December 17th

Willy Roscher (17-12-1900 – 23-12-1957) German composer

Willy Roscher learnt the game of chess during WWI as a soldier.
He was a chess historian and had a large collection of chess books and knowledge about the history of chess literature and chess composition. He was the editor of the “Arbeiter-Schachzeitung” and composed direct mates.

Roscher, Willy
Schach (magazine) 1954 (1867)
3^rd Prize

#2

12 + 11

Show Solution

1.a7! (2.a8Q/B#)

1...Bxa7 2.Qa8#
1...Sd4 2.Sce3#
1...Sed8/Sc5/Sc7 2.Rg5#
1...axb4 2.Sxb4#
1...Se5 2.Sge3#
1...Sfd8 2.Rd2#

Sacrifice, Somov B2.

Алексей Григорьевич Копнин (17-12-1918 – 17-06-1991) Russian composer and International Master (Alexey Grigoryevich Kopnin)

Alexey Kopnin
[book-chel.ru]

Alexey Kopnin was the editor of chess problem columns in newspapers, an International Judge and a composer of endgame studies and problems.

Копнин, Алексей Григорьевич
Шахматы в СССР 1947
1^st Prize

#2

9 + 11

Show Solution

1.Be4! (2.Qf5#)

1...Sg8/Sxh5/Sh7/Se8/Sd5/Sd7 2.Rxg4# ; 1...Sxe4 2.fxe3#
1...Rd5/Rdd6/Rd7/Rd8/Rc4/Rb4/Ra4 2.Qxe3# ; 1...Rdxe4 2.Rf5#
1...Re5/Red6/Rc6/Rb6 2.Qxe5# ; 1...Rexe4 2.Qg5#

Three black corrections. Flight giving key.

Копнин, Алексей Григорьевич
Ceskoslovensky Sach, 1985
2^nd Prize

+

5 + 5

Show Solution

1.Ra7 Re6+ 2.Kxe6 Bb3+ 3.Kd6 c2 4.Kc5! c1=Q+ 5.Sc3+ Qxc3+ 6.Bc4+ Qa5+ 7.Bb5#
A nice combination ending with 6 consecutive checks.

Копнин, Алексей Григорьевич
Friendship-200 JT Achalgazdra Kommunisti, 1983
Prize

+

3 + 4

Show Solution

1. Sa6+ Ka8 2. Rb2 Re8+ 3. Kh7 Rc8 4. Rb1 g5 5. Kg7 g4 6. Kf7 g3 7. Ke7 g2 8. Kd7 g1=Q 9. Rxg1 Rc6
{9... Rh8 10. Sc7+ Kb7 11. Rb1# ; 9... Rc2 10. Sc7+ Kb7 11. Rb1+ +-}
10. Rg8+ Kb7 11. Rb8+ Kxa6 12. Kxc6 wins.

Harald Grubert (17-12-1948) German composer

Harald Grubert composes mostly helpmates.

Grubert, Harald
Schweizerische Schachzeitung, 1989 (13192)
3^rd Prize

h#3

b) bSh5->e1 c) bSb5->b2

4 + 8

Show Solution

a) 1. Ke4 f4 A 2. Rf2 Rd8 B 3. Rf3 d3# C
b) 1. Ke5 Rd8 B 2. Bg8 d3 C 3. Be6 f4# A
c) 1. Kd4 d3 C 2. Rc2 f4 A 3. Rc3 Rd8# B
Cycle of white moves ABC-BCA-CAB.

אמציה אבני (Amatzia Avni) (17-12-1954) Israeli composer and International Master

Amatzia Avni
[Chessville]

Amatzia Avni is an endgame studies composer and a psychologist. He is FIDE Master both in composition and in o.t.b. chess.
He wrote “Creative Chess” (1997) which discusses the characteristics and processes of creativity and proposes techniques to develop one's creativity in chess.

His best known study is this amazing combination:

Avni, Amazia
Israel Ring Tourney, 1978
1^st Prize

+

3 + 4

Show Solution

1. d6 Be5 2. d7 Se6 3. Re8 Sf4+ 4. Kg3 Bc7 5. d8=Q+ Sd5+
{Black counted on this intermediary check to draw; 5...Bxd8 6.Rxd8+ Ke4 7.Re8+ Kf5 8.Rf8+ wins the bS. But... }
6. Re5!!
{Difficult to see, but terribly efficient. Now if 6...Bxe5+ 7.Kxg4 and White wins the game.}
6... Bxd8 7. Rxd5+ wins the bB.

Avni, Amazia
Guanabara Ann, 1981
1^st Prize

=

4 + 4

Show Solution

1. Be3 Be7 2. Bb1
{2. Bh6 ? Sd4+ (2... Bc5 ? 3. Bg7 Sc1+ 4. Kc2 Sxa2 5. b4+) 3. Kc3 b4+ ! 4. Kxd4 Kxa2 5. b3 Kxb3 6. Bd2 Bf6+ 7. Kd3 Bc3 8. Bg5 Ka2 9. Be7 b3 -+
2. Bd2 ? Bc5 3. Bc3 Sc1+ 4. Kc2 Sxa2 5. b4+ Sxc3 6. bxc5 Sd5 -+}
2... Kxb1 3. Bc5 Sc1+ 4. Ka3 Bxc5+
{Forced, else 5.Kb4 wins bPb5}
5. b4 ! and if Black moves Bc5, White is stalemated.

Александр Викторович Бахарев (17-12-1956) Russian composer and International Master (Alexander Viktorovich Bakharev)

Alexander Bacharev composes mostly direct mates.

Бахарев, Александр Викторович
JT Kozjura, 2001
1^st Prize

#3

7 + 6

Show Solution

1.Bb1-a2 ! (2.b3-b4+ Sb2-c4+ 3.Ba2xc4#)

1...Sb2-c4+ 2.Rc1xc4 (3.Se2-f4/Se2-c3#)
1...b7-b5 2.Rc1-c5+ Kd5xc5 3.b3-b4#
1...c7-c5 2.Rc1-c4 (3.Se2-f4/Se2-c3#) 2...Sb2xc4+ 3.b3xc4#

Бахарев, Александр Викторович
МК П.Дубинин, Горьковская правда 1987
1^st Prize

#3

6 + 10

Show Solution

1.Bd6-c5 ! (2.Bb5-c4 [3.Rc8-e8/Sf3-g5#])

1...c3-c2 2.Sf3-d2+ Ke4-d5 3.Bb5-c4#
1...Re3xf3 2.Rc8-e8+ Ke4-d5 3.Re8-e5#
1...Ke4-d5 2.Sg6-f4+ Kd5-e4 3.Rc8-e8#
1...b6xc5 2.Sf3-g5+ Ke4-d4/d5 3.Rc8-d8#

Model mates.