Die Schwalbe
Die Schwalbe is the German chess composition society. It issues the bimonthly magazine Die Schwalbe.
Society
Die Schwalbe was founded on 10 February 1924 in Essen as Vereinigung von Problemfreunden zur Förderung der Aufgabenkunst. There were 15 founding fathers from the Ruhr Area lead-managed by Wilhelm Maßmann. Anton Trilling was their first president. In 1972 Die Schwalbe became a member of Deutscher Schachbund initiated by Gerhard Wolfgang Jensch.Johannes Hinsken from Bottrop proposed the name of the society. The name traces back to a famous four-mover entitled Eine Schwalbe composed by Johannes Kohtz and Carl Kockelkorn. The elderly problemists, who composed Eine Schwalbe after a hiatus of some years, published the problem with the motto "Eine Schwalbe macht noch keinen Sommer."
The solution exclusively consists of moves by the white queen, who flits back and forth like a swallow.
1.Qa7? is refuted by 1...Ra4!, and 1.Qh7? is refuted by 1...Re4!
1.Qf7! 'Bd5
2.Qa7 Ra4
3.Qh7!
4.Qh1/h4 mate'
This problem is the earliest example in which a Grimshaw is preceded by critical moves by both Rook and Bishop.: In the third move the black rook and the black bishop mutually obstruct in the point of intersection e4. This is outstanding aesthetically, because in the preceding moves both pieces only have been directed back critically over e4. Only after that can white exploit the point of intersection e4 during the third move.