December 26th

Joseph Ney Babson (26-12-1852 - 20-12-1929) American composer

Joseph Babson
[ChessProblem.net]

Joseph Babson, 1882
[Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery]
Thanks to P.Hoffmann and Z.Kornin for the link

Joseph Babson composed mainly selfmates.
His name has remained forever associated to the task of the 4 reciprocal white and black promotions: he imagined this idea in 1913 and it was the theme of the Babson tourney in 1925. Tim Krabbé's article "Sons of Babson" is well remembered by chess problem aficionados and can be read here.

Babson, Joseph Ney
American Chess Bulletin, 1925

s#3

14 + 9

Show Solution

1.f7-f8=B !

1...h2-h1=Q 2.h7-h8=Q (3.Qh8xh1 ~#) 2...Qh1xg2 3.Qh8xc3+ Sb1xc3#
1...h2-h1=S 2.a7-a8=S Sh1-g3 3.Bc7xg3 ~#
1...h2-h1=R 2.h7-h8=R followed by the capture of the promoted black Rook and mate.
1...h2-h1=B 2.a7-a8=B Bh1xg2 3.Ba8xg2 ~#

Babson task.
The slight defect of this problem from the Babson task point of view is that the Bishop promotion is not made by the white h-pawn, but by another pawn.

Saturnin Limbach (26-12-1907 - 11-12-1984) Polish composer and FIDE Master

Saturnin Limbach
[Konikowski]

Saturnin Limbach composed more than 4,000 problems and was specialised in selfmate and Bohemian problems. He held the chess column in the "Gazeta Czestochowska" from 1956 until 1984.
Saturnin Limbach was an International Judge.

Limbach, Saturnin
Szachy, 1980
1^st Prize

s#3

13 + 10

Show Solution

1.Bc6-a8 ! ZZ

1...e3-e2 2.Rf4-f3+ Ke5-d4 3.Qb8-b6+ Rc7-c5#
1...Rb3-d3/Rb3-c3 2.Sf8-g6+ Ke5-d6 3.Qb8xb4+ Rc7-c5#
1...c4-c3 2.Sg7-f5 (3.Qb8-b5+ Rc7-c5#)
1...Ke5-d6 2.Sg7-f5+ Kd6-e5 3.Qb8-b5+ Rc7-c5#

Zivko Milovanović (26-12-1908 - 16-04-1978) Yugoslav composer

Zivko Milovanović composed mostly helpmates.

Milovanović, Zivko
Israel Ring Tourney, 1965
4^th Prize

h#3

5 + 8

Show Solution

1.Se5xc4 Sh5xf4 2.Sc4-e5 Bb3-f7 3.Se5-g4 Sf4-h3#
1.Bf5xc2 Sh5xf6 2.Bc2-f5 Bb3-d1 3.Se5-g6 Sf6-h7#
Two variations in echo, line opening, echo mates.

Василий Алексеевич Миронов (26-12-1919 - 2001?) Russian composer (Vasily Alexeyevich Mironov)
Vasily Mironov was a direct mate composer.

Миронов, Василий Алексеевич
Mat (Beograd) 1980
4^th Prize

#3*

7 + 10

Show Solution

Set play:

1... Qxd4 a 2. Sb6+ A Kc3, Qxb6 3. Rc2,Qd3#
1... Bxd4 b 2. Se3+ B Kc3,Bxe3 3. Rc2/d3, Qd3#

1. Bf7! (2. Qc7+ Qc5 3. Qxc5#)

1... Qxd4 a 2. Se3+ B Kc3 3. Qxd4#
1... Bxd4 b 2. Sb6+ A Kc3 3. Qxd4#

Reciprocal.

Христофор Саввич Анимица (26-12-1935 - 26-10-1987) Russian composer (Khristofor Savvich Animitsa)

Khristofor Animitsa composed in all genres.

