July 21st

Edward Bagehot Schwann (21-07-1872 - 07-09-1902) British composer

Edward B. Schwann composed direct mates in 2 or 3 moves.
This threemover is a good training for solvers, as well as this one:

Schwann, Edward Bagehot
Akademisches Monatsheft für Schach, 1898 (13-14/152)

#3

8 + 5

Show Solution

1. Sc3! (2. Qd5+ Kf4, Kf6 3. Bh6, Sg4#)

1... Kf4 2. Se2+ Ke3, Ke5 3. Bh6, Sg4#
1... Kd4 2. Se2+ Kc4, Ke3, Ke5 3. Qg8, Bh6, Sg4#
1... Ba2 2. Qe4+ Kf6 3. Qe7/f4/f5#
1... Sxf2 2. Qg7+ Kf4 3. Qg3#

Good flight-giving key and model mates.

Esko Kröger (21-07-1921 - 25-06-2012) Finnish composer

Only one problem by Esko Kröger was found in the free databases (two other problems can be found in WinChloe database, as Emmanuel Manolas points out in his comment).
Esko Kröger published only 12 - 20 problems altogether. He published one 2# already in 1955, probably inspired by Aarne Dunder's column in the local newspaper "Satakunnan Kansa", and started to publish more problems in 1963, the year when the Satakunta Problemist Club was founded (Satakunta is the name of the region he lived in). In later years Kröger composed many helpmates, but most of them were cooked and not published at all.
(Thanks to Teppo Mänttä and Henry Tanner for the information).

Kröger, Esko
O. Nevanko JT, 1965
1^st Prize

#3

8 + 8

Show Solution

1.Rc4-f4 ! (2.Se5-d3/Se5-d7 [3.Ba6-c4#] Sb3-d2 3.Rf4-d4#)

1...Kd5xe5 2.Rf4xf5+ Ke5-e4, Ke5xf5 3.Rf5-e5, Ba6-d3#
1...Kd5-c5 2.Se5-d7+ Kc5-d5 3.Ba6-c4#
1...c6-c5 2.Ba6-b7+ Kd5xe5 3.Rf4-e4#

Flight-giving key and battery play in two variations.

John Edward Driver (21-07-1928 - 01-08-1979) British composer

John E. Driver composed more than 500 problems in all genres. He was the inventor of the Edgehog, a fairy piece that was first mentioned on this blog on June 7th, as it was used by Laurent Joudon in his 2nd Prize, Driver MT 1988.

Driver, John Edward
British Chess Federation 107^th Tourney, 1964
1^st Prize, 1964-1965

#2

12 + 12

Show Solution

1.c8=S ! ZZ unexpected block.

Among his helpmates, this h#5 may be quoted.
He also composed interesting fairy problems, such as this neutral pieces twomover.
The following selfmate deserves attention:

Driver, John Edward
British Chess Federation, 1960
1^st Prize

s#2

13 + 12

Show Solution

1.Qa2-c4 ! ZZ

1...b5xc4+ 2.Kd3xe3 d5-d4#
1...d5-d4 2.Sd8-b7 b5xc4#
1...d5xc4+ 2.Kd3xc3 Ke5-d5#

Battery play, surprising key (giving flight c3 to the wk) and three zugzwang variations.

Jan van Woerden (21-07-1939 - 20-12-2012) Dutch composer

Jan van Woerden composes mostly direct mates, but also fairy problems and helpmates.

Van Woerden, Jan
Probleemblad, 2002
4^th Prize

#2 vv

5 + 9

Show Solution

1.Qxf2? (2.Qc5#)
1...Bxd6[a] 2.Qxg2#[A]
1...cxd6[b] 2.Qc2#[B]
1...Kxd6 2.Qf6# but 1...Bg1!

1.Qg5? (2.Qc5#)
1...Bxd6[a] 2.Qb5#[C]
1...cxd6[b] 2.Qc1#[D]
1...Kxd6 2.Qf6#
1...Bd5 2.Qxd5# but 1...Be5!

1.Qd8! (2.Qxc7#)
1...Bxd6[a] 2.Qa8#[E]
1...cxd6[b] 2.Qc8#[F]
1...Kxd6 2.Qf6#
A Zagoruiko with little white material, switchback of wQ.

Umut Sayman (21-07-1981) Turkish composer

Umut Sayman

Umut Sayman is a chess composer living in Izmir and the president of Turkish Mind Sports Association.
His best composition until now (July 2019) is the following:

Sayman, Umut
WCO-2018, Batumi 2018
3^rd Commendation
dedicated to Dr. Ateş Ülker

h#3

2.1.1...

4 + 14

Show Solution

1.♖e5 d×c3 2.♔×c3 ♖×e5 3.♕c2 ♖d5#
1.♕e5 d×e3 2.♔×e3 ♗×e5 3.♖d3 ♗×c3#
Reciprocal batteries.