Tuesday, February 7, 2012

February 8th

Virgil Nestorescu (08-02-1929 - 21-06-2018) Romanian composer and Grand Master

Virgil Nestorescu, Bratislava 1993 [Wikipedia]


Virgil Nestorescu was, with his friend Emilian Dobrescu, Romania's leading composers and only Grand Masters in chess composition. He was less active for the last ten years due to health problems.
He wrote, alone or together with Emilian, several books about chess problems and studies. He is also an International Judge and was Romania's delegate at the PCCC in the 1990s. He composed in all genres, with a predilection for endgames and direct mates.

Nestorescu, Virgil
Szachista Polski, 1991 (90)
2nd Prize


= 4 + 3

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Nestorescu, Virgil
1st WCCT, 1972
12th Place, 1972-1975


s#2 11 + 7

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Юрий Львович Авербах (08-02-1922 - 07-05-2022) Russian composer and chess player (Yuri Lvovich Averbakh)

Yuri Averbakh in 2007 [Wikipedia]


Yuri Averbakh is currently the oldest living o.t.b. Grand Master. He is a renowned chess endgame theorist and especially for his 5 volumes "Comprehensive Chess Endings".

Авербах, Юрий Львович
Shakhmaty v SSSR, 1969


+/ 3 + 4

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George Peter Jelliss (08-02-1940) British composer


George P. Jelliss [Mayhematics]


George Jelliss has several passions, among which mathematics, chess problems, and variant chess. You will find interesting articles on his website Mayhematics and if you want to know more about him you may read his blog.
He has also published articles on The Problemist's website, about "T. R. Dawson" or Dawson's
"Retro-Opposition and Other Retro-Analytical Chess Problems" as well as about the Grasshopper or the condition Grid Chess.
The fairy chess enthusiast will be thrilled to find the complete collection of the Variant Chess magazine on G.P.Jelliss' site, as well as a Guide to Variant Chess and definitions of Chess Problem Terms. So many hours of blissful reading...

Here is a problem that has been reproduced in helpmate anthologies:

Jelliss, George Peter
Problem Observer, 1984
1st Prize

h#3b) Move a7 e8 3 + 7

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Ján Kozinka (08-02-1937) Slovak composer

Kozinka composed mostly threemovers and fourmovers with game-like combinations.

Kozinka, Ján
Die Schwalbe, Feb 1961
2nd HM


#4 5 + 10

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Robert Pagniez (08-02-1906 - ?) French composer

Pagniez, Robert
Nice-Matin, 1979
3rd Prize


#2* v 12 + 10

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Allan Theodor Werle (08-02-1908 - 07-09-1994) Swedish composer and chess master


Allan Werle
"Problem", September 1969
[Thanks to Александр Никитин ]








A very sweet miniature:

Werle, Allan Theodor
Tidskrift för Schack, 1945

#4  2 + 2

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3 comments:

  1. In the Averbakh study, 1. Sd2 seems to me to win as well. Could someone take a look?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Allan Theodor Werle passed away on 07-09-1994

    ReplyDelete