December 9th

Jiří Chocholouš (09-12-1856 - 03-09-1930) Czech composer

Jiří Chocholouš
[Wikimedia]

Jiří Chocholouš was with Pospisil and Dobrusky one of the fathers of the Bohemian composing school.
John Beasley quotes this fourmover in his "In praise of old problems" and proposes an improved version of it.
Here are two other fourmovers by Jiří Chocholouš:

Chocholouš, Jiří
Deutscher Schachbund, 1889
3^rd Prize

#4

8 + 11

Show Solution

1.b2-b3 ! (2.Sd5-f6+ Ke4-f5 3.Sf7xd6+ Kf5-e6 4.Qh2-e5#)

1...Ke4xd5 2.Qh2xd6+ Kd5-e4 3.Sf7-g5+ Ke4-f5 4.Qd6-e5/Qd6-f8/Qd6-f6#
1...c6xd5 2.Sf7-g5+ Ke4xd4 3.Sg5-e6+ Kd4-e4 4.Qh2-f4#
1...h7-h6 2.Qh2xd6 ~ 3.Qd6-f4+ Ke4xd5 4.Qf4-e5#

Chocholouš, Jiří
Kagan's Neueste Schachnachrichten, 1921
2^nd Prize

#4

10 + 10

Show Solution

1.Qf3-b7 ! (2.Sf7-d8+ Ke6-d6 3.Qb7-b8+ Kd6-c5 4.Qb8xb4/a3xb4#)

1...e5-e4 2.Qb7-b5 (3.Qb5-e5#) 2...d7-d5 3.Qb5-b8 (4.Qb8-c8#) 3...Ke6-d7, Ke6-f5 4.Sf7-e5, Sf7-h6#
1...Ke6-f5 2.Sf7-h6+ Kf5-f4 3.Qb7-g2 (4.h2xg3#) 3...Sg3-~, e5-e4 4.Qg2-g4, Qg2xg3#

Yves Tallec (09-12-1927 - 22-04-2020) French composer

Yves Tallec, Messigny 2003
[Christian Poisson]

Yves Tallec composed in all genres. He was an International Judge, the editor of helpmates and selfmates of French-speaking magazine "diagrammes" and the President of the French Problemists Association.

Tallec, Yves
Union des Problémistes de France, 1957
3^rd Prize

#2

9 + 2

Show Solution

1.Sc6? (2.Be7#) but 1...Sg5!
1.Rd5? ZZ but 1...Sc5!

1.Bd3! ZZ

1...Sf2 2.Be7#/Re6#/Rxf2#/Rf5#
1...Sd2 2.Rf5#/Be7#/Re6#
1...Sg3 2.Be7#/Re6#
1...Sg5 2.Be7#
1...Sd6 2.Re6#
1...Sxc3+ 2.Bxc3#
1...Sc5 2.Rf5#

Black correction.

Karlheinz Bachmann (09-12-1938 - 07-01-2014) German composer

Karlheinz Bachmann
[dsenem2010.de]

Karlheinz Bachmann is a chess player and composer. He is specialized in long selfmates such as this selfmate in 223 moves and proofgames.

Bachmann, Karlheinz
Ernst Hasselkus Memorial, 2002
2^nd Prize

s#61

4 + 2

Do not expect to solve this selfmate in one day.

Show Solution

1. d8=Q+ ! Kb7 2. Rb1+ Kc6! 3. Rb6+ Kc5 4. Qd6+ Kc4 5. Rc6+ Kb3! 6. Qd3+ Kb4! 7. Qc3+ Kb5 8. Qc5+ Ka4 9. Ra6+ Kb3 10. Ra3+ Kb2 11. Qc3+ Kb1 12. Rb3+ Ka2 13. Rb2+ Ka1 14. Rc2+ Kb1 15. Rc1+ Ka2 16. Qa1+ Kb3 17. Rc3+ Kb4 18. Qa3+ Kb5 19. Rc5+ Kb6 20. Qa5+ Kb7 21. Rc7+ Kb8 22. Qb6+ Ka8 23. Qa6+ Kb8 24. Rb7+ Kc8 25. Qc6+ Kd8 26. Rb8+ Ke7 27. Re8+ Kf7 28. Qd7+ Kf6 29. Qe7+ Kf5 30. Qe4+ Kf6 31. Qf4+ Sf5+ 32. Kh7 Kf7 33. Re3 Kf8,Kf6 34. d4 Kf7 35. d5 Kf8,Kf6 36. d6 Kf7 37. d7 Kf6! 38. Qe5+ Kf7 39. Qe8+ Kf6 40. Rf3 Kg5 41. Qe5 Kh5 42. Rg3 Kh4 43. Qf4+ Kh5 44. Rh3+ Sh4 45. Kh8 Kg6 46. Rg3+ Kh5 47. Rg5+ Kh6 48. Rc5+ Kg6 49. Qg5+ Kf7 50. Qg7+ Ke6 51. d8=S+ Kd6 52. Qe5+ Kd7 53. Qc7+ Ke8 54. Re5+ Kf8 55. Se6+ Ke8 56. Sf4+ Kf8 57. Qd6+ Kf7 58. Re7+ Kf8 59. Rh7+ Ke8 60. Qd7+ Kf8 61. Sg6+ Sxg6#

