May 16th

Norbert Kovács (16-05-1874 -24-05-1946) Hungarian composer

Norbert Kovács
[magyarsakkszerzok]

Dr. Norbert Kovács composed about 500 problems and was specialized in fairy problems. In 1926 he wrote with Neukomm and Schor "Feladvany-Műszotar", a collection of problem chess terms.

Kovács, Norbert
Magyar Sakkvilág, 1933
3^rd Prize

#3

7 + 9

Show Solution

1.Qb7 ! (2.Qxh1#)

1...Bxb7 2.Bxf6 (3.Bxg5#) 2...Rc6 3.Sf3#
1...Rc6 2.Qxa8 (3.Qh8#) 2...Bf3, Rc8 3.Sxf3, Qxh1#
1...B~ 2.QxB and 3.Qh1/Sf3#

Hard to guess which piece will give mate in this helpmate:

Kovács, Norbert
Tijdschrift vd NSB, 1927

h#4

5 + 11

Show Solution

1.Bc1 a4 2.Bf4 axb5 3.c1=B bxc6 4.Bce3 c7#
The white Bishop-Pawn battery is a surprise, since the pawn is blocked in the diagram position.

Eric Duncan McQueen (16-05-1908 - 12-1971) British-Australian composer

Eric Duncan McQueen
[source: The Problemist, July 2010]

Eric McQueen went to Australia with the Big Brother Movement. Bob Meadley and Geoff Foster discussed this composer in "The Problemist", July 2010 and this article can be read online thanks to our Australian friends of OzProblems.com.

He composed, it seems, only twomovers. The most famous one is:

Mcqueen, Eric Duncan
Melbourne Leader, 1934

#2

10 + 2

Show Solution

1.Bh2! (2.Rg7#)

1...Rxh8+ 2.Rg8#
1...Rh6 2.Rg6#
1...Rh5 2.Rg5#
1...Rh4 2.Rg4#
1...Rxh3 2.Rgxh3#
1...Rf7 2.Kxf7#
1...Re7+ 2.Kxe7#
1...Rd7 2.Kxd7#
1...Rc7 2.bxc7#
1...Rb7 2.Qd8#
1...Rxa7 2.bxa7#

Twelve variations by the black Rook - a task. The position is very elegant for this content.

Zoran Janev (16-05-1961) Macedonian composer

Zoran Janev plays the violin and composes chess problems.

Janev, Zoran
Probleemblad, 2001

r#2

6 + 9

Reflexmate in two.

Show Solution

1.Rd6 ! (2.Rxd4 Qxd4#)

1...Rb2 2.Rf3 Re2#
1...d2 2.Re2 d1=S#
1...Bxb4 2.Be2 Bd2#
1...Bxd6 2.Bf3 Bf4#

Double Grimshaw, on e2 and f3.
Secondary variation: 1...Rxd6+/Rd5+ 2.bxc5 Qd4#

Ilkka Juhani Sarén (16-05-1940 - 24-12-2022) Finnish composer

Ilkka Sarén was one of Finland's leading chess players in the 1970s. But he also composed chess problems, mostly helpmates.
You can read his obituary on the Finnish Problemists website along with a helpmate of his.

Sarén, Ilkka Juhani
3^rd-6^th Place
3^rd WCCT, 1988

h#2

4 solutions

4 + 11

Show Solution

1.♘4g5 ♘h6+ 2.♗×h6 ♘d6#
1.♖g5 ♘d6+ 2.♗×d6 ♘h6#
1.♘6g5 ♘e7+ 2.♗×e7 ♘g7#
1.g5 ♘g7+ 2.♗×g7 ♘e7#
4 different black selfblocks on the same square and White sacrifices (Zilahi).