April 13th

Otto von Oppen (13-04-1783 - 13-04-1860) German composer

Otto von Oppen was the editor of the Deutsche Schachzeitung between 1849-1858 (as was Johann Berger between 1899-1916).

Von Oppen, Otto
Schachzeitung, 1848

#4

6 + 9

Show Solution

1.b7-b8=S + !
1...Re8xb8 2.Bd5-e6+ Kd7-c7 3.Qb5xb8+ Kc7xc6 4.Qb8-b6# or 2...Kd7-e8 3.Qb5xb8+ Sf7-d8 4.Qb8xd8# or 2...Kd7xe6 3.Qb5-f5+ Ke6xf5 4.Sc6-d4#
(1...Kd7-c7? 2.Qb5-b6+ Kc7-c8 3.Sc6-a7# or 1...Kd7-c8? 2.Sc6-a7+ Kc8-d8, Kc8-c7 3.Qb5-d7, Qb5-b6# are shorter).

Robert Braune (13-04-1845 - 07-03-1924) Austrian composer

100 of his problems are collected in one of the Christmas Series opus "Robert Braune: apôtre de la symétrie" (1914). Here is a threemover in the spirit of this book:

Braune, Robert
Schachzeitung, 1874

#3

9 + 9

Show Solution

1.Rc7-c3 ! (2.Sd3-f2 [3.Qb7-e4/3.Qb7-d5#] 2...Sb8-c6 3.Qb7xd7#)

1...Kf5-e6 2.Qb7-d5+ Ke6xd5 3.Sd3-c5#
1...Kf5-g4 2.Qb7-f3+ Kg4xf3 3.Sd3-f2#
1...Sb8-~ 2.Qb7xd7+ Kf5-e4 3.Sd3-f2#

Robert Gavin Thomson (13-04-1861 - 22-03-1951) British composer

Robert Gavin Thomson composed mostly twomovers. You may have a look at his problems, which do not lack subtlety, such as this Pickaninny or this display of varied battery plays. This s#2 is not bad either.

Thomson, Robert Gavin
The Chess Amateur, 1921
1^st Prize

#2 v

8 + 7

Show Solution

1.Qc6? (2.Rf3#)

1...Bd5[a] 2.Qc3#[C]
1...d5[b] 2.Qc7#[B]
1...Qxf5 2.Re4#
1...Re4/Rxc2 2.Qxe4#
1...Rxf2+ 2.Rxf2#
but 1...Qd5!

1.Qa8! (2.Rf3#)

1...Bd5[a] 2.Qa1#[A]
1...d5[b] 2.Qb8#[D]
1...Qxf5 2.Re4#
1...Qd5 2.Qh8#
1...Re4/Rxc2 2.Qxe4#
1...Rxf2+ 2.Rxf2#

Changed mates.

Thomson, Robert Gavin
Les Mille et un Mats Inverses, 1907

s#3

10 + 8

Show Solution

1.Rh3-h4 ! ZZ

1...Ba5xb6 2.Kf4-g5+ f5-f4+ 3.Sg7-f5+ Qc5xf5#
1...Sa2-c1 2.Qe1-e4+ f5xe4 3.Sg1-e2+ Sc1xe2#
1...Qc5xb6 2.Sg7-e6+ Qb6xe6 3.Qe1-e3+ Qe6xe3#

The pin of the bBd7 is very well used.

Eduards Frizis Valciņš (13-04-1913 - 31-10-1992) Latvian composer

Eduards Frizis Valciņš composed direct mates, helpmates and also selfmates such as this interesting s#2 with line openings.

