Prof. Johann Hollik (* 1927  -  † 19.03.2020)

Chess composer of chess problems

The Salzburg tax advisor Prof. Johann Hollik lived until 2020.

He only took up chess composition in the second half of his life and mainly composed selfmate chess problems.

He shared first prize in the problem-solving competition run by the Deutsche Schachzeitung chess magazine in 1990. Editor of the SN chess corner (Salzburger Nachrichten) until 2006.

Collaboration with chess composer Peter Krug

Johann Hollik had been publishing orthodox chess problems, known as moremover problems, abroad, mainly in Hungary, for some time with Peter Krug, who was born in Salzburg. Peter Siegfried Krug was still a teenager at the time.

Online databases:

pdb.dieschwalbe.de: 

Currently, 37 chess problems by Prof. Johann Hollik can be played back in the Schwalbe database. In addition to a few helpmates, these are mainly selfmates—problems that Johann Hollik mainly published in German problem magazines (Schach Aktiv, Deutsche Schachzeitung, Schach-Report).

yacpdb.org:

Apart from a few orthodox chess problems, there are 37 chess problems, mainly selfmates.

Chess problem

Deutsche Schachzeitung April 1985 (4854):

White: Kf7, Nf5, Ng2, e2, f3, e4

Black: Ke5                                 6/1       White to move and mate in 5 moves

Solution:
1.Ne3! Kf4 2.Ng4 Kg5 3.e3 Kh5 4.Nf6 Kg5 5. f4#
Comment:
Ein relativ leicht zu lösender Mehrzüger diesmal, an dem sich aber leider trotzdem nur drei Problemfreunde versucht haben. "Zuerst 3 stille Züge mit Zugzwang, dann ein Mustermatt!" (Martin Walter) "Leichte Kost, aber auch solche Winzlinge schmecken einem gewissen Publikum!" (Werner Schmoll)
(4 Punkte)

Memories

"Prof. Johann Hollik was legal advisor, author, and guardian of the association's statutes and, together with his daughter Elisabeth, was also instrumental in the revision,

completion, and publication of the book “Donauschwäbinnen” (Danube Swabian Women). Unforgettable and impressive was how dignified he was in bearing his suffering, unforgettable how strictly he reacted to attempts to deviate from the law and statutes, and how he verbally reprimanded the applicant – regardless of whether he was the association chairman or a political representative – with: "Mr. ..., I would like to point out that you are not acting in accordance with the statutes." Or: "Mr. ..., if I remember correctly, you swore an oath to the Austrian Constitution."

In later years, when he could only move around his apartment with difficulty and could only

read and write with the help of a magnifying glass, he always blocked questions about his health and well-being with one sentence:

"Oh, you know. The eyes, the eyes," 

Source: donauschwaben-sbg.at