September 16th

Hugo Rohr (16-09-1865 - 09-12-1937) German composer

Hugo Rohr was specialized in selfmates. He composed more than 1300 problems, of which 600 were published.
This one is a particularly good specimen:

Rohr, Hugo
La Stratégie, 1900
1^st Prize

s#4

8 + 8

Show Solution

1.Sb2-c4 ! (2.Sc4-e5 2...a4-a3/f6xe5 3.Ke3-e4 a4-a3/f6xe5 4.Qh3-d3+ Rg2-e2#)

1...b5-b4 2.Ke3-e4 ~ 3.Ra2-a1+ Kf1-e2 4.Qh3-g4+ Rg2xg4#
1...b5xc4 2.Bh4-f2 a4-a3 3.Ke3-d2 Kf1xf2 4.Qh3-f3+ Kf2xf3#

Battery mates. The variation 1...b5xc4 is especially subtle, as the black royal battery is built during play.

Joseph Jean Louis Marie Opdenoordt (16-09-1892 - 04-04-1966) Dutch composer

Joseph Jean Louis Marie Opdenoordt was a Good Companion composer. Among the 500 problems he composed, 60 were selected for the 3rd volume of Dr.Niemeijer's series "Probleemcomponisten" in 1943.

Opdenoordt, Joseph Jean Louis Marie
Tijdschrift vd NSB, 1934
1^st Prize

#3

8 + 13

Show Solution

1.Sg7-e8 ! (2.Rb8-b7 ~ 3.Rb7xc7#)

1...Bf2xc5 2.Bh7-f5 ~ 3.Bf5-d7# because 2...Sb3xc5 is not possible
1...Bf2-d4 2.Bh7xd3 ~ 3.Bd3xb5# because 2...Sb3-d4 is not possible
1...Bf2-e3 2.Bh7-g8 ~ 3.Bg8xd5# because 2...Sf1-e3 is not possible
1...Sb3-d4 2.Sf6-d7 ~ 3.Sd7-e5# because 2...Bf2-d4 is not possible
1...Sb3xc5 2.Sf6-g8 ~ 3.Sg8-e7# because 2...Bf2xc5 is not possible

Mutual obstructions of the black pieces Bf2, Sb3 and Sf1.

Opdenoordt, Joseph Jean Louis Marie
Tijdschrift van den NSB, 1926 (4593)
2^nd Prize

s#3

10 + 8

Show Solution

1. Qd1 ! ZZ

1... a1=Q 2. Qxd6+ cxd6 3. Rc3+ Qxc3#
1... a1=R 2. Qc1+ Rxc1 3. Rc3+ Rxc3#
1... a1=B 2. Qc1+ Bb2 3. Bc4 Bxc1#
1... a1=S 2. Sc4+ Ka2 3. Qc2+ Sxc2#

Ingenious Allumwandlung with interesting role of wRc3: twice sacrificed on c3 and twice interfered with on c4.

Georges Antonoff (16-09-1931) French composer

Georges Antonoff is a chess player who composed direct mates and fairy problems.

Antonoff, Georges
Thèmes-64, 1962 (Ségal-Memorial)
2^nd Prize

s#3

Maximummer e6: Nightrider d4, g2: Grasshopper

6 + 6

Show Solution

1. Ga1!

1...bxa1=Q 2. Qd4 Qg1 3. Qb6 Qxb6#
1...bxa1=R 2. Qd3+ Kb2+ 3. Na4+ R1xa4#
1...bxa1=B 2. Qe5 Bxe5 3. Nc7+ Bxc7#
1...bxa1=S 2. Qd5 Gc6 3. Qb3+ Sxb3#
1...bxa1=G 2. Nd4 Ge5 3. Qf8 Gc3#
1...bxa1=N 2. Qc5 Ng4 3. Qe3+ Nxe3#

Super-Allumwandlung.

Kha Yuve Tsagaankhuu (16-09-1944) Mongolian composer

Kha Yuve Tsagaankhuu composes, as far as we know, endgame studies.

Tsagaankhuu, Kha Yuve
Team tourney of the socialist countries, 1975
14^th Place

=

2 + 5

Show Solution

1.a7 Ra2 2.a7 f2 3.Rg7+ Kf3 4.a8=Q Rxa8 5.Ra7 Rb8-h8 6.Rb7-h7 and the white Rook cannot be captured because of stalemate: draw.

Enzo Minerva (16-09-1962) Italian composer

Enzo Minerva

One can notice his endgame with heterogeneous material published in BESN 2001 or the one below.
 Enzo Minerva also composed proof games or tasks such as the one whose history he presented in "Best Problems 44" : the shortest double stalemate after 18 moves:
1.c4 d5 2.Qb3 Bh3 3.gxh3 f5 4.Qxb7 Kf7 5.Qxa7 Kg6 6.f3 c5 7.Qxe7 Rxa2 8.Kf2 Rxb2 9.Qxg7+ Kh5 10.Qxg8 Rxb1 11.Rxb1 Kh4 12.Qxh8 h5 13.Qh6 Bxh6 14.Rxb8 Be3+ 15.dxe3 Qxb8 16.Kg2 Qf4 17.exf4 d4 18.Be3 dxe3 stalemate.
The game was published in the chess column of the Italian newspaper "l'Unità" on 14 August, 2007.

Minerva, Enzo
Rusinek JT50, 2002
2^nd Honorable Mention

=

Black to move

3 + 5

Show Solution

1... c1=S+ 2. Ke4 Sxd2+ 3. Ke3 f1=S+ 4. Kf2 Sd3+ 5. Kg1 Se3 6. Qh3 Ke2 7. Qh2+ Kd1 8. Qh3 =
Original S promotions.

Julia Vysotska (16-09-1972) Latvian composer and FIDE Master

Julia Vysotska
[Julia's Fairies]

Everyone has been impressed by Julia's refreshing enthusiasm and energy. She started composing a little more than one year ago - and she began with fairy problems, which is quite rare among composers. Not only did she rapidly affirm herself as a composer, but she also quickly created her own website , attracted famous contributors (Petko Petkov with fairy articles , Chris Feather with a new edition of his book "Black to Play", Thomas Brand with a brief history of software Popeye), launched a very successful informal tourney and a thematic tourney.

Vysotska, Julia
The Problemist Supplement 144, 2012 (PS2586F)

hs#2.5

2.1.1.1.1

6 + 8

Show Solution

1... Qc1 2.Sh2 Rh4 (not 2.Qh2?) 3.Qf7+ Rxf7#
1... Qd1 2.Qh2 Rh7 (not 2.Sh2?) 3.Se3+ Rxe3#
Exchange of functions between wSg4 and wQc7, between bRb7 and bRe4. Dual avoidance by the black Queen and half-battery play.