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.

Jack A. Fenner (04-08-1911 - 10-08-1989) British composer

Jack A. Fenner was a twomover composer. He sometimes composed with Colin Vaughan or with Cyril Kipping.

Fenner, A. Jack
The Problemist, 1970
1^st Prize

#2

12 + 8

Show Solution

The try play is very rich, which makes the problem more difficult to solve:
1.Bd8? ZZ but 1...Rxd8!
1.Kb3? ZZ but 1...Sc1+!
1.Kc2? ZZ but 1...Bxe4!
1.Ka1?/Ka3 ZZ but 1...Ra8+!
1.Bc8? ZZ but 1...Rxc8!
1.Rb7? ZZ but 1...Bxb7!
1.Ra5? ZZ but 1...Rb8+!
1.Qxe2? ZZ but 1...fxe4!

1.Qe3! ZZ

1...Bd5 2.exd5#
1...Bxe4/Bb7/Ba8 2.c6#
1...Bxd7/Bxb5 2.exf5#
1...Rxf6 2.Bd6#
1...fxe4 2.Qxg5#
1...Sf4/Sg1/Sd4/Sc1/Sc3 2.Qd4#
1...f4 2.Sxg4#
1...Rf7/Re8/Rd8/Rc8/Rb8/Ra8/Rg8/Rh8 2.Sxf7#

Johan Hilding Laurentius Fröberg (04-08-1918 - 24-07-1999) Swedish composer and FIDE Master

Johan Fröberg
[© Hannu Harkola]

Johan Hilding Fröberg was a chess player and composed direct mates and studies.

Fröberg, Johan Hilding Laurentius
Tidskrift för Schack, 1945
1^st Prize

#3

6 + 13

Show Solution

1.Sd2-f1 ! (2.Sh5-f6 [3.Bh6-g5#])

1...Bd1xg4 2.Bh6-g5+ Kh4xh5 3.Sf1-g3#
1...Bd1-f3 2.Bh6-g5+ Kh4xg4 3.Sh5-f6#
1...Bd1-e2/Bd1-c2 2.Bg4(x)e2 ~ 3.Bh6-g5#
1...c3-c2 2.Sh5-g3 (3.Sg3xf5#) 2...Bd1xg4/f5xg4 3.Bh6-g5#

The key is a little too strong, but the variations are nice and the quiet threat is hard to find.

Fröberg, Johan Hilding Laurentius
Hildebrand JT, 2001

+

3 + 3

Show Solution

1. Kb2 Ke2
{1... Kd2 2. Kxa1}
2. a4
{2. Kxa1 ? Kxf3 !}
2... Kd3 ! 3. a5 Sc2 4. a6 Se3 5. a7 !
{5. Kb3 ? Sd5}
5... Sc4+ 6. Kb3 Sb6 7. Kb4 Kd4 8. Kb5 Sa8 9. Kc6 Ke5 10. f4+ ! +- the black King is forced to wander away from the white King and thus let him capture the black Knight without allowing stalemate.

შერგილ სუხიტაშვილი (04-08-1936 - 23-10-2015) Georgian composer (Shergil Sukhitashvili)

Shergil Sukhitashvili
[Akobia]

Shergil Sukhitashvili composes direct mates.

Suchitaschwili, Schergil
Revista Română de Şah, 1980
1^st Prize

#2*

14 + 11

Show Solution

Set play:

1...a3 2.Qb3#
1...Rc2/Rb2/Ra2/Rxe2 2.d5#
1...Rxe7 2.gxf8=S#
1...Sxh4/Sxe1/Se3 2.Qe3#
1...Bf5 2.Qxf5# 

1.Shf5! (2.Re5#)

1...Rxe2 2.d5#
1...Bxg7 2.Sxg7#
1...Bxe2 2.Sh4# switchback
1...Bxf5 2.Qxf5#

Klaus Werner (04-08-1940) German composer

Klaus Werner enjoys direct mates miniatures.

Werner, Klaus
Landeszeitung für die Lüneburger Heide, 1988

#4

4 + 3

Show Solution

The key is not too easy, but it is obvious from the diagram that the white Bishop must move:
1.Bg3-f4 ! (2.Sh1-f2#)
1...e5xf4 2.Kf1-g1 f4-f3 3.Sh1-f2+ Kh3-g3 4.Sf6-h5#

Владіслав Олександрович Метлицький (04-08-1942) Ukrainian composer (Vladislav Oleksandrovich Metlytsky)

Vladislav Metlytsky composes direct mates. He sometimes takes part in WCCC.

