August 8th

Ferenc Herpai (08-08-1910 - 16-11-1994) Hungarian composer

Ferenc Herpai
[magyarsakkszerzok]

 
Ferenc Herpai was a twomover specialist.
He lent his name to a twomover theme:

Two dual avoidance variations close the two same black lines. One of the mates uses one of the closings, and the other mate the second closing.

A brillliant example by H.Ahues can be found here and an example by Herpai himself here.
He also composed helpmates.

Herpai, Ferenc
Die Schwalbe, 1936
1^st Prize

#2

9 + 9

Show Solution

1.Qh6! (2.Bxf4#)
1...Sg2 2.Qh3#
1...Sed3 2.Sxc4#
1...Sbd3 2.Sxf1#
1...Sd5 2.Qe6#
Four self-interferences.
1...Bxg5 2.Qxg5#

August 7th

Max Lange (07-08-1832 - 08-12-1899) German composer

Max Lange
[Wikipedia]

Max Lange was a good player who composed also direct mates and selfmates. He is noted as the inventor of the helpmate in an article in the Berlin Chess Association’s "Schachzeitung" in 1854 (here on PDB server. He was the composer of the first sound problem with en-passant key, with retro contents, in 1858: see it on PDB server.

Lange, Max
Sonntagsblätter für Schachfreunde, 1861

#5

9 + 9

Show Solution

1. Sexd5!+ Sxd5 2. Be3+ Sxe3 3. Rc4+ Sxc4 4. Qd2+ Se3/Sxd2 5. Sd5#
Three sacrifices with unpinning of wSc3.

August 6th

David Thurston Brock (06-08-1839 - 1918) American composer

David Brock composed direct mates.

Brock, David Thurston
The Literary Digest, 1903
2^nd Prize

#2 vv

10 + 8

Show Solution

1.Qa1? (2.Qd4#) but 1...bxc4!
1.Re3? ZZ but 1...fxe3!
1.Re1! ZZ
1...Kxc4/Bd6 2.Sb6#
1...bxc4 2.Qxf3#
1...b4/Bc5 2.Rc5#
1...Sg6~ / dxe1=~ 2.Sxf4#
1...Bb2/Bc1 2.Sb4#/Rc5#
1...Bb4 2.Sxb4#

August 5th

Hans Lepuschütz (05-08-1910 - 06-09-1984) Austrian composer and International Master

Hans Lepuschütz was a great specialist of the logical multimover and a member of the Graz chess problem school (Grazer Schule) which linked logical combinations and aesthetic mate positions.
The Lepuschütz theme means chess provocation by White in a multimover, usually with a logical motivation. Hans Peter Rehm presented the Lepuschütz theme on berlinthema.de. Please have a look at these problems, you will not regret it.
MontFuji presented in detail (in French, on France-Echecs.com) a doubled Lepuschütz and pendular movements associated with the Lepuschütz theme, as well as pendular movements associated with the doubled Lepuschütz theme and a Holst promotion.

Here is an economical presentation of the theme in Meredith:

Lepuschütz, Hans
Arbeiter-Zeitung, 1950

#4

5 + 6

Show Solution

1.Rf4-g4 ! (2.Rg4xg7 [3.Rg7-g8/f7-f8=Q#) 2...Kh8xg7 3.f7-f8=Q#)
1...Qg7xg4+ 2.Ka4-a3 ! (threatens 3.f7-f8=Q+ or 3.Bc5-d4#)
Secondary variation:
1...Qg7xf7 2.Bc5-d4+ Qf7-g7 3.Rg4xg7 ~ 4.Rg7-g6#

Lepuschütz, Hans
Springaren, 1952
2^nd Prize

#4

7 + 11

Show Solution

1.Sh6xg4 ! (2.Rc5xc6+ Kd4-d5 3.c2-c4+ Kd5xc6 4.Sg4-e5#)
1...Qh3xg4 2.Ka2-b3 ! (3.Rc5xg5/Rc5-f5/Rc5-e5+ c6-c5 4.Ba7xc5#)
2...Qg4-e6+ 3.Rc5-d5+ Kd4xd5 4.c2-c4#
Another way of achieving the Lepuschütz theme.

August 4th

István Stefano Ragó (04-08-1910 - 28-01-1977) Hungarian composer

István Stefano Ragó
[magyarsakkszerzok]

István Stefano Ragó composed direct mates, helpmates and fairy problems.
His best twomover is probably this one, but he also composed noteworthy helpmates

Ragó, István Stefano
Feenschach, 1961
1^st Prize

h#2

2 solutions

7 + 9

Show Solution

1. Rf3 a4 2. Sdf4 Re4#
1. Rg3 a3 2. Sdc7 Rc5#
Anticipatory interference, selfpin, pinmates.

August 3rd

Henry Augustus Loveday (03-08-1815 - 09-01-1848) British-Indian composer

Henry Loveday is famous for having composed and sent to Howard Stauton, the then director of the "Chess Player's Chronicle", the famous Indian problem below:

Loveday, Henry Augustus
The Chess Player's Chronicle, Feb 1845

#4

8 + 5

The problem was cooked and the most current version is the following:

Loveday, Henry Augustus
The Chess Player's Chronicle (v) 1845

#3

8 + 5

Show Solution

1.Bh6-c1 ! ZZ
1...b6-b5 2.Rd1-d2 ZZ 2...Ke4-f4 3.Rd2-d4#
The Indian theme is composed by 1. a critical move of a white long range piece (here the Bishop) beyond a critical square (here d2) 2. the interference of this piece by another piece on the critical square, thus offering the bK a flight.

Loveday understood the importance of his idea and published another extraordinary work in 1846.

Loveday, Henry Augustus
The Chess Player's Chronicle, 1846

#3

6 + 3

Show Solution

1.Rd6-d1 ! ZZ
1...g5-g4 2.Bh6-d2 ~ 3.Bd2-a5#
This time the Bishop interferes the Rook.

August 2nd

Carlo Borgatti (02-08-1879 - 05-12-1915) Italian composer

Carlo Borgatti composed threemovers.

Borgatti, Carlo
The Western Daily Mercury, 1915
2^nd Prize

#3

8 + 4

Show Solution

1.Se4-f2 !
(2.Bf5-e4+ Kd5xc5 3.Sf2-d3# or 2.Bc5-d6/Sf2-d3 ~ 3.Bf5-e4#)
1...e3-e2 2.Bf5-e4+
1...e3xf2 2.Bc5-d6 ~ 3.Bf5-e4#
1...Kd5-e5 2.Bf5-e4 (3.Bc5-d6/Sf2-d3#) 2...e3xf2/Ke5-f4 3.Bc5-d6#
1...Kd5xc5 2.Sf2-d3+ ~ 3.Bf5-e4#
1...Kd5-c6 2.Bf5-e4+ Kc6xc5 3.Sf2-d3#