Swallow (union)
Schwalbe is the German association for problem chess . She publishes the magazine Die Schwalbe .
society
The association "Schwalbe" was founded on February 10, 1924 in Essen - Rüttenscheid as an association of problem friends to promote the art of task . The founding fathers included 15 problem friends from the Ruhr area under the leadership of Wilhelm Maßmann . The first chairman was Anton Trilling. In 1972 "The Swallow" became a member of the German Chess Federation on the initiative of Gerhard Wolfgang Jensch and with the help of Werner Speckmann , where it has the status of a regional association.
The name was suggested by Johannes Hinsken from Bottrop. It goes back to a famous four-trainer with the title Ein Schwalbe by Johannes Kohtz and Carl Kockelkorn :
Academic Chess Club Munich. Festschrift to celebrate its 25th anniversary , 1911
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Checkmate in four moves
The solution consists exclusively of the moves of the white lady, who circles "like a swallow". 1. Qb7 – a7 fails ? (threatens Da1 #) on Rg4 – a4! and 1. Qb7 – h7? (threatens Qb1 #) on Rg4 – e4!
1. Qb7 – f7! (threatens 2. Nd3 + Kd1 3. Qb3 #) Bg2 – d5
2. Qf7 – a7 (threatens Qa1 #) Rg4 – a4
3. Qa7 – h7 Ra4 – e4 (adjusts the bishop's diagonal) or Bd5 – e4 (adjusts the row of rooks)
4 Qh7 – h1 matt / Qh7 – h4 matt
This is also a prime example of a Grimshaw : In the third move, black rook and black bishop move alternately at the intersection e4. This is particularly aesthetic because in the previous moves both pieces were first “critically” deflected back via e4 (the bishop in the first move, the rook in the second move); only then does the intersection e4 become usable for White in the third move.
According to the Schwalbe's statutes , its seat is in Munich . The aim of the association is the promotion of problem chess, whereby it does not pursue any economic purposes. Since it pursues charitable purposes, the organization is tax -privileged according to the tax code . The loss of these purposes or the dissolution of the association would lead to the association's assets being transferred to the German Chess Federation.
magazine
The magazine “Die Schwalbe” appeared for the first time as a monthly issue from August 1924 to May 1925, after which it resided in the magazine “Funkschach” and only appeared again in January 1928 as a separate monthly magazine. Later it was only printed every two months. Only between 1943 and 1946 it had to stop its publication because of the war. The then chairman of the association, Wilhelm Karsch , bridged this time by providing the members with messages from the Schwalbe . In October 1969, "Die Schwalbe" changed its appearance and began counting again from issue 1. This numbering has been retained since then. "Die Schwalbe" is recognized worldwide as a specialist magazine. Chess compositions and solutions are published, composition tournaments are announced and specialist articles are published.
History of the "swallow"
Beginnings until the end of World War II
Wilhelm Maßmann had been running the chess column in the Essener Anzeiger since 1920 , so as a collaborator and task writer he gathered friends of chess composition around him. In 1923 he decided to found his own association to "promote the chess task". After an exchange of letters with Anton Trilling , the company was founded on February 10, 1924 by H. August, W. Burchard, H. Eichholz, J. Hinsken, A. Jakubzik, W. Karsch, W. Krämer, J. Koöorz, F. Mascher , J. Ruczinski, F. Rudolph, E. Skowronek, A. Stemmer, A. Trilling and W. Usath under the name Schwalbe, Association of Problem Friends . Anton Trilling was elected chairman.
After several monthly meetings, the members decided in July 1924 to publish their own magazine. This first appeared in August 1924. In order to be able to maintain the magazine, it was integrated into the radio chess after a short time until it appeared again as an independent magazine from January 1928 under the direction of Eduard Birgfeld .
In collaboration with Thomas Rayner Dawson , Wilhelm Maßmann worked out guidelines for team loyalty championships in the late 1920s, according to which international championships were held before the Second World War . The German team took second place behind Spain and together with England in 1933. At the same time, Maßmann laid the foundation for the cooperation between the Schwalbe and the state library in Schleswig-Holstein , which specializes in the only public chess composition, by building up his miniature collection, which he bequeathed to the Kiel library in 1974 together with his chess library comprising one and a half thousand books Library in the German-speaking area. Maßmann advised Schwalbe legally and was briefly secretary from 1938 to 1939, after which Wilhelm Karsch took over the office. Due to the poor political and financial situation, the magazine had to be discontinued in 1943, despite Karsch's efforts, which included adapting to the National Socialist zeitgeist and excluding "enemy" members.
