December 16th

George Hume (16-12-1862 - 14-01-1936) British composer

George Hume
[Changing Fashions; Scan by M. McDowell]

[Chess Antiquarian]

George Hume was one of the main actors of the "Good Companion" Chess Club. He collected twomovers and used this collection to detect anticipations.
He participated to the edition of many books of the White Christmas Series such as "Changing Fashions", "Valves and Bi-Valves", "Flights of Fancy in the Chess World" or "The Good Companion Two-Mover" published in 1922.

Hume, George
Good Companions (April Complete Blocks) 1922
3^rd Prize

#2*

8 + 6

Show Solution

Set play:

1...Kxd4 2.Qg1#
1...Sb2~ 2.Sa4#

1.Sxa2! ZZ

1...Kxd4 2.Qg1#
1...Sb2~ 2.Bxb4#
1...Sd3 2.Qc3#

Mutate.

Hume, George
Brighton Society, 1897
1^st Prize

s#2

8 + 9

Show Solution

1.Be2-g4 ! ZZ

1...e3-e2 2.Bg4xf5+ Rb5xf5#
1...b4xa3 2.Qb3-b1+ Rb5xb1#
1...Qa5-d8/Qa5xa3 2.Qb3-d3+ Qxd3#
1...Qa5-b6 2.Re8xe6+ Rb5-e5/Qb6xe6#
1...Qa5-a4 2.Qb3-c2+ Qa4xc2#
1...f5xg4 2.Sh3-g5+ Rb5xg5#
1...Re6-e5/Re6-e7/b7-b6 2.Re8xR+ or 1...Re6xe8 2.Rf8xe8+ and 2...Rb5-e5#
A spectacular block problem.

This complete block s#2 is also interesting.

Hume, George
Bristol Mercury, 1893
1^st Prize

s#3

8 + 9

Show Solution

1.Qf3-f1 ! ZZ

1...Bf5-g4 2.Re6-g6+ h7xg6 3.Qf1-f6+ e7xf6#
1...Bf5xe4 2.Qf1-g1+ Be4-g2 3.c5-c6 Kg5-g4#
1...Bf5-g6 2.Qf1-g2+ h3xg2 3.Re4-g4+ Kg5xg4#
1...Bf5xe6 2.Qf1-a6 Be6-~ 3.Qa6-f6+ e7xf6#

Another good exercise for solvers:

Hume, George
Chess Monthly, 1895
1^st Prize

s#3

13 + 7

Show Solution

1.b7-b8=S ! (2.Rc7-d7+ Kd5-c4 3.Qd1-f1+ Rc1xf1#)

1...Rc1xc2 2.Sb5-c3+ Rc2xc3 3.Qd1-f3+ Rc3xf3#
1...Rc1xd1 2.Sc8-e7+ Kd5-e6 3.Sb5xd4+ Rd1xd4#
1...Qh8xe8 2.Rc7-c5+ Kd5-e6 3.Rc5-e5+ Bd4xe5#
1...Qh8-f8 2.Qd1-h1+ Rc1xh1 3.Re8-e5+ Bd4xe5#

Amazingly, two pairs of variations.

Géza Erdős (16-12-1885 - 07-1961) Hungarian composer

Géza Erdős composed direct mates.
More information about him can be found on http://sakk-magazin.hu/4si (search for "Erdős Géza").

Erdős, Géza
Österreichische Schachzeitung, 1953
3^rd Prize

#3

10 + 8

Show Solution

1.Kf6-f7 ! (2.Sd5-f6#)

1...Ke4xd5 2.Be2-f3+ Kd5-c5 3.Bg3-d6#
1...Bf5-g6+ 2.Kf7-g7 (3.Rg5-e5/Sd5-f6#) 2...Bd2-c3+ 3.Sd5xc3#
1...e6xd5 2.Rg5xf5 (3.Rf5-e5/Be2-d3#) 2...Ke4xf5 3.Sb5-d6#

It is worth noticing that 1.Kf6-g7? fails on 1...e6xd5! 2.Rg5xf5 Bd2-c3+! and this is why the Lepuschutz-type key 1.Kf6-f7 exposing the white King to check actually works.

Paul Heuäcker (16-12-1899 - 10-07-1969) German composer

Paul Heuäcker
[Wikipedia]

Paul Heuäcker was an endgame study composer.
In 1989 Gerald Braunberger wrote "Phantasie im Endspiel - Paul Heuäckers Schachstudien".
Paul Heuäcker is most known for this study, which has become a classic:

Heuäcker, Paul
Neue Freie Presse, 5^th Jan 1930 (44)

+

3 + 3

Show Solution

1. Ba7 ! Ba1 2. Kb1 Bc3 3. Kc2 Ba1 4. Bd4 !! Bxd4
{4...exd4 5.Kd3 blocks the pawn and wins}
5. Kd3 ! Ba1 6. Ke4 blocks the pawns on another square and wins.
Doubled sacrifice of the wB.