Метлицький, Владіслав Олександрович
ЮК В.Мельниченко-60, 1999
Special Prize

#3

10 + 8

Show Solution

1.Qf8xf7 ! (2.Qf7-e6+ Sd8xe6 3.Sg5-f7#)

1...e4-e3 2.c7-c8=S (3.Qf7-f5/d2-d4#)
1...Ke5-d6 2.Sg5xe4+ Kd6xc6 3.c7xd8=S# or 2...Kd6-e5 3.Qf7-f5#
1...Ra6xc6 2.Qf7-f5+ Ke5-d6 3.Sg5xe4#
1...Sd8xf7 2.Sg5xf7+ Ke5-e6 3.d7-d8=S#

The key sacrifices the wQ and threatens to sacrifice the wQ on another square.
Triple S-promotions and nice model mates.

Владимир Иванович Виниченко (04-08-1947 - 01-02-2006) Russian composer (Vladimir Ivanovich Vinichenko)

Vladimir Vinichenko & R. Larin, Tver 2004
[vn.ru]

Vladimir Vinichenko composes endgame studies.
The following position might seem a little too savage to the chess player. Black's main defense is stalemate blackmail.

Виниченко, Владимир Иванович
RSFSR Ty, 1981
5^th Prize

+

5 + 5

Show Solution

1. g6 ! Sxc8 2. Sc6 Se7 
{White's threat was 3.Se5 and 4.Sf7#}
3. Sxe7 Sb4 4. Kc3 Sd5+ 5. Sxd5 a4 6. Kb2 !
{6.Sf6? gxf6 7.Kb3 f5! -+; 6.Kc4? a4 7.Sf6 gxf6 8.Kb4 f5! 9.Kxa4 f4! -+ the white King must capture the a Pawn when the f pawn is as little advanced as possible}
6... a3+ 7. Ka1 a2 8. Sf6 gxf6 9. Kxa2 +-
because 9...f5 10.Kb2/Kb1 is a clear win.

Живко Јаневски (04-08-1953) Macedonian composer and Grand Master (Živko Janevski)

Zivko Janevski

Živko Janevski is a heterodox problems specialist and an International Judge for selfmates and helpmates. He is the editor of the Macedonian magazine "Orbit". He was world champion in composing helpmates in 1989-91 and 1998-2000.
He also wrote an anthology of Macedonian problemists "Antologija na makedonskiot problemski šah" in 1987; in 1989 with Nikola Stolev "The Modern helpmate in two" and in 2010 a compilation of Chris Feather's problems "Chris J. Feather -
Selected Helpmates".

His strategic helpmates are quite a feast for the amateur. See for instance the Bristols and line openings and closings of this h#2. The following h#2 is more complex:

Јаневски, Живко
Europe Échecs, 1992
1^st Prize

h#2

b) bSg5->g6

6 + 12

Show Solution

a) 1.Sb5-c3 Bd5xe6 2.Re3xd3 Be6xf7#
b) 1.Rc2-c4 Rd3xe3 2.Be6xd5 Re3-e5#
The diagonal orthogonal correspondence is excellent and the unity between the two solutions is perfect.
Initially there are one pinned black unit and two half-pinned black units on the two lines d6-h6 and d2-h6.
1st black move : Black moves the piece that controls the pinning white unit and anticipatorily closes the pinning line of another white piece;
1st white move: White captures the pinned black unit and creates a battery aimed at the black King
2nd black move: Black captures the half-pinned white unit and thus selfpins the black Knight
2nd white move: Battery play, discovery check and guard of the wSh5.

As for selfmates, he favours cycles of white moves AB-BC-CA. This one published on Problem Online is a good example http://www.yacpdb.org/?id=329859 as well as this s#3:

Јаневски, Живко
Boletim da UBP, 1991
1^st Prize

s#3

7 + 14

Show Solution

1.Sb7-a5 ! (2.Bd3-e4+ [A] f5xe4 3.Sb5xc3+ [B] Qa1xc3#)
1...Sh1-g3 2.Sb5xc3+ [B] Qa1xc3 3.Rf4xf5+ [C] Sg3xf5#
1...Qa1-b1 2.Rf4xf5+ [C] Bh2-e5 3.Bd3-e4+ [A] Qb1xe4#
The usual cycle of white moves, but it is always interesting to realize how it is achieved. All white moves must be checks and sacrifices, while Black moves are captures or selfpins.