Rudolf Leopold (chess player)

Rudolf Leopold (born December 29, 1894 in Lomnitz near Dresden ; † November 1, 1986 ) was a well-known German chess composer and theorist in chess .

Chess composition

Rudolf Leopold began to occupy himself with chess composition from 1911 as a high school student in Bautzen. In the same year he won the fourth prize in a tournament of the Budapest chess club with a two-man trainer. Matt picture tasks were his passion in the first few years.

In the Dresden chess club, Leopold met Paul Schellenberg as well as Friedrich Palitzsch and his Dresden idea . It left a lasting impression on him. In a creative period of more than sixty years he became a tireless propagandist and interpreter of the Dresden idea and in this way continued the work of his friend who died early.

From 1924 Leopold headed the chess corner in the Pirnaer Anzeiger . He also wrote some theoretical essays. In 1965 he became international referee for chess composition . In 1972 he was honored by the DSV as the GDR's national champion for chess compositions .

Until his 80th birthday, Rudolf Leopold wrote theoretical papers and more than 700 exercises, most of which had not yet been published.

Rudolf Leopold
German chess newspaper , 1939

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

Checkmate in three moves

Solution:

Audition:
1. Be3 – d4? (threatens 2. Dc3 e3 matt ) fails to La7xd4 second Dc3 e1 Ld4-e3! .

Preliminary plan:
1. Kg8 – g7! (threatens 2. Qc3 – d3 Ke4 – e5 3. Nh4xg6 mate) c6 – c5 with adjustment of the piece from the audition.

Main plan:
2. Be3 – d4 c5xd4 The pawn takes on the role of the bishop.
3. Qc3 – e1 mate

A combination in which the figure refuting the audition is eliminated and a substitute defender takes its place in the preliminary plan is called Brunner-Dresdner .

Private

As a graduate student, Leopold mainly taught mathematics, physics and shorthand. He lived in Dresden for many decades.

Publications

• Leopold, Rudolf: Switching Mechanisms in the Dresden Idea Problem , The Swallow, 1937
• Leopold, Rudolf: What is a real Roman? Dresdner Anzeiger , 1938

swell

• SCHACH 12/1974 p. 378, Dr. Rudolf Leopold 80 years (with photo and among other things the award-winning assignment from 1911)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Zucker, Manfred: Problem chess in Saxony . Unpublished manuscript for: Saxon Chess History - An Overview. Chemnitz, Dresden, Leipzig, 2002
2. ↑ International judges for chess compositions

Web link

• Some compositions by Rudolf Leopold on the PDB server