Friedrich Ziak (* Austria,Thursday 08.05.1941 - † Vienna, Saturday 12.03.2016)

Austrian chess composer

Friedrich Ziak was born on Thursday 08.05.1941 and died on Saturday, 12.03.2016. He was an Austrian chess composer of chess problems from Vienna, but also composed 4 chess studies. One of his chess studies got well known.

Although unfortunately there are no further biographical details about this Austrian chess composer, he composed a highly original chess study with stalemate:

Friedrich Ziak, White to move and draw, Chess Active (Schach Aktiv), 1987:

Solution: 1.Ba1!! Qh2 2.h8B!! [2.h8Q? Rh1–+] 2…Rh1 3.Bhb2! g1Q 4.c3 [4.Ng2+? Bxg2 5.c3 Bd5!] 4…Bg2 5.Nxg2+ Kf1 6.Ne3+ Ke1 7.Ng2+ Qgxg2= stalemate

GM Wieland Bruch wrote about his chess study:

"The evacuation, the facilitation, the underpromotion, and the first Kling combination are borrowed from Exercise 85. But then Black has to watch helplessly as White actually follows up with a second Kling, just in time before Black can escape: 1.Ba1! Qh2 2.h8B!! Rh1 3.Bhb2 g1Q 4.c3 (4.Ng2+? B:g2 5.c3 Bd5! -+) 4.– Bg2 5.N:g2+ Kf1 6.Ne3+ Ke1 7.Ng2 Qg:g2 stalemate – Highly original and amusing!" Balancing act between moremovers and chess studies (February 2010)

Others                                                                                                                                                                                             On pdb.dieschwalbe.de database 36 chess problems (helpmates, direct mates, self mates) composed by him are recorded.

Source: schachstudienkomponisten.fandom.com