March 15th

Niels Rutberg (15-03-1899 - 07-10-1953) Swedish composer

Problem, September 1969
[Thanks to Александр Никитин]

Niels Rutberg was a fine composer (7 points in FIDE Album). He was able to show three different variations in #4 with only 5 pieces!

Rutberg, Niels
Nya Dagligt Allehanda, 1922

#4

3 + 2

Show Solution

1.Kb3 ! ZZ

1...Sc3 2.Kxc3 Kb1, Ka2 3.Ra5, Re1 Kc1,Ka3 4.Ra1#
1...Sa3 2.Kxa3 Kb1 3.Rc5 Ka1 4.Rc1#
1...Sd2+ 2.Kc2 (3.Ra5#)

• 2...Sb1 3.Ra5+ Sa3+ 4.Rxa3#
• 2...Sc4 3.dxc4 ~ 4.Ra5#
• 2...Sb3 3.Kxb3 ~ 4.Re1#

Daniel Itzhaki (15-03-1913) Israeli composer

Daniel Itzhaki is reknown as a problemist who composes only Babson tasks. One of his most outstanding achievements is

Itzhaki, Daniel
feenschach, 1987
1^st Prize

s#4

Maximummer Circe

7 + 13

Show Solution

1.Sd3+ !

1...dxc1=Q 2.gxxf8=S [+bSb8] Qh6 3.Sf4 Qa6 4.Se6 Qd6#
1...dxc1=S 2.gxf8=R [+bSb8] threat: 3.Rxb8 (4.Rb3+ Sxb3#)
1...dxc1=R 2.gxf8=Q [+bSb8] Rxh1 [+wBf1] 3.Qd6 Rxh5 [+wPh2]+ 4.Qd5 Rxd5 [+wQd1]#
1...dxc1=B 2.gxf8=B [+bSb8] Bh6 3.Bd6 Bc1 4.Bf4 Be3#

Babson Task.

Jacobus Theodorus Sanderse (15-03-1921 - 05-07-1989) Dutch composer

Jacobus Sanderse was a Dutch composer able to tackle all genres.
132 of his studies and problems can be seen on this site.
We select a simple classic - probably the most economical helpmate in which bK gets mated in two opposite corners

Sanderse, Jacobus Theodorus
Festgrüße 1969/70

h#6

b) bKg3-->h1

2 + 2

Show Solution

a) 1.Kg3-f4 Kd4-d3 2.Kf4-e5 c2-c4 3.Ke5-d6 c4-c5+ 4.Kd6-c7 c5-c6 5.Kc7-b8 c6-c7 + 6.Kb8-a8 c7-c8=Q#
b) 1.a7-a5 c2-c4 2.a5-a4 c4-c5 3.a4-a3 c5-c6 4.a3-a2 c6-c7 5.a2-a1=R c7-c8=Q 6.Ra1-g1 Qc8-h3#

Herbert Kromath (15-03-1934) German composer

Herbert Kromath
Verlag Waldkirch

Our thanks to Dr. S. Dowd for this information:

Herbert Kromath and Heinz Zander corresponded and composed together in the 1960s, according to Zander's book. Kromath was very enthusiastic and considered himself a member of the "school" of Dr. Ernst Bachl of Worms, and saw the modern three-mover as the pinnacle of problem chess. Kromath quit problem chess suddenly right after organizing the 1967 Schwalbe convention in Mannheim.

Herbert Kromath has original ideas: who would think that the best second move in a #3 would be to unpin a black piece which was just selfpinned?

Kromath, Herbert
Schach-Echo, 1964
2^nd Prize

#3

7 + 5

Show Solution

1.Sed6? (2.Sb5#) but 1...Rf7!

1.Qd8! (2.Sc3, B~+)

1...Rxd5 2.Sed6 (3.Sb5#) Rxd3/Rxd6 3.Qh4/Qxd6#
1...Rxd3 2.Sed2 (3.Sb3#) Rxd2+/Rxd5 3.Rxd2/Qh4#
1...Rf8 2.Qd6 (3.Qe5,Qxc5,B~#)

Logical threemover.

Рашид Кабирович Хатямов (15-03-1943 - 06-12-2007) Russian composer (Rashid Kabirovich Khatiamov)

Хатямов, Рашид Кабирович
Уральский проблемист 1999
1^st Prize

h#5

b) bPa6->h2           c) bBa3->c5

2 + 8

Show Solution

a) 1.Kf4 Sf6 2.Kg3 Kxd4 3.Kh2 Kxe3 4.Rc3+ Kf2 5.Rh3 Sg4#
b) 1.Rc8 Sc5 2.Kd6 Kc4 3.Kc7 Kb5 4.Kb8 Kb6 5.Qa8 Sd7#
c) 1.Kf4 Sxc5 2.Kf3 Kxd4 3.Ke2 Sa4 4.Kd1 Kd3 5.Qe1 Sb2#

Chameleon echo mates.

Jozef Ložek (15-03-1959) Slovak composer

Jozef Ložek
[www.goja.szm.com]

Jozef Ložek composes mainly twomovers.

Ložek, Jozef
Torre & Cavallo - Scacco!
Jun 2001

h#2

Duplex b) wKe4<->bKc5  2.1.1.1

3 + 3

Show Solution

a) Diagram

1.Be6 Rb6 2.Bc4 Be3#
Duplex: 1.Bc3 Rf3 2.Be5 Bc6#

b) wKe4<->bKc5

1.Rf4 Rb3 2.Bf5 Re3# & 1.Ke5 Bg5 2.Rf5 Re1#
Duplex: 1.Rb5 Rf6 2.Bb4 Rc6# & 1.Kc4 Ba4 2.Rb4 Rc8#

And finally, Jozsef Simon (15-03-1953) is a Romanian solver from Miercurea Ciuc and had very good solving results in the tourneys organized by Revista Romana de Sah.