July 8th

Karl Kaiser (08-07-1867 - 03-07-1934) German composer

Karl Kaiser composed direct mates.
He was part of the Arbeiterschach movement. More details about his activity in this movement can be read in this "die Schwalbe" Personalia.

Kaiser, Karl
Deutscher Arbeiter-Schach-Bund, 1922
1^st Prize

#3

7 + 11

Show Solution

1.Ka4-b4 ! (2.Sb3-c5 [3.Bc8-b7/Bc8-d7#] 2...b6xc5+ 3.Qh5xc5#)

1...Bd8-e7+ 2.Kb4-c4 (3.Qh5-e8/Qh5-d5#)2...Re6-d6 3.Sb5-a7#
1...e4-e3 2.Qh5-f3+ Re6-e4+ 3.Qf3xe4#
1...Re6-e5 2.Sb5-a7+ Kc6-d5/d6 3.Qh5xe5#

July 7th

Knud Fabricius-Lauritzen (07-07-1890 - 06-10-1932) Danish composer

Knud Fabricius-Lauritzen composed direct mates.

Fabricius-Lauritzen, Knud
Skakbladet, 1931
1^st Prize

#3

9 + 4

Show Solution

1.Bd2-e3 ! ZZ

 1...Sc3-b1 2.Bf3xh5 ~ 3.Bh5-g6#
1...Sc3-d1 2.Bf3xd1 ~ 3.Bd1-c2#
1...Sc3-e2 2.Bf3xe2 ~ 3.Be2-d3#
1...Sc3-e4 2.Bf3-g4+ h5xg4 3.h3xg4#
1...Sc3-d5 2.Bf3xd5 ZZ. 2...Kf5xe5 3.Bd5-h1/Bd5-g2/Bd5-f3#
1...Sc3-b5 2.Kc6xb5 ZZ 2...Kf5xe5 3.Kb5-c6#
1...Sc3-a4 2.Ra5xa4 ZZ 2...Kf5xe5 3.Ra4-a5#
1...Sc3-a2 2.Ra5xa2 ZZ 2...Kf5xe5 3.Ra2-a5#

July 6th

Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen (06-07-1818 - 13-03-1879) German player and composer

Adolf Anderssen
[Wikipedia]

Adolf Anderssen was a mathematics professor and one of the world's leading chess players in the 1850s and 1860s. He is renowned for two spectacular games, the "Immortal" and the "Evergreen".

He was also (Wikipedia) "a very important figure in the development of chess problems, driving forward the transition from the "Old School" of problem composition to the elegance and complexity of modern compositions." He was the author of "Aufgaben fur Schachspieler" (1842) which can be downloaded from here.
Two of his most famous and often reproduced problems are this #4 with the Anderssen mate and this #4 with pin mate and critical move of the wR.

Let's have a look at another one:

Anderssen, Karl Ernst Adolf
Aufgaben für Schachspieler, 1852 (41)

#5

8 + 5

Show Solution

1.Bf2-g1 ! ZZ
1...Kd4-c5 2.Bg1-h2 Kc5-d4 3.Bh2-f4 ZZ Kd4-c5 4.Bf4-c7 ZZ Kc5-d4 5.Bc7xb6#
A delicate march by the white Bishop.

July 5th

Cyril Dedrle (05-07-1876 - 24-01-1944) Czech composer

Galerie československých skladatelů - Cyril Dedrle

Cyril Dedrle was a Bohemian threemover composer. I.Mikan and F.Macek compiled Dedrle's works in 1974 in the 11th volume of the collection "Galerie československých skladatelů" (Gallery of Czech composers) which can be read here.
For more details about the Dedrle brothers František and Cyril, please read Siegfried Hornecker's article on ChessBase.

Dedrle, Cyril
Československá republika, 15^th Jan 1922

#3

6 + 6

Show Solution

1.Sf7-g5 ! (2.Sg5-f3 [3.Se3-d1#] 2...Sa1xb3 3.Qh7-c2#)

1...Sa1-c2/Sa1xb3 2.Qh7-c2+ Kc3-d4 3.Sg5-f3#
1...Kc3-d4 2.Se3-d5+ Kd4-e5 3.Sg5-f7# Switchback
1...e6-e5 2.Qh7-d7 (3.Sg5-e4/Se3-d1#) 2...Sa1xb3 3.Sg5-e4#
1...Bh8-d4 2.Sg5-e4+ Kc3-d3 3.Bb3-c4#

Some superb model mates.