Анимица, Христофор Саввич
Revista Română de Şah, 1980

h#2

3 solutions

7 + 10

Show Solution

1. Ba2-b1 Rd1xd3 2. Bb1-a2+ Rd3-d1#
1. Kc4-c3 Sb4xd3 2. Kc3-c4+ Sd3-b4#
1. Sf7-e5 Re3xd3 2. Se5-f7+ Rd3-e3#
Unpinning, battery creation, battery play, switchback.
Anticipation reported by Harry Fougiaxis: see Iosif Krikheli's problem here.

Since the previous problem is anticipated, here is another one:

Анимица, Христофор Саввич
Revista Română de Şah, 1985

h#2

2 solutions

6 + 10

Show Solution

1. Re4-e8 Rb2xe2 2. Re3-e7 Qa2-d2#
1. Qb7-a8 Ra3xa6 2. Bc6-b7 Qa2-a5#
Black and white clearances.

Євген Сергійович Орлов (26-12-1939) Ukrainian composer (Evgen Sergyiovich Orlov)

Орлов, Євген Сергійович
ЮК Г.Козюра-50, 2006
4^th-5^th Prize

h#2

2 solutions b) wSg7->c6

4 + 8

Show Solution

a)
1. Ke7 Rxf5 A 2. Bd8 Sxc8# B
1. e4 Sxb5 D 2. Ke5 Rxf5# A
b)
1. Bb6 Rc1 C 2. Kc7 Sxb5# D
1. Kc5 Sxc8 B 2. d5 Rc1# C
Cycle of white moves AB-BC-CD-DA.

Николай Иванович Кралин (26-12-1944) Russian composer and Grandmaster (Nikolay Ivanovich Kralin)

Nikolay Kralin with Y.Afek
[Wikipedia]

Nikolay Kralin is an endgame study composer but he also occasionally composes problems (selfmates, direct mates, helpmates).

Кралин, Николай Иванович
Бюллетень ЦШК СССР 1973 (19)
1^st Prize

=

5 + 5

Show Solution

1. Qf2+ ! Kh5 2. Qh2+ ! Sxh2 3. Rxb3 Ra5+ ! 4. c5 ! Rxc5+ 5. Kf4 ! Sxf1 6. Rb5 !
{Stalemate blackmail: 6...Rxb5 stalemate}
6... Rd5 ! 7. Ra5 ! Bb7 8. Rb5 ! Bc6 9. Rc5 ! Bb7 10. Rb5 Ba8 11. Ra5 Rxa5 stalemate

Кралин, Николай Иванович
October Revolution JT, Молодость Грузии 1977
2^nd Prize

+

5 + 4

Show Solution

1. Ra8+ Kb4 2. Ra3 Sd6+ 3. Kg6! 
{3. Kf6 ? Sxb5 4. Rxb3+ Ka4 5. Rxb5 a1=Q 6. Be8 Qb1 7. Ke6 Qa2+ 8. Ke7 Qe6+ 9. Kxe6 =}
3... Sxb5 4. Rxb3+ Ka4 5. Rxb5 a1=Q 6. Be8 Qb1+ 7. Kf6  +-
The white battery is too strong for the black Queen

Roberto Stelling (26-12-1961) Brazilian composer

Roberto Stelling
[Twitter]

Roberto Stelling is the Brazilian delegate at the WFCC, a solver several times Brazilian champion and an occasional composer.
You may visit his chess blog with a short presentation of his results.

Stelling, Roberto & Sonnenfeld, Felix Alexander
Canadian Chess Chat, 1984 (1282)

h#2

b) bQe6->e5

4 + 6

Show Solution

a) 1. Ke5 Kd3 2. Sd6 f4#
b) 1. Ke4 Ra4+ 2. Sd4 f3#
Chameleon echo mates.