Вячеслав Карлович Пильченко (09-12-1952) Russian composer and Grand Master (Vyacheslav Karlovich Pilchenko)

Vyacheslav Pilchenko
[Grigory Popov]

Vyacheslav Pilchenko composes mostly twomovers.

Пильченко, Вячеслав Карлович
The Problemist, May 1996
1^st Prize

#2 vvvvv

9 + 9

Show Solution

1.Sb4? (2.Rd5#) but 1...Qxd4/Bxf5!
1.Sb6? (2.Rd5#) 1...Qxd4 2.Sxc4# but 1...Bxf5!
1.Se7? (2.Rd5#) 1...Bxf5 2.Sxf5# but 1...Qxd4!

1.Se3!? (2.Rd5#)

1...Qxd4 2.Sxc4#
1...Bxf5 2.Sxf5#
but 1...Sf4!

1.Sf4!? (2.Rd5#)

1...Qxd4 2.Sxe4#
1...Bxf5 2.Sf7#
but 1...Se3!

1.Sf6! (2.Rd5#)

1...Qxd4 2.Sfxe4#
1...Bxf5 2.Se8#
(1...Sf4 2.Qxf4# ; 1...Se3 2.Qh2#)

Zagoruiko, White correction.

Алексей Алексеевич Сочнев (09-12-1961) Russian composer and Grandmaster (Alexey Alexeyevich Sochnev)

Alexey Sochnev
[Grigory Popov]

Alexey Sochnev is an endgame study composer from St Petersburg.

Сочнев, Алексей Алексеевич
Gurgenidze,D-50 JT EG, 2004
1^st Special Prize

=

3 + 3

Show Solution

1. Bf1 !
{1. Kg7 ? Bc4 ! 2. d4 Kg4 3. d5 Bxd5 4. Bf1 Kg3 5. Kf6 Kh2 6. Ke5 Kg1 7. Bd3 Bg2 8. Kf4 Bf1 9. Bf5 Ba6 10. Bh3 Bc8 -+)
1... Kh4 2. Kg7 !
{2. d4 ? Kg3 3. Kg7 Kh2 4. Kf6 Kg1 5. Be2 Bg4 ! 6. Bd3 Bh3 ! 7. d5 Bf1 8. d6 Bxd3 9. d7 f1=Q+ -+}
2... Kg3 3. Kf6 ! Bh3 4. Be2 ! Kg2 5. d4 Kg1 6. d5 Bf1 7. d6 Bxe2 8. d7 f1=Q+ 9. Ke7
and White obtains the draw.

Сочнев, Алексей Алексеевич
Pat a Mat, 25^th Nov 2008
1^st Prize, 2006-2007

=

4 + 4

Show Solution

1. Re8+
{1. d8=Q ? g1=Q+ 2. Kb2 Qd4+ 3. Kc1 Qd2+ 4. Kb1 Bg6+ -+}
1... Kd2 ! 2. Re1 ! Kxe1 3. d8=Q Be5+ !
{3... g1=Q 4. Qxd6 =}
4. Kb1 g1=Q 5. Sd3+ Kd2+
{5... Ke2+ 6. Sc1+ Kf3 7. Qd1+ Qxd1 stalemate}
6. Sc1+
{6. Se1+ ? Kxe1 7. Qd1+ Kf2 ! -+ instead of 7... Kxd1 ? stalemate}
6... Ke3
{6... Bd4 7. Qxd4+ Qxd4 8. Sb3+ Bxb3 stalemate}
7. Qb6+ Bd4 8. Qb3+ Bxb3 stalemate