CHESS Magazine: Studies with Stephenson

Studies with Stephenson

Brian Stephenson ran the World Solving Championship in Belgrade

I’ve just got back from Belgrade, where I directed the 40th World Chess Solving Championship [see John Nunn's report]. First was Kaspar Poirun (POL), second Piotr Mudzia (POL) and third Marjan Kovacevic (SRB), solving in his 40th consecutive WCSC. The senior competition was won by John Nunn (GB), ahead of Tadashi Wakishima (JAP) and Alain Villeneuve (FRA). In the team competition, Poland won the gold medal, Lithuania the silver and Serbia the bronze. Great Britain came in fourth place. A pleasing aspect of the competition was the several junior solvers taking part and they all performed creditably.

Using obscure, but good quality problems and studies in such competitions is important and it is always nice when composers submit original compositions. In recent years study composers have been more proactive in this than problem composers. This year I was delighted to receive five original studies from three composers, from which I selected the three I needed. The first one I used was by the young Danish composer Steffen Slumstrup Nielsen. It’s a battle for promotion.

In the May 2016 issue of CHESS I presented this study by the late Sir Jeremy Morse, one of just four studies he composed. Not a very game-like position, it is true, but I suspect that if you haven’t seen this study before then you haven’t seen anything like its solution before either. Sir Jeremy always published his chess compositions under the name C. J. Morse and we respect his wishes here.

Note that you can execute moves on the board to analyse the position. You can also click on the little fan icon below the board to start an engine that will refute mistakes. On the right there is a "maximize" button that allows you to get a full screen for your analysis. Oh, yes, and you may like to try the new replayer function...

The solution to these two studies will be given here in a few days. For the following study you have until the 1st of November to work out the solution. Good luck.

To enter email matt@chess.co.uk or send your name and address, with the main variations, to Chess & Bridge Ltd., 44 Baker Street, London, W1U 7RT, postmarked no later than 1st November. There is a £25 voucher for the first correct entry drawn.

ChessBase will add the latest Master Class Vol. 07 DVD on Garry Kasparov to the prize.

The above article appeared in the September 2016 of the British magazine CHESS

CHESS Magazine was established in 1935 by B.H. Wood who ran it for over fifty years. It is published each month by the London Chess Centre and is edited by IM Richard Palliser and Matt Read. The Executive Editor is Malcolm Pein, who organises the London Chess Classic.

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