Hot Topics: study of the month - page 4

Chess composition in Israel

10/31/2020 – Chess composition in Israel can be traced back to 1924. Throughout the years the small country gained relevance in the field of endgame studies. Columnist Siegfried Hornecker presents short bios and notable studies of six remarkable Israeli composers, plus a study he composed with helpmate specialist Paz Einat. | Pictured: Ruins of the ancient synagogue in Kibbutz Bar'am in Northern Israel. The ruins are located within the site of the ancient village of Kfar Bar'am, about three kilometers from the Lebanese border.

Chess composition in the German Democratic Republic II

9/26/2020 – In 1949, four years after the end of World War II, the Allies divided Germany into West Germany (the Federal Republic of Germany, FRG) and East Germany (the German Democratic Republic, GDR). In the second part of a series on the GDR composers, columnist Siegfried Hornecker continues to tell us how the chess composition scene was kept alive east of the Berlin Wall. | Pictured: Police personnel of the East German Volkspolizei wait for the official opening of the Brandenburg Gate in 1989 | Photo: SSGT F. Lee Corkran

Chess composition in the German Democratic Republic I

8/31/2020 – In 1949, four years after the end of World War II, the Allies divided Germany into West Germany (the Federal Republic of Germany, FRG) and East Germany (the German Democratic Republic, GDR). For chess composers, the main restriction was that they were unable to travel into western countries and the fact that they could not always send chess compositions to western sources, nor receive them. Columnist Siegfried Hornecker tells us how the chess composition scene was kept alive in the GDR. | Pictured: Leipzig in the 1980s

Check Czech Chess: Father and son Josef Vančura

7/26/2020 – The creator of the famous Vančura position, Josef Vančura, had a son named after him. The younger Vančura sadly died at the age of 23, but nonetheless made at least two important contributions to endgame theory. Columnist Siegfried Hornecker tells us the story. | Pictured: Library hall of the former Jesuit College in the Old Town of Prague

The lone king has wandered on

6/27/2020 – When Bobby Fischer died in 2008, one printed article about him was titled “The lone king has wandered off”. Despite this obscure reference in the title, the topic of this month shall not be a specific composer but rather a curiosity, a subset of endgame studies, called “Rex Solus” — the lone king.

The unknown soldiers I

5/30/2020 – Study of the month columnist Siegfried Hornecker starts to explore the works and backstories, in as much depth as the sources allow, of composers that have created one or only a few studies. Theodorus Cornelius Louis Kok, Anatoly Tichonovich Motor, Johann Sehwers and former women's world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk are some of the composers that appear in this first instalment. | Pictured: Kok and Sehwers

Valentin Rudenko's cosmic heights

5/3/2020 – Besides becoming Grandmaster for Chess Composition at age 42, Valentin Rudenko helped in the development of "threemovers", created the Rudenko Paradox and the Rudenko Theme, and won the World Chess Composition Tourney. One of his problems was also the first one to go into space. Our columnist Siegfried Hornecker tells us the story.

Valentin Rudenko, twenty thousand miles above the sea

4/25/2020 – The proposal to have the 4th of January named as International Day for Chess Composition was made by Valentin Rudenko, who would have turned 82 a couple of months ago. One of Rudenko's problems reached outer space, as cosmonaut Andrian Nikolaev brought one of his compositions — from the publication Suomen Shakki, 1957 — to a mission. Study of the Month columnist Siegfried Hornecker shares this story and a series of assorted compositions.

The boards that mean the world

3/28/2020 – Abram Gurvich was not only an expert chess composer but also a theatre and literary critic. As such, he rejected “all that is mechanical, systematized or unnatural”, favouring beauty as the driving force for chess players. Study of the Month columnist SIEGFRIED HORNECKER examines the work of the Russian composer, paying special attention to his article “The poetry of chess”.

Gorgeous Gorgiev

2/29/2020 – This Study of the Month column concentrates on the “Maestro of Practical Studies” (as he is called by Sergey N. Tkachenko), Tigran B. Gorgiev. SIEGFRIED HORNECKER takes you on a tour of the life of this microbiologist and composer, whose beautiful studies are described as "a perpetual adornment to the treasury of world composition.”

Check Czech Chess VII: The Dedrle brothers

1/25/2020 – Those who follow the column know that due to the high amount of Czechoslovakian chess composers a tongue-in-cheek subseries “Check Czech Chess” was created. We paused it for a while so as not to overload readers, but believe that there are a few more composers with interesting studies you will enjoy. While he might not be the most well-known composer, you might have seen the name “Dedrle” above a diagram or two in some endgame book, most likely the one pictured.

Valladão’s all-promotion study

12/28/2019 – As readers who followed this column since its inception in 2017 will have noted, the December article always is a bit different. After 11 months worth of articles of varying difficulty, at the end of the year Study of the Month columnist SIEGFRIED HORNECKER aims for something special. Last year it was a column on Alain C. White, the botanist and philanthropist whose Christmas Series influenced chess composers all around the world. This year's protagonist has no connection to Christmas, but all the moves in his idea are special.
Previous1234