Alois Wotawa is one of several renowned chess composers, alongside figures such as František Richter, Bernhard Horwitz, Johan Axel Åkerblom, Arthur Klinke, and Josef Halumbirek. I first discovered these masters while browsing the pages of the famous German chess magazine, Deutsche Schachzeitung. It was the late Fremont chess pioneer Hans Poschmann who shared his old copies with me, sparking my lifelong passion for intricate chess puzzles and endgame studies. Although Deutsche Schachzeitung ceased publication in December 1988, physical copies are still available online and are well worth exploring if you enjoy chess puzzles. In particular, the issues from the first two decades of the 20th century remain my favorites, and I continue to add them to my collection.
Alois Wotawa and a copy of Deutsche Schachzeitung.
Below is a striking endgame study by Alois Wotawa plucked from the pages of a 1957 issue of Deutsche Schachzeitung. Can you discover the hidden tactical resources needed for white to be victorious. Please feel free to post your solution in the comment section. Enjoy…
White to move and win (Alois Wotawa, Deutsche Schachzeitung, 1957).
Chris Torres is a nationally renowned scholastic chess coach working in the San Francisco Bay Area. His classes have attracted players of strengths ranging from rank beginners to world champions. A chess professional since 1998, Chris is widely recognized as one of the main driving forces behind the explosion in popularity and sudden rise in quality of scholastic chess in California. Chris Torres served as the President of the Torres Chess and Music Academy from 2005-2020 and currently is recognized as a correspondence chess master with the United States Chess Federation. Since 1998 Chris Torres has taught 6 individual national champions as well as led multiple school teams to win national championship titles. In addition, Chris Torres has directed and taught at 10 different schools which have been California State Champions at chess. In 2011 and 2012, several former and current students of Chris Torres have been selected to represent the United States at the World Youth Chess Championships. Mr. Torres’ hobbies include playing classical guitar and getting his students to appear on the national top 100 chess rating lists.
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