June 15th

Jindřich Fritz (15-06-1912 - 09-11-1984) Czech composer and Grandmaster

Jindřich Fritz
[Vlasak.biz]

Jindřich Fritz was an endgame study and problem composer. In 1951 he became the editor of the studies
column of Ceskoslovensky Sach. He wrote several books, such as "Moderní šachová studie : Úvod do theorie a skladby" (1951), "Šachová studie" (1954) and "Vybrané šachové problémy" (1959) which contains 252 of his endgames and 50 of his problems.

As Jaroslav Pospisil wrote in EG 80 (1984, pp 437-438):

"... his inspiration came from a new method of composing based on retrograde analysis, and he condemned the classic style of Rinck and Prokes, considering it exhausted and with no future. The characteristics of Fritz' creative work were laid down before the outbreak of World War II, but his greatest successes came in the 1950's and 1960's."

For his centenary, an endgame study anonymous Memorial Tourney "Jindřich Fritz - 100" has been organized by Emil Vlasak and will be judged by IM Jaroslav Polášek.
You may find on jmrw.com 40 studies by J.Fritz.

A classical Bohemian threemover:

Fritz, Jindřich
Český deník, 1940
1^st Prize

#3

5 + 10

Show Solution

1. Rg7! ZZ

1. ... d4 2. Qb3 (3. Qb8, Qg8#) 2. ... Sxb3 3. R(x)d7#
1. ... Bf3 2. Qe1 (3. Qe7, Qe8, Qxa5#) 2. ... Bxe1 3. c7#
1. ... Bb6 2. Rg8+ Ke7, Kc7 3. Re8, Rc8#

A typical Fritz endgame study:

Fritz, Jindřich
Šachové umění 1981 (5966)
1^st Prize

=

4 + 5

Show Solution

1. Bd7 Rxh4+ 2. Ke5
{2. Kf3? Rh3+ 3. Kf2 Rxe3 4. Kxe3 e5; 2. Kd3? Sf5 3. Rxe6 Rd4+}
2... Sf5
{2... Rh6 3. Bxe6 Sg6+ 4. Kf5 Rh5+ 5. Kf6 Bg7+ 6. Kf7 Sh8+ 7. Ke7}
3. Rd3
{3. Rb3? Bg7+ 4. Kxe6 Sd4+}
3... Sg7 4. Bxe6! Rh5+ 5. Kf6 Rh6+ 6. Kf7 Sxe6 7. Re3 Sc7! 8. Rg3!
{8. Kxf8? Rf6+ 9. Ke7 Sd5+}
8... Se6 9. Re3 draw by repetition of moves

Henry Olof Axel Forsberg (15-06-1914 - 17-12-1981) Swedish composer

Henry Forsberg
Problem, September 1969
[Thanks to Александр Никитин]

Henry Forsberg composed about 150 problems, among which this famous helpmate in two with "Forsberg twins":

Forsberg, Henry Olof Axel
Wolfgang Pauly MT, Revista Română de Şah, 15^th Jan 1935 (1/599-603)
1^st Prize, 1934-1935

h#2

b) Black Ra6 c) Black Ba6 d) Black Sa6 e) Black Pa6

3 + 2

Show Solution

a) 1. Qf6 Sc5 2. Qb2 Ra4#
b) 1. Rb6 Rb1 2. Rb3 Ra1#
c) 1. Bc4 Se1 2. Ba2 Sc2#
d) 1. Sc5 Sc1 2. Sa4 Rb3#
e) 1. a5 Rb3+ 2. Ka4 Sc5#

Julien Gustave Emile Vandiest (15-06-1919 - 02-03-2011) Belgian composer

Julien Vandiest, November 2001
Photo by Jurgen Stigter [Wikimedia]

Julien Vandiest was one of the three Musketeers, Belgian endgame study composers: these composers are Vandiest, Roger Missiaen and Ignace Vandecasteele. Julien Vandiest was specialized in miniature endgame with Queens.

Vandiest, Julien Gustave Emile
Joseph-100 MT STES Journal, 1996
3^rd Prize

+

3 + 4

Show Solution

1. Kg3
{1. Qxd5+? Kh4 2. Qd8+ Qg5! 3. Qh8+ Qh5}
1... d2
{1... d4 2. Qb5+ ; 1... Qe4 2. Sf6+; 1... Kg5 2. Qe7+ Kf5 (2... Kh5 3. Qh4#) 3. Qe5# ; 1... Qg5 2. Qh7+ ; 1... Qg8 2. Qf5+ Qg5 3. Qh7+}
2. Qxd5+ Qg5 3. Qf7+ Qg6 4. Qd7 ! d1=Q 5. Qb5+ ! Qd5
{5... Qg5 6. Qe8+ Qg6 7. Qh8+ Kg5 8. Qe5+ Qf5 9. Qg7+ Qg6 (9... Kh5 10. Qh6#) 10. Qe7+ Kf5 (10... Kh5 11. Qh4#) 11. Qe5#}
6. Qxd5+ Qg5 7. Qf7+ Qg6 8. Qd7! Qc2 9. Qd5+! Kg6 10. Qg8+ Kh5 11. Qh8+ Kg6 12. Se5+ Kf5 13. Qh7+ +-
Difficult to solve but very instructive.

