March 9th

Григорий Яковлевич Левенфиш (09-03-1889- 09-02-1961) Russian player and composer (Grigory Yakovlevich Levenfish)

Grigori Levenfish [Wikipedia]

Grigory Yakovlevich Levenfish was a leading Russian chess grandmaster of the 1920s and 1930s. He was twice Soviet champion. Here for more details about his chess career.
Grigory Levenfish composed endgame studies with Vasili Smyslov and he also wrote "Rook Endings" together with the former World Champion (Smyslov admitted that all of the hard work was carried out by Levenfish.)
We have selected a game-like study from that book:

Смыслов, Василий Васильевич & Левенфиш, Григорий Яковлевич
1957

+

Black to move

3 + 3

Show Solution

1... Rf4 2. Ke7 Re4+ 3. Kf6 (or 3.Kd6) Rf4+ 4. Ke6! and we're back to the position after Black's first move, but with Black to play.
4...Kh6 5. Ke7 Re4+ 6. Kf8 Kh7 7. Rh2+ Kg6 8. Kg8 Rf4 9. Rg2+ and wins.

Flórián János Kovács (09-03-1901 - 07-06-1967) Hungarian composer

Flórián János Kovács
[magyarsakkszerzok]

Kovács had a pleasant style and was rather solver-friendly, which does not mean at all that his works were tasteless:

Kovács, Flórián János
Géza Maróczy M.T. 1952
3^rd Prize

=

b) bSa1->b1

4 + 4

Show Solution

A) 1.fxe7+ Kxe7 2.d8Q+! Kxd8 (3....Qxd8 4.Bh4+) 3.Bb6! Qxb6 =
B) 1.d8Q+! Qxd8 2.fxe7+ Qxe7 (2... Kxe7 3.Bh4+) 3.Bc5! Qxc5 =

Kovács, Flórián János
Magyar Sakkvilág, 1949

#6

7 + 7

Show Solution

1.Bc1 !
threatening 2.Rg6+ Ke5 3.Rg5+ Kf6, Kd4 4.Se4/Rf5, Rd5#
and 2.Rf7+ Kg5 3.Rf5+ Kh6 4.Rh5# or 2...Ke5 3.Rf5+ Kd4 4.Rd5#
Two charming echo variations with far self-blocks:

1...Rxc5 2.Rg6+ Ke5 3.Re6+ Kd4 4.Re4+ Kc3 5.Rc4+ Rxc4 6.Sb5#
1...Re3 2.Rf7+ Ke5 (Kg5 3.Rf5+ Kh6 4.Rh5#) 3.Rf5+ Kd4 4.Rd5+ Kc3 5.Rd3+ Rxd3 6.Se2#

Jenő Bán (09-03-1919 - 12-11-1979) Hungarian player and composer

White wins
Jenő Bán
1^st Prize Tipografia 1961
[Wikipedia]

Show Solution of the Study

1.d6 Sf6 2.Kh2! Kg7 3.Kg1 Kh6 4.Kf1! Kg7 5.Ke1 Kh6 6.Kd1 Kg7 7.Kc2 Kh6 8.Kb2! Kg7 9.Ka3! Kh6 10.Kb4! +-

Jenő Bán mostly composed endgame studies and helpmates. He was one of the founders of the Hungarian magazine Magyar Sakkelet and was its chief editor for 30 years.

Jenő Bán [magyarsakkszerzok]

Bán, Jenő
Die Schwalbe, 1964

h#4

3 + 4

Show Solution

1.Re8+ Sfe7! 2.Kd4 Sh4 3.Ke3 Seg6 4.Re4 Sf5#
In the mate position, the white Knights have returned to their initial positions f5 and g6. Or have they? In fact, they have exchanged their positions g6<->f5 !

Lars Aksglæde Larsen (09-03-1919 - 27-03-2017) Danish composer and International Master

Lars Larsen [Problemskak.dk]

Lars Larsen was a composer of a remarkable longevity and also an International Judge. He was a specialist of two- and threemovers and has published more than 2200 problems, of which more than 100 Bohemians. He has also written many articles (his first article in 1940!), mainly in the now defunct magazine "Thema Danicum", replaced by "Problemskak".

