Dedication for Manolas-60 (and Exercise)

Mr Ioannis Kalkavouras, internationally known composer, has composed a more-mover problem and has dedicated it to the Composition Contest Manolas-60, which was recently announced. We warmly thank him.

The readers may try to solve this problem (it has a main logical variation) and post their solution as comment.
We furthermore expect, from the more creative readers, to e-mail entries to the composition contest Manolas-60 (closing July-12-2010).

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	(Problem 386) Kalkavouras, Ioannis, (after W. Bar) Dedicated to "JT Manolas-60" Mate in 9 moves. #9 (7 + 8)
[3b1SK1/3p4/3P1kp1/4p2R/S3Pp2/5P2/2r4p/8]

The thematic try is [1.Rf5+? gxf5!].

Key : 1.Rh6! Kg5
2.Rh3 ( > 3.Sh7# ) Kf6
3.Sc5 ( > 4.Sxd7# ) Rxc5
4.Rh6, Kg5
5.Rxh2, Kf6
6.Rg2 g5
7.Rh2 g4
8.Rh5 ~
9.Rf5#

Best Study for 2008

We present today the study which was selected, in the World Chess Composition Congress of 2009 in Rio de Janeiro Brasil, as the best for the year 2008 by the Studies Subcommittee of the PCCC (Permanent Commission of Fide for Chess Composition).

[Study of the Year 2008] is a study by Velimir Kalandadze.

John Roycroft (from Great Britain) announcing the award, urges young players to see this study because it is very instructive.

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Study of the year 2008.

	(Problem 385) Velimir Kalandadze, First Special Prize, Nona JT, 2008, White plays and wins. + (4 + 3)
[8/1q1P3K/5k2/8/Q7/p7/P7/8]

The solution follows...

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Key : 1.Qf4+! Ke6(Ke7)
2. Qf7+ Kxf7 ( not 2...Kd8 3.Qe8+ Kc7 4.d8=Q#, neither 2...Kd6 3.d8=Q+ Kc6 4.Qxb7 +- )
3. d8=S+ Kf6+
4. Sxb7 Ke5
5. Kg6 ( the white King rushes to confine in column 1 the black, to inhibit the promotion of the black Pawn ) Kd4
6. Kf5 Kc3
7. Ke4 Kb2
8. Kd3 Kxa2
9. Kc2 Ka1 ( Will Black try the scheme “buried alive” with 10...a2 to draw? ...)
10. Sc5 Ka2 (... no, because there is 11.Sb3#)
11. Sd3 Ka1
12. Sc1 a2
13. Sb3#

C20091130 : 20th Composition Contest Birnov MT

Twentieth contest in chess problem composition in memory of Volgograd master Birnov.
Sections : #2 (judge Vjacheslav Pilchenko), #3 (judge Aleksandr Sygurov), n# (n>3) (judge Aleksandr Kuzovkov), studies (judge Richard Becker), h#2 (judge Živko Janevski).
The results will be published, in 2010, in the newspaper : "Molodoj" (Volgograd, Russia) and on the site: http://www.efrosinin.t-k.ru .
Dispatch of results to foreign participants only by e-mail!
Compositions must be send up to 30.11.2009 to e-mail : rosini@t-k.ru .

World Champioship in Rio de Janeiro

The results from the 52 WCCC (world chess composition congress) and 33 WCSC (world chess solving championship), which were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for 2009, are given below.
We happily note here that the Greek athlete Kostas Prentos achieved a splendid standing despite the intense competition.

Open solving competition, October 12, 2009. You may see here the list of the 57 solvers.
First is the Russian Evseev, Georgy (RUS GM 2777) 51/60.
Second is the Russian Selivanov, Andrey (RUS GM 2565) 47.5/60.
Third is the Ukrainian Pogorelov, Vladimir (UKR IM 2498) 47/60.
Eleventh is the Greek Prentos, Kostas (GRE IM 2491) 39.5/60.

World individual Solving Championship (33 WCSC), October 14-15, 2009. You may see here the list of the 54 solvers.
World Champion is the Polish Murdzia, Piotr (POL GM 2797) 89/90.
Second is the Russian Evseev, Georgy (RUS GM 2777) 81/90.
Third is the German Zude, Arno (GER GM 2700) 78/90.
Eighth is the Greek Prentos, Kostas (GRE IM 2491) 68,5/90.

There were many more competitions and listings. In the World Team Solving Championship a country takes part with its three best solvers.
World Champion Team is Poland (Gorski, Piotr & Murdzia, Piotr & Piorun, Kacper) 155,5.
Second Country is Germany (Rein, Andreas & Tummes, Boris & Zude, Arno) 148.
Third Country is Russia (Evseev, Georgy & Selivanov, Andrey & Viktorov, Evgeny) 147.
Greece had not sent three solvers, thus Greece cannot be in this list.
The rest of the competing countries were : Serbia, France, Nederlands, Great Britain, Ukraine, Georgia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Japan, Romania, Belgium, Brazil, Esthonia.

The official site of the games is here. Results from composing competitions are already posted and the final bulletin of the event is here.

You may watch an interesting video from the games here.

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Problems to solve
The Greek champion Kostas Prentos updates us with some problems from the Rio competition.

See some problems from 33 WCSC here.

See the same problems with solutions here.

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