July 25th

Arthur John Roycroft (25-07-1929) British composer and Honorary Master of the FIDE for Chess Compositions

John Roycroft, 1999

John Roycroft is an endgame study composer and International Judge. He founded the studies magazine End Game (EG) in 1965. He has composed little, but has written more: for instance "Test Tube Chess" (1972) revised as "The Chess Endgame Study" (1981), one of the best book about endgame studies.

He is the co-inventor of the Guy-Blanchford-Roycroft code, an efficient way of indexing endgame studies.

Roycroft, Arthur John
Themes 64, 1958
2^nd Prize

=

b) - wPh6

4 + 4

Show Solution

a) 1. g8=R! Kc1+ 2. Rg7 = Black cannot progress.
If 1.g8=Q? Kc1+! 2.Qg7 Bb2! 3.Qxb2+ axb2 4.Kg7 b1=Q 5.h8=Q Qb2+ 6.Kh7 Bb1+ 7.Kg8 Qb8+ 8.Kg7 Qe5+ 9.Kg8 Qe8+ 10.Kg7 Qe7+ 11.Kg8 Ba2#

b) Without wPh6, the situation is considerably altered:
1. g8=Q! Kc1+ 2.Qg2 Bb2 3.Qxb2+ axb2 4.Kg7 b1=Q 5.h8=Q =
If 1.g8=R? Kc1+! 2.Rg7 Bb1 3.Kg8 Bxg7 4.Kxg7 Bxh7 wins easily

Perfectly thematical twins.

Heinz Gfeller (25-07-1933 - 12-11-2018) Swiss composer

Heinz Gfeller, right, next to Dieter Werner and Markus Wettstein
[source: 2014 General Meeting of the Swiss Chess Composition Association]

Heinz Gfeller often proposes Rätsel and also writes articles for the Swiss magazine "idee & form".

Gfeller, Heinz
Schweizer Arbeiter SZ, 1962
1^st Prize

#3

11 + 12

Show Solution

1. Bd7! (2. Bxc6+ Rbxc6/Rexc6 3. Rxd4#)

1... Sbd8 2. Qf5+! Kxf5 3. Sd6#
1... Qa1(d2) 2. Qf3+! Kxf3 3. Sd2#
1... Qc3 2. Qd5+! Kxd5 3. Sxc3#

3 Queen sacrifices and echo pin mates.

Gfeller, Heinz
Olympic Tourney Lucerne, 1983
1^st Prize

#3

12 + 9

Show Solution

1.Ba2-b1 ! (2.Se3-f5+ Ke5-d5, Ke5xf5 3.Bb1-a2, Rc2-c5#)

1...b5-b4 2.Rc2-c4 (3.Rc4-e4#) 2...d6-d5 3.Se3-f5#
1...Ke5-e4 2.Rc2-c4+ Ke4-f3, Ke4-e5 3.Rc4-f4, Rc4-e4#
1...Ke5-d4 2.Rc2-c5 (3.Rc5-d5#) 2...d6xc5 3.Ba3-b2#
1...d6-d5 2.Rc2-c6 (3.Se3-f5#) 2...d5-d4, Ke5-d4 3.Sb8xd7, Ba3-b2#

Flight-giving key, rich battery play.

Bernd Schwarzkopf (25-07-1946) German composer

Axel Steinbrink, Bernd Schwarzkopf,
Franz Pachl and Hans Gruber

Bernd Schwarzkopf composes in all genres, including fairy, retro and task problems.

Schwarzkopf, Bernd
feenschach, 1978
dedicated to Andernach 1978 participants

ser-h#9

PWC b) bKa4->a6

1 + 2

Show Solution

a) 1.Sh3 2.Sf4 3.Sxe2(f4) 4.Sd4 5.Se6 6.Sxf4(e6) 7.Sg6 8.Sf8 9.Sxe6(Qf8) Qb4#
b) 1.Sf3 2.Sd4 3.Sxe2(d4) 4.Sf4 5.Se6 6.Sxd4(e6) 7.Sc6 8.Sd8 9.Sxe6(Qd8) Qb6#
Echo mates and specific PlatzWechselCirce play.

Александр Юрьевич Семененко & Валерий Юрьевич Семененко (25-07-1959) Ukrainian composers, Grandmasters (Aleksandr Yurevich Semenenko and Valery Yurevich Semenenko)

Valery and Aleksandr Semenenko

The Semenenko twin brothers very often compose together. They have chosen the helpmate field to express their (similar) talents. They are International Judges and Aleksandr is a Grandmaster while Valery became Grandmaster in 2022.
The two differences: Aleksandr wears a beard, while Valery has earned the title of solving FIDE Master.

Семененко, Александр Юрьевич & Семененко, Валерий Юрьевич
Mat Plus, 2009 (33/1263)

h#2

b) wKc7->g7

8 + 10

Show Solution

a) 1.Kxc4 Bb7 2.Sb2 Kxb6#
b) 1.Kxd4 Bh7 2.Sf4 Kxf7#
Diagonal-orthogonal correspondence and thematical twinning. A good solving experience.

Семененко, Александр Юрьевич & Семененко, Валерий Юрьевич
J. Lois-60 JT, 2006
2^nd Prize

h#3

2 solutions

4 + 14

Show Solution

1.Kd4 Bf5 2.Qe4 b3 3.Kd3 Rd6#
1.Kd5 Re6 2.Qd6 b4 3.Kc6 Be4#
Diagonal-orthogonal correspondence, anticipatory selfpin, white selfpin, critical moves.