I was a fan of Mikhail Zinar

 After the unecpected death of Mikhail Zinar, I wrote a memorial article in two parts about him. You can find it on ChessBase:

https://en.chessbase.com/post/study-of-the-month-2021-02 - Part I

https://en.chessbase.com/post/study-of-the-month-2021-03 - Part II

Most information in the articles is from a 2008 article by Sergey N. Tkachenko:

The King of Pawn Endgames (Russian)

John Conway (26.xii.1937 - 11.iv.2020); Richard Guy (30.ix.1916-9.iii.2020)

Two great mathematicians have died this year. While I planned to write about Richard Guy on another outlet, I found a lot of information about his contribution to the "Game of Life" by John Conway. The famous chess composer also was a great ("amateur", as he insisted) mathematician, and when meeting Conway, he introduced the "glider", making many patterns in the Game of Life possible. Guy was 103 when he died on 9 March 2020.

John Conway, as is well known, was the inventor of such "Game of Life", a grid-based minimalist simulation that has surprisingly broad applications, New discoveries are still made over half a century later, repeating and self-replicating patterns, transmission of information, sometimes with sizes that are just unimaginable, are still subject to great research. At the age of 82, the great inventor has died from the China Virus on 11 April 2020.

Wikipedia links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_K._Guy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Horton_Conway

Pál Benkö (15.vii.1928 - 25.viii.2019)

One of the greatest advertisers for chess composition among the general public, a world-class grandmaster, the man who has enabled Fischer to win the World Championship 1972 by his withdrawal from the Interzonal in Palma de Mallorca 1970, the never tired writer for ChessBase, Chess Life and I think also sometimes EG, has died on 25 August, according to his wife. Benkö left far over 100 endgame studies and an unknown to me number of other problems.

Only his latest two successes shall be quoted here, as your author never could do justice to Mr. Benkö.

We read on the US Chess Federation website that in August 2018 in Chess Life, Benkö published an article on Stefan Zweig's "Schachnovelle" ("The Royal Game", PDF of the article is linked from the USCF), putting it into a problem form. For the article he received the "Special Achievement" award of the Chess Journalists of America.

His latest chess problem was posthumously published by Susan Polgar. Possibly with this Benkö has set himself a monument to be quoted in books in the future, a puzzle so brilliant that every living master would be proud of it. I have not yet found the solution even though I deduced what the plan and final position should be. The also Hungarian-American master Susan Polgar, also a chess composer herself, showed Benkö's problem:

This is a a Help Mate Composition! From the starting position, White starts the game and checkmates Black by En Passant on the 9th move!
In addition, the game MUST include all the SPECIAL chess moves (at least from one side) such as Pawn Promotion, Castling, En Passant (in addition to the final checkmate), and Discovered Check. There is only one possible solution (according to Benko himself).
He was very proud of this Help Mate Masterpiece and asked me to share it with all of you! This was his final request to me.
Enjoy!

If this is correct, it needs to be reprinted in anthologies! The initial position of the chess game is given, to avoid confusion, i.e. this is a "Shortest Proof Game" or "Proof Game", depending on your point of view.

Stelian Lamba (3.ix.1936-13.vi.2018)

It is very sad that I learnt today about the death of several great composers. Stelian Lamba was publisher of the Romanian magazine Euxinus Pontus for which I was working as editor for endgame studies for several years until I felt I was unable to do the work in a satisfying fashion and asked for stepping down, which he had granted.

Now I didn't know Mr. Lamba in person, but I think that the great enthusiast George Teodoru, who recently turned 86 and who had back in the days organized our first contact, would have a lot to tell if he would write an obituary. If we happen to see one online, we will link it here later.

Harlan Ellison (27.v.1934 - 27.vi.2018)

At the age of 84, the legendary writer has died in his sleep last night.

I have a mouth, and I want to scream!

Gisbert Jacoby (3.v.1943 - 1.iii.2018)

The former CEO of ChessBase, chess trainer from Hamburg, Gisbert Jacoby has died eight days ago. There is an obituary on ChessBase by André Schulz about him with a few photos.

