Karel Traxler (1866 – 1936) was a Czech chess master and composer of chess problems. He is best known for the hyper-aggressive variation named after him, the Traxler Variation in the Two Knights Defense.[1]
| Karel Traxler | |
|---|---|
 Chess master, problem composer | |
| Full name | Karel Traxler |
| Country | Czech Republic |
| Born | January 17, 1866 Vlachovo Březí |
| Died | May 15, 1936 (aged 70) Volyně |
Traxler Variation
editThe Traxler Variation was first shown in the following game against Reinisch, played in Hostouň in 1890:
Problem composer
editBecause Traxler was a Roman Catholic priest, he rarely played chess in serious competitions. As a composer of chess problems he pursued the style of Bohemian school. He wrote under a number of pseudonyms: Anonymus z Tábora, Karel Kaplan, Vis Maior und Karel Zboněk.[3] From 1896 to 1899, he edited, in part, the journal České listy šachové (Czech chess letters). He composed over 900 chess problems, mainly 2-, 3-, and 4-move problems, but also multiple-move ones, and more rarely, selfmates. With his brother-in-law, Jan Kotrč, he published a selection of 247 problems that he'd composed by 1910.[4]
Illustrirte Zeitung, Leipzig 1906
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 |        | 8 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
Solution: 1.Qf8!
- if 1...Kxe4, then 2.Kf6 Kxf4 3.Qb4# Ideal mate
- if 2...Kd4, then 3.Qb4# Model mate
- if 1...Kd4, then 2.Qe8 Kc4 3.Qa4# Model mate
References
edit- ^ "The Traxler Counter Attack". ChessBase. 2004-06-13. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
- ^ "J Reinisch vs. Karel Traxler, Hostoun 1890". Chessgames.com.
- ^ Anders Thulin: Chess Pseudonyms and Signatures. An Electronic Edition, Malmö, preliminary 22. June 2008 (PDF; 307 kB)
- ^ Jan Kotrč and Karel Traxler, Schachprobleme aus den Jahren 1884–1910 [Chess problems from the years 1884-1910] (Vienna, Austria: (self-published), 1910).
External links
edit- Karel Traxler player profile and games at Chessgames.com