Three studies by Kyriakos Fragoulis

Kyriakos Fragoulis (1935 - 1997), from Leykada island in Greece, became well known in composing circles with his studies. There were other Greeks also creating chess problems of various types, but Kyriakos Fragoulis was composing exclusively studies.

Study is a position with stipulation "White plays and wins" or "White plays and draws" without specifying in how many moves we must achieve it. The study is like an endgame, but it is a composition, it is not coming from a game.

The players of over the board chess are solving studies as an exercice.

These studies were sent to me by Panagiotis Konidaris from Meganissi (an island near Leykada), who had actually met Kyriakos Fragoulis. Panagiotis says that he found them in some old and turned yellow pieces of paper (thanks Panagiotis!), and they are unpublished, as far as I know.
Their solutions are visible only if you select the text between the square brackets [...].

Problem-744 Kyriakos Fragoulis, Greece original

8/6Pb/P1K5/7k/8/8/5P1r/8 (4 + 3) = White plays and draws

Solution : [1.g8=Q! (1.a7? Be4+! 2.K~ Rg2 -+) Bxg8 2.a7! Bh7 3.Kd5! Rh4 (3...Bg8+ 4.Kc6 Bh7 5.Kd5) 4.f4! Rxf4 5.a8=Q! Be4+ 6.Ke5 Bxa8 7.Kxf4=]

Problem-745 Kyriakos Fragoulis, Greece original

8/8/1r3p2/7K/6P1/6Pk/1S6/4R3 (5 + 3) + White plays and wins

Solution : [1.Sc4! Rb5+ (1…Rb4 2.Se3! Kxg3 3.Sd5! Rxg4 4.Rg1+, +-), (1…Rb7 2. Sd6 Rh7+ 3.Kg6 Rd7 4. Se4! Kxg4 5.Sxf6+, +-) 2.Kg6 Rg5+ (2…Kxg3 3.Se3 Rg5+ 4.Kxf6 Rg8 5.Rg1+ Kf3 6.g5 +-) 3.Kxf6 Rxg4 4.Se3! Rxg3 (4…R~ 5.g4 +-) (4…Rg8 5.Rh1+ Kxg3 6.Rg1+ K~ 7.Rxg8 +-) 5.Rh1# The chess program Fritz prefers other continuation, without surprises and with many moves 1.Sd3 Rb5+ 2.Kh6 Kxg4 3.Re3 Rf5 4.Sf4 Re5 5.Rd3 f5 6.Sd5 Re6+ 7.Kg7 +- ]

Problem-746 Kyriakos Fragoulis, Greece original

8/S7/7p/1p5k/6p1/6KP/8/8  (3 + 4) + White plays and wins

Solution : [1.h4! b4 2.Sc6! (2.Sb5? b3 3.Sd4 b2 4.Se2 Kg6 5.Sc3 h5 =) b3 3.Se5! b2 4.Sd3 b1=Q 5.Sf4#]

Solving Contest, 2008-04-19, ESSNA Pagrati

Left to right : Papastavropoulos, Anemodouras, Garoufalidis, Ilandzis, Mendrinos, Konidaris.

The 5th Solving Contest of E.S.S.N.A. (Union of Chess Clubs in Prefecture of Attica), contest surnamed "Byron Zappas", was successfully held in Chess Club of Pagrati in Saturday, April 19.
Eighteen solvers participated, having 2h 15m available time to solve 6 problems (1 two-mover, 1 three-mover, 1 four-mover, 1 study, 1 helpmate and 1 selfmate). The contest was dedicated to the top Greek composer of chess problems Byron Zappas, who died this year. All the compositions of the contest were created by Greek problemists.

The following persons gathered the most points :
1. Nikos Mendrinos (25 grades in 30) champion of Attica,
2. Andreas Papastavropoulos (20),
3. Panagiotis Konidaris (19),
4. Leocratis Anemodouras (15),
5. John Garoufalidis (15),
6. Spyros Ilandzis (14).

Best team proved to be "Zinon Glyfadas". No prize for category "young under 20 years old" was given.

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The judge of the contest, Panagis Sklavounos, selected the following problems by Greek composers.

