tag: Studies - Page 3

Study of the month: An impossible move

2/4/2017 – In our previous monthly study column we saw how powerful pawns are. The subject is amplified this time with three positions, two from games and one a study by two prolific chess composers from Georgia. In that study White would like to move his pawn backwards, which of course the rules of chess do not allow. So he has to promote it, very carefully, and then move the queen or rook to the square the pawn could not occupy. A remarkable idea and an amazing study.

Study contest – Jan Timman turns sixty-five

1/7/2017 – In December he turned 65. For decades Jan Timman was a top GMs – in 1982 in fact the world's number two player, behind Anatoly Karpov, against whom he played a World Championship match. Timman is also an expert in endgame studies, with many prize-winning compositions to his name. It is therefore appropriate that Hans Böhm celebrates his 50 years of close friendship with Jan with a special composition contest, and we present some enchanting pictures.

Study of the month: The pawn is the soul of the game

1/3/2017 – Two problemist friends, John Nunn and Yochanan Afek, have proposed it: introduce a monthly column on our newspage to demonstrate the artistic beauty of chess studies. It is a genre in which authors are able to show beautiful patterns and ideas that never occur in regular tournament chess games, but which are possible in composed positions. We have gladly accepted and present the first installment by German composer Siegfried Hornecker. Enjoy.

Christmas puzzles with Pal Benko

12/25/2016 – Another year passes, and we end it with our traditional Christmas puzzles – this year for the seventeenth time. Over the holidays we try to give you something unusual: puzzles that cannot be easily solved with a computer, tasks which require you to think all by yourself. And once again, as happened frequently in the past, we received three wonderfully entertaining problems from the great composer Pal Benko, who wished us and our readers a Happy Christmas.

Learning to solve from a World Champion

11/14/2016 – The first edition of John Nunn’s book Solving in Style was published in 1985 by George Allen & Unwin and became an instant hit amongst those interested in chess problems. Although there is an extensive literature on chess composition, there was almost nothing to help ordinary players master the art of solving problems and studies. John’s book filled the gap by offering a player-friendly guide to the fascinating world of chess problems.

CHESS Magazine November 2016: Studies with Stephenson

11/1/2016 – The World Problem conference is not just about solving. The chess composers present at the event are not idle but take part in one or more of the wide range of composing tourneys that these events always include. This year, for the first time, the Azerbaijanis ran a study composing tourney. First prize was won by Danish composer Steffen Slumstrup Nielsen. Problem expert Brian Stephenson explains the study and gives you another study to solve.

CHESS Magazine: Studies with Stephenson

9/9/2016 – During the first week of August the city of Belgrade hosted the 40th World Chess Solving Championship. Brian Stephenson, a member of the British Chess Problem Society, ran the Championship and chose the problems for the participants to solve. In the September issue of CHESS Magazine he presented two of the studies, and the solution to one from the May issue. Our readers are challenged to solve them, especially one that has a prize attached to it.

How to learn from chess studies

6/29/2016 – Regular players are often suspicious about chess studies and problems. The positions are considered artificial, the solutions extravagant and of little use to practical play. But that is not always the case. We showed you a prize-winning study that requires strategic ideas and manoeuvres that are genuinely useful in over-the-board play, and asked you to solve it. Now we provide the solution with didactic explanations.

Troitzky: In Memoriam

3/21/2016 – Endgame studies are without a doubt that area of chess where the lines between science and art are blurred. While they offer great beauty as an art form, they are also prime tools to develop imagination and calculation. This month marks the 150th birth anniversary of Alexey Troitzky, a great pioneer of the modern endgame study. Here is a brief biography and selection of his work.

Paul Keres, the Composer

2/2/2016 – For his 100th jubilee there was a Keres Memorial tournament in Talinn, Estonia. Paul Keres, the strongest player who never made it to World Champion, is still a legend for his adventurous play and astounding combinational skill. But he was also a remarkable composer who started with a clever two-mover at the age of thirteen. Prof. Nagesh Havanur presents a collection of Keres problems and studies for you to solve.

