In the elite world of chess problem composition, a little-heralded Manitoban who died half a century ago is still considered one of Canada’s top practitioners.
Jacob Funk perfected the technique of the chess problem, where White is challenged to force checkmate in either two, three or more moves. Such problems are popular around the world, and are considered mini works of art.
It was an unlikely skill for the rural Manitoba carpenter who had no formal training in the game. But in more than four decades of composition, his 600 problems appeared in publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and the London Observer.
Funk’s interests were diverse. He was a mathematician and part of the U.S. Advanced Mathematical Circle. Together with his brothers, he also played in a classical music ensemble that performed across the Prairies.
Funk was a member of the British Chess Problem Society for 40 years before retiring in 1963. He died four years later.
Adrian Storisteanu of Toronto is one of a handful of dedicated problem composers in Canada today. He says the art form is still going strong.
“It can take a day, or a few months to compose a problem,” depending on its complexity, he says.
Mate in 2, Jacob Funk, 1925
Mate in 2, Jacob Funk, 1925The Globe and Mail
White to move and mate in two.
1.Qb6, and nothing Black does stops mate. If … cxb6 2.Nd6#.