Leopold Mitrofanov

Leopold Adamovich Mitrofanov (Russian Леопольд Адамович Митрофанов; born July 2, 1932 in Leningrad, † 26 November 1992 in Moscow) was a Russian composer study in chess.

Hinge Leads to chess composition, he was Korolkov of Vladimir (1907-1987), with whom he published many studies together. Overall, he created several hundred chess compositions ( including about 300 studies ), of which 40 were awarded first prizes. He was a Soviet champion of chess composition. His most famous and most controversial chess composition is the DG5 study. On Rustaveli 800 Memorial participated in 230 pieces of 170 composers. The judges Alexander Herbstman and Gia Nadareischwili praised the piece in the price report, which was published on February 3, 1967 in Bulletin 14 of the 34th USSR championship, a " true masterpiece ". Mitrofanov 1971 has been designated as International Referee for chess composition. In 1980 he received the title of International Master of chess compositions.

John Roycroft compared the loss Mitrofanows for chess studies with the loss of Rudolf Nureyev for the ballet.

The DG5 - study

The original study

This is to the tournament, submitted by Mitrofanov position. After the main variant 1 b6 Ka8 2 Te1 Sxe1 3 g7 h1d 4 G8D Lb8 5 a7 Nc6 6 dxc6 Dxh5 creates the following position:

First is not to see how White can avoid perpetual check. This makes the women victims 7 DG5! After Dxg5 8 Ka 6 Lxa7 9 c7 threatens C8D and b7 matt. After Qa5 10 Kxa5 KB7 11 bxa7 White wins.

Among the judges of the tournament belonged Mikhail Tal. However, over the years, doubts as to the raison d'être of composition came on.

Predecessor

Later Harold van der Heijden was a predecessor. Already in 1936, the Romanian Pál Faragó a study composed, which represented the same idea. Again, the white lady sacrificed on g5. Farago had his study first published in the Romanian chess magazine Revista Română de Şah 1956 and again in his book Idei noi in Sahul Artistic. Apparently not know Mitrofanov these predecessors.

Refutations

1970 was the Russian Alexander Kuindzhi a refutation of Mitrofanows solution. They tried in sequence to correct the initial position to save the solution.

1999 refuted the Dutchman Rini Kuijf Kuindzhis refutation and rescued apparently the original study Mitrofanows. However, a little later showed Harold van der Heijden, that this rescue attempt was still a hole.

According to current knowledge Mitrofanows study is defective.

Works

• Deceptive Simplicity, 1992 ( together with Vladimir Fedorov )

Private

Mitrofanov grew up in Leningrad and witnessed as a child the siege of Leningrad. He became a teacher and later worked as a chemist in a Leningrad Research Institute. He died of stomach cancer.