April 16th

Esteban Puig y Puig (16-04-1878 - 29-01-1940) Spanish player and composer

Esteban Puig y Puig
[Ajedrez365]

Esteban Puig y Puig did not compose many problems, but he was a very good player. He founded the first Spanish chess column ("La Noticias") in 1909.  He was the first president of the SEPA (Spanish Problemists Association) and of the Catalan Chess Federation.
He wrote "Apuntes críticos sobre la obra 150 fins de partie de Mr. Henri Rinck, con una disertacion crítica sobre esta clase de composiciones" about Rinck's studies in 1908. In composing he favoured the "Good Companion" style.

Puig Y Puig, Esteban
4^th Concurso Nacional Español, 1920
1^st Prize

#2

7 + 12

Show Solution

1.Rd8! (2.Qd3#)

1...Re4 2.Qc8#
1...Sde4 2.Qf1#
1...Sge4 2.Qe6#
1...e4 2.Qd5#

(1...Rd4 2.Rc8#; 1...Qc3 2.Sa3#)

Antonio Bottacchi (16-04-1900 - 22-12-1969) Italian composer

Antonio Bottacchi, 1922
[Chess History]

Bottacchi also composed twomovers in the "Good Companions" style.
In 2005 Oscar Bonivento published a book about Bottacchi's works: "Realismo e Romanticismo nell'arte problemistica di Antonio Bottacchi, in 432 problemi commentati".

Bottacchi, Antonio
Densmore-Gedenkturnier, 1918
1^st Prize

#2

8 + 9

Show Solution

1.Bd7! (2.Qxg5#)
1...Rg4/Ng4 2.hxg4#
1...Sh7 2.Rh6# ; 1...Se4 2.Qf4#
1...Bh6 2.Qh5# ; 1...Bf4 2.Rg4#
1...Rh5 2.Sf5#

Vladimir Pachman (16-04-1918 - 08-08-1984) Czech composer and Grandmaster in composition

Vladimir Pachman
[Wikipedia]

Vladimir Pachman is the brother of o.t.b. GM Ludek Pachman and the great-nephew of Bohemian composer Josef Cumpe (1868-1943). Vladimir composed about 1200 problems and studies, most of his problems in 3 or more moves. He was granted the title of International Judge upon the creation of the title in 1956. He edited the problems columns in "Ceskolovensky Sach" and wrote many books and articles. The following ones can be downloaded on the Internet:

• "Problémový šach - Výběr 100 trojtahových úloh Fratiška Matouška" (1950) about F. Matousek's problems;
• "České zvonky z Prahy" (1958);
• "Šachová úloha" (1953), a treatise on direct mates with 239 examples, mostly three-movers; http://problem64.beda.cz/silo/pachmanv_sachovauloha_1953.pdf
• "Vybrané šachové skladby Vladimíra Pachmana" (1972) about his own problems;
• An article in Schach 1959: "Über das Wesen der Böhmischen Schule"about the Bohemian School;
• Article in EG 61 (1980) "Logical Studies".

The quality of Pachman's works is high; he could include strategic and logical elements in Bohemian problems. His 1st Prize in Olympic tourney, 1948 could have been chosen among his threemovers for its interesting battery play or a typical Bohemian #3 where the tempo key is especially hidden (1.Kb4? e2! 2.Sd3 e1=Q+) but instead here is another typical Bohemian, also selected in the FIDE Album:

Pachman, Vladimír
Шахматы в СССР 1956
3^rd Prize

#3

5 + 8

Show Solution

1.Sc8-d6 ! (2.Qc4-c5+ Ke5-f4 3.Qc5-g5#)

1...e4-e3 2.Sd4-f5 (3.Qc4-d4#) 2...Bf3-e4, e6xf5 3.Qc4xe4, Sd6-f7#
1...Ke5xd6 2.Sd4-c6 (3.Bh4-e7#) 2...d7xc6 3.Qc4-d4#
1...Ke5-f4 2.Sd4xf3 (3.Qc4xe4#)

The key sacrifices a wS. In each variation, another wS sacrifice takes place.

Pachman, Vladimír
British Chess Federation, 1956
1^st Prize

#4

6 + 10

Show Solution

1.Rd7-d3 ! (2.Rd3-e3 [3.Re3-e1#] 2...Rb8-e8 3.Sb2-d3+ Kc1-d1 4.Sd3-f2#)

1...c3xb2 2.Ba3-e7 (3.Be7-g5#) 2...Sg8xe7/Sg8-f6 3.Sf1-g3 (4.Sg3-e2#) or 2...Rb4,Re8 3.Bg5+ Rf4,Re3 4.Bxf4,Bxe3#
1...Rb8-e8/Rb8-d8 2.Rd3-d1+ c2xd1=Q 3.Sb2-d3+ Kc1-c2 4.Sd3-b4#

Pachman, Vladimír
Schweizerische Schachzeitung, 1957
2^nd Prize

#6

7 + 13

Show Solution

1.Bc6 ! (2.b6#)
1...Qh1 2.Rf3 (3.b6#) 2...Qxf3 3.Be8 (4.b6+ Qc6 5.Bxc6#) and now:

3...Qh5 4.b6+ Qxe8 5.Sc3+ Ka3 6.b5#
3...e5/e6 4.b6+ Rd7 5.Bxd7+ Qc6 6.Bxc6#

Switchback, Rundlauf and sacrifices are on the menu.

