Sunday, February 26, 2012

February 26th

Bo Waldemar Lindgren (26-02-1927 - 04-06-2011) Swedish composer and Grandmaster

Bo Lindgren and Norman Macleod
Benidorm 1990
[Wikipedia]

Bo Lindgren was the son of Fritjof Lindgren (see February 23rd). International Judge since 1966 and Grand Master since 1980, he was the editor of the problem columns of Skakbladet from 1952 until 1957 and collaborated with Stella Polaris from 1966 until 1970.
A collection of 197 of his best problems was published in 1978 by Walther Jørgensen, titled "Maskrosor" (Dandelions).

John Rice wrote an inspiring two-part article "The Lindgren Legacy" selecting 52 of Lindgren's problems in The Problemist November 2011 and January 2012: a worthy homage to the Swedish GM. The problems below were also quoted by John Rice.

Let's start with a longmover:

Lindgren, Bo Waldemar
Probleemblad, 2000
2nd Prize


#12 11 + 13
Show Solution


Lindgren, Bo Waldemar
Mat (Beograd) 1984


ser-h#82.1.1...
3 + 3
Show Solution


One of Bo Lindgren's most impressive achievements was the following series selfmate:

Lindgren, Bo Waldemar
feenschach, 1987
Dedicated to Walter Jörgensen for his 70th birthday
1st Prize


Ser-s#42              9 + 10

Show Solution


Lindgren, Bo Waldemar
Ujcs, 1951
1st Prize


s#5 12 + 3

Show Solution






Gerhardus Johannes Gerard Smits (26-02-1950) Dutch composer and International Master

Gerard Smits composes in all genres: direct mates, helpmates, selfmates and fairy problems, and he has won prizes in all. He enjoys cyclic themes, but his cycles are always elegant and expressive.

Smits, Gerhardus Johannes Gerard
Probleemblad, 1983
1st Prize


#3 11 + 11

Show Solution


A fairy helpmate:

Smits, Gerhardus Johannes Gerard
The Problemist, 1985
2nd Prize


                 h#4Circe
e8, d1: Grasshopper
b) bBe5-> e6
5 + 2
Show Solution


Smits, Gerhardus Johannes Gerard
Thema Danicum 1989
1st Prize
                 h#2Circe
b) bPh6->h5
c) bPh4->h5
4 + 13

Show Solution



Jaroslav Štúň (26-02-1951 - 24-02-2021) Slovak composer


Jaroslav Štúň composed orthodox problems at the beginning of his career. He has focused on fairy problems and has been more successful at them. He proposes a wide collection of his works on his website. Some of his problems show extreme fairy exotism. His use of ultra-economical positions and combinations of fairy conditions and pieces manages to surprise solvers, composers and sometimes also, unfortunately, tourney judges.


Short announcement of his death in PataMat 115.

Štúň, Jaroslav
Východoslovenské noviny 1986
1st Prize

                   h#2**   2.1.1.1      11 + 7

Show Solution


Štúň, Jaroslav
Šachová skladba 2007
h=2.5  2 sol.Sentinelles
Neutral Royal Bishop
    1 + 0 + 1n

Show Solution



Narayan Shankar Ram (26-02-1961) Indian composer and International Master

Narayan Shankar Ram seems to enjoy cycles of moves and letter-themes too. He won the 3rd and 4th WCCT fairy sections (one of them with Ukrainian cycle problem) and also many other prizes. He became IM in chess composition in 1992 at the age of 31 (he currently has 43.50 points in the FIDE albums). He is one of the world experts in reflexmates.

A clean helpmate to start with:

Shankar Ram, Narajan
The Problemist, 1984
1st Prize


h#3           b) Move d4 h4       4 + 9

Show Solution


Something tougher:

Shankar Ram, Narajan
4th WCCT G2, 1989
1st Place, 1989-1992


#4 Madrasi RexInclusiv        9 + 14

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And three enjoyable reflexmates to conclude this rich selection:

Shankar Ram, Narajan
The Problemist, 1988
1st Prize


r#2 7 + 8

Show Solution


Shankar Ram, Narajan
The Problemist, 1987
1st Prize, ex aequo


r#2 vvv 9 + 12

Show Solution


Shankar Ram, Narajan
The Problemist, 1989
1st Prize

r#2 vv 10 + 10

Show Solution




L.A. Kuijers (26-02-1864 - 07-03-1930) Dutch composer

Kuijers, L. A.
Haagsche Post, 1917
2nd Prize


#2 11 + 10

Show Solution



Józef Klemensiewicz (26-02-1874 - 12-06-1926) Polish composer

Józef Klemensiewicz
[Source: Świat Szachowy, July-August 1926
(link to the Jagiellonian Digital Library)]


Józef Klemensiewicz was a poet and translator. He preferred to compose miniatures with sacrifices of white pieces.

Klemensiewicz, Józef
L'Echiquier, 1926


#3b) Add black pb5 4 + 1

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Alberto Batori (26-02-1884 - 05-11-1923) Italian player and composer

Alberto Batori

Alberto Batori is known as the composer of the task of 11 direct checks given by the same piece (bQ) as a defence in a twomover (see it here). He is also remembered as the editor of L'Italia Scacchistica, from 1914 until his death in 1923.
He composed some retroanalytical problems too.


Batori, Alberto
Good Companion, 1919
1st Prize


#2 13 + 11

Show Solution



Viktoras Paliulionis (26-02-1965) Lithuanian composer and International Master

Viktoras Paliulionis, 2017
[Source: sachmatija.puslapiai.lt]


Viktoras Paliulionis composes mostly helpmates and recently seems to have focused on moremovers (winning for instance the FIDE World Cup 2013 for helpmates, award here).
Here is a helpmate twomover composed at the age of 21:

Paliulionis, Viktoras
Lettonie-Lituanie-Leningrad, 1986
1st-2nd Place


h#2    b) Remove b4      5 + 2

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Here is a recent longmover that is at least as remarkable as the FIDE World Cup problem:

Paliulionis, Viktoras
Kobulchess, 1st Aug 2013 (225)

h#8.5  2 + 4

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Константин Константинович Сухарев (26-02-1912 - 08-10-2004) Russian composer (Konstantin Konstantinovich Sukharev)


Konstantin Konstantinovich Sukharev
[Thanks to Александр Никитин ]








Konstantin Sukharev was a great developer of the land and chess in Novosibirsk. From 1963 to 1993 Sukharev led a column in "Vechernij Novosibirsk" ("Novosibirsk Evening") and organized a lot of solving and composing tourneys. Bondarenko published the results in western magazines and eventually led to contact of Sukharev with John Roycroft. (Information from Siegfried Hornecker)

Сухарев, Константин Константинович
Шахматный листок 1930 (473)

+  4 + 4

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