Hans Heinrich Schmitz

Hans Heinrich Schmitz (1916-2000) Conductor and Arranger. Chess composer and solver

Places of work: Dresden, Zwickau, Leipzig

Magazine "Die Schwalbe" wrote:

Many readers will remember Hans Heinrich Schmitz (12.2.1916-4.2.2000), whose birthday was just a century ago. HHS was an artist through and through. An opera conductor by profession, married to an opera singer, always ready with a quote from Goethe's Faust (which he knew by heart), of course also when it came to commenting on the solution to a chess problem: that's how many people knew him. Many not only because his equally well-founded and entertaining solution comments in the Schwalbe and elsewhere always attracted the attention of readers, but also because he was a keen traveller and cultivated and created personal contacts at numerous problem events. He came to problem chess at the age of 14 and remained faithful to it for a full seven decades until the last day of his life.

Hans Heinrich Schmitz (1916-2000) was a musician by profession and led the predecessor institution of today's Jena Philharmonic Orchestra until 1966. He later moved to Göppingen/Württemberg and invented the fairytale chess game Frisch-auf-Circe, based on a local handball club that was popular at the time. He was a first-class composer, but published very little, preferring to devote himself to solving and commenting on tasks. In this capacity, he was as popular as he was feared, the Reich-Ranicki of problem chess criticism!

Source: schachbund.de