An endgame study with sacrifices:

Pachman, Vladimír
Buletin Problemistic, 1978
2^nd Prize

+

7 + 5

Show Solution

1. Sd7+ Sxd7 2. Bd4+ {1st fork} 2...Kc7 3. Bxe3 Sc2+ {2nd fork} 4. Kb5 Sxe3 5. d6+ Kxd6 6. e7 Sd5 and now if 7.e8=Q Black replies with the 3rd fork 7...Sc7+, but... 7. e8=S#
Both Black selfblocks by the bSs are brought during the play.

Виктор Андреевич Астахов (16-04-1931) Russian composer (Viktor Andreyevich Astakhov)

Viktor Astakhov
[© Александр Никитин ]

Viktor Astakhov is a direct mate composer.

Астахов, Виктор А.
Шахматы в СССР 1962
Prize

#3

11 + 11

Show Solution

1.Sh7-f8 ! (2.Rc1-c8 ~ 3.Sf8-g6#)
And now the wRc1 is interfered with by Black on the c file, but this induces self-interference by black pieces, which will be exploited by White:

1...Ba2-c4 2.Bh3-g2! (3.Bh4-~#) 2...Ra3xd3, Ba5xd2 3.Bh4-g3, Bh4-g5# (2...Se7-g6/Se7-g8 3.Sf8-g6#)
1...Ra3-c3 2.Bh4-g3! (3.Bh3-~#) 2...Ba2-d5, Rc3xc1, Ra4xd4 3.Bh3-g2,Bh3-f1,Bh3-g4# (2...Se7-g6/Se7-g8 3.Sf8-g6#)
1...Ra4-c4 2.Bh3-g4! (3.Bh4-~#) 2...Ra3xd3, Rc4xc1, Ba5xd2 3.Bh4-g3,Bh4-e1,Bh4-g5# (2...Se7-g6/Se7-g8 3.Sf8-g6#)
1...Ba5-c3 2.Bh4-g5! (3.Bh3-~#) 2...Ba2-d5, Ra4xd4 3.Bh3-g2,Bh3-g4# (2...Se7-g6/Se7-g8 3.Sf8-g6#)

Loyd's organ pipes.

Yochanan Afek (16-04-1952) Israeli composer and Grandmaster

Nikolay Kralin and Yochanan Afek
[Wikimedia]

Yochanan Afek
[© Hannu Harkola]

Yochanan Afek is International Judge and edits the studies column in The Problemist. He was granted 4 international titles: International Master, International Master of the chess compositions, International Arbiter and International Judge of chess compositions. You may find other information about his chess activities (trainer, arbiter, etc) on his website afekchess.com.
49 of his studies are presented here. He is most known for his studies, but he also composed direct mates, helpmates and selfmates. Here are two spectacular studies of his:

Afek, Yochanan
Tidskrift för Schack, 1972 (1627)
2^nd Prize

+

6 + 6

Show Solution

1. Rxb5+
{1. Se5 Kxb6 2. Sd7+ Kc6 3. Sxf8 Bxg4 4. Sh7 Bd1 5. Sxg5 b4 =}
1... Kxb5 2. Se5+ Ka4 3. Sd7!
{threatens 4. Sb6/Sc5#; if 3...Rb8+ 4.Sxb8 wins, but Black thinks of a trap:}
3... Be2! 4. Bxe2 Rb8+
{Now if 5. Sxb8 stalemate!}
5. Bb5+! Rxb5+ 6. Ka2
And the bR has no move: 6...Rb1 7. Kxb1 or 6...Rb7 7.Sc5+ fork or 6...Rd5 7.Sb6+ fork.

Afek, Yochanan
Milescu MT, 1982
1^st Prize

=

6 + 6

Show Solution

1. Se7 Bxg8 2. h5 (threatens 3.Sf5#)
2...Be6 3. Sg8+ Bxg8 4. f7 Rc8 (4...Bxf7 stalemate)
5. f8=B ! (5. f8=Q? Be6 ; now White threatens 6.Bxg7#)
and 5... Bb3 or 5...Rxf8 both result in stalemate.

A witty #5 as a fitting conclusion:

Afek, Yochanan
The Problemist, 1997

#5

5 + 3

Show Solution

1.Ba7! zz 1...g1=R! 2.b8=R! Rg2 3.Rb6 Kg1 4.Rd6+ Kf1/Rf2 5.Rd1#