Willy Roscher

Willy Roscher (17-12-1900 – 23-12-1957) German composer

Willy Roscher  joined the then newly founded Arbeiter-Schachverein in Zittau in 1921 and was not only a successful tournament player, but also appeared as an organiser, chess publicist (including as editor of the Arbeiter-Schachzeitung from 1931 as successor to Arthur Klinke) and as a composer of around 100 tasks.

Roscher's name has remained well known to this day, particularly through the memorial tournament organised by the Sächsische Zeitung 20 years after his death, the prize report of which is still available.

Germain Wikpedia:

Willy Roscher (* 17 December 1900 in Eibau/Oberlausitz; † 23 December 1957 in Dresden) was a German chess historian,chess composer and chess official.

Chess
Roscher learnt to play chess as a soldier during the First World War. In 1921, he joined the new workers' chess club in Zittau and was district director of the Upper Lusatian chess clubs from 1923 to 1925. After moving to Dresden in 1925, where he worked in a commercial position, he became chairman of the Dresden Workers' Chess Club and a member of the federal board of the German Workers' Chess Federation. He succeeded Arthur Klinke as editor of the Arbeiter-Schachzeitung in 1931, having previously edited several chess columns. After the ban on the Arbeiter-Schachbund, Roscher worked on the Schach-Herold from 1934 to 1938, which was intended to replace the banned Deutsche Arbeiter-Schachzeitung.[4] From 1937 until his conscription, he was integrated into the KdF-Schach as Gau-Schachwart.

After being a prisoner of war during the Second World War, Roscher was active as Dresden district section leader in 1947 and then chairman of the corresponding district chess committee. In the GDR, Roscher was a member of several commissions in the presidium of the chess section. However, after suffering from a heart condition, he was prescribed rest by a doctor and had to suspend his activities.
 

On 25 November 1957, Roscher gave a lecture at a Dresden problemist meeting, after which he suffered a relapse of his heart disease and was admitted to hospital. After being discharged, he celebrated his 57th birthday on 17 December. On the evening of 23 December, Roscher, who was now married for the second time, first helped his daughter decorate the Christmas tree and when he went to rest afterwards, he suffered a heart attack from which he died.

Roscher had a collection of chess books and extensive knowledge of the history of chess literature and chess composition. Before his death, he was preparing a work on the "History of Problem Literature", of which more than a thousand manuscript pages had been written. He had made several chess-historical discoveries.

Roscher was a strong club player, but below master level. By 1956, he had written over one hundred chess compositions.

Source: de.wikipedia.org