Eugene Beauharnais Cook (19-05-1830 - 13-03-1915) American composer
Biographical information about Eugene Cook has been reproduced in Harrie Grondjis' book "
No Rook Unturned. A Tour Around The Saavedra Study" and
on this blog from which we can quote the following information:
"Dr. Keidanz, in the introduction of his book The Chess Compositions of E.B. Cook of Hoboken New York 1927, informs us that many honours were bestowed upon Cook in his lifetime. Numerous problems were dedicated to him by his admirers and Samuel Loyd dedicated his book Chess Strategies to him. "
("
The American Chess Magazine" can be read
on Archive.org.)
Eugene Cook was also a compiler of the collection "
American Chess Nuts" in 1868 together with W.R. Henry and C.A. Gilberg. He had the third largest chess book collection in the world (2,500 volumes), which was donated to the Princeton University Library upon his death.
An easy one to start the day:
Cook, Eugene Beauharnais
The Illustrated London News, 6
th Jan 1855 (e906)
Show Solution1.e8=B! Ke6 2.f8=B! Kf5 3.Bd7#
Both Bishop promotions avoid stalemate.
Cook, Eugene Beauharnais
The Albion (New York) 20
th Oct 1855 (355)
Show Solution1.Kd1-e2 ! (2.Ke2-e3/Ke2-f3 ~ 3.Bh6-f4#)
1...Rb5xb2+ 2.Ke2-f3 Ba6-e2+ 3.Kf3-e3 ~ 4.Bh6-f4#
1...Rh1xh3/g3-g2 2.Bh6-f4+ Ke5xf4 3.Qb2-d2+ Kf4-e5 4.Qd2-d6#
1...Rb5-b7+ 2.Ke2-e3 (3.Bh6-f4#) 2...Rb7xe7 3.c3-c4+ Ke5xf5 4.Qb2xf6#
An ancestor of
Sam Loyd's famous threemover where the white King wanders to the center of the board to mate the black King.
Cook, Eugene Beauharnais
American Chess-Nuts, 1868 (4-moves / 193)
Show Solution1.Rb6-f6 !
1...e3-e2 2.Bc5-g1 a7-a6 3.Rf6-f2 Kc3-d4 4.Rf2-f3#
1...a7-a6 2.Bc5-a7 e3-e2 3.Rf6-b6 Kc3-d4 4.Rb6-b3#
Indian theme and switchback of wRb6.
Walter Henneberger (19-05-1883 - 15-01-1969) Swiss composer
Walter Henneberger was a Swiss chess player who also occasionally composed problems.
One of his problems won the 1st prize of the en-passant tourney organized by "La Stratégie" in 1908, but here is the Honorable Mention, which has a remarkable feature:
Henneberger, Walter
La Stratégie, 1908
Honorable Mention, EP Ty
Show Solution1.e4! (2.Sc4#) 1...d5/Nd6 2.cxd6 e.p.# 1...f5 2.gxf6 e.p.# 1...Ba6 2.Sxd7# 1...dxe3 e.p. 2.d4# 1...fxe3 e.p. 2.f4#
Both Black and White play en-passant captures during the play.
Marcel Tancău (19-05-1935) Romanian composer
Marcel Tancău composes direct mates, helpmates and maximummers.
Tancău, Marcel
Buletin Problemistic, 1999 (71/3259v)
5
th HM, 1998-1999
Show Solution1.d5! (2.Qe5#)
1...Kxd5 2.Rd1#
1...Bxd5 2.Bg3#
1...Sxd5 2.Sxb5#
1...Qxd5 2.Qxc7#
1...Rxd5 2.Sc4#
Novotny, five variations with captures on the same square.
Tancău, Marcel
Revista Română de Şah, 1980
Show Solution1.e5-e6 ! ZZ
1...Bd2-h6 2.Bc2-a4+ Bc8-d7 3.Rc5-g5 0-0-0 4.Kd3-d2 Bd7xa4#
The critical black move 1...Bh6 followed by 3.Rg5 are the main attractions of this selfmate.
Oliver Ralík (19-05-1945) Slovak composer
Oliver Ralík composes direct mates.
Ralík, Oliver
Pravda, 1970 (407)
1
st Prize
Show Solution1.Bb5-d7 ! (2.Sf6-e4+ Kd6-d5 3.Bd7-e6#)
1...Rd1xd4 2.Rg4xd4+ Kd6-c5 3.Sf6-e4#
1...Sa4-c5 2.Sd4-b5+ Kd6-e5 3.f2-f4#
1...Kd6-c5 2.Bg7-f8+ Kc5-c4 3.Bd7-b5#
Nice mates and switchback of wBb5.
Georgi Lititarov (19-05-1949) Macedonian composer
|
Georgi Lititarov
[source: Bosko Miloseski] |
Georgi Lititarov composes direct mates.
Lititarov, Georgi
Kotelec, 1987
1
st Commendation
Show Solution1.Rd8 Kc6 2.Rd6+ Kb5 3.Rxd5 Kc6 4.Rd6+ Kb5 5.Rg6! hxg6 6.d5! g5 7.h7 g4 8.h8=Q g3 9.Qe8#
Николай Зиновьев (19-05-1956) Kazakh composer (Nikolay Zinoviev)
Nikolay Zinoviev composes direct mates and seems especially fond of miniature moremovers.
Зиновьев, Николай
Смена (Москва) 1988
1
st Prize
Show Solution1.Qg4? (2.Qg8#)
1...Qxf7[a] 2.Qc8#[A]
1...Qg2[b] 2.Qe6#[B]
but 1...Qe7!
1.Qg5! (2.Qg8#)
1...Qxf7[a] 2.Qd8#[D]
1...Qe7/Qg2[b] 2.Qxe7#[C]
Changed mates - rare contents for a miniature.
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