Stanislav Petrov (9.ix.1939 - 19.v.2017)

Without the courage of one man, we all wouldn't be here today!

The man who saved the world from a nuclear holocaust died already on 19 May 2017, as is known only now.

Zoltán Sárosy (23.viii.1906-19.vi.2017)

If legends would never die, you would have been immortal.

Hillel Aloni (30.ix.1937-26/27.v.2017)

A great man has left us.

Dear chessfriends, 

It is with deep sadness to inform you that Hillel Aloni, the composer, player, teacher and the father of endgame study composition in Israel has passed away last Friday, just 4 months before he turned 80. 

He was the mentor of all Israeli study composers and his contribution to the development of our art is invaluable. 

 May he rest in peace. 

                         Kind regards,  Yochanan Afek

(via e-mail)

(1) Posted by Paz Einat [Sunday, May 28, 2017 08:28]

Very sad news from Israel - Hillel Aloni passed away yesterday

The funeral will be held today at his town of residence, Netanya. Our condolences to Yoel (Hillel's twin brother) and his family.
Hillel's contribution to Chess Problem Composition in Israel was huge. Briefly, he is the father of endgame studies in Israel, edited the studies sections in our magazines (Shachmat, Haproblemai & Variantim) and raised so many talented study composers.

The Aloni Jubilee tourney we announced will now, sadly, be: Hillel Aloni Memorial Tourney for studies published in Variantim this year. Prize fund of at least $300, judge Ofer Comay.

Our hearts are with Yoel, Hillel's twin brother. This is a reminder that the #3 problems published in Variantim in 2016-2017 will take part in Yoel Aloni 80 Jubilee Tourney with a prize fund of at least #300.

(via MatPlus Forum)

Robert William Taylor (10.ii.1932 - 13.iv.2017)

The mathematical engineer Robert W. Taylor, who lead the invention of the single one technology that shaped the modern world - the internet, or rather its predecessor ARPAnet - has died at the age of 85. Coming generations will praise him as a hero of free speech and the exchange of information in a time when western countries were not yet dictatorships, when people still were able to freely access and exchange informations before their falling leaders, those who are as bad as the nazis, as the stalinists, forbade it.

Arthur Bisguier (8.x.1929-5.v.2017)

While everything of interest about Bisguier is probably already said in the various obituaries, of which one is linked, one outstanding fact shall be repeated here:
Bisguier was married since 1959, that is, until his wife died in 2014.
Probably the greatest accomplishment of the distinguished chess master!

Reunion?

Raymond Smullyan (25.v.1919 - 6.ii.2017)

Raymond Smullyan, the author of the famous Sherlock Holmes chess book, died at the age of 97.

Since we only would be able to quote the famous problem by Smullyan, which is a rework of a previous problem, we instead asked the retro chess expert Andrew Buchanan for a short statement, which is reproduced in full below:

 "I am in touch with the NY logicians group that Smullyan belonged to. I enjoyed speaking with him by phone, but never met him face to face alas. I admired his simplifying approach to logic, which led naturally to his popularisation work. My favourite is "To Mock a Mockingbird" (1985) - a beautiful exploration of combinatory logic. There is no book like it. Another highly original book was the delightful "Chess Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes" (1980) an introductory to chess retrograde analysis, in the form of solutions conducted by the great detective to his Boswell. The challenge he implicitly leaves to us chess problemists is how, in an age where the game itself has great popularity, we can successfully communicate the delights of the compositional world, and grow the next generation of composers and solvers from the grass roots up."

EDIT, 16 Fabruary 2017: Minor correction.

RIP Ensemble ALEKSANDROV / Russian Red Army Choir

Really horrible news today!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Russian_Defence_Ministry_Tupolev_Tu-154_crash

Aleksandrov Ensemble & Leningrad Cowboys: Kalinka (Youtube)

64 members of the ensemble were on board, Wikipedia says.

