July 25th

Arthur John Roycroft (25-07-1929) British composer and Honorary Master of the FIDE for Chess Compositions

John Roycroft, 1999

John Roycroft is an endgame study composer and International Judge. He founded the studies magazine End Game (EG) in 1965. He has composed little, but has written more: for instance "Test Tube Chess" (1972) revised as "The Chess Endgame Study" (1981), one of the best book about endgame studies.

He is the co-inventor of the Guy-Blanchford-Roycroft code, an efficient way of indexing endgame studies.

Roycroft, Arthur John
Themes 64, 1958
2^nd Prize

=

b) - wPh6

4 + 4

Show Solution

a) 1. g8=R! Kc1+ 2. Rg7 = Black cannot progress.
If 1.g8=Q? Kc1+! 2.Qg7 Bb2! 3.Qxb2+ axb2 4.Kg7 b1=Q 5.h8=Q Qb2+ 6.Kh7 Bb1+ 7.Kg8 Qb8+ 8.Kg7 Qe5+ 9.Kg8 Qe8+ 10.Kg7 Qe7+ 11.Kg8 Ba2#

b) Without wPh6, the situation is considerably altered:
1. g8=Q! Kc1+ 2.Qg2 Bb2 3.Qxb2+ axb2 4.Kg7 b1=Q 5.h8=Q =
If 1.g8=R? Kc1+! 2.Rg7 Bb1 3.Kg8 Bxg7 4.Kxg7 Bxh7 wins easily

Perfectly thematical twins.

May 3rd

Carl Erik Israel Lind (03-05-1907 - 01-03-1989) Swedish composer

Carl Erik Israel Lind Problem, September 1969 [Thanks to Александр Никитин ]

Carl Erik Israel Lind mostly composed helpmates and help retractors.

A good starter to warm up:

Lind, Carl Erik Israel
Svenska Problemschackklubben 2^nd TT, 1938
Prize

h#2

2 solutions

2 + 5

Show Solution

1.Sc8 dxc8=Q 2.b1=B Qc5#
1.b1=R d8=S 2.Rb5 Sc6#
Allumwandlung.

Something more challenging:

Lind, Carl Erik Israel
1.pl Sverige-Israel, 1986

h#2

b) wSd1->a5 c)=b) + wPe2->c2 d)=c) + wPb3->a3

6 + 10

Show Solution

a) 1.Bd3-e4 Sd1xe3 2.Sg4-e5 Se3-c2#
b) 1.Re3-e4 Sa5-c4 2.Sg4-f2 e2-e3#
c) 1.Qd5-e4 c2-c4 2.Sg4-f6 Sa5-c6#
d) 1.Sc5-e4 a3xb4 2.Sg4-e5 c2-c3#
Four unpins on e4 of the bSg4 and four pin mates. Nice dual avoidance.