Revival of the magazine
After the end of the Second World War, an attempt was made to revive the magazine. The politically unaffected Carl Schrader (1901-1959) received a printing license from the British military authorities in 1946 with which he could publish the Schwalbe in Hamburg. In doing so, he first had to fight the paper shortage by collecting 100 kilograms of waste paper for each issue , which could be reprocessed into reusable paper at a ratio of 5: 1. With the currency reform and the introduction of the Deutsche Mark on June 21, 1948, the paper crisis was resolved politically. Thanks to Schrader's commitment, the magazine survived the post-war period until Schrader's health and time problems led to an unprofitable year 1958 and then to Schrader's resignation. For the following election of the new chairman, the offices of chairman and editor were separated for the first time.
Werner Speckmann was elected first chairman of the Schwalbe in 1959. During Speckmann's 22-year term in office, the international chess championships were resumed by the World Chess Federation on his advice in 1961 . In 1972 the "Schwalbe" joined the German Chess Federation as a regional association. On October 22, 1972, at the general meeting, the "Schwalbe, Association for Problem Friends" was renamed "Schwalbe, German Association for Problem Chess" and a new statute was adopted. At the tax office in Hamm, under the influence of Speckmann, who was a professional lawyer, the status of non-profit status for the swallow was determined for the first time. The financial situation of the Schwalbe was improved by Speckmann through continuously increased membership fees and the new edition of old magazines, so that when Speckmann resigned in 1982 there was a solid financial foundation. Speckmann's successor was John Niemann , who, however , was replaced by Wolfgang Dittmann in the same year .
Personalia (selection)
Chairperson
| 1. Chairman | Period |
|---|---|
| Anton Trilling | 1924-1927 |
| Eduard Birgfeld | 1927-1939 |
| Wilhelm Karsch | 1939-1946 |
| Carl Schrader | 1946-1959 |
| Werner Speckmann | 1959-1981 |
| John Niemann | 1981 |
| Wolfgang Dittmann | 1981-1988 |
| Hemmo ax | 1988-2006 |
| Hans Gruber | 2006-2014 |
| Bernd Graefrath | since 2014 |
Honorary members
| Honorary Chairman | appointment | Merit |
|---|---|---|
| Wilhelm Maßmann | 1966 | outstanding importance for the swallow |
| Werner Speckmann | 1982 | Continuous expansion of the number of members and assets of the Schwalbe as chairman |
| Hemmo ax | 2006 | longstanding activity as chairman |
| Honorary member | appointment | Merit |
|---|---|---|
| Alain Campbell White | around 1930 | Promotion of problem chess |
| Eugen Böhnert | around 1930 | Printer of the magazine, often below cost |
| Anton Trilling | 1932 | Merits as chairman |
| Thomas Rayner Dawson | 1949 | Contribution to the international chess problem art |
| Ernst Schmidt | 1950 | Voluntary preparation of the tables of contents 1928 to 1949 |
| Ado Kraemer | 1952 | special contribution to problem chess |
| Erich Zepler | 1952 | special contribution to problem chess |
| Irma Speckmann | 1982 | Voluntary work at the side of her husband Werner Speckmann |
| Helga Hagedorn | 1993 | Volunteer work as a bookkeeper |
| Peter Kniest | 1993 | |
| Hans-Dieter Leiss | 1994 | |
| Hermann Weißauer | 1995 | special contribution to problem chess |
| Bernd Ellinghoven | 2002 | special contribution to problem chess |
| Günter Büsing | 2006 | special contribution to problem chess |
| Francisco Benko | 2009 | chess historical significance |
| Godehard Murkisch | 2011 | special contribution to problem chess |
literature
- Wolfgang Dittmann : The flight of the swallow. History of a problem chess association. Schwalbe - German Association for Problem Chess , Wegberg 1988, ISBN 3-922392-20-2 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Wilhelm Maßmann: "Schwalbe" association of problem friends . Essener General-Anzeiger, February 17, 1924. Facsimile in: Michael Burghardt: My dear swan ... , in: Die Schwalbe , issue 265, February 2014, pp. 353–354.
- ↑ Schwalbe's statutes , version of October 2, 1999
- ↑ Die Schwalbe, August 1924, pp. 1–3.
- ↑ Honorary certificates of the German Chess Federation on the occasion of the 125th anniversary