Johannes Kohtz
Encyclopedia
Johannes Kohtz was a German
chess composer and together with Carl Kockelkorn
one of the founders of the logical school.
where he met Carl Kockelkorn. When they were still pupils they engaged in chess composition. When both were 17 years old, Wilhelm Kufferath allowed them to publish their first compositions in the Sonntagsblätter für Schachfreunde (lit.: Sunday papers for chess friends). Kohtz and Kockelkorn were quite fond of Philipp Klett's problems.
In their views of chess composition, Kohtz and Kockelkorn harmonized so much that after a short while they decided to publish their problems only as co-productions. After being confronted with rumors that problems by only one of them would also be published as co-productions, Johannes Kohtz wrote 1870 in the Schachzeitung that on every composition both sat together on the chessboard.
Half a year after Arthur Gehlert attacked the Altdeutsche Schule (lit.: old German school), Kohtz and Kockelkorn published their book Das Indische Problem (lit.: the Indian Problem). This led to arguments with Johann Berger
who founded the Altdeutsche Schule. While Kohtz wrote a correspondence that was published in Deutsches Wochenschach, Berger replied in the Deutsche Schachzeitung
. Kohtz had better reasons for his views on chess composition so he won the correspondence - which had to be aborted at the start of the First World War- and thereby led to the replacement of the Altdeutsche Schule by the Logical School.
Even after the death of his close friend Kockelkorn on July 16, 1914, Kohtz still published his problems under both authors names. There was a problem with the title Eine Schwalbe, which was published in 1911 and had given its name to the later founded German composers' association Die Schwalbe
(see there for the problem).
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
chess composer and together with Carl Kockelkorn
Carl Kockelkorn
Carl Kockelkorn was a German chess composer. Together with Johannes Kohtz he founded the logical school of chess compositions.His problems were published as coproductions with Johannes Kohtz...
one of the founders of the logical school.
Kohtz and Kockelkorn
Johannes Kohtz moved with his parents to CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
where he met Carl Kockelkorn. When they were still pupils they engaged in chess composition. When both were 17 years old, Wilhelm Kufferath allowed them to publish their first compositions in the Sonntagsblätter für Schachfreunde (lit.: Sunday papers for chess friends). Kohtz and Kockelkorn were quite fond of Philipp Klett's problems.
In their views of chess composition, Kohtz and Kockelkorn harmonized so much that after a short while they decided to publish their problems only as co-productions. After being confronted with rumors that problems by only one of them would also be published as co-productions, Johannes Kohtz wrote 1870 in the Schachzeitung that on every composition both sat together on the chessboard.
Half a year after Arthur Gehlert attacked the Altdeutsche Schule (lit.: old German school), Kohtz and Kockelkorn published their book Das Indische Problem (lit.: the Indian Problem). This led to arguments with Johann Berger
Johann Berger
Johann Nepomuk Berger was an Austrian chess master, theorist, endgame study composer, author and editor.In September 1870, he won the first tournament in the Austro-Hungarian Empire at Graz...
who founded the Altdeutsche Schule. While Kohtz wrote a correspondence that was published in Deutsches Wochenschach, Berger replied in the Deutsche Schachzeitung
Deutsche Schachzeitung
Deutsche Schachzeitung was the first German chess magazine.Founded in 1846 by Ludwig Bledow under the title Schachzeitung der Berliner Schachgesellschaft, it took the name Deutsche Schachzeitung in 1872...
. Kohtz had better reasons for his views on chess composition so he won the correspondence - which had to be aborted at the start of the First World War- and thereby led to the replacement of the Altdeutsche Schule by the Logical School.
Even after the death of his close friend Kockelkorn on July 16, 1914, Kohtz still published his problems under both authors names. There was a problem with the title Eine Schwalbe, which was published in 1911 and had given its name to the later founded German composers' association Die Schwalbe
Die Schwalbe
Die Schwalbe is the German chess composition society and issues the bimonthly magazine Die Schwalbe.- Society :Die Schwalbe was founded on 10 February 1924 in Essen as Vereinigung von Problemfreunden zur Förderung der Aufgabenkunst...
(see there for the problem).
Private Matters
Johannes Kohtz studied in Berlin and Karlsruhe. He worked as a chief engineer in a factory for railroad cars in Elbing and Königsberg. Since 1901 he lived as a pensioner in Dresden, where he also met Arthur Gehlert.Sources
- Herbert Grasemann: Eines Reverends Einfall, der Geschichte machte (reprint of articles from Deutsche Schachblätter). p.16-17