Heuäcker, Paul
New Statesman {and Nation} 1953

+

3 + 6

Show Solution

White starts by an attack to the black King:
1. Rc6+ Kd1 2. Rf6 ! Qe7 ! 3. Rg1+ Qe1 4. Ra6 Rc7 5. Ra1+ Rc1
{A little picture for this symmetrical position of the bK sandwiched by his loyal forces}
6. Rxc1+ Kxc1 7. Rxe1+ Kb2
{Now White must continue to play precisely to win the bS}
8. Re7! h3 9. Rb7+ Kc1 10. Rb8 ! Sc7 11. Rc8 wins the bS and the game.

Hans Henneberger (16-12-1916 - 31-08-2006) Swiss composer

Hans Johner (left) with Hans Henneberger (right) at a chess solving competition in Zürich
[SSZ 1975, page 267]

Hans Henneberger wrote the book "Kunstschach in der Schweiz" in 1980 (Swiss problems published between 1966-1976).
He was the problem columnist of the "Schweizerische Zeitung" during the periods 1946-1949 and 1967-1990.

Henneberger, Hans
1234 Modern End-Game Studies, 1938 (595)

+

4 + 2

Show Solution

1.Sg3!
{1.f8Q? Re2+ 2.Kd6 Rd2+ 3.Kc6 Rc2+ 4.Kb5 Rb2+ 6.Ka4 Ra2+ draw}
1...Rxg3 2.f8=Q Re3+ 3.Kd6 Rd3+ 4.Kc6 Rc3+ 5.Kb5 Rb3+ 6.Ka4 +-
{6...Ra3/Rb4+ 7.Qxb4 lifts the stalemate}

Валентин Викторович Лидер (16-12-1939) Russian composer and FIDE Master (Valentin Viktorovich Lider)

Valentin Lider is a twomover composer.

Лидер, Валентин Викторович
Шахматы в СССР 1975
Special Prize

#2

7 + 4

Show Solution

1. Rb1? ZZ
1. ... Ra8 2. bxa8=S#
1. ... Rxc8 2. bxc8=Q#
1. ... Sb6/d6/a5/e5/a3/e3/d2 2. Q(x)b6#
but 1. ... Sb2!
1. Qa7! ZZ
1. ... Ra8 2. bxa8=Q#
1. ... Rxc8 2. b8=S#
1. ... Rxb7 2. Qxb7#
1. ... Kxc6 2. Qc5#
1. ... Sb6 2. Qxb8#
1. ... Sd6/a5/e5/a3/e3/b2/d2 2. Q(x)a5#
Reciprocally exchange promotions and changed mates after black defences.

Лидер, Валентин Викторович
The Problemist, 1978
2^nd Prize

#2

11 + 7

Show Solution

1.c7! (2.Qb6#)

1...Kc6 2.cxd8S#
1...Kxd6 2.cxd8Q#/cxd8R#
1...Sc6 2.Sb7#
1...Qc6 2.Se4#
1...Bc6 2.Qb4#

Two flights giving key, Levman.

Nikola Predrag (16-12-1959) Croatian composer and FIDE Master

Nikola Predrag

Nikola Predrag composes in all genres. He is the co-founder of the on-line magazine ProblemOnline [unfortunately broken link].
He is also a solver (FM) and member of the Croatian team.

Predrag, Nikola
Modor MT, 2001
1^st Prize

#3

9 + 9

Show Solution

1.Sc6-e5 ! (2.Ra1-b1+ Kb2-a2/a3 3.Qb5xa4#)

1...Rd4-d7+ 2.Kg7-f8 ! (3.Se5-d3/Se5xd7#)
1...Rd4-g4+ 2.Kg7-h6 ! (3.Se5-d3/Se5xg4#)
1...Sc8xb6 2.Kg7xg8 (3.Se5-d3#) 2...Rd4-g4+ 3.Se5xg4#
1...Bg8-h7 2.Kg7xh7 (3.Se5-d3#) 2...Rd4-d7+ 3.Se5xd7#

Two pairs of similar variations.

Predrag, Nikola
ЮК М.Матренин-64, 2012
2^nd HM

h#2

2 solutions

9 + 2

Show Solution

1.Qxg4 Rh4 2.Qe6 Rc5#
1.Qxc3 Bb2 2.Qc5 Be6#
Zilahi in an original setting.