Karl Fabel (October 20, 1905 in Hamburg – March 3, 1975 in Egenhofen) was a German chess composer.

Fabel received a doctorate in chemistry and worked as a mathematician and civil judge at the federal office of brands and patents in Munich, of which he was also president.

He is considered one of the most ingenious chess composers and one of the fathers of retrograde analysis, frequently collaborating with Luigi Ceriani [it] in this area. He composed around 1250 problems of all varieties. He studied chess problems of a mathematical nature such as the Eight queens puzzle, the Knight's tour and Shannon's number. He was a director of Die Schwalbe.

White to play and avoid giving mate.
abcdefgh
8
a8 white bishop
g8 white king
h8 white rook
b7 black rook
h7 white bishop
g6 white rook
c5 black bishop
e5 black pawn
g5 black pawn
c4 white pawn
e4 black king
g4 white pawn
b3 black pawn
e3 white pawn
h3 black pawn
b2 white pawn
e2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
d1 white knight
f1 white knight
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Click for solution
1. Rc6+ !  (1... Rxh7)
edit