February 22nd

Edith Elina Helen Baird - née Winter-Wood (22-02-1859 - 01-02-1924) British composer

Edith Baird
[Wikipedia]

Edith Baird is renowned for her works (a total of 2000 problems) as well as for the books she wrote : "Seven Hundred Chess Problems" in 1902 (which can be downloaded here) and "The Twentieth Century Retractor" in 1907.


Let's quote the justifiably proud ChessDevon website [broken link]:

In 1893, for instance, she entered The Hackney Mercury 3-mover tournament, with a limit of 6 pieces. Most of the great composers of the time had entered, - B. G. Laws, P. H. Williams and James Raynor among them, but she won 1st prize. As one American critic observed, "The fact that the tourney assumed an almost international character rendered the triumph of the distinguished lady victor as noteworthy as it was creditable".

Here is this first prize: 

Baird, Edith Elina Helen
Hackney Mercury, 1893
1^st Prize

#3

5 + 1

Show Solution

1.Qg7 ! (2.Qc7#)

1...Kc6 2.c5 Kxc5 3.Qc7#
1...Kxc4 2.Qd4+ Kb3 3.Qb4#
1...Kb6 2.Sb5 Ka6/Ka5, Kc6/Kc5 3.Qa7, Qc7#
1...Kd6 2.Sb5+ Ke6, Kc7/Kc5 3.Sd4, Qc7#

Alexander Henry Robbins (22-02-1846 - 21-02-1906) American composer

Robbins, Alexander Henry
Southern Trade Gazette, 1885
Prize

#2

8 + 7

Show Solution

1.Qc3! ZZ and you can check that there is a mate on every black move.

Harald Prokubek (22-02-1933) German composer

Prokubek mostly composes longer direct mates. This shorter one is however more aesthetic:

Prokubek, Harald
Freie Presse, 1993 (3279)
2^nd HM

#3

7 + 7

Show Solution

1.Rc8 ! (2.Qe3+ Kc4 3.Sxd6#)

1...Kc4 2.Qe2+ Kxc3, Kc5 3.Sxd5, Sd7#
1...Be4 2.Qf1+ Kxc3+ 3.Sxe4#
1...Qc5 2.Qd2+ Kc4 3.Sxd6#

Chameleon echo pin mates.

Werner Keym (22-02-1942) German composer

Werner Keym, Andernach 2006
[Marco Bonavoglia]

Werner Keym is very interested in retro problems - he has written a book "Eigenartige Schachprobleme" about them.
The chess problem fan will learn valuable info about Partial Retrograde Analysis and Retro Strategy in Werner's article "Castling and En-passant capture in the Codex 2009".
Werner Keym also has a pet theme. You will discover it by solving the two retro problems below:

Keym, Werner
Die Schwalbe, 2005
Special HM

#2*

6 + 6

Show Solution

Set play:
1...Sxf2/Sc3 2.g6# or 1...b1=R/b1=S 2.Rc2#

1.O-O ! (2.g6#)

1...f5 2.gxf6 e.p.#
1...b1=S 2.Rc2#

Castle + en passant + promotion = Valladao task.

Keym, Werner
6273 Problemkiste 155 10/2004

(-3) & #1 Proca Retractor

5 + 2

Show Solution

1. e5xf6 e.p. f7-f5 2. Ka8xRb7 0-0+ 3. g4-g5 and 1. c8=Q#
The reader may wonder: why decapturing the black Rook on b7? If White retracts 2.Ka8-b7 without decapture, then Black has no retro move after 2...0-0+ 3.g4-g5 and the position is illegal.
Again the Valladao task.

Keym, Werner
Die Zeit 31.12.2020

#2

5 + 1

Show Solution

1.Qe5? Kxd7/Kxf7 2.e8Q#
The last move, however, cannot have been made by Black.
So Black is to play:
0...Kxd7/Kxf7! 1.e8Q+! Kd6/Kf6 2.Q2e5#
Change of key move and mating move (Qe5/e8Q).
According to the author, it is the only existing dualfree symmetrical six men problem with unconventional first move.