Sunday, March 11, 2012

March 12th

Walter Grimshaw (12-03-1832 – 27-12-1890) British composer

Walter Grimshaw
[BCM Feb.1891, reproduced in Chess Notes]


Walter Grimshaw was a 19th century British composer of chess problems. In 1854 he won the first ever chess problem solving competition in London. He is perhaps best known for giving his name to the Grimshaw, a popular problem theme.

The curious reader may see on Wikipedia two famous problems composed by Grimshaw.
For the blog we select a less known twomover, although he mainly composed longer problems:

Grimshaw, Walter
The Chess Players' Chronicle, 1872


#2* 7 + 7

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Vittorio de Barbieri (12-03-1860 - 04-05-1943) Italian composer

Vittorio de Barbieri
[liveinternet.ru]


Vittorio de Barbieri (Odessa, 12th March 1860 – Genova, 4th May 1943) was an Italian chess composer who lived a long time in Bessarabia. He composed a thousand problems, mainly in 2 and 3 moves and 150 endgames. His style will wet the solvers' appetite:

De Barbieri, Vittorio
L'Enigmistica Popolare, 1934
1st Prize


#3 5 + 2

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Carl Bilfinger (12-03-1911 - ?) German composer

Carl Bilfinger composed many compositions which can be described today as classics. Godehard Murkisch wrote a short but pleasant anthology in 1984 "Carl Bilfingers Schachaufgaben". Any solver will enjoy the puzzles such as this one:

Bilfinger, Carl
Die Schwalbe, 1962


#4 4 + 3

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Can you guess which white piece will give the mate in this fourmover?

Bilfinger, Carl
Source?


#4 5 + 10

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Nikolay Burlayev (12-03-1938) Russian composer

Nikolay Burlayev gets into today's selection, thanks to his nice Rukhlis with dual avoidance:

Burlajew, Nikolai
Šahs, 1977 (19/1401)
1st HM


#2* 10 + 10

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Walter Ernstberger (12-03-1959) German composer

Walter Ernstberger did not compose too many problems, but we liked this one:

Ernstberger, Walter
Deutsche Schachblätter, Mar 1979


#3 5 + 3

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Hubert Gockel (12-03-1960) German composer and Grandmaster

Hubert Gockel
[goja.sk]


Hubert Gockel is undoubtedly the specialist of today's selection. He is International Master for chess composition, his main specialty being #2 (orthodox and fairy).
We will start with a Hannelius with a splendid selfpinning key:

Gockel, Hubert
Deutsche Schachblätter, 1986
1st Prize


#2* vvv 10 + 9

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He is able to show the Loshinsky magnet using different fairy conditions. Below is an example with Lortap:

Gockel, Hubert
Mat Plus, 2009 (33/1283)


#2Lortap 12 + 9

Lortap: A piece can capture only if it is not controlled.

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His remarkable composing skills are also shown in the following threemover featuring mutually changed mates:

Gockel, Hubert
Chlubna MT
1st Prize


#3 12 + 11

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