August 10th

John Griswold White (10-08-1845 - 27-08-1928) American composer

John G. White
[ChessHistory]

John G. White was the chess book collector who donated his immense collection to the Cleveland Public Library. He was not Alain Campbell White's father.

White, John Griswold
Canadian Illustrated News, 1879

#4

5 + 2

Show Solution

1.Ke7-e6 ! ZZ
1...Kc5xc4 2.Bf6-d4 Kc4xd4 3.Rb2-c2 Kd4-e4 4.Rc2-c4#
1...Kc5-c6 2.Bf6-e7 Kc6-c7 3.Be7-d6+ Kc7-c8/d8 4.Rb2-b8# or 3...Kc7-c6 4.Bc4-d5#

Lőrinc Bata (10-08-1907 - 10-08-1991) Hungarian composer

Lorinc Bata
[magyarsakkszerzok]

Lőrinc Bata composed direct mates and studies. He was a twomover specialist.

Bata, Lőrinc
Parallèle 50, 1947
1^st Prize, April-June

#2

11 + 8

Show Solution

1.Qa7! ZZ
1...R~ 2.Sf4# [A]; 1...Rc4 2.Qd7# [B]
1...Bg4~ 2.Qd7# [B]; 1...Bxe6 2.Qxc5# [C]
1...Bf6~ 2.Qxc5# [C]; 1...Bd4 2.Sf4# [A]
Black correction for bR, bBg4 and bBf6; cyclic mates.

Caetano Belliboni (10-08-1919 - 05-02-1991) Brazilian composer

Caetano Belliboni
[oproblemista]

Caetano Belliboni was born in Italy and migrated to Brazil during his teens. He started composing in the 1940s, abandoned composition for a long period and was 'reactivated' by Felix Sonnenfeld in the 1980s. He was the Brazilian delegate at the PCCC for 5 congresses.
He wrote an "Introdução ao problema heterodoxo" (Introduction to the heterodox problem) in 1983.

Belliboni, Caetano
IIe T. TNCP, 1988
1^st Prize

#2

11 + 13

Show Solution

1.Rxc6? (2.Qc7#) but 1...Sxc6+!
1.Be2? (2.d4#) but 1...Qg6!
1.Be4? (2.d4#) but 1...fxe3!
1.Bxc2! (2.d4#)
1...Be1 2.Bxf4#
1...Sd3/Se2 2.Sxd3#[A]
1...Re6 2.Rxe6#[B]
1...Rxc8 2.Re6#[B]/Qe7#
1...Qd1 2.Qf5#[D]
1...Rxd2 2.Rxh5#
1...d4 2.exd4#/Qe4#[C]
Transferred mates.

Per Ingvar Olin (10-08-1951) Finnish composer

Per Olin
[© Hannu Harkola]

Per Olin composes endgame studies, fairy problems and retro problems as well. For instance he composed fairy chess games entirely determined by their last move. One example, given by Alain Brobecker on his website:
"Find the unique game containing 5.Sc3xRd1 and finishing with 12.Qf7xRc4#" (Per Ingvar Olin, Problemkiste 1997)

Show Solution

1.d4 a5 2.d5 Ra6 3.d6 Rxd6 4.Sc3 Rxd1 5.Sc3xRd1 d6 6.g4 Kd7 7.g5 Kc6 8.g6 Kb5 9.gxh7 Ka4 10.hxg8Q Rh4 11.Qxf7 Rc4 12.Qf7xRc4#.

Olin, Per Ingvar
Springaren, 1996 (8511)
Special Prize

h=2 on each file and rank

33 + 16

Taking the pieces placed on each file and rank, find the help-stalemate in two moves (there are 16 different problems on the diagram).


Show Solution

On the 8 files:
a) 1.Sb5 Rb4 2.Sxa3 Rxa3=
b) 1.Ka6 Kc5 2.Ka5 Sc7=
c) 1.Kb1 Rb8+ 2.Ka1 Rb2=
d) 1.Rc8 dxc8=Q 2.Kxd4 Qh3=
e) 1.Ke3 e8=Q 2.e4 Qe5=
f) 1.Kg5 Bg7 2.Kh4 Bh6=
g) 1.Kg6 Bf5+ 2.Kh5 Sf3=
h) 1.Rg1 Kh6 2.Rg2 Rxg2=
On the 8 ranks:
1) 1.Rh3 Se2 2.Rc3 Sxc3=
2) 1.f1=R Sc4 2.Rh1 Rxh1=
3) 1.Kd2 Rh2+ 2.Ke1 Rf2=
4) 1.Kxd4 Sh3 2.Ke3 Rc3=
5) 1.Kf4 Ra4+ 2.Kf5 Re4=
6) 1.Ka7 Kxc6 2.Ka8 Kb6=
7) 1.Sc8 dxc8=Q 2.Kh6 Qg4=
8) 1.Rd7 Rc7 2.Rg7 Rxg7=

Tadashi Wakashima (10-08-1952) Japanese composer (若島 正)

Tadashi Wakashima is a shogi and fairy chess composer, IM in solving and the Japanese delegate at WFCC. He is also a Nabokov expert, member of the Nabokov Society of Japan. He was mentioned in the 23rd April post dedicated to Vladimir Nabokov.
And he is an indefatigable promoter of chess composition in Japan and the chief editor of the Japanese magazine "Problem Paradise", whose fairy editor is Vlaicu Crisan. It's a small world...
He is the organizer of the 55th WCCC which will take place in Kobe in September this year.

He invented the Variables, fairy pieces whose nature is unknown and must be logically deducted during the solution. Here is an outstanding example:

Wakashima, Tadashi
The Problemist, 1995
1^st Prize

ser-s#19

a4, b2, d2, g2, g1, h1: Variables

2 + 4

Series selfmate in 16, with 6 variables: a real challenge for the solver !

Show Solution

1.Vg3 (->Vg3 not wB, wS)
2.Vgb3 (Vb3=wQ,R -> Vh1=bK -> Vb3=wR; Va4=wK -> Vb2 not bS)
3.Vab4 ( ->Vd2not bQ,bB)
4.V4c3 (-> Vb2 not bQ,bB)
5.Vd3 (-> Vd2 not bR)
6.Ve2 (-> Vg1 not bS)
7.Vbf3 8.Vff1 9.Ved1 10.Vdc1 (-> Vb2=bR ; Vd2=bS)
11.Vcd1 12.Vde2 13.Vff2 14.Vfg2 15.Vef2 (Vg1=bR)
16.Vfg3 17.R3h3 18.Vxd2 19.Vdh2+ Vbxh2#
An amazing achievement.