Leonid Yarosh

Leonid Yarosh is a Russian chess composer.

Biography

Leonid Yarosh was born in the village of Horycja in Ukraine. As a young man, he moved to Russia, settling in Kazan, where he graduated from the State Institute of Physical Culture. He initially pursued a career as a football coach.
He is best known for composing the first complete chess problem featuring the Babson task in 1983: a four-move checkmate problem with multiple promotions to four different pieces. In such a problem, White can achieve mate by promoting to the same piece chosen by Black for promotion; any other promotion fails to deliver checkmate in the prescribed number of moves. Unlike conditional or heterodox chess, White is not forced to replicate Black's promotion – success comes naturally through the Babson theme.
Solution:
1. a7!
If 1... axb1=Q 2. axb8=Q Qxb2 '3. Qxb3 Qc3 4. Qxc3#
If 1... axb1=R 2. axb8=R Rxb2 3. Rxb3 Rxc4 4. Qa4#
If 1... axb1=B 2. axb8=B Be4 3. Bxf4 Bxa8 4. Be3#
If 1... axb1=N 2. axb8=N Nxd2 3. Nc1 Ne4 4. Nc6#'
Afterward, both Yarosh and other composers created additional problems incorporating the complete Babson theme.
Yarosh was a member of the Russian team that won the World Chess Composition Team Championships in 1992 and 2004. He also won the Soviet Individual Composition Championship in 1992.