Larsen, Lars
Magasinet, 1941
2^nd Prize

#3

9 + 10

Show Solution

1.Qe7 ! (2.Sd4+/Sg7+ Kf4 3.Qe3#)

1...Rxf2 2.Kc4 (3.Bh1/Bg2/Bf3#) 2...Rf4+, Kxf5 3.Sd4, Qg5#
1...Re2 2.Kb4 (3.Bh1/Bg2/Bf3#) 2...Re4+, Kxf5 3.Bc4, Qg5#
1...g3 2.f4+ Kxf5 3.Qg5#

Nice battery play.

Михаил Николов Попов (09-03-1930 - 16-01-1970) Bulgarian composer (Mikhail Nikolov Popov)

Mikhail Popov was a fairy composer who would have certainly composed many more interesting problems if he had lived longer.

Попов, Михаил Николов
Die Schwalbe, 1960

h=2*

4 + 3

Show Solution

Set play: 1...Sxh4 2.g3 Sf3 =
1.Rh6 Sxh6 2.Kg1 Sxg4 =

Model stalemates.

Валерий Анисимович Лисковец (09-03-1944) Belarusian composer (Valery Anisimovich Liskovets)

Valery Liskovets
[goja.sk]

Лисковец, Валерий Анисимович
Mat Plus, 2010 (37-38/1622)

hc#3.5

b) Move h8 g6

3 + 2

"hc" means Consequent helpmate: "Helpmate" stipulation but the legality of the position is reconsidered (it must be possible to obtain it from the game-array position, White and Black playing alternatively) after each move.

Show Solution

a) 1...Sf7 2.Rh1! Kf5 3.Rh8 Kg6 4.0-0! Sh6#
b) 1...Be5 2.Ra1! Kd5 3.Ra8 Kc6 4.0-0-0! Se7#

A lovely Tanagra showing both black castles.

Николай Васильевич Грива (09-03-1953) Ukrainian composer (Nikolay Vasilievich Griva)

Nikolay Griva
[goja.sk]

Грива, Микола Васильович
Springaren, 2003 (10291)

+

3 + 2

Show Solution

1.Qd5+ Kh8 2.Qd8+ Qg8 3.Qh4+ Kg7 4.Qg5! wins after the bK and bQ have exchanged places.

Klaus-Peter Zuncke (09-03-1954 - 15-11-2007) German composer

Klaus-Peter Zuncke
[Wikimedia]

Klaus-Peter Zuncke was specialised in three- and moremovers. He was a great expert of orthodox miniatures, had started a large collection of miniatures and was joined by Wolfgang A. Bruder for several years. His work was completed by Volker Felber and uploaded to the PDB.
Problems with symmetric position but asymmetric solution, which were fashionable in the 1920s and 1930s, were especially fascinating to him:

Zuncke, Klaus-Peter
Freie Presse, 7^th May 1982 (2358)
2^nd Prize

#7

4 + 3

Show Solution

1.Bc7! (2.Ra5 3.Ra6+ Qg5 3.Rxg5#)
1...Kf6 2.Bd8+ Kg6 3.Rbg5+ Qxg5 4.Rxg5+ Kh6 5.Kf7 6.Rg4 7.Rh4#
1.Bg7? would fail: the bK has too much room on the left side and is able to flee to the a-file.

Федір Михайлович Капустін (09-03-1956) Ukrainian composer (Fyodor Mikhailovich Kapustin)

Fyodor Kapustin
[Thanks to Александр Никитин ]

Капустін, Федір Михайлович
Hlas ľudu, 1992
Special Prize

#2

10 + 7

Show Solution

Set play:

1...Sfxd4, Scd4 2.Rf2#[A], Rb6#[B]
1...Sd8 2.cxd8Q#/cxd8B#
1...g5 2.Rf5#

Tries:
1.cxb8Q? (2.Qd6#/Qf4#)

1...Sfxd4, Scxd4 2.Rf2#[A], Rb6#[B]
1...Sd8/Sg5 2.Qf4#
1...Sce5/Se7/Sh4/Sfe5 2.Qd6#
1...g5 2.Qd6#/Rf5#
but 1...Sxb8!

