August 27th

John Frederick Keeble (27-08-1855 - 19-02-1939) British composer

John Keeble
[Source: scan by M. McDowell]

John Keeble was a chess player/problem composer/chess historian. During the Ken Whyld Association (KWA) annual meeting this year, as reported by Tim Harding at ChessCafe, John Keeble was the subject of a talk by KWA treasurer Michael Negele:

"Keeble, who never married and lived very frugally, worked for fifty-three years as a railway clerk, rarely taking a day off. He conducted a chess column in the Norfolk News for several years before the First World War but only started playing tournaments in 1925, a few years after his retirement."

He wrote the book "An English Bohemian: A tribute to B.G. Laws" which can be downloaded here.

Source: AntiquarianChess.com

Keeble, John Frederick
Chess Monthly, 1891

s#2

10 + 9

Show Solution

1.Qg5-f6 ! ZZ
1...Sb8-d7 2.Qf6-e5+ Sd7xe5#
1...Sd8-f7 2.Qf6-e5+ Sf7xe5#
1...Sb8-c6/Sd8-c6/Qc8-b7 2.Sa4-c5+ Rd5xc5#
1...Qc8-d7 2.Ba8xd5+ Qd7xd5#
1...Qc8xc7+ 2.Sa4-c5+ Qc7xc5#
1...Sd8-b7 2.Qf6-d4+ Rd5xd4#
A well arranged selfmate.

Georg Katz (27-08-1894 - ?) German composer

Georg Katz was a direct mate composer.

Katz, Georg
Schach (magazine) 1967 (5373)
1^st Commendation

#4

8 + 12

Show Solution

1.Bb2-h8 ! (2.Qa1-f6/Qa1-e5#)
1...Sb6-d7 2.Qa1-g7 (3.Rg6-g2/Rg6-g3 ~ 4.Qg7-g4/Qg7-g6# or 3.Rg6-g4 ~ 4.Qg7-g6/e3-e4#)
2...c6-c5 3.Rg6-g2 threat: 4.Qg7-g4 # 4.Qg7-g6 #
2...Sd8~ 3.Qg7-f7+
Two consecutive Bristols with the white Queen on two different lines.

Leopold Mieczysław Szwedowski (27-08-1932) Polish composer and International Master

Eugeniusz Iwanow, Waldemar Tura, Andrej Seliwanow, Leopold Szwedowski and Piotr Murdzia
[konikowski.net]

Leopold Szwedowski is a direct mate, helpmate and selfmate composer. He is an International Judge for direct mates and selfmates.

Szwedowski, Leopold Mieczysław
The Probblemist, 1991
4^th Prize

s#3

9 + 14

Show Solution

1.Qd7-c7 ! (2.Rd6-d3+ Ke5-e6 3.Rh4xe4+ Bb2-e5#)
1...Sh6-f5 2.Rh4xe4+ Ke5xe4 3.Qc7-e7+ Bb2-e5#
1...Sh6-g4 2.Bg5-f4+ Ke5xf4 3.Rd6-d5+ Bb2-e5#
1...f7-f5 2.Qc7-b6 (3.Qb6-d4+ Bb2xd4#)
1...Sh8-g6 2.Bg5-f6+ Ke5-f5 3.Qc7-c5+ Bb2-e5#
Varied play to trigger the black battery.

Timo Kallio (27-08-1960) Finnish composer

Timo Kallio
[© Hannu Harkola]

Timo Kallio is a physician by profession.
In 1995 he compiled a book called "Tehtäväshakin käsikirja" (Handbook of Problem Chess), which has been the standard guide book about problem chess ever since in Finnish language. He was also one of the organizers of the PCCC-meeting in Turku 1995.
Timo was the editor-in-chief of Suomen Tehtäväniekat magazine (nowadays called Tehtäväniekka) for several years.
He also devised the chess diagram producing tool Chessmen Laser.
Timo Kallio composes in all genres - direct mates, selfmates, helpmates and fairy problems.

Kallio, Timo
Turku Problemist Club 10 JT 1990-91
1^st Prize

#3

8 + 12

Show Solution

1.Ra3-b3 ! (2.Sc4-a3 ~ 3.Sa3-c2#)
1...Rg4-g5 2.Sc4-a5 ! (3.Sa5-c6#) because 2...g6-g5 is impossible.
1...g6-g5 2.Sc4-d2 ! (3.Sd2-f3#) because 2...Rg4-g5 is impossible.
1...Bc7-d6 2.Sc4-a5 ! (3.Sa5-c6#) because 2...g6-g5 does not parry the threat, now that the 6th rank is interfered.
Black self obstruction.