Pal Benko: Variations on a Kubbel study (2)

7/12/2015 – Our good and faithful friend, GM Pal Benko, recently explained to us why one of the most famous studies of all time, composed in 1922 by Leonid Kubbel, was not completely flawless – and indeed worthy of improvement. He showed us how the process works, and in today's second part you can watch one of the greatest composers of our generation polishing flawed studies.

Valuation: variations on a famous Kubbel study

6/23/2015 – One of the greatest chess composers in history was Leonid Ivanovich Kubbel, born in 1891 in St. Petersburg, Russia. One of the greatest contempory composers is GM Pal Benkö, born in 1928. One of the most famous studies of all time is a 1922 composition by Kubbel. It is, however, not completely flawless, and so Benkö set out to polish it. He gives us a unique insight into the process.

Isenegger Memorial Study Tourney (3)

10/19/2014 – The David vs. Goliath motif – pawns fight pieces – in chess studies was the speciality of the Swiss study composer Samuel Isenegger. It was also the theme of the commemorative composition tournament staged by the Dutch-Flamish endgame study society ARVES. In the final section of our report the event director Yochanan Afek shows us studied that received special commendations.

Isenegger Memorial Study Tourney (2)

10/13/2014 – The Swiss study composer Samuel Isenegger specialized in the David vs. Goliath theme, in which pawns fight pieces. To commemorate his anniversary the Dutch-Flamish endgame study society ARVES staged a tourney with this motif. In the first part of his report composition judge Yochanan Afek showed us the winning entires, today we get to enjoy further award-winning studies.

Isenegger Memorial Study Tourney

9/30/2014 – The Swiss composer Samuel Isenegger, who died 50 years ago, specialized in the David vs. Goliath theme of pawns fighting pieces. To commemorate his anniversary the Dutch-Flemish endgame study society ARVES staged a tourney with this motif. The composition judge Yochanan Afek has kindly sent us the entries of the winners – wonderful chess compositions from which we can all learn.

Yochanan Afek's Study of the Year 2012

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.

Pal Benko: Secrets of Study Composition (2)

12/23/2013 – One of the greatest study composers – as well as a former world championship candidate – is our friend Pal Benko, who never fails to send us a special Christmas gift. This year it was an article that offers unique insight into the process of chess composition. We brought you the first part a week ago. Today it is about breaking the pin and avoiding stalemate. And there is a remarkable study for you to solve.

Joys of Chess – the mother of all moves

10/30/2013 – "6.Qg5!!! What an idea!! A move not yet seen by humanity." These are the comments of Christian Hesse, Professor of Mathematics and an avid chess fan who has written many an article for our news page. In his book The Joys of Chess he continues: "A move from another world. A beautiful, profound, quiet move, a gentle and subtle nuance." Read about Mitrofanov's immortal deflection study.

4th Tata Steel Studies Composing tourney

4/6/2013 – During the Tata Steel Chess Tournament this January there was a special study composing tourney, which produced 89 entries, of which 20 received awards. Tournament judge Yochanan Afek has been showing us the prize-winning studies, with with wonderfully lucid explanations of their solutions. After parts one to three here are the solutions to the final five studies.

4th Tata Steel Studies Composing tourney

3/16/2013 – During the Tata Steel Chess Tournament this January there was a special study composing tourney, which produced 89 entries, of which 20 received awards. Tournament judge Yochanan Afek has been showing us the prize-winning studies, with explanations of their solutions. After parts one and two here is part three.

Tata Steel studies solutions – Part two

3/7/2013 – Among the festivities there was a special study composing tourney at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee. A total of 89 studies were submitted, and 20 of them received prizes. Tournament judge Yochanan Afek recently shows us the solutions of the first five. Here are the next batch of award-winning studies.
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