July 29th

Peter Philipp Schmitt (29-07-1903 - ?) German composer

Peter Philip Schmitt composed direct mates.

Schmitt, Peter Philipp
Caissa, 1951
2^nd Prize

#2 vv

5 + 8

Show Solution

Tries:
1.Bd6? (2.Qg7#[B]/Rg6#[A])
1...Kxf6 2.Qe7#
1...Be5 2.Qg7#[B] but 1...Bxf6!
1.Qb8? (2.Rg6#[A])
1...Be5 2.Qxe5# but 1...Bxf6!
1.Ba3! (2.Qg7#[B])
1...Kxf6 2.Qe7#
1...Bxf6 2.Bxc1#
Probably inspired by Sam Loyd's American Indian, this problem adds the Barnes theme.

Piotr Ruszczyński (29-07-1951) Polish composer and International Master

Piotr Ruszczyński composes in all genres with equal facility. Just consider this h#3 with 5 (!) echo mates and 5 active selfblocks by the black Queen : getting this problem correct, without computer help, is a remarkable achievement.

He wrote in 1989 with Jan Rusinek the booklet "64 Polish Chess Compositions".
7 of Ruszczyński's threemovers are quoted by Marek Kwiatkowski in his "100 Polish Threemovers (1893-1992)" which you can download and read here.

Ruszczyński, Piotr
Konkurs PZSzach, 1971
1^st Prize

#2*

7 + 4

Show Solution

Set play:

1...Bf6 2.Sc6#
1...Rd7 2.Re6#
1...Rxd8 2.Qf7#

1.Se6! (2.Qf7#)

1...Kd7/Rf5 2.Qd8#
1...Kf6 2.Qg7#

Completely changed play and flight-giving key.

Ruszczyński, Piotr
Breuer MT, 1983
2^nd Prize

#4

7 + 11

Show Solution

1.Bb6-a7 ! (2.Ba8xc6+ Kd5xc6 3.Kf6xe6 ~ 4.Re8-c8#)

1...Rb4-d4 2.Re8-c8 (3.Ba8xc6#) 2...Rd4-c4 3.Sd6-f7+ Kd5-e4 4.Sf7-g5#
1...Rf4-c4 2.Re8xe6 (3.Re6xe5#)
                        2...Rc4-c5 3.Re6xe5+ Kd5-d4 4.Ba7xc5#
                        2...Rc4-e4 3.Sd6-b7+ Kd5-c4 4.Sb7-a5#
1...Rf4-d4 2.Re8xe6 (3.Re6xe5#) 2...Rd4-e4 3.Sd6-b7+ Kd5-c4 4.Sb7-a5#

Václav Kotěšovec (29-07-1956) Czech composer and Grandmaster

Václav Kotěšovec
[his site]

Some of you already know Václav and his website because you have arrived on this blog through the link he kindly provided in the 'News' section. He is a prolific author (see the list of his articles on his site) interested in computer chess, programming, mathematical chess, fairy problems and studies, and so on.

His site proposes an encyclopedic overview of problem chess on the internet: links, e-books and more especially the A.C.White "Christmas Series" available in e-books and other Google books are important resources that are made available for all chess problems lovers thanks to his generosity and hard work. Once more, thank you Václav!

Václav Kotěšovec is known as a composer of cyclic twomovers (see first problem below) and Bohemian long helpmates. He enjoys fairy conditions and pieces (second problem), but he can also show these Bohemian echoes with shorter stipulation - see for instance his 1st prize in Bily-50 JT.
For a more complete view on his problems, please read his book "234 best chess problems" and if you are more into fairy twomovers, you will devour his "Fairy twomovers 2008-2010".

Kotěšovec, Václav
Šachové umění 2004
Special Prize, 2003-04

#2

3 solutions

10 + 6

Show Solution

1.d5! [A] (2.Sc3#)
1...b4 [B] 2.Qa6#
1.b4! [B] (2.Re3#)
1...f4 [C] 2.Qe4#
1.f4! [C] (2.Qf3#)
1...d5 [A] 2.Qe7#
Original and witty cycle AB-BC-CA applied to keys and defences.

