Chess Composers: July 19th

Erich Racz (19-07-1908 - 21-09-1982) Romanian-German composer

Erich Racz was a twomover composer.

Racz, Erich
Die Schwalbe, 1976

#2* v

12 + 8

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John Michael Rice (19-07-1937) British composer and Grandmaster

John Rice, 2005

John Rice was the chief editor of the problems section of the "British Chess Magazine" from 1961 until 1974 and is a faithful collaborator of "The Problemist". He has written "Chess Problem: Introduction to an Art" (1963) together with Robin Matthews and Michael Lipton and "The Two-Move Chess Problem" (1966), "Serieshelpmates" (1978) with Anthony Dickins or "Chess Wizardry: The New ABC of Chess Problems" (1996).

He composes mostly direct mates, but can composes as well in other genres, including fairies. He is an International Judge for twomovers, helpmates and fairy problems and the former President of the PCCC from 2004 until 2006.

Rice, John Michael
Schakend Nederland, 1961
2^nd Prize

#2 vvv

7 + 4

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Rice, John Michael
Die Schwalbe, 2000
2^nd Prize

#3 vv

10 + 10

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Pauli Kalervo Perkonoja (19-07-1941) Finnish composer and International Master

Pauli Perkonoja (center) at European champion at Legnica 2005

Pauli Perkonoja is an endgame studies composer. He is also a very strong solver (several times World Solving Champion and once European Champion) and was the first solver to receive the title of GM in 1982. He is International Judge for studies and more of his studies have been compiled by jmrw on his website. He is a permanent collaborator of the Finnish magazine "TEHTÄVÄNIEKKA".

Many of his studies are quotable. Let's just pick two of them:

Perkonoja, Pauli Kalervo
New Statesman, 1970
1^st Prize

5 + 5

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Perkonoja, Pauli Kalervo
Suomen Tehtäväniekat, 2000
2^nd Prize, 1999-200

4 + 7

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Claude Goumondy (19-07-1946) French composer and Grandmaster

Claude Goumondy is International Judge in threemovers and helpmates, which are exactly what he composes most. He has a predilection for cyclic themes (cyclic exchange of White moves), geometric themes and tasks.
From 1977 until 1982 he was the twomover and threemover editor of French magazine "diagrammes". In 1984 he became the youngest composition Grandmaster, at the age of 38. He seems to have stopped composing in 1993.

Goumondy, Claude
Schach (magazine) Sep 1974 (7532)

11 + 9

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Goumondy, Claude
Probleemblad, 1969 (6642)
1^st Prize

h#3

3 solutions

4 + 8

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Adolph Jay Fink (19-07-1890 - 15-12-1956) American composer

Adolph J. Fink
Il Problema

Adolph Jay Fink was a Californian chess player, solver and composer.
More information about him can be found in this article by Neil Brennen, initially published in the November-December 2002 issue of California Chess Journal.
He composed mostly twomovers and belonged to the Good Companions, the American problem club founded in Philadelphia in 1913 by James Francis Magee and Alain Campbell White.
One of his most famous problems is the following masterpiece (which fully deserved a Chess Note by Edward Winter, see "4339. ‘Thought transference’").

Fink, Adolph Jay
Stimson, James Frank
Good Companion, Jul 1920 (2622)
1^st Prize