March 14th

Giorgio Guidelli (14-03-1897 - 03-06-1924) Italian composer

Giorgio Guidelli
[Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery]

Member of the "Good Companion" and champion of it in 1917, Giorgio Guidelli published more than 400 problems in 2 moves. 70 of these problems are included in Alain C. White's Christmas Series "The Good Companion Twomover" (1922). Guidelli was one of the very best twomover composers of the time.
A few details can be read on Wikipedia (Italian).

Let's start with an easy one:

Guidelli, Giorgio
The Observer, 1923

#2

7 + 8

Show Solution

1.Qb2! (2.Qf2#)

1...Rd5/Rd4/Rxd3/Rd8/Re7 2.Be7#
1...Rc7 2.Rc5#
1...Rd6 2.Rd5#
Black correction by the black Rook.
1...Sd6 2.Rb5#
1...Qxe5 2.Qxe5#
1...g6 2.Rf5#
1...g5 2.R5e6#

This one is more serious:

Guidelli, Giorgio
L'Eco degli Scacchi, 1916
2^nd Prize

#2

9 + 10

Show Solution

1.Kf7! (2.Qb8#)

1...Ke5 2.Sc4#
1...e5+ 2.S7d5#
1...Bg5+/Bg7+/Bh8+ 2.S3f5#
1...Be5+ 2.S7f5#
1...Bxe7+ 2.Bxf4#

Black correction (by the black Bishop), cross-checks, Jerrard (Black half-pin in which each half-pinned piece gives an indirect check), pin mates, direct selfpin.
A remarkable blend of Good Companion themes follow a remarkable key.

Алексей Алексеевич Троицкий (14-03-1866 - 14-08-1942) Russian composer (Aleksey Aleksandrovich Troitzky)

Aleksey Troitzky
[Wikipedia]

Russian study composer Troitzky was a great specialist of the artistic endgame study. He wrote a memorable and ground-breaking article in 1910 in newspaper Niva where he defined the rules of artistic endgame study composition.

He composed about 2000 endgames studies, of which 500 were reproduced in his book "500 Endspielschachstudien" (1924). He died during the Leningrad siege, like the Kubbel brothers.

One of his most famous works involves analyzing the endgame with two knights versus a pawn.

Троицкий, Алексей Алексеевич
Шахматы в СССР 1934
5^th Prize

+

4 + 4

Show Solution

1. Rb5+ Sb6
{1... Ka7 2. Ra5+ Kb8 3. Ra8#}
2. Bxb6
{2. Rxb6+ Kc8 3. Bf6 Rh2+}
2... Rh2+ 3. Kg4 Rxh1 4. Bg1+ Kc7 5. Rb1
{The black Rook is imprisoned}
5... Kd7 6. Re1 Kc6 7. Rd1 Kb5 8. Rc1 Ka4 9. Rb1 and the black King is forced to move to a dark square 9...Ka3/Ka5 followed by 10.Bc5/Bb6+ and the black Rook is captured.

Waldemar Tura (14-03-1942) Polish composer and Grandmaster

Waldemar Tura
[goja.sk]

Waldemar Tura is the author of more than 300 problems and has a marked preference for short selfmates, but he was also very successful in threemovers. He has been International Judge since 1988.

The theme christened after him is thus defined:
Reciprocal change of continuations with interchange of the 2nd and 3rd white moves.

Tura, Waldemar
Sakkelet, 1993 (10-11/5894)
3^rd Prize

#3

b) wQa1->e7

9 + 11

Show Solution

a) 1.Qc1! (2.Bxd3+ Kxd3 3.Qxc2#)

1...Rxe3 a 2.Bg2+ A Rf3 3.Sc3# B
1...Rxf4 b 2.Sc3+ B Kf3 3.Bg2# A

b) 1.Qg5! (2.Qg6+ Sf5 3.Qxf5#)

1...Rxe3 a 2.Sc3+ B Kf3 3.Bg2# A
1...Rxf4 b 2.Bg2+ A Rf3 3.Sc3# B

Tura theme.

Рашид Р. Усманов (14-03-1961) Russian composer (Rashid Usmanov)

Rashid Usmanov

Усманов, Рашид Р.
Uralski Problemist, 2006
1^st Prize

h#3

4.1.1...

