Ernst Bachl (16.07.1895 - 09.02.1982)

Chess composer

His endeavours were primarily aimed at discovering and promoting new talents in chess composition.

Many readers will still remember Hermann Weißauer (1920-2014), who until the end of his life tirelessly promoted the popularisation of problem chess and used his problem column in Europa-Rochade as a means of doing so, as well as organising solving tournaments and problemist meetings and always seeking personal discussions. As a master student of his teacher Ernst Bachl (16.7.1895-9.2.1982), who was born 125 years ago, he implemented and continued all this in his spirit. Bachl was more absorbed in giving than almost anyone else; his endeavours were primarily aimed at discovering and promoting new talents. In contrast, his own achievements took a back seat - both in problem chess and as a player, which he was as an all-rounder. He summed it up himself with a lot of understatement: "I'm a you-man. I gave myself away, gave myself away as it were and remained a small man in the chess problem and also in the chess game." He was certainly not that "small", as can be seen from Rainer Kuhn's book Schach-Herold Dr Ernst Bachl, published in the Kuhn-Murkisch series, which also contains his 204 chess problem compositions.