Yochanan Afek's Study of the Year 2012

by ChessBase
2/16/2014 – The contest, which is organised by the World Federation for Chess Composition, awards the prizes to chess studies that were aesthetically pleasing, that appeal to chess players of various levels and encourage them to pay more attention to the subject. 24 entries were received for 2012, and Israeli composer Jochanan Afek won first prize. Enjoy his work and the top eight studies of the year.
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Study of the Year 2012

The selection of “The Study of the Year“ is organized by the World Federation for Chess Composition and aimed at introducing a single friendly endgame study to the general public. The study was expected to be one that appeals to chess players of various levels and encourages them to pay more attention to endgame studies. Composers were invited to submit a single study (either their own or by others) that was published (either in a magazine or in an award) during the year 2012.

In all, 24 candidate studies were considered by an international panel of endgame study experts (David Gurgenidze, Oleg Pervakov, Gady Costeff, Ilham Aliev and Harold van der Heijden), who scored the studies independently. The individual scores of all candidates can be found here. The winning entry was the following:

Yochanan Afek, J. Timman-60 Jubilee tourney 2012
Second prize – Study of the Year 2012

White to play and win

We urge you to try and solve this problem of the year yourself. If you do not succeed, or if you want to check your analysis, you can do so here:

Click to see the solution

Yochanan Afek (born 16 April 1952 in Tel Aviv) is an Israeli chess player, composer, trainer and arbiter, the only person to possess an international titles at four different facets of chess, being an International Master, International Master of the chess compositions, International Arbiter and International Arbiter of the chess compositions.

Information provided by Harold van der Heijden

A selection of best studies (places 2-8)

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1.b5! Thematic try 1.c3? cxb4! 1...b5? 2.g4 Bc1 2...Bxc3 3.g5 cxb4 4.g6 Bd4 5.g7= 3.g5! Bxg5 4.c4‼ cxb4 5.cxb5 Kc7 6.b6+ Kxb6 7.Kb8 Bf4+ 8.Ka8 Be3 9.Kb8= 2.cxb4 b5 3.g4 Bg7 (Kc7) 4.g5 Kc7 (Bg7) 5.g6 Kb6 6.Kb8 Be5+ 7.Ka8 Ka6 zz -+ 1...Bc3! 2.g3‼ Thematic try 2.g4? c4 (Kc7) 3.g5 Kc7 4.g6 Kc8 5.g7 Bxg7 6.c3 Bd4! 7.cxd4 c3 8.d5 c2 9.d6 c1Q-+ 2...Kc7 3.g4 Kc8 4.g5 Kc7 5.g6 c4 6.g7 Bxg7 7.c3 Bd4 8.cxd4 c3 9.d5 c2 10.d6+ (check!) Kxd6 10...Kc8 11.d7+ Kxd7 12.Kb7 c1Q 13.a8Q Qh1+ 14.Ka7= 11.Kb7 c1Q 12.a8Q Qh1+ 13.Kxb6 Qxa8 stalemate ½–½
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Didukh,S-White to play and draw-½–½20121.p FIDE Olympic Ty 2012

Sergei Didukh, born 1976 in Ukraine, one of the most talented chess composers

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1.Be6+ Kh8 2.Rc5 2.Rxc8 Ne7+ 3.Kg5 Nxc8 4.Rxc8 Kh7 5.Rxf8 Ra5+ 2...Ne7+ 3.Rxe7 Rxc5 4.Re8 Rf5 4...Rg5+ 5.hxg5 Ra8 6.Bc8 Kg8 7.Rd8 Rb8 8.Be6+ 5.Bxf5 5.Kxf5 Kh7 6.Rxf8 Ra5+ 7.Kg4 Ra4+ 8.Kg3 Ra3+ 9.Kg2 Ra4 10.Kg3 Ra3+ 11.Kg4 Ra4+ 12.Kg5 Ra5+ 13.Bf5+ g6 14.Rf7+ Kg8 15.Kxg6 Ra6+ 16.Rf6 Rxf6+ 17.Kxf6 Kh8 5...Ra6+ 6.Be6 Ra8 7.Bc8 Kg8 8.Rd8 8.h5 Rb8 9.h6 Rxc8 10.h7+ Kh8 11.Rxc8 8...Rb8 9.Be6+ Kh8 10.Rd5 1–0
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Krug,P-White to play and win-1–020115.Hm CB 25 AT
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1.Na5! b3 1...Rab6 2.Bg4 Re1+ 3.Kxh2 e6 4.Nc4+- 2.Rb4+! Reb6 3.Rbc4 Rxa5 4.Rc8+ Kb7 5.R8c7+! Ka6! 6.Be2 a2 6...b2 7.Rc3+ Rbb5 8.R3c6# 6...e6 7.Rd4+ Rbb5 8.Rd6# 7.Bf1‼ zz a1Q Main 7...b2 8.Rc3+ Rab5 Main 8...Rbb5 9.R3c6# 9.Ra3# Main 7...e6 8.Rd4+ Rbb5 Main 8...Rab5 9.Ra4# 9.Rd6# Main 7...f6 8.Re4+ Rbb5 Main 8...Rab5 9.Ra4# 9.Re6# 8.Rc1+ Rab5 Main 8...Rbb5 9.R1c6# 9.Rxa1# 1–0
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Pervakov,O-White to play and win-1–020121.pl Team Championship of Russia

In the following remarkable study the theme change of functions of pieces carried out twice: in the first phase in sequential form (rook and bishop), in the second in parallel form (bishop and king).

