August Haga

Mr. August Haga was born in Sneek in 1888.

Chess composer and editor

Life

He studied chemistry in law in Amsterdam, after which he earned the degree of archivist first class, and became state archivist of Overijssel.

According to G.J. ter Kuile, Haga had his own mind, was highly critical, and did not like compromise.

He used to go his own was, and encountered many difficulties. When he was appointed state archivist of Drente in 1946, he resigned.

He died in 1970. As an able archivist, he published many papers about genealogy, manorial rights and ordeals.

Chess composing

Although August Haga was a minor talent, his contribution to endgame composing was significant, also because he was for several years study editor of Tijdschrift. His main interest was underpromotion.

His endgame studies may seem simple today, but it should be taken into account that underpromotion was a relatively new theme in those days.

At first Haga composed chess studies with a theoretical content. Later his chess studies became more artistic, but the solutions remained simple.

(Info taken: Endgame study composing in the Netherlands and Flanders by Jan van Reek and Henk van Donk)

ARVES: 3 endgame studies composed by him are selected by Peter Boll

Source: arves.org