	(Problem 148) Marassoglou N., 'To Mat', 1952 Mate in 2 #2 (7+4)
[K3k3/P2R4/2p5/2B1P1p1/6B1/1r6/Q7/8]

	(Problem 149) Zappas Byron, Parallèle 50, 1948 Mate in 3 #3 (8+5)
[8/1p3R2/1pBp4/2kS1p2/RS6/1K1P4/P7/8]

	(Problem 150) Siaperas T., Problem, 1952 Mate in 4 #4 (8+9)
[K5S1/1p3s2/4kS1p/p2R4/3PP1Rp/5Bb1/5s1q/8]

	(Problem 151) Fragoulis K., Suomen Shakki, 1978 White plays and wins + (4+3)
[8/4pK2/8/pk6/SS6/8/1P6/8]

	(Problem 152) Paizis K., B.C.M., 1993 Helpmate in 3, (two solutions) h#3 (3+3) 2.1.1.1
[1K3b2/4s3/5P2/4k1S1/8/8/8/8]

	(Problem 153) Moutecidis P., Gazeta Czestochowska, 1970 (Set play). Selfmate in 2 (*) s#2 (11+14)
[4b3/S1PkPP1R/3p4/3B4/4RPPp/2ppB1pq/3p2pb/3K1srr]

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Here are the solutions of the problems:

Problem-148, Marassoglou, #2
Tries: {1.Rd1? / Rd2? / Rd3? / Rd4? Kf7!}, {1.Rb7? Kd8!}, {1.Ba3? / Bb4? / Bd6? c5!}, {1.Bh3? / Bf5? g4!}, {1.Bh5+? Kxd7!}, {1.Qb1? Rxb1!}, {1.Qa6? Rb7!}, {1.Qa5? Rb6!}, {1.Qf2? Rf3!}
Key: 1.Rc7! (zz).
Variations: 1...Kd8 2.Rc8#, 1...Rb8+ 2.axb8=Q# / axb8=R#, 1...R~ 2.Rc8# / Qg8#, 1...Rd3 2.Qg8#, 1...Rf3 2.Rc8#.

Problem-149, Zappas, #3
Tries: {1.Rxf5? / Rxb7? / Be8? / Bd7? / Bxb7? Kd4!}, {1.d4+? Kxd4!}, {1.Sa6+? Kxc6!}, {1.Kc3? bxc6!}.
Key: 1.Kc2! [2.d4+ Kxd4 / Kc4 3.Sd3#]
Variations: 1...Kd4 2.Sa6+ Ke5 3.Re7#, 1...b5 2.Kc3 and 3.d4#, 1...bxc6 2.Rxf5 (zz) Kb5 / Kd4 / b5 / cxd5 3.Sc3# / Sa6# / Sa6# / Rxd5#.

Problem-150, Siaperas, #4
Try: {1.Rd7? Bd6!}
Key: 1.Rg7! [2.Bh5 ~ / Sf7~ (if black plays anywhere or if he plays somewhere with Sf7, then) 3.Bxf7# / Re7#]

If 1...Bb8 (Bristol line clearance)
2.Bh5 Qc7 (we understand now that the black pawns a5 and b7 were placed there to void checks from the black Queen Qc7)
3.Bg6 [4.Bf5#]
3...Qf4 / Qe5 4.Bxf7#
3...Sd6 4.Re5# (Note that in the initial position this square was guarded by three black forces!).

If 1...Bd6
2.Bh5 [3.Bxf7#]
2...Se5 3.dxe5 [4.Bf7#] Sxe4 4.Bg4#
2...Sg5 / Sh8 / Sd8 3.Be8 and 4.Bd7#

Problem-151, Fragoulis, study +
Key: 1.Sc2! Kxa4 2.Sa1!
2...Kb4 3.Kxe7 a4 4.Kd6 a3 5.Sc2+ ~ 6.bxa3 and white wins
2...e5 3.Ke6 e4 4.Kd5 e3 5.Kc4 e2 6.Sc2 e1=Q 7.b3#

Problem-152, Paizis, h#3 2.1.1.1
1.Kxf6 Se4+ 2.Kf7 Kc7 3.Ke8 Sd6#
1.Sg8 f7 2.Bc5 fxg8=Q 3.Kd6 Qe6#

Problem-153, Moutecidis, s#2 (*)
Phase of set play : (*)
1...Kxc7 2.fxe8=Q (zugzwang, zz, and black is forced to continue by giving mate) Sxe3# / c2# / Qxg4#
1...Bxf7 2.e8=S (zz)

Tries: {1.Rh5? / Rh6? / Rh8? Bxf7!}, {1.c8=B+? Kc7!}, {1.Bc6+? / f8=S+? Kxc7!}, {1.fxe8=Q+? / fxe8=S? / fxe8=R? Kxe8!}.

Phase of real play : Key: 1.Sb5! (zz)
1...Kc8 2.fxe8=B (zz)
1...Bxf7 2.e8=R (zz)

Since it has achieved the four promotions in the solution, the problem is an allumwandlung (AUW).


(This post in Greek language).