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1.Ra3! Rd2 2.Kb6! g3 3.Ra7+ Kc8 4.Bc7 g2 5.Kc6! Rc2+ 6.Kd5 g1Q 7.d7+! Kxd7 The R-B battery has been built, but the rook is under attack by the queen. Therefore, 8.Bb6+! The bishop defends the rook. Rc7! 9.Rxc7+ Kd8 And now the black queen attacks the white bishop in the B-R battery (a similar situation). 10.Rc5+! The rook defends the bishop. The situation has been completely repeated, with a change of functions of the rook and bishop! Ke8 11.Rc8+ Kf7 12.Rc7+ Kg6 13.Rg7+! Kxg7 14.Bxg1 Now begins the second phase of the struggle. Kg6! 14...a1Q 15.Bd4+ 15.Bd4 Kf5 16.Bc3‼ h5 17.Kd4 Kf4 18.Kd3! Kf3 main 18...h4 19.Ke2! Kg3 20.Kf1= The h-pawn is stopped by the king and a-pawn by the bishop! Kh2 21.Kf2 h3 19.Kc2! h4 20.Kb2 h3 21.Be5= And here there is a similar situation, but with a change of function of the bishop and the king. ½–½
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Eilazyan,E-White to play and draw-½–½20121.p Zinchuk 75 MT
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1.Rg5+ 1.Kxe5 Bc7+ 2.Kd5 Bxg3 3.f6 Bh4 4.f7 Be7 1.f6 Nd3+ 2.Kf3 Nxc1 3.Rh3+ Kg5 4.f7 Bb4 1...Kh6 1...Kh4 2.Ng2+ Kh3 3.Kxe5 2.Ng4+ 2.Kxe5 Kxg5 3.Nd1+ Kh4 4.Nxf2 Bc7+ 5.Ke4 gxf5+ 2...Nxg4 3.Kxg4 White threatens mate in a move and Black appears to be helpless: Kg7 for instance 3...Re4+ 4.Kf3! Rc4 5.Rxg6+ Kh5 6.Rh6# 4.Bb2 4.f6+ Kxf6 5.Bb2 h5+ 6.Kh4 Be1+ 4...Bd8! 4...h5+ 5.Kh4 Bd8 5...Bc7 6.Bxe5+ 6.Rxg6+ Kf7 7.Bxe5 Bxe5 8.Kxh5 6...Bxe5 7.Rxg6+ Kf7 8.Kxh5 5...Be1+ 6.Kh3 Kf6 7.Rg1 6.Bxe5+ Kh6 7.f6 5.f6+! 5.Bxe5+ Kf7 6.f6 h6 7.Kf4 hxg5+ 8.Kxg5 Bxf6+ 5...Bxf6 6.Bxe5 Kh6 7.Bd6! Bxg5 8.Bf8# 1–0
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Avni/Afek,A-White to play and win-1–02012Fritz MT100 2nd/3rd Pr
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1.Qb8+! Kxb8 2.Be5+ Ka8 2...Kc8 3.h8Q Qxc5+ 4.Kf7+ Qf8+ 5.Qxf8+ Bxf8 6.Bxb3 g1Q 7.Be6+ Kd8 8.c7# 3.h8Q Qh1 4.Bh2 Qxh2! 5.Qxh2 g1Q! 6.Qxg1 Bxc5+ 7.Ke8‼ Bxg1 8.c7 Kb7 9.Kd7! Nc5+ 10.Kd8 Ne6+! 11.Bxe6 Bb6 12.Bd5# 1–0
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Tarasiuk,V-White to play and win-1–020121.p Ural's Problemist
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1.h7 1.Qd5+? Kb8 2.Qe5+ Kb7 3.Qc7+ Ka6 4.Be2 Qe6+ 5.Bc4 Qb6 6.Nd4+ Ka5 7.Qxb6+ Kxb6 8.Nxc2 Bb8= 1.Qd8+? Bb8 2.Qf6 Nc3+ 3.Nxc3 Qxh5 4.Qa6+ Ba7 5.Kb2 Qd1= 1...Qe6+ 2.Ka3 Qe7+! 2...Qc6 3.h8Q+ Kb7 4.Qc8+! Qxc8 5.Nd6++- 3.Qxe7 c1Q+ 4.Ka4! Thematic try 4.Kb3? Qb1+! 5.Ka4 Nb2+ 6.Ka5 6.Kb4 Nd3+ 7.Ka5 Qa2+ 8.Qa3 Qxa3+ 9.Nxa3 Bd4= 6...Qa2+ 7.Qa3 Qxa3+ 8.Nxa3 Bd4∞ 4.Kb4? Qd2+! 5.Ka4 Nb2+! 6.Kb3 Qd5+! 7.Kxb2 Qxb5+ 8.Kc3 Qc6+ 9.Kd3 Qd5+= 4...Nb2+ 5.Ka5 5.Kb3? Qc4+ 6.Kxb2 Qxb5+= 5...Nc4+ 5...Qa1+ 6.Na3+- 6.Ka6 6.Kb4? Qb2+ 7.Kxc4 d5+! 8.Kxd5 Qxb5+= 6...Qh6+ 7.Nd6 Nxd6 8.Qg5‼ 8.Bf3+? Ne4+ 9.Ka5 Bb6+-+ 8.Bg6? Qxg6 9.h8Q+ Nc8+= 8...Qxg5 8...Qe6 9.Qg8+! Nc8+ 10.Qxe6+- 8...Qxh7 9.Qd8+ Bb8 10.Bf3+ Ne4 11.Qb6+- 9.h8Q+ Bb8 10.Bf3+ Ne4 11.Bxe4+ d5 12.Qg7‼ Qxg7 13.Bxd5+ Qb7+ 14.Bxb7# 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Osintsev,S-White to play and win-1–020123-4th place, Moscow Championship

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