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Frederick Bennett (1867-1960) was a notable Australian problemist who produced a staggering number of compositions. He played a significant role in my previous Walkabout blog about the origin of a famous three-mover, and this has prompted Bob Meadley to take a closer look at the life of this composer. Our resident expert on the historical aspects of chess problems, Bob is a main contributor to the Oz Archives on this site. He has now remedied a gap in the section on Australian problemists by writing an article titled ‘Frederick Charles Bennett: Our Most Prolific Problemist’. The piece begins with Bennett’s biographical information, including details on his profession as a school teacher and headmaster. Then his chess career is examined, and we learn about his prolific output of problems which appeared in a multitude of publications from around the world. His longevity as a composer is remarkable – Bob proposes that the 80 (or 81) years between first and last published problems could be a world record. The article finishes with eight sample problems sourced from online databases, all provided with full solutions.
To download the article, use the link above or visit the Chess Problemists page. You can also find a couple of fine two-movers by Bennett in the Weekly Problems section: WP141 and WP184. Below I quote what seems to be Bennett’s earliest work, published when he was just 12 years of age! This charming three-mover shows a pair of echo mates – one ideal and one model, complete with knight sacrifices and a switchback by the key-piece.
Frederick Bennett
The New Zealand Mail 1879
Mate in 3
Google Sites
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