Johan Scheel (26-12-1889 - 04-12-1958) Norwegian composer

Johan Scheel
"Internationale Galerie moderner Problem-Komponisten", Hans Schaffer, 1930.
[Source Wikimedia]

Johan Scheel was a Norwegian composer of two- and threemovers. He published more than 750 problems and started composing in the Bohemian style.
He compiled an early anthology “200 Schakopgaver” (Kristiania, 1924) which did not fully satisfy him, according to G.W. Chandler, in his "Orbituary : Johan Scheel", The Problemist, July 1959. After 1940 he blended the Bohemian style with some more strategic ideas, which lead for instance to his well-known 1st Prize, US Chess Federation 1948.
Alain Godbout wrote "256 problèmes choisis de Johan Scheel" (Editions de l'Apprenti Sorcier, 2001) dedicated to Scheel's whole work.

Scheel, Johan
Tidskrift för Schack, 1912
1^st Prize

#3

7 + 3

Show Solution

1.Ra3-a4 ! ZZ

1...Kb5-c5 2.c2-c4 ! ZZ 2...d4-d3 3.b2-b4# or 2...d4xc3 ep. 3.Ra4-a5# or 2...g6xh5 3.Rf4-f5#
1...d4-d3 2.Kc7-d6 ~ 3.Rf4-b4#
1...Kb5xa4 2.Kc7-b6 ~ 3.Rf4xd4#
1...g6xh5 2.b2-b3 ~ 3.Rf4-f5#

After the beautiful sacrifice key, Scheel offers four neat variations, the best of which is probably 1...Kc5 2.c4!
Precise variations lead to economical mates.

Scheel, Johan
Stratford Express, 1950
1^st Prize

#3

6 + 10

Show Solution

1.Bf5-h3 ! (2.Qh4-g5+ ~ 3.Qg5-e3#)

1...Sd3-~ 2.Sd4-c6+ b7xc6/Be8xc6 3.d2-d4#
Correction: 1...Sd3-f4 2.Qh4-h8+ Ke5-e4 3.Bh3-f5# (Switchback)
1...Bd6-b8 2.Qh4xe7+ ~ 3.Qe7-e3#
Correction: 1...Bd6-c5 2.Sb6-c4+ Ke5-d5 3.Bh3-e6#
1...Be8-d7/Be8-g6 2.Sb6-d7+ Ke5-d5 3.Bh3-e6#

A problem typical of his post-WWII period, with black correction and model mates.

Витольд Витольдович Якимчик (26-12-1909 - 28-05-1977) Russian composer and International Master (Vitold Vitoldovich Yakimchik)

Vitold Yakimchik
[Source SuperProblem.ru]

Vitold Yakimchik composed 120 studies (source).
The translation of his interview from Shakhmaty v SSSR ix l971 can be found in eg-127 (pages 250-257).

Якимчик, Витольд Витольдович
Shakhmaty v SSSR 1934
4^th Commendation

=

5 + 4

Show Solution

1.c6+ Кxc6
2.Rc3+ Sc5+
3.Rxc5+ Kxc5
4.b7 h1=R!
(4...h1=Q? 5.Bd4+ Kxd4 6.b8=Q Qa1+ 7.Kb5 Qb2+ 8.Кc6! Qxb8 stalemate)
5.Bb2! Rh4+
6.Кa5 Bb3!
7.Ba3+ Кc6
8.b8=S+! draws, said the author.
But the study is cooked. Tablebases say 8...Kd5/Kb7/Kc7 all win the RB vs BS endgame.

Якимчик, Витольд Витольдович
Shakhmaty v SSSR 1963
1^st Prize

=

5 + 3

Show Solution

1.♘e3! ♖×c5+ 2.♔b6 ♗d4 3.f7 ♗×e3 4.♗d4! ♗×d4 5.f8=♘+ ♔g8 6.♘e6 and now 6...♖d5+ 7.♔c6=
or 6...♖c4+ 7.♔b5=
1.♔d6? ♔×h8 2.♘e3 ♖×f6+ -+(♖f3 -+) 3.♔d7 ♖f7+ 4.♔e6 ♖c7 5.♔d6 ♖a7 -+