Chess Composers: May 15th

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

May 15th

Pierre Auguste d'Orville (15-05-1804 - 11-11-1864) German composer

Pierre Auguste (or Peter August) d'Orville was German and lived in Antwerp. He may have been the first composer in the world, with Horatio Bolton, to intentionally look for nice and light positions and to avoid the then fashionable equal forces between both sides.

D'Orville wrote in 1842 "PROBLÈMES d'ÉCHECS composés et dédiés aux amateurs de ce jeu".
"Some problems by Auguste d'Orville" is a charming booklet written by John D.Beasley, who offers the 2nd reviewed edition for download on the Internet:

(covers can be found on this page).

This looks like the typical endgame K+B+S vs K, but the black King is in the wrong corner and White has the d-pawn. Can this pawn be enough to mate in 6?

D'Orville, Pierre Auguste
Problèmes d'Échecs, 1842 (163)

4 + 1

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Владимир Петров Рангелов (15-05-1920 - 20-04-2010) Bulgarian composer (Vladimir Petrov Rangelov)

Vladimir Rangelov was a direct mate composer and an International Judge (1956).

Рангелов, Владимир Петров
Шахматна мисъл 1948
2^nd HM

9 + 9

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Albert Heinrich Kniest (15-05-1908 - 08-11-1984) German composer

[Source: "Schachkompositionen. Die besten Aufgaben und Komponisten
der Schachgeschichte" by Michael Ehn and Hugo Kastner]

Albert Kniest was specialist of fairy problems and composed about 7000 chess problems. From 1931 until 1933 he directed the "Deutsche Märchenschachzeitung" and from 1946 to 51 "Schachmatt". He contributed to the edition of "Feenschach", which was directed by his brother Peter.

A neat selfmate miniature:

Kniest, Albert Heinrich
Schachmatt, 1946