(Let us call this "The Day The Music Died Again")

Mark Israilevich Dvoretzky / Mark Israilewitsch Dworetzki (9.xii.1947 - 26.ix.2016)

Yesterday, the Russian super trainer Mark Dvoretzky has died in his 69th year, i..e. at 68 years old.

I had rether few connections to Dvoretzky apart from being a reader of his great masterpiece "Die Endspieluniversität", which is a great endgame book, the greatest if you can choose only one, although of course if you can afford it you will want the Chéron as well.

I had the second edition first and later bought the third edition. On the occasion of his 60th birthday, I participated with three handful of studies (some published in my own "Weltenfern" in 2013 instead). One of them only was selected for the award, and I received the German edition of the book "Studies for Practical Players" as a reward for my study.

At some point in my life I read "Positionelles Schach", a wonderful book that I lost later, where Dvoretzky explained prophylactic thinking and all aspects of positional chess, how it usually is - in my opinion - an extension of tactical chess, as more often thatn not a prophylactic move enables a defense against an opponent's plan that you wouldn't have had otherwise.

Yesterday the great master has died, but let us hope that his books never will!

Carlo Pedersoli (Bud Spencer, 31.x.1929 - 27.vi.2016)

I never was a fan of the Bud Spencer & Terence Hill movies, and I never will be. Yet, like Meat Loaf or Chuck Norris, Bud Spencer was an actor of the "larger than life" category, one of a kind. Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct could be replaced by any attractive woman. Kate Winslet in Titanic could be replaced by any young woman. But try replacing a Bud Spencer. The movie is just not the same. You don't find a strongly built, muscular Italian with such a humor and ease of acting again. And if you do, it will still not be the same. Spencer's face is easily recognizable, yet it has something - yes - buddy-like. Bud the buddy.

In Germany, Spencer & Hill are called "Weltkulturerbe" - world cultural heritage. Their movies surely are. As I said, I never was a fan of those movies, but I do appreciate them, I like Spencer's humor and the fighting scenes. I am just not a big movie fan at all. My taste is so bad, in fact, that I like movies such as Playing God.

And yet, the private man Pedersoli had one of those quotes that perfectly fit with my own beliefs of life after death.

Ich vermute oft, dass alles, was im täglichen Leben geschieht, ein Traum ist und dass das wirkliche Leben in einer anderen Dimension erwacht. Ich hoffe nur, dass es in dieser anderen Realität weniger Gewalt und Missbrauch gibt.

(Translation: I often suspect that everything that happens in everyday life is a dream and that the real life awakens in another dimension. I just hope that in this other reality there is less violence and abuse.)

In my belief, in that reality there is alos a huge cultural life, and people will love to see good actors in theaters. Here's looking at you, Bud!

Viktor Kortschnoi (23.iii.1931 - 6.vi.2016)

It is with great sadness that I have to report that Viktor Kortschnoi, the former world championship contestant and player of the alleged "chess game with beyond" with Géza Maróczy, which is still under investigation, has died yesterday at 15:30h local time in Wohlen, Kanton Aargau, Switzerland.

Kortschnoi's wish he once expressed was to receive a chess set as burial object. We will hope this is taken care for.

Kortschnoi came into the international spotlight for abandoning the Soviet Union and playing several world championship matches against Anatoly Karpov in de facto 1975 (Fischer refused to defend his title so the qualification match between Kortschnoi and Karpov essentially decided the title) as well as officially 1978 and 1981, as is most likely known anyway to our readers. As a small reward for his persistence he won the senior world championship in 2006, being as of January 2007 on place 85 of the world Elo ranking list, and the oldest player in the top 100.

Yesterday the world has lost an exceptional personality. The Soviet Union has lost a great and fierce enemy, chess has lost a legend.

Valentin Rudenko (19.ii.1938 - 02.iv.2016)

Valentin Rudenko has passed away recently, on 2 April 2016. The grand master of chess composition was involved in bringing satellites into space, and was most likely the first chess composer who ever had an own composition in space, aboard the mission SOYUZ 9.