3 + 15

Show Solution

1.Rg6 Rxf3 2.Rf4 Bxd6 3.Kf5 Rxf4#
1.d5 Bb8 2.Qc7 Rf4+ 3.Ke5 Bxc7#
1.exf5 Bf6 2.Kf4 Bxe7 3.Be4 Bxd6#
1.dxe5 Rf7 2.Kd4 Rxe7 3.Re4 Rd7#

Two pairs of matched solution (Helpmate Of The Future).
Zilahi, Maslar, Chumakov (Two pieces captured in one phase self-block in another phase).

János Csák (14-03-1949) Hungarian composer and Grandmaster

János Csák
[magyarsakkszeerzok]

He has composed over 900 problems and is a specialist of helpmates and selfmates.
János Csák wrote a booklet "115 Chess Problems" in 1995.

Csák, János
Schach-Aktiv, 1996
3^rd Prize

h#4

3 + 16

Show Solution

1.Rxc3+ Kxc3 2.Qe1 Kc2 3.Ke2 Kxb2 4.Kd1 Sc3#
1.Bxd5+ Kxd5 2.Sg3 Kxd6 3.Kf4 Ke6 4.Qf3 Sd5#

Zilahi.

Csák, János
The Problemist, 2001 (H2512)
Special Prize

h#4

2 solutions

3 + 13

Show Solution

1.Rg7 Sc5+ 2.Kd4 Sxd7 3.Qa3+ Sc5 4.Qd3 Se6#
1.Be8 Sf4+ 2.Kd4 Sxg6 3.Qf1+ Sf4 4.Qd3 Se6#

Rundlaufs of the wS motivated by the annihilation of a black piece guarding e6.

Alfred Olaf Karlström (14-03-1907 - 03-06-1967) Norwegian composer

Alfred Olaf Karlström was a twomover specialist but he nonetheless composed in all genres.

Karlström, Alfred Olaf
Die Schwalbe, 1940

#13

3 + 10

Show Solution

1. Ra2 ! (2. Bxb6+ Kb8 3.Bc7#)
1...Bh2 2. Bxb6+ Kb8 3. Ba7+ Ka8 4. Bxc5+ Kb8 5. Ba7+ Ka8 6. Bxd4+ Kb8 7. Ba7+ Ka8 8. Bxe3+ Kb8 9. Ba7+ Ka8 10. Bxf2+ Kb8 11. Ba7+ Ka8 12. Bg1+! Kb8 13. Bxh2#
The white windmill works perfectly.

Arno Tüngler (14-03-1959) German composer and International Master

Arno Tüngler is a nowadays a fairy problem specialist, but he started with direct mates and helpmates, as many others. He has registered his most brilliant successes with series helpmates. Two of them have been chosen below, but his Andernach 1988 prize-winning Madrasi moremover is also worth a look.

Tüngler, Arno
Feenschach J.T. 1999
2^nd Prize

ser-h#6

b) wPf2->f4

6 + 12

Show Solution

a) 1.Rxg4 2.Rxe4 3.Rc3 4.Bd5 5.Rf4 6.Be4 Rxc3#
b) 1.g1=B 2.Be3 3.Bd5 4.Rc3 5.Bf2 6.Re3 Bxd5#

Unpins, selfpins, pin mates. Cycle of unpinning.

Tüngler, Arno
Die Schwalbe, 1978
3^rd Prize

sh#5

2.1.1...

5 + 5

Show Solution

1. Ke6 2. Se4 3. S2g3 4. Ke5 5. Re6 Bxg3#
1. Kd6 2. Sf4 3. Sge2 4. Ke5 5. Rd6 Rxe2#

The 2 black Ss reciprocally unpin each other in the two solutions.
The diagonal-orthogonal correspondence is seamless.

Yuji Kikuta (14-03-1971) Japanese composer ( 菊田 裕司 )

Yuji Kikuta

Yuji Kikuta is a Shogi and chess composer and solver (and very strong Shogi player - 6 Dan). He participated to a few World Chess Composition Congresses and also occasionally judged the traditional Sake Tourney together with Tadashi Wakashima. He is the direct mate editor of the Japanese problem review Problem Paradise.

Kikuta, Yuji
2^nd Tzuica Tourney, Halkidiki, 2004
Commendation

hs#5

4 + 4

Show Solution

1. g8=B f3 2. h8=R f2 3. Rh7 f1=S 4. Bd5 c1=Q 5. Bc6+ Qxc6#
A nice and clean AUW.