August 3rd

Henry Augustus Loveday (03-08-1815 - 09-01-1848) British-Indian composer

Henry Loveday is famous for having composed and sent to Howard Stauton, the then director of the "Chess Player's Chronicle", the famous Indian problem below:

Loveday, Henry Augustus
The Chess Player's Chronicle, Feb 1845

#4

8 + 5

The problem was cooked and the most current version is the following:

Loveday, Henry Augustus
The Chess Player's Chronicle (v) 1845

#3

8 + 5

Show Solution

1.Bh6-c1 ! ZZ
1...b6-b5 2.Rd1-d2 ZZ 2...Ke4-f4 3.Rd2-d4#
The Indian theme is composed by 1. a critical move of a white long range piece (here the Bishop) beyond a critical square (here d2) 2. the interference of this piece by another piece on the critical square, thus offering the bK a flight.

Loveday understood the importance of his idea and published another extraordinary work in 1846.

Loveday, Henry Augustus
The Chess Player's Chronicle, 1846

#3

6 + 3

Show Solution

1.Rd6-d1 ! ZZ
1...g5-g4 2.Bh6-d2 ~ 3.Bd2-a5#
This time the Bishop interferes the Rook.

Petrus Adrianus van der Kraan (03-08-1905 - 1987) Dutch composer

Petrus van der Kraan was a twomover and helpmate composer who was interested in tempo play: see for instance this h#3 or this h#2 or this witty helpstalemate.

Van Der Kraan, Petrus Adrianus
Tijdschrift vd KNSB, 1947
1^st Prize

#2

11 + 12

Show Solution

1.Rc5! (2.Bd5#)

1...Bf4 2.Qxf5#
1...Bg3 2.Sh5#
1...Bh2 2.Sg4#
1...Bxf6 2.Rxf6#
1...Bd6/dxc6 2.Qxc4#
1...Bxc7 2.Sxc7#
1...Bb7 2.Bxd7#
1...Qxg7+ 2.Sxg7#

Black corection, anti-Somov A2.

Stefan Parzuch (03-08-1937) Polish composer

Stefan Parzuch composed twomovers but lately he has been devoting himself to helpmates. One of his best works is the h#4 awarded 2nd Prize by Piotr Murdzia in 2000, but it is rather difficult to solve. An easier prey:

Parzuch, Stefan
Grudzinski-Memorial, 2004
3^rd Prize

h#2

2.1.1.1

5 + 10

Show Solution

1. Rf5 Re6+ 2. dxe6 Sf7#
1. Se4 Bd4+ 2. cxd4 Sd3#
The white sacrifices are the only way of interfering the black Queen.

Vito Rallo (03-08-1939) Italian composer

Vito Rallo

Vito Rallo composes direct mates, helpmates and fairy problems.

Rallo, Vito
Telescacco 2000, Jan 2007

h#2

2 solutions

5 + 7

Show Solution

1.Sc2-e1 Se4xd6+ 2.Se1xf3 Sd4xf3#
1.Sg3-f1 Sd4xc6+ 2.Sf1xd2 Se4xd2#
A perfect diagonal-orthogonal correspondence, offering Zilahi and battery play.
Vito Rallo based his idea on a cooked problem with twins by A. Cistiakov.

Rallo, Vito
StrateGems, 2008
4^th HM

h#4

2 solutions ParrainCirce

3 + 3

Show Solution

1.Ke6-d5 Sh5xf6 + 2.Kd5-c5 [+bBe6] Kd2-c3 3.Be6-c4 d3xc4 4.Sd4-c6 [+bBb6] Sf6-e4#
1.Bf6-g7 Sh5xg7+ 2.Ke6-e5 [+bBg6] Sg7-e6 3.Bg6-e4 d3xe4 4.Sd4xe6 [+bBf6] Kd2-e3 [+wSf7]#
Ideal echo mates.

Valerio Agostini (03-08-1954) Italian composer

The Italian Problemists' team:
Front row: Valerio Agostini, Vito Rallo, Mario Parrinello, Marco Guida, Francesco Simoni, Roberto Cassano (socio di Frascati Scacchi), Rodolfo Riva & Marco Crucioli;
Back row: Alessandro Cuppini, Andrea Bracci, Fabio Magini, Marco Bonavoglia, Francesco Tinebra & Daniele Giacobbe

Valerio Agostini composes direct mates, mostly threemovers.

Agostini, Valerio
L'Italia Scacchistica, 1988
2^nd Place

#3

10 + 11

Show Solution

1.Ka7-b8 ! (2.Qa2-a7+ c6-c5 3.Qa7xc5#)

1...f5-f4 2.Re3xd3+ c4xd3 3.Sc7xe6#
1...Bf6-e7 2.Sc7xe6+ Kd4-d5 3.Re3xd3#
Line opening for wBh7, respectively wRh6.
1...c6-c5 2.Sc7xb5+ Kd4-d5 3.Qa2-a8#

Ricardo de Mattos Vieira (03-08-1960) Brazilian composer and FIDE Master

Ricardo de Mattos Vieira
[KoBulChess.com]

Let's quote his portrait on KoBulChess.com:

He was introduced to chess problems in 1972 by his friend Mario Figueiredo. Mario’s father, José Figueiredo, and Felix Sonnenfeld were his mentors, and led him to the helpmate field. After the death of José Figueiredo, in 1978, Ricardo insisted with Sonnenfeld to resume the activities of the UBP (the Brazilian Union of Problemists). Besides being responsible for the publication of the Boletim da UBP for many years, he took part in the Directory of UBP until 2006. For the last 10 years, he has been receiving technical advices from his friend Almiro Zarur and recently in genres other than helpmates. He has 8.33 FIDE Albums points.

One of the best problems composed by Ricardo and Mario Figueiredo is the following:

Figueiredo, Mário & De Mattos Vieira, Ricardo
Die Schwalbe, 1986 (97/5288)
1^st Prize

h#3

b) bSf1->c2

5 + 14

Show Solution

a) 1.Re4 Bb8 2.Rb2 Kxf1 3.Bb3 Ba7#
b) 1.Qd4 Rxd8 2.Ba2 Kg3 3.Rb3 Re8#
Unpinning of the thematic black pieces bRb6 and bBe6, switchback of the thematic white pieces and black Grimshaw of the thematic pieces on b3.

One of his earliest successes was the h#2 below and was an interesting precursor of this h#2.

De Mattos Vieira, Ricardo
Saxa-Brazil, 1988 (v)
3^rd Prize

h#2

2 solutions

7 + 13

Show Solution

1.Qh7-d3 Bf8-c5+ 2.Kd4-e4 Rc1-c4#
1.Rc8-c3 Sh4-f5+ 2.Kd4-c4 Bb1-d3#
Pin mates, all white pieces collaborate to the final positions.

Daniele Giacobbe (03-08-1967) Italian composer

(See photo of the Italian team above)

Daniele Giacobbe composes twomovers.

Giacobbe, Daniele
Torre & Cavallo - Scacco!
Mar 2001
2^nd Prize

#2*

8 + 10

Show Solution

Set play:
1...Sg5 2.Rxg5#
1...Qxg7 2.Qxe6#
1...Sb4/Sc5 2.Qc7#
1...d3 2.Qe3#
1.Bb1! (2.Sf3#)

1...Sg5 2.Rxg5#
1...d3 2.Qe3#
1...Qxg7 2.Qxe6#

Argüelles theme.