František Josef Prokop

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František Josef Prokop, around 1926

František Josef Prokop (born July 18, 1901 in Hořovice , †  September 21, 1973 in Prague ) was a Czech chess composer and chess player. Occasionally he used the pseudonyms A. Sedláček and Pražský .

Life

Prokop studied at the natural science and law faculties of the Czech Technical University in Prague . After four semesters, after the death of his father in 1922, the family had financial difficulties, which is why Prokop began a career as a journalist first in the Olomouc magazine Pozor , but after a year he left the Moravian Olomouc again. In 1923, Prokop did not have to do military service, probably because of a tuberculosis disease. In 1924 and 1925 Prokop worked for the right-wing extremist magazine 28. rijen , which was named after the date of independence , from 1927 to 1936 for the Národní listy , where he was appointed editor-in-chief for the monthly published in 1928. However, the magazine was discontinued after six months. Prokop became a film critic and clerk for the chess column of the Národní listy in the 1930s . He later became chief editor of České slovo and then of Lidové noviny in Prague. His journalistic activity was often interrupted by unemployment.

In 1938 Prokop inherited from an uncle and from then on lived as a privateer, but in 1940 he had to resume his journalistic activities.

In criminal proceedings after World War II , Prokop was sentenced to four years imprisonment for collaborating as a journalist during the occupation of Czechoslovakia.

Prokop married Anna Sedláčková in 1929, the marriage remained childless.

Chess composition

Although himself a strong practical chess player (according to historical Elo rating he was 84th in the world rankings in September 1944), he soon turned more and more to chess composition and achieved brilliant success with his endgame studies. In the first four years of his creative work from 1924 to 1927 he introduced himself to the chess world with his works as a accomplished artist. From the beginning, he gave his work the characteristic of his distinctive personality. In addition to theoretical studies, he preferred aesthetically pleasing positions in which a wealth of ideas and technical perfection could be expressed.

In the Prague chess world, Prokop was in contact with the best composers, which positively influenced his discipline in the selection, the depth of his thoughts and the fine feeling in his creative activity. Prokop transferred elements of the composition of chess problems to the study. This is particularly evident in the chameleon echo of his stalemate images , a trademark of the Bohemian endgame study.

He also cultivated this accusation, chosen with preference, in Selbstmatt .

František Prokop
Schachmatny listok, 1927
5th prize
  a b c d e f G H  
8th Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg 8th
7th Chess qdt45.svg Chess plt45.svg Chess kdt45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess pdt45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg 7th
6th Chess --t45.svg Chess nlt45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg 6th
5 Chess --t45.svg Chess qlt45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess ndt45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess bdt45.svg 5
4th Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess klt45.svg 4th
3 Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess rdt45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg 3
2 Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg 2
1 Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg Chess --t45.svg 1
  a b c d e f G H  
White to move holds a draw

Template: checkerboard / maintenance / new

Solution:
1. Nd5 + Kb8
2. Nxe3 Qxe3
3. Qe8 +! Lxe8 stalemate
2. ... Ng6 +
3 Kxh5 Nf4 +!
4. Kh6! Qxe3
5. Qe8 + Kxb7
6. Qxe7 +! Dxe7 stalemate
2. ... Nf3 +
3. Kxh5 Dxe3
4. Qe8 + Kxb7
5. Qd7 + Ka6
6. de6 +! Qxe6 stalemate ,
chameleon echo to the previous line.

Since 1956 František Prokop was the international judge for chess composition .

Fonts

  • 212 endgame studies . A. Lapáček, Prague 1943
  • Magic of the chess diagram . Ústřední dům děti a mládeže Julia Fučika, Prague 1968

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Anders Thulin: Chess Pseudonyms and Signatures. An Electronic Edition, Malmö, preliminary 2008-06-22 ( Memento from January 9, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 307 kB)
  2. ^ Alain Pallier: František Josef Prokop . 1st chapter. In: eg 197, July 2014. pp. 190–196.
  3. ↑ Quotation: “[…] for his collaborationism as a journalist during occupation of the country.” Source: Alain Pallier: František Josef Prokop . 1st chapter. In: eg 197, July 2014. pp. 190–196.
  4. ↑ Chessmetrics Player Profile (English)
  5. ↑ František Dedrle in the foreword to 212 endgame studies . A. Lapáček, Prague, 1943, page 3
  6. ↑ International judges for chess compositions (English)
personal data
SURNAME Prokop, František Josef
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Prokop, Franz; A. Sedláček (pseudonym); Pražský (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czech chess composer and chess player
DATE OF BIRTH July 18, 1901
PLACE OF BIRTH Hořovice
DATE OF DEATH September 21, 1973
Place of death Prague