко, Фёдор Васильевич
64-Шахматное обозрение 2003
1^st Prize

#4

7 + 13

Show Solution

1.Rh6 ! (2.Sxc5+ Rxc5 3.Bxf5+ Kxf5 4.Qg6#)

1...Sg3 2.Sg5+ Qxg5 3.Qxe5+ Kxe5 4.Re6#
1...Bc8 2.Qxd5+ Kxd5 3.Sc7+ Sxc7 4.Bc6#
1...Qxe6 2.Qxe6 (3.Qxf5#) Sg3 3.Qxe5+ Kxe5 4.Re6#
1...Qf6 2.Rxf6 (3.Sg5#) Rxc2 3.Sxc5+ Rxc5 4.Bxf5# (or 2...Bf4 3.Sg5+,Sxc5+)
1...Qg7+ 2.Sxg7 (3.Bxf5#) Sg3 3.Qxe5+ Kxe5 4.Re6# or 2...Bc8 3.Qxd5+ Kxd5 4.Bc6#

Reciprocal captures, multiple white sacrifices.
The amazing key allows a check by the bQ.

Давиденко, Фёдор Васильевич
Victory-60 JT, 2005
4^th Prize

h#3

4 solutions

3 + 7

Show Solution

1. Re4 Bb5 2. Kf5 Ra5 3. Bf6 Bd7#
1. Be4 Ra6 2. Bf3 Re6 3. Kg4 Rg6#
1. Bf7 Bc6 2. Kg6 Ra6 3. Bg5 Be4#
1. Bg3 Ra5 2. Kh4 Rf5 3. Kh3 Rxh5#

Four reciprocal B-R batteries.
In this excellent technical achievement, no move is repeated.

Николай Иванов Белухов (19-01-1990) Bulgarian composer and FIDE Master (Nikolay Ivanov Beluhov)

Nikolay Beluhov is a young and gifted mathematician (see his page on geometry.ru). He is also a great puzzle designer and runs a blog "Puzzled by Titles" where he presents puzzles of many different genres.
But he is also a retro problem composer who quickly rose to fame in 2010 with his 2nd place in the FIDE World Cup. More info about him on Kobulchess and on MatPlus Forum.

Белухов, Николай Иванов
2^nd Prize
StrateGems, 2012
Dedicated to Alexander Zolotarev

Release the position

14 + 14

Show Solution

The last 13.5 moves are completely determined. The following moves must be retracted:
1. ... Bh8xSg7+ 2. a7-a8=S Ra1-d1 3. a6-a7 Ra4-a1 4. a5-a6 Re4-a4 5. a4-a5 Re3-e4 6. e4-e5 Re5-b5 7. Bb4-e7 Re7-e5+ 8. Ba5-b4! g6-g5 9. Bd2xBa5 a6-a5 10. Bc1-d2 a7-a6 11. d2-d3 Sd3-e1 12. h5-h6 Sc5-d3 13. h4-h5 Se6-c5 14. Sf5-g7 Sg7-e6+ and for instance 15. Sd6-f5 Rd3-e3 16. Sf5-d6 Kg4-f4 17. Sd6-f5 Qg3-f3+
To see the animated solution, have a look at this PDB problem entry.