Friedrich Blaschke

Friedrich Blaschke, Chess composer

Die Schwalbe, Issue 277, February 2016 wrote 

"Friedrich Blaschke (23.2.1891-8.5.1960) can hardly be described as an outstanding problem solver, but the man born 125 years ago experienced a fate typical of his era. Born in Moravia, he learnt chess from his father, who also solved and composed problems, and published his first problem at the age of 19. In 1948 he wrote: "My passion for problem solving often kept me at the chessboard until the early hours of the morning. During the active participation in the First World War, chess problems helped me to overcome many a difficult situation in hours of relaxation. By 1920, around 30 problems had been published. Then the creative urge waned and lay dormant with small interruptions until 1940. During the Second World War, the old passion broke out again and a few problems appeared. My collection of problems is lost when the Russians invade in May 1945. After my resettlement from the ČSR, I can only reconstruct a few things with great difficulty."

Source: dieschwalbe.de