ISC 2009 Final Results

The final results of the International Solving Contest (5th ISC 2009) were published. There were simultaneously 34 local solving contests in 27 countries and 375 solvers took part from 32 countries (234 solvers in the first category, 141 solvers in the second category).

We have published the problems and their solutions (category-round 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 2-2).

In the photo the World Champion Piotr Murdzia (see his web site, from where we have copied the final results of the first category).

ISC 2009, the 10 first in the world	country	grades	time	rank
Murdzia, Piotr	Poland	59	240	1
Mukoseev, Anatoly	Russia	54	223	2
Nunn, John	Great Britain	52	203	3
Kozyrev, Aleksandr	Russia	51	231	4
Tummes, Boris	Germany	51	236	5
Vuckovic, Bojan	Serbia	51	240	6
Yamada, Kohey	Japan	50	211	7
Podinic, Vladimir	Serbia	50	212	8
Comay, Ofer	Israel	50	215	9
Van Beers, Eddy	Belgium	50	234	10

ISC 2009, solvers from Greece	grades	time	rank
Prentos, Kostas	49,5	237	13
Sklavounos, Panagis	26,5	238	102
Papastavropoulos, Andreas	26	240	104
Konidaris, Panagiotis	25	240	113
Skyrianoglou, Dimitris	22,5	219	126
Markesinis, Lefteris	21	238	132
Spyropoulos, Georgios	20	240	139
Manolas, Emmanuel	16	140	159
Finokaliotis, Georgios	13	145	184
Spiliadis, Athanassios	12,5	240	192
Garoufalidis, Ioannis	11,5	240	198
Lykouriotis, Pantelis	11	208	202
Terzis, Filippos	11	240	204
Mavromati, Aggeliki	10	233	212
Georgakis, Elias	10	240	215
Sboukis, Konstantinos	10	240	215
Petridis, Evaggelos	10	240	215
Mouroutis, Konstantinos	6	178	225
Georgopoulos, Dimitrios	5	240	228

Deadline for Subotica

We had posted a note about the Fifth European Chess Solving Championship, which will be held in Subotica in Serbia.
We note that the deadline for applications is 15-03-2009.

Six two-movers by Kostadinov

In the site of the World Chess Championship 2009 six problems were dedicated from the composer Diyan Kostadinov to the top players Topalov and Kamsky. Here follows part of the article.

Diyan Kostadinov is a well-known Bulgarian chess problem composer. He was born on 21.01.1982 in Burgas (Bulgaria) and is titled national Master of sport for chess composition. He has been playing chess since 1997 and was a Student vice-champion of his sity. Diyan began composing in 2000 and composed more than 200 problems of all genres - Twomovers, Threemovers, Moremovers, Selfmates, Helpmates, Studies, Proof Games and Fairies and won a large number of Prizes in the most prestigious chess composing tournaments in all over the world. He is winner of the super-tournaments organized by various chess magazines.

These six two-mover problems, which were composed by Kostadinov especially for this match, form the names of the players.
We copy them below (they are named TO, PA, LOV, KA, MS, KY) and we give their keys.

	TO : 1 Qe4! PA : 1 Bc4! LOV: 1 Sd7!
	KA : 1 Se1! MS : 1 Bf3! KY : 1 f5!

Nikos Pergialis (4)

In this post we present two direct-mate problems by "the last rembetis" Nikos Pergialis, and a prized helpmate problem by Harry Fougiaxis.

	(Problem 314) Nikos Pergialis, original, 2001, Mate in 2. #2 ( 6 + 6 )
[5b1K/5R2/5B1k/4R2r/4bS2/6s1/6r1/6Q1]

Comment by the composer : "I feel pleasure when I sacrifice powerful pieces. This is an Aristocratic (without pawns) problem showing double valve”.

Tries : [1 Rh7+? Bxh7!], [1 Bg5+? Rxg5!], [1 Bg7+? Bxg7+!], [1 Rxe4? Bg7+!], [1 Rxh5+? Sxh5!], [1 Rf5? Bxf5!].

