May 21st

Paul Köller (21-05-1889 - 15-07-1979) German composer

Paul Köller
[Kartothek A-K page 176]

Paul Köller was a directmate composer.

Köller, Paul
Die Schwalbe, 1930 (1296)
HM
dedicated to F.W. von Holzhausen

#3 vv

6 + 5

Show Solution

1.Rf3? g5!
1.Rf2? b3!

1.Be5! ZZ

1...Qg5 2.Rf8+ Qd8 3.Rxd8#
1...b3 2.Rf3! (3.Rc3#) Qe3/Qh3/Qc1/Qd2 3.Rf8#
1...Qf4 2.Rxf4/Bxf4

The black Queen is overloaded.

Paul Löschl (21-05-1918 - 2003) German composer

Paul Löschl composed in all genres - direct mate, selfmate, helpmate and fairy problems - and explored many fairy conditions.

Don't be too upset if you can't solve the following selfmate, but please play through the solution:

Löschl, Paul
Die Schwalbe, 1986 (5678v)
1^st Prize
Dedicated to Friedrich Chlubna

s#14

9 + 6

Show Solution

The try 1. Qf6+? gxf6+! 2. Ke4 explains that the flight e4 must be blocked and the only white piece that can do that is the Rook.
How to place it to e4? The answer is "gradually", following the path e8-e7-f7-f4-e4 and thanks to two batteries built during the play: Qd8-Re7 and Qd2-Rf4.
1. Re8! Kg5 2. Qf4+ Kg6 3. Qf2 Kg5 4. Qd2+ Kg6 5. Qa5 Kg5 6. Qd8+ Kg6 7. Re7 (the first battery is in place) 7...Kg5 8. Rf7+ Kg6 9. Qa5 (the Queen returns to d2) 9...Kg5 10. Qd2+ Kg6 11. Rf4 (the second battery is in place) 11...Kg5 12. Re4+ Kg6 (now everything is ready for the coup de grâce) 13. Qf2 Kg5 14. Qf6+ gxf6#

Günter Glaß (21-05-1925 - 26-08-2000) German composer

Günter Glaß was a helpmate and fairy composer renowned for his Circe problems and for his series problems.
Günter Glaß wrote with Heinz Zander "Nur ein Bauer".
Let's select problems with varied stipulations and with Circe fairy condition:

Glaß, Günter
Feenschach, 1972
1^st Prize
Dedicated to Hansjörg Schiegl

h=6

Circe

2 + 5

Show Solution

1. c1=S Bb3 2. f1=S Bg8 3. e1=S+ Kxf1 4. Se2 Kxe2 5. d1=S Kxd1 6. Sc2 Kxc2 =
Four S-promotions in miniature: the task is hard to beat !

Glaß, Günter
Die Schwalbe, 1979
2^nd HM

Ser-s#5

2.1.1.1 Circe

3 + 3

Show Solution

1. f8=S 2. Se6 3. Sd4 4. bxa8=Q[+bQd8] 5. Qh1+ Qxd4[+wSg1]#
1. f8=B 2. Bc5 3. Bd4 4. bxa8=R[+bQd8] 5. Ra1+ Qxd4[+wBc1]#
Allumwandlung. The motivations for the promotions are excellent.
This problem was very much appreciated by judge Bo Lindgren. He did not place it higher because of the cookstopper f6.

Let's finish with a help-retro:

Glaß, Günter
Die Schwalbe, 1982 (4154)
Special Commendation

(-1) & h#2

Circe b) bSe3->e6 c) -bSe3

1 + 3

Black retracts a move and then helpmate in two moves.

Show Solution

a) R: 1. Ba8xPb7, then 1. Ke5 bxa8=Q[+bBc8] 2. Kd4 Qd5#
b) R: 1. Bc6xPb7, then 1. Ke7 b8=Q 2. Kd7 Qd8#
c) R: 1. Bc8xPb7, then 1. Kg5 bxc8=Q 2. Kh4 Qg4#
The three mates exploit the Circe condition (the white Queen cannot be captured because it would be reborn on d1 and threaten the black King.)

Юрий Александрович Жарков (21-05-1938) Russian composer (Yuri Aleksandrovich Zharkov)

Yuri Zharkov
[samara.ru [broken link]]

According to this site from the Samara region [broken link], Yuri Zharkov's vision started to fail in the 1970s and he became completely blind in 1982. That did not prevent him from teaching chess to children, from composing chess problems, from playing and from writing books, such as "Тайна шахматной композиции" (Secrets of chess composition) and several others. In 2007 he was preparing a collection of 500 problems.

Yuri Zharkov usually favours miniatures and the following #4 can be considered as an exception:

Жарков, Юрий Александрович
ЮК Победа-50, 1995
2^nd HM

#4

13 + 11

Show Solution

1. Kh4! (2. Rh5+ Kxf6 3. Rh6+ Ke5, Ke7 4. Sc6, Sf5#)
1... Qd5 2. Rg5+ Kxe4 3. Rg4+ Ke5 4. Bg3# or 2... Kf4 3. Bg3+ Kxe4 4. Rg4#
1... Qe6 2. Bg3+ Kxd4 3. Bf2+ Ke5 4. d4#
Switchback of the white Rooks and of the white Bishop at the 2^nd and 3^rd moves.

Валерий Николаевич Барсуков (21-05-1939 - 04-08-2024) Russian composer (Valery Nikolayevich Barsukov)

Valery Barsukov
[selivanov.world]

Valery Barsukov was a helpmate composer and International Judge. He had successes in collaboration with Y.M.Gusev:

Барсуков, Валерий Николаевич & Гусев, Юрий Михайлович
Šahs Baltijā/Балтийские шахматы (Rīga) 1993
3^rd Prize

h#3

4 + 14

Show Solution

1.Sc1-d3 Re7-e5 2.d6xe5 Bf8-c5+ 3.Kd4-e4 Sa2-c3#
1.Bh5-g6 Re7-e6 2.d7xe6 Sa2-c3 3.Kd4-e5 Bf8-g7#
1.d6-d5 Re7-e4+ 2.d5xe4 Sa2xc1 3.Kd4-e3 Bf8-c5#
Triple sacrifice in echo of the white Rook.

But also good problems alone:

Барсуков, Валерий Николаевич
The Problemist, 1992

h#3

2 solutions

3 + 8

Show Solution

1.d2-d1=B Rh3-d3 2.Qh5-g6 Rd3-d6 3.Bd1-h5 Ba7-e3#
1.h2-h1=R Rh3-f3 2.Qh5-g5 Ba7-e3 3.Rh1-h5 Rf3-f6#
Pin mates, exchange of functions between wR and wB.