Kotěšovec, Václav
Mat Plus, 2007 (25/633)
3^rd Prize

h#29.5

2.1... KoeKo KoeKo Blackmaximummer Whitemaximummer PWC c8: Grasshopper

2 + 2

Show Solution

1...Kd7xc8 [+bGd7] 2.Gd7-d2 Bd3-e2 3.Kf1-f2 Be2-d3 4.Gd2-g2 Bd3-f1 5.Gg2-e2 Bf1xe2 [+bGf1] 6.Gf1-d3 Be2-f1 7.Kf2-e1 Bf1-e2 8.Gd3-f1 Be2-d1 9.Gf1xd1 [+wBf1] Bf1-e2 10.Gd1-f3 Be2-d1 11.Ke1-d2 Bd1-c2 12.Kd2-c1 Bc2-e4 13.Gf3-d5 Be4-b1 14.Kc1-b2 Bb1-e4 15.Gd5-f3 Be4-b7 16.Gf3-a8 Bb7xa8 [+bGb7] 17.Gb7-b1 Kc8-b7 18.Gb1-b3 Kb7-a7 19.Gb3-b1 Ba8-b7 20.Gb1-b3 Ka7-b6 21.Gb3xb7 [+wBb3] Kb6-a7 22.Kb2-a3 Bb3-a4 23.Ka3-b4 Ba4-c6 24.Gb7-b3 Bc6-a4 25.Gb3-b5 Ba4xb5 [+bGa4] 26.Ga4-a8 Ka7-b6 27.Kb4-a4 Bb5-a6 28.Ga8-a5 Ba6-b7 29.Ga5-c7 Bb7-c6 30.Gc7-c5 Kb6-a5#
1...Bd3-e2 2.Gc8-e6 Kd7xe6 [+bGd7] 3.Gd7-f5 Be2-g4 4.Gf5-h3 Bg4-e2 5.Gh3-d7 Ke6xd7 [+bGe6] 6.Ge6-c8 Kd7xc8 [+bGd7] 7.Kf1xe2 [+wBf1] Kc8xd7 [+bGc8] 8.Gc8-e6 Kd7xe6 [+bGd7] 9.Gd7-f5 Ke6xf5 [+bGe6] 10.Ge6-g4 Bf1-h3 11.Gg4-d1 Bh3-f1 + 12.Gd1-g1 Bf1-g2 13.Gg1-g3 Bg2-e4 14.Ke2-d3 Be4-g2 15.Gg3-c3 Bg2-e4+ 16.Kd3-c4 Be4-c2 17.Gc3-c5 Bc2-e4 18.Gc5-g5 Kf5-g6 19.Gg5-g7 Be4-d3 20.Gg7-g5 Bd3-f5 21.Gg5-e5 Bf5-d3 22.Kc4-d5 Bd3-f5 23.Ge5-c5 Bf5-e6 + 24.Kd5xe6 [+wBd5] Bd5-c6 25.Gc5-c7 Bc6-d7 26.Ke6-f7 Bd7-e8 + 27.Kf7xe8 [+wBf7] Kg6-f6 28.Gc7-g7 Kf6xg7 [+bGf6] 29.Gf6-h8 Bf7-g6 30.Gh8-f6 Kg7-f8#
Echo mates and good use of the fairy conditions.

Michael Schwalbach (29-07-1957) German composer

Michael Schwalbach composes mostly selfmates and fairy problems, with a predilection for Maximummers.

Schwalbach, Michael
feenschach, 1977

s#7

7 + 2

Show Solution

1.Kg1! Qxh7 2.Bb2+ Kf4 3.Se6+ Ke3 4.Rb3+ Qd3 5.Rc3 Qxc3 6.Bc1+ Qd2 7.Kf1 Qxc1#
The excellent key selfpins the wQ. During the solution, the bQ captures three times the piece that pins her.

Schwalbach, Michael
O-O-O, 1981
1^st Prize

s#5

Maximummer b) bKf6->b6

3 + 2

Show Solution

a) 1. Ra2 ! Qb8 2. Rf2+ Qf4 3. R2h2 Qb8 4. 0-0+ Qf4 5. Kh1 Qxf1#
b) 1. Rh7 ! Qb8 2. 0-0-0 Qh2 3. Rd2 Qb8 4. Rc7 Qh8 5. Rc2 Qa1#
Both castles are shown in a perfect setting.