Dedrle, Cyril
Rudé právo, 9^th Oct 1921

#3

5 + 10

Show Solution

1.Qg3-c7 ! (2.Rc3-d3#)
1...Re1-d1 2.Sb4-c2+ Re2xc2 3.Qc7-g7#
1...Re2-d2 2.Rc3-d3+ Rd2xd3 3.Sb4-c2#
Two deviations of the black Rooks. Other variations:
1...Sh3-f4 2.Rc3-c4+ Kd4-e3 3.Qc7xf4#
1...Ba1xc3 2.Qc7xb6+ Kd4-c4, Kd4-e5 3.Bg2-d5, Sb4-d3#

July 4th

Robert Rupp (04-07-1901 - 28-03-1972) German composer

Robert Rupp composed about 400 orthodox problems and edited the Problems section of the magazine "Caissa" between 1948-1956.
The Rupp theme is a twomover theme; it requests that the key pins two units, a white one and a black one. In his defense, Black unpins both units and parries the threat. The 24th "Die Schwalbe" thematic tourney requested this theme in 1934.

Rupp, Robert
problem (Zagreb) 1951
4^th Prize

#3

7 + 10

Show Solution

1.h5-h6 ! ZZ

1...Sg1xe2 2.Se5-f3 (3.Sf3xg5#) 2...Se2xd4+ 3.Rd6xd4#
1...h4-h3 2.Se5-f3 (3.Sf3xg5#) 2...Sg1xf3 3.Be2xf3#
1...a5-a4 2.Se5-d3 (3.Sd3-c5#) 2...Sb2xd3 3.Be2xd3#
1...g5-g4 2.Se5-d3 (3.Rf6-f4/Sd3-c5#) 2...Sb2xd3 3.Be2xd3#
1...Be8-f7 2.Se5xf7 (3.Sf7xg5#) 2...Sg1-h3/Sg1-f3 3.Be2-f3#

A difficult block.

Rupp, Robert
Die Schwalbe, May 1955

#3

5 + 6

Show Solution

1. Sd8-b7? Sd6-c4!
1. Sd8-c6? Sd4-b3!
1. Ka8-b8!
1...b4-b3 2. Sd8-c6 (3.Qa4-a5#) 2...Sd6-c4 3.Rc7-b7#
1...c5-c4 2. Sd8-b7 (3.Qa4-a5#) 2...Sd4-b3 3.Rc7-c6#
Munich theme.

July 3rd

Josef Drnek (03-07-1875 - 03-05-1941) Czech composer

Josef Drnek was a Bohemian composer. Miroslav Soukup compiled 60 problems of his and an interview of Drnek in "Josef Drnek - Otavské perly" (1940) and the book can be downloaded and read from here.
Michal Dragoun compiled almost all Drnek's work (321 problems) in "Josef Drnek Galerie českých skladatelu".

Drnek, Josef
J.Chocholouš-MT, 1931
2^nd Prize

#3

7 + 8

Show Solution

1.Rb2-d2 ! (2.Sd3-c5+ Ba7xc5 3.e2xf3#)

1...Ke4-d5 2.Sd3-b4+ Kd5-e4 3.e2xf3#
1...Ba6xd3 2.Qc1-c4+ ~ 3.e2xf3#
1...Ba7-d4 2.Qc1-c6+ Rd8-d5 3.e2xf3#
1...Rd8xd3 2.Qc1-c6+ Rd3-d5, Ke4-d4 3.e2xf3, e2-e3#
1...Rd8-d4 2.Sd3-f2+ Ke4-d5 3.e2-e4#
1...f3xe2 2.Sd3-c5+ Ba7xc5 3.Qb1-h1#

July 2nd

Sámuel Gold (02-07-1835 - 09-11-1920) Hungarian-American composer

Samuel Gold
[magyarsakkszerzok]

Sámuel Gold was a physician, journalist and composed direct mates. He was the first and only chess teacher to Carl Schlechter in Vienna. "Schachaufgaben von Dr. S. Gold" (1883) is considered as the first Hungarian chess composition book and includes 200 of his problems and can be read online here.

An easy starter:

Gold, Sámuel
Deutsche Schachzeitung, 1896

#2

3 + 4

Show Solution

1.Ke3! (2.Qb1#) gives two flights

1...Kc1 2.Ke2#
1...Ke1/Bc2 2.Qh1#

Something more logical:

Gold, Sámuel
200 Schachaufgaben, 1883

#4

7 + 5

Show Solution

1. Sf7? Bg5! 2. Rh4 Bf4 3. Rxg4 stalemate
1.Sxf3+ ! Bxf3 2.Rh5 (3.Sc2#)

2...Bxh5 3.f4 (4.Sc2/Sf5#)
2...Bg5 3.Rxg5 (4.Sc2#) 3...Bd1 4.Rxd5#