Key : 1 Qc5! ( > 2 Qxf8#)
1...Rg5 2 Bxg5#
1...Se2 / Sf1 / Sh1 2 Rxh5#
1...Sf5 (corrects the abandonment of the bRh5) 2 Rh7#
1...Bxc5 / Bd6 / Be7 2 Bg7#
1...Bg7+ (corrects the abandonment of g7) 2 Bxg7#

	(Problem 315) Nikos Pergialis, original, 2008, Mate in 2. #2 ( 5 + 7 )
[8/2p5/K5p1/1BkpQs2/8/Ps1r4/1P6/8]

Set play : (*) 1...Sfd4 2 Qe7#

Try : [1 Qxc7+? Kd4!]

Key : 1 Qf4! ( > 2 Qb4#)
1...d4 2 Qe5# (switchback)
1...Sfd4 2 Qf8# (changed mate)
1...Sbd4 2 b4#
1...Rd4 2 Qxc7#

The square d4 is four-ways self-blocked.

	(Problem 316) Harry Fougiaxis, First Prize, Israel Ring Tourney, 1985, Helpmate in 2. a) diagram, b) twin with bPd6-->b5 h#2 a) Diagram, b) bPd6-->b5 ( 10 + 11 )
[8/7r/PPkp4/2SSr1p1/pq2s3/bPs5/2Q2PB1/2R1Kb2]

Relevant verses by Nikos Pergialis, the last rembetis :
Yia'ssou re Ha'rry Fougiaxi' / me ta voithitika' sou, / ta magika' kopsi'mata / ke ta karfo'mata' sou!
(Hello Harry Fougiaxis) / (with your helpmates), / (the magical capturings) / (and your pinnings)!.

a)
Key : 1 Qb4xc5! (unpins Sb3, bQ will be pinned at the arrival square)
1...Qc2xe4 (pins itself)
2 Sc3-e2 (unpins wQ, pins the previously moved bQ, does not guard a4 anymore)
2...Qe4xa4# (wQ went initially to a square of the file where bK lies, and then delivered mate from the perpendicular row).

b) bPd6-->b5
Key : 1 Re5xd5! (unpins Se4, bR will be pinned at the arrival square)
1...Qc2xc3 (pins itself)
2 Se4-d2 (unpins wQ, pins the previously moved bR, does not guard f6 anymore)
2...Qc3-f6# (wQ went initially to a square of the diagonal where bK lies, and then delivered mate from the perpendicular diagonal).

Nine Studies in Corus 2009

This is an extract from an article by Yochanan Afek (IM) which appeared in Chessbase.

A Chess Studies Solving Contest was organized in 13-02-2009 (Study Day), during a Wijk aan Zee Tourney.
The solvers have tried to solve nine studies in three hours. The studies were difficult enough, created especially for this contest by the composers Jan Timman, Yochanan Afek, Piotr Murdzia, Andjey Jasic, Gady Costeff, Ilham Aliev and Siegfried Hornecker.

Surprising everybody, the first place were conquered (with 36/45) by the eighteen years old Twan Burg, from the small town Schijndel, in Brabant of Holland, leaving the next places for ...
2. John Nunn, 32/45, (English GM, twice world champion in solving),
3. Eddy van Beers, 28/45, (Belgian champion),
4. Dolf Wissmann, 22/45, (GM, champion of Holland),
5. Martin van Essen, 22/45.

The first three solvers have received money prizes, and a special book with studies from Corus-1970 contest was given to everyone.
In the photos of the article you will see the collector Harold van der Heijden giving his collection with 70,000 studies as a prize to Dolf Wissmann.

In the article you will find one of the studies (by Gady Costeff, White plays and draws) of the contest, without its solution, for you to solve.

(Update from ChessBase: The solution is published here, with two more studies). Some more studies and problems from the British solution contest here

Mr Gady Costeff has created special software (Chess Query Language, CQL) allowing searching of themes inside files with games or with studies (as is the collection of Harold van der Heijden mentioned before).