July 31st

Henry Hosey Davis (31-07-1855 - 07-05-1954) British composer

"Henry Hosey Davis, a British chess player, seated in an ornately carved chair"
[John G. White Collection, Cleveland Public Library]

Henry H. Davis wrote the compilation "Chess problems" in 1906. He composed direct mates and has a very long composing career.

Davis, Henry Hosey
Bristol Mercury, 1892
1^st Prize

#2

10 + 8

Show Solution

1.Rb6 ! ZZ

1...Rc5 2.Qxg8#
1...Rc4 2.Qf5#
1...Ra6/Ra7/Ra8/Rb5 2.Rb5#
1...Rb4 2.Sxb4#
1...Rd4 2.Kf6#
1...Re4 2.Bxe4#
1...Rf4 2.Kxf4#
1...Rg4+ 2.Kxg4#
1...Rh4 2.Kxh4#
1...Se3/Sf2/Sc3/Sb2 2.Sc3#
1...hxg6 2.Kxg6#
1...Bf7 2.Bxf7#
1...Be6 2.Qc6#

A difficult block key followed by many variations, as was the fashion at the end of the 19th century.

July 27th

Ludwig Erdmann Bledow (27-07-1795 - 06-08-1846) German composer

Ludwig Bledow
[Wikipedia]

Ludwig Bledow was a chess player and the founder of the German magazine "Schachzeitung der Berliner Schachgesellschaft" which later became "Deutsche Schachzeitung". He compiled Stamma's works in "Stammas hundert Endspiele".
In 2006 Jeremy P. Spinrad wrote an article on Chess Cafe about Ludwig Bledow : you may read it here http://www.chesscafe.com/text/spinrad11.pdf
He also composed a few problems:

Bledow, Ludwig Erdmann
Berliner Schachzeitung, 1846

s#6

4 + 2

Show Solution

1.Re3! Kf2 2.Re4 Kf3/Kf1 3.Bc2 Kf2 4.Bd1 Kf1 5.Bf3 Kf2 6.Bg2 hxg2#