Max Bezzel

Max Friedrich Wilhelm Bezzel ( born February 4, 1824 in Herrnberchtheim; † 30 July 1871 in Ansbach ) was a German chess player and problem composer. He is considered the oldest Bavarian chess master. He was known primarily as the creator of the so-called women's problem.

Journey

Bezzel came from a pastor's family with many children and was born in the small village Herrnberchtheim in Middle Franconia. His father was appointed in 1830 to a secondary school teacher in Ansbach, but died three years later. This loss had children early on to support the mother. He attended as a pupil of the school Carolinum and developed a special interest in mathematics. Because of that poor career prospects for mathematicians Bezzel decided after graduating from high school in 1841 but dropped to study law. Bezzel studied at the universities of Erlangen and Munich; while studying in Erlangen, he joined the fraternity of the boys Reuther.

In Ansbach, he completed his legal training. After he was temporarily used in other places, elected him in 1854, the community college in Ansbach legal advice to the city. This position took Bezzel, who remained unmarried, one to his death. Due to a serious illness he died at the age of 47 years.

Bavarian chess master

As a chess player Bezzel is almost forgotten today, but he was in the period before 1870, the only well-known chess master Bavaria. During his lifetime the father's game had been kept in the family. However Bezzel was rarely an opportunity to test his skills. During the semester break, he traveled to Vienna in 1844 and achieved great success. Without that you can see more details about it knows Bezzel gained its reputation at the time as " Bavarian Schachaar ".

In September 1856 he visited Leipzig and held against the chess master Herrmann Pollmächer ( 1826-1861 ) in a series of ten matches the upper hand ( 6:1, = 3). In fact, his playing strength of his contemporaries was rated highly. Max Lange beat him in his Morphy book even as a possible rematch opponents of the American chess genius before, who had German champion Adolf Anderssen in 1858 in Paris conquered.

At the founding of the club Ansbach 1855 Bezzel was not directly involved. However, in 1857 he became an honorary member of the club, one of Germany's oldest chess clubs. Bezzel, who was also an outstanding blind players, came for work reasons rarely practical game. After his appearance in Leipzig, he also seems not to have actively sought such opportunities.

To a greater extent, he remained devoted to the problem of chess. Here, Bezzel drew equally from both as composer and solver of chess problems. Very fruitful, he was in the drafting of profound self- Matt tasks.

Importance for the chess Mathematics

As he spoke to him fascinating mathematical side of chess, is Bezzel earned his greatest achievement. Attracted attention to the present formulation of the "Eight Queens problem " (see also the main article for queens problem ).

In September 1848 Bezzel presented at the Berlin chess newspaper - under the pseudonym " chess friend " - the task eight queens on a chess board set up that no other in the next train can beat. Eight women are the maximum number that can be accommodated on the board without mutual attack. The mathematical problem extended to the number of possible solutions and employed even the famous mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss. Bezzel himself could not completely solve the problem. Already in 1850 Franz Nauck was in Leipzig Illustrirten newspaper the correct number 92. Later it was proved that there are no more solutions.

In addition to the complicated Springer problem his concept of Bezzel queens problem is considered to be best-known activity Chess mathematics.