His life was one of the highest contribution to mankind and chess alike.

An obituary and discussion is found on the MatPlus forum.


EDIT: Here is the MT announcement:

Valentin RUDENKO Memorial Tourney

The Chess Federation of Ukraine, its Commission for Chess Composition, and the editors of The Problemist of Ukraine announce a composing tourney in memory of outstanding modern problemist Valentin Rudenko (19.02.1938 – 02.04.2016) in the following sections:

Twomovers – judge V. Dyachuk (e-mail: v.dyachuk@i.ua)

Threemovers – judge V. Kryzhanivsky (e-mail: krizha.vasil@mail.ru)

Moremovers – judge A. Karamanits (e-mail: anat.karamanits@gmail.com)

Helpmates – judge A. Semenenko (e-mail: a.semenenko@mail.ru)

Selfmates – judge Y. Gordian (e-mail: gordian37@mail.ru)

Problems are to be sent to the email address of the judge of the respective section before September 1, 2016.

The Memorial Tourney award will be published in a separate booklet and sent to the participants whose problems are included in the award. Other participants will receive an electronic version of the award.

A prize fund for the winners has been set up.

Мемориальный турнир Валентина РУДЕНКО

Федерация шахмат Украины, комиссия по шахматной композиции ФШУ и редакция журнала «Проблеміст України» объявляют турнир по составлению, посвященный памяти выдающегося проблемиста современности Валентина Руденко (19.02.1938 – 02.04.2016), в следующих разделах:

Двухходовки – судья В.Дячук (e-mail: v.dyachuk@i.ua)

Трехходовки – судья В.Крижановский (e-mail: krizha.vasil@mail.ru)

Многоходовки – судья А.Караманиц (e-mail: anat.karamanits@gmail.com)

Коопматы – судья А.Семененко (e-mail: a.semenenko@mail.ru)

Обратные маты – судья Ю.Гордиан (e-mail: gordian37@mail.ru) 

Задачи следует посылать на электронный адрес судьи соответствующего раздела до 1 сентября 2016 года.

Итоги мемориального конкурса будут изданы отдельной брошюрой и разосланы участникам, чьи произведения получат отличия. Остальным участникам будут высланы электронные версии итогов.

Для награждения победителей предусмотрен призовой фонд.

Sir Jeremy Morse (10xii1928 - 4ii2016)

Reported by Michael McDowell on matplus.net

AI pioneer Marvin Minsky (9.viii.1927 - 24.i.2016)

As Wikipedia tells, the AI pioneer Marvin Minsky (of whom Martin Minski once told me he wasn't aware of his almost name-doppelganger) has died at the age of 88. His theories are highly disputed, and his interesting work on AI development make him a great pioneer, albeit an unheard prophet, on the subject of the creation of true artificial intelligence.

Now I personally have not read any of his literature, but I am well aware of the great inflence he held. Indeed, AI philosophy is a very young part of philosophy that might as well have been founded by him (although Asimov's three laws presented in the science fiction books might be the most famous philosophical idea).

Of course, my personal belief is that the human brain is not producing any consciousness but rather just acting as a translator, just like a radio translates impulses into sound. The theory that was widely publicized by Pim van Lommel makes Minsky's theory of brain agents obsolete insofar, but on the other hand it might support the notion that a well developed artificial brain could indeed give host to a human consciousness. But can consciousness be artificially created? Probably not, but a good machine might serve as a vessel, just as the human body does.

Of course, the above linked Wikipedia article does more justice, listing also some of his inventions. Here is the permalink of it as I write.

Herbert Ahues (2.iii.1922 - 11.vii.2015)

The international problem chess community mourns the death of GMCC Herbert Ahues at the age of 93 in a hospital in Bremen.

Links:
- Read more about Ahues in German Wikipedia (German language, permalink)
- Short obituary in English by me on MatPlus
- More than 400 problems of Herbert Ahues in the Problem Database of the Schwalbe