September 18th

Ottavio Stocchi (18-09-1906 - 04-03-1964) Italian composer

Ottavio Stocchi
[Wikipedia]

Ottavio Stocchi mostly composed direct mates in 2 and was a leading twomover composer in the 1950s. He was also an International Judge and he left his name to a twomover theme.
Stocchi theme: Triple avoidance (n-fold avoidance) on self-blocks (at least three) played on the same square.
Oscar Bonivento compiled and commented his problems in "Raccolta completa dei 933 problemi di Ottavio Stocchi. Diagrammi e commenti dei 111 Primi Premi" (1995).

Stocchi, Ottavio
Tijdschrift vd KNSB, 1954
2^nd Prize

#2 v

7 + 7

Show Solution

1.Sc4? (2.Rf4#)
1...Be3[a] 2.Bd3#[A]
1...Bc7[b]/Re3[b] 2.Sf2#[B]
1...Rf3 2.Bxf3#
1...e5 2.Sf6#
but 1...Rf1!
1.Sd1! (2.Rf4#)
1...Be3[a] 2.Sc3#[D]
1...Re3[b]/Bc7[b] 2.Sdf2#[C]
1...Rf3 2.Bxf3#
1...e5 2.Sf6#
Grimshaw.

Stocchi, Ottavio
L'Italia Scacchistica, 1937
1^st Prize

#2

9 + 9

Show Solution

1.Bg8 ! (2.Rf5#)

1...Re6 2.Sb4#
1...Be6 2.Ra5#
1...e6 2.Rd4#

Three self-blocks on e6 with dual avoidance effects (line opening for Black).
1...Ke6 2.Rxf8#
1...e5 2.Rxd7#
1...Re5 2.Qxe5#

June 21st

Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (21-06-1839 - 29-09-1908) Brasilian writer and composer

Machado de Assis around age 56, c.1896
[Wikipedia]

Machado's presence here may surprise many, but Vladimir Nabokov is not the only famous writer who composed problems. Machado de Assis composed at least one problem, a simple twomover:

De Assis, Joaquim Maria Machado
Ilustração Brasileira, 1876

#2

8 + 6

Show Solution

1.Bb5! (2.Qf6#)
1...Kd8 2.Kf7#

Roberto Stelling adds about Machado de Assis:

"He was a good friend of Arthur Napoleão and often played chess with him. His composition was published on page 11 of "Caissana Brasileira", 1898, but was probably composed many years before that."