Matti Arvo Myllyniemi (15-06-1930 - 06-05-1987) Finnish composer and Grandmaster

Matti Myllyniemi
[© Hannu Harkola]

Matti Myllyniemi
[© Hannu Harkola]

Matti Myllyniemi composed in all genres, with a preference for twomovers and helpmates in two. He was also an International Judge.

Myllyniemi, Matti Arvo
Satakunnan Teht. TT, 1976
1^st Prize

h#2

2 solutions

10 + 10

Show Solution

1.Ra3-g3 Sd2-f3 2.Bc1-a3 Sd5-b4#
1.Ra4-f4 Sd2-e4 2.Bc1-b2 Sd5-c3#
Line closing by Black and by White, exchange of functions between the black Rooks, unpinning and line opening by the white Knights.

Myllyniemi, Matti Arvo
stella polaris, 1966
1^st Prize

h#2

4.1.1.1

3 + 4

Show Solution

1.Ke7-f7 Qb5-h5+ 2.Kf7-g8 Ra5-g5#
1.Rf8-c8 Qb5-e5+ 2.Ke7-d8 Ra5-d5#
1.Rf8-d8 Qb5-f5 2.Ke7-e8 Ra5-e5#
1.Rf8-e8 Qb5-g5+ 2.Ke7-f8 Ra5-f5#
Fourfold chameleon echo mate.

Hrvoje (Vojko) Bartolović (15-06-1932 - 03-11-2005) Croatian composer and Grandmaster

Hrvoje Bartolović
[PZR Zagreb]

Hrvoje Bartolović was a (mostly twomover) composer and International Judge.
In 2005 Juraj Lörinc selected on his website 6 excellent problems of his, in various genres as an obituary. Another excellent twomover by Hrvoje Bartolović showing Zagoruiko in perfect presentation is quoted on his Wikipedia webpage.
He was, with Nenad Petrović, the best Croatian composer and a selection of 72 of his best problems was published in 1963 in the Yugoslav review "Problem".
The Bartolovic theme is a letter theme:
1.X? 1...a,b 2.A,B#
1.Y? 1...a,b 2.C,B#
1.Z! 1...a,b 2.A,D#

Here is another Zagoruiko - the construction skillfully spares the use of white Pawns:

Bartolović, Hrvoje
problem (Zagreb) 1957
1^st Prize

#2 vv

8 + 6

Show Solution

1.R2h4[A]? (2.Bxb3#)
1...Rxh4[a] 2.Qxh4#/Rxh4#[G]
1...Rc4[b] 2.Rxc4#[B]
1...Rd4[c] 2.Rxd4#[C]
1...Re4[d] 2.Rxe4#[D]
1...Rf4[e] 2.Rxf4#[E]
1...Rg4[f] 2.Rxg4#[F]
1...c2[g] 2.Rxb4#[H]
but 1...a2!
1.R5h4? (2.Bxb3#)
1...Rxh4[a] 2.Rxh4#[G]
1...Rc4[b] 2.Rxc4#[B]
1...Rd4[c] 2.Rxd4#[C]
1...Re4[d] 2.Rxe4#[D]
1...Rf4[e] 2.Rxf4#[E]
1...Rg4[f] 2.Rxg4#[F]
1...c2[g] 2.Rxb4#[H]
1...a2 2.Rxa2#
but 1...Rc7!
1.Qh4! (2.Bxb3#)
1...Rxh4[a] 2.R2xh4#[A]
1...Rc4[b] 2.Qxc4#[I]
1...Rd4[c] 2.Qxd4#[J]
1...Re4[d] 2.Qxe4#[K]
1...Rf4[e] 2.Qxf4#[L]
1...Rg4[f] 2.Qxg4#[M]
1...c2[g] 2.Qxb4#[N]
1...a2 2.Rxa2#

Леонід Федорович Топко (15-06-1939) Ukrainian composer (Leonid Fedorovich Topko)

Leonid Topko
[popovgl.narod.ru]

Leonid Topko composes problems and studies. He recently started composing miniatures endgame studies such as this one:

Топко, Леонід Федорович
Червоний гірник 1978
3^rd Prize

+

3 + 3

Show Solution

1. Se2+ Kd1 2. Sd4+ Kc1 3. Sb3+ Kb1 4. Bf7! Ra2 5. Bg6+ Rc2+ 6. Bxc2+ Ka2 7. Sc1 mate

Петре Стоjоски (15-06-1951 - 12-02-2019) Macedonian composer (Petre Stojoski)

Petre Stojoski was a well-known helpmate composer.
You can see here his 6 entries for WCCI 2016-2018 in helpmates group.

Stojoski, Petre
JT Z. Janevski-50 Orbit 20 2003
3^rd Prize

h#2

3 solutions

9 + 13

Show Solution

1.♔d3 ♕g6+ 2.♖e4 ♗f1#
1.♔d5 ♗g2+ 2.♘ce4 ♖a5#
1.♔f4 ♖a4+ 2.♘fe4 ♕f7#
White Queen, Rook and Bishop cyclically exchange their functions in the three solutions.
All Black selfpins take place on the square left by the black King.