Karel Traxler

Karel Traxler (1866 – 1936) was a Czech chess master and composer of chess problems. He is best known for the hyper-aggressive variation named after him, the Traxler Variation in the Two Knights Defense.[1]

Karel Traxler
Chess master, problem composer
Full nameKarel Traxler
CountryCzech Republic
Born(1866-01-17)January 17, 1866
Vlachovo Březí
DiedMay 15, 1936(1936-05-15) (aged 70)
Volyně

Traxler Variation

The Traxler Variation was first shown in the following game against Reinisch, played in Hostouň in 1890:

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Bc5!? 5.Nxf7?! (modern theory suggests that 5.Bxf7+! is better) Bxf2+! 6.Ke2 (Traxler recommends 6.Kf1! Qe7 7.Nxh8 d5 8.exd5 Nd4, where Black has a strong attack but White may nonetheless hold) 6...Nd4+ 7.Kd3? b5! 8.Bb3 Nxe4!! 9.Nxd8 Nc5+ 10.Kc3 Ne2+! 11.Qxe2 Bd4+ 12.Kb4 a5+ 13.Kxb5 Ba6+ 14.Kxa5 Bd3+ 15.Kb4 Na6+ 16.Ka4 Nb4+ 17.Kxb4 c5#[2]

Problem composer

Because Traxler was a Roman Catholic priest, he rarely played chess in serious competitions. As a composer of chess problems he pursued the style of Bohemian school. He wrote under a number of pseudonyms: Anonymus z Tábora, Karel Kaplan, Vis Maior und Karel Zboněk.[3] From 1896 to 1899, he edited, in part, the journal České listy šachové (Czech chess letters). He composed over 900 chess problems, mainly 2-, 3-, and 4-move problems, but also multiple-move ones, and more rarely, selfmates. With his brother-in-law, Jan Kotrč, he published a selection of 247 problems that he'd composed by 1910.[4]

Karel Traxler
Illustrirte Zeitung, Leipzig 1906
abcdefgh
8
a8 white queen
g7 white king
e5 black king
e4 white knight
f4 white knight
f3 black pawn
f2 white pawn
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
White mates in 3 moves

Solution: 1.Qf8!

  • if 1...Kxe4, then 2.Kf6 Kxf4 3.Qb4# Ideal mate
  • if 2...Kd4, then 3.Qb4# Model mate
  • if 1...Kd4, then 2.Qe8 Kc4 3.Qa4# Model mate

References
  1. "The Traxler Counter Attack". ChessBase. 2004-06-13. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  2. "J Reinisch vs. Karel Traxler, Hostoun 1890". Chessgames.com.
  3. Anders Thulin: Chess Pseudonyms and Signatures. An Electronic Edition, Malmö, preliminary 22. June 2008 (PDF; 307 kB)
  4. Jan Kotrč and Karel Traxler, Schachprobleme aus den Jahren 1884–1910 [Chess problems from the years 1884-1910] (Vienna, Austria: (self-published), 1910).
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