Valciņš, Eduards Frizis
Schach (Berlin) 1961
1^st Prize

h#4

4 + 4

Show Solution

1. Ka8-b7 Kg2-g3+ 2. Kb7-a6 Bh1-g2 3. h2-h1=B Bg2-f1 4. Bh1-b7 e2-e4#
Battery play, battery construction.

Юрий Белякин (13-04-1921) Russian composer (Yuri Beliakin)

Yuri Beliakin
Problem, February 1968
[Thanks to Александр Никитин]

Белякин, Юрий
На смену! 1952
2^nd Prize

#3

7 + 6

Show Solution

1.Ba5-b4 ! ZZ

1...b5xa4 2.Kd5-c4 (3.Sd4-c2#)
1...f5-f4 2.Kd5-e4 (3.Sd4-c2#)
1...Sa7-c6 2.Kd5xc6 (3.Sd4-c2#)
1...Sa7-c8 2.Kd5-e5 (3.Sd4-c2#)
1...Sg7-e6 2.Kd5xe6 (3.Sd4-c2#)
1...Sg7-e8/Sg7-h5 2.Kd5-c5(3.Sd4-c2#)

Siegmar Borchardt (13-04-1936) German composer

Siegmar Borchardt composes moremovers and especially miniature moremovers.

Borchardt, Siegmar
Problem-Echo, 2003

#5

4 + 1

Show Solution

1.Sf3-d4 ! ZZ

1...Kd5-c5 2.Sd4-e2+ Kc5-c4 (2...Kc5-d5? 3.Se2-f4+ Kd5-c4 4.Re6-c6#) 3.Se2-f4 [4.Re6-c6#] 3...Kc4-c3 4.Re6-e2 Kc3-c4 5.Re2-c2#
1...Kd5-c4 2.Sd4-e2 Kc4-d3 3.Ka4-b3 Kd3-d2 4.Se2-c3 Kd2-d3, Kd2-c1 5.Re6-d6, Bg1-e3#

Hans Maarten Timotheus (Tim) Krabbé (13-04-1943) Dutch composer and writer

Tim Krabbé
[© Tim Krabbé]

His chess curiosities and chess diary are well known from the public. If you don't know them, prepare yourself for many hours of discoveries. Unfortunately Tim Krabbé has decided to spend time writing novels instead of writing new entries for his website. He also composes problems and this moremover testifies in his favour:

Krabbe, Tim
Chess Curiosities, 1985

#22

7 + 12

Show Solution

1.Se3+! Ke1 2.Sg4+ Kd1 3.Be2+ Ke1 4.Ba6+ Kd1 (4.axb4? Bxg4!) 5.Se3+ Ke1 6.Sd5+ Kd1 7.axb4! Sa4! (8.bxa4? Rxb4!) 8.Se3+ Ke1 9.Sg4+ Kd1 10.Be2+ Ke1 11.Bb5+! Kd1 12.Se3+ Ke1 13.Sd5+ Kd1 14.bxa4 Rc8 15.Se3+ Ke1 16.Sg4+ Kd1 17.Be2+ Ke1 18.Bc4+ Kd1 19.Se3+ Ke1 20.Sd5+ Be2 21.Rxe2+ Kf1 22.Se3#
Systematic manoeuvres.

Евгений Васильевич Фомичёв (13-04-1964 - 09-05-2023) Russian composer and Grandmaster (Evgeny Vasilyevich Fomichev)

Evgeny Fomichev obtained the titles of International Judge, FIDE Master in solving and in composing in 2010 (source: Handbook of Chess Composition, page 47). He became Grandmaster in composition in 2019.

Evgeny Fomichev, between Vladimir Blokhin and Aleksandr Azhusin, Moscow 2010
[© Vladimir Tyapkin]

Фомичёв, Евгений Васильевич
B.Rustamov-50 JT, 2010
5^th Prize

h#2

4 solutions

6 + 7

Show Solution

Helpmate Of The Future.
First pair of solutions: Reciprocal R-B interference on d4 (Grimshaw) to unguard a flight and annihilation of black unit.
1. Qc1 Rd4 2. Kc5 Qxc1#
1. Bg2 Bd4 2. Kd5 Qxg2#
Second pair of solutions: Annihilation of white guard (the white officers that played the interferences in the first pair of solutions)
1. Qxd2 Kf6 2. Kd5 Qxh1#
1. Qxf2 Qa1 2. Kc5 Qc3#