1.Rb6[B]? (2.Rxc6#)

1...Sg5 2.d5#[C]
1...Se5 2.dxe5#[D]
but 1...Bxc7!

1.Rf2[A]? (2.Rxf3#)

1...Se5 2.dxe5#[D]
1...Se7 2.d5#[C]
but 1...Bxc7!

1.d5[C]! (2.Sd7#)

1...Ke5 2.Re2#
1...Sce5 2.Rb6#[B]
1...Sfe5 2.Rf2#[A]

Владіслав Володимирович Тарасюк (09-03-1968) Ukrainian composer and International Master (Vladislav Volodimirovich Tarasyuk)

Vladislav Tarasyuk
Kiev, Autumn 2011
[Thanks to Сережа Ткаченко]

Vladislav Tarasyuk composes studies and has become an International Judge in 2017.

Тарасюк, Владіслав Володимирович
Humor Tourney, 2005

+

7 + 3

Show Solution

1. Se5+ Qxe5
{1... Kc8 2. f8=Q+ Kb7 3. Bd5+ Kb6 4. Qb4+}
2. dxe5 h1=Q+ 3. Kg5
{3. Kg4 Qg2+ 4. Kh5 Qh3+ 5. Kg6 Qg4+ 6. Kh7 Qh5+ 7. Kg7 Qg5+ 8. Kh8 Qh6+ 9. Bh7 Qf8+ 10. Bg8 Qh6+}
3... Qg2+
{3... Qg1+ 4. Kh6 Qh2+ 5. Kg7 Qg3+ 6. Kh8 Qh4+ 7. Bh7 Qh6 8. e6+ Kd6 9. e7}
4. Kh6 Qh3+ 5. Kg7 Qg4+ 6. Kh8 Qh5+ 7. Bh7 Qxf7 8. e6+ Ke8
{8... Qxe6 9. fxe6+ Kxe6 10. Kg7}
9. Bg6
{9. exf7+? Kf8 10. Bg8/Bg6 stalemate 1}
9... Kf8 10. e7+
{10. Bxf7/exf7 stalemate 2)
10... Ke8 11. Bxf7+ +-

Emil Luukkonen (09-03-1888 - 14-11-1952) Finnish composer

Emil Luukkonen
[Suomen Shakki 2/1948]

Emil Luukkonen acting in the film "Ihmiset suviyössä" (1948)
[Source: elonet.finna.fi]

Emil Luukkonen was a theater director and actor. He was a founding member of the Finnish Chess Problemists Association. More details about his life can be read on Wikipedia or in Suomen Shakki 2/1948 where a small article was published in celebration of his 60^th birthday and 3 problems by Leo Valve, Jan Hannelius and I. Mäkihovi were dedicated to him.

He started composing chess problems in 1934. He composed direct mates and selfmates and sometimes endgame studies.
A twomover theme bears his name.
Luukkonen theme: In the set play several thematic defences are answered by one and the same mate. After the key of the solution the same mate is a threat, while thematic defences are followed by new and different mates.

You can find below an example of his theme and a threemover.

Luukkonen, Emil
Skakbladet, 1950

#2

8 + 12

Show Solution

Set play: all moves by ♘e5 lead to the same mate
1...♘d3 2.♕d6#
1...♘g4 2.♕d6#
1...♘×d7 2.♕d6#
1...♘×c6 2.♕d6#

1.♕×f6! (2.♕d6#)
The mate comes back as a threat after the key and all thematic defences are followed by different mates.
1...♘d3 2.♘×c3#
1...♘g4 2.♘f4#
1...♘×d7 2.♖×d7#
1...♘×c6 2.♗×c6#

Luukkonen, Emil
2^nd HM, Suomen Shakkiliitto, 1936

#3

7 + 9

Show Solution

1.♔×g6! (threatens 2.d5+ ♔e5 3.♗g3#)
1...b3 2.♗g4 ~ 3.♘×d3#
1...b5 2.♖c5 ~ 3.♖f5#
1...♘b6 2.♗f5 ~ 3.♘h5#
All black defences close a horizontal line for the black Rook and allow different mates.