Latest News
update: 27-10-2020
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In the very popular Netflix miniserie The Queen's Gambit (trailer), the Russian player Borgov is an expert at Endgames.
A very nice drama with a lot of mixed chesshistory and very good chess quality.
Highly recommended!
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An new issue of the Variantim magazine 81 is available with interesting articles and studies.
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The Russian version of "Practical Chess Beauty" by composing grandmaster Yochanan Afek (originally in English by Quality Chess 2018) has been released.
The best of his composing (and even playing) career in 2 volumes translated by Oleg Pervakov and published by the Russian chess federation.
The book may be purchased HERE.
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A new issue of Finales Y temas with many nice old pictures by José Copié:
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Amatzia Avni with Yochanan Afek win the FRME Theme ty 2020.
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New edition :
The American publishing house Russell Enterprises Inc. has recently released the fifth edition
of this highly acclaimed classic, first released in 2003,
revised and updated by German GM Karsten Müller
(helped by American GM Alex Fishbein).
This is arguably one of the best efforts to make the theory and practice of the
final stage of the game accessible to enthusiasts at all levels.
The author, legendary trainer Mark Dvoretsky (1947-2016) was also a great promoter of our fine art.
Thus the book’s 440 pages include also hundreds of endgame studies with a practical
value, used both as examples and exercises throughout all chapters.
Highly recommended! (Yochanan Afek)
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Sergiy Didukh (Ukraine) wins the magazine The Problemist 2018-2019 tournament.
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Oleg Pervakov created a nice miniature winning the Schach magazine Corona 2020 ty.
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The UAPA 11th tournament had 3 sections.
In the theme section about Domination of minor pieces the first prize is won by Oleg Pervakov.
In the win section first prize winners are: Oleg Pervakov with Alexander, Stavrietsky
in the draw section two winners are: Janos Mikitovics, Andrzej Jasik
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The Moscow 2020 tournament is won by Oleg Pervakov. See PDF (cyrillic) at Awards Files
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Oleg Pervakov and Karen Sumbatyan win the Steffen Nielsen 45 JT
59 studies competed in the Steffen Nielsen 45 JT, judged by Steffen himself.
There was a total of 19 awarded studies, including 7 prizes.
The winning study by Oleg Pervakov and Karen Sumbatyan showed an amazing knight endgame, ending in mate with three knights against a sole queen.
All studies to replay here: Nielsen 45 JT 2020
The award is also available as PDF and PGN at Problemskak.dk
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Article series written by John Beasley about Artur Mandler and Richard Reti now available at Arves too.
Also these complete article/book in one PDF to download.
Depth and Beauty, Artur Mandler || book by John Beasley
Studies Richard Réti || by John Beasley
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Winner of the Fide 8th World Cup 2020 tournament is Darko Hlebec.
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Michael Pasman and Steffen Nielsen with Martin Minski are the winners of the Phenix 2019 tournament.
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Steffen Nielsen winner of the Advantage / Disadvantage or Van de Gevel 60 JT 2020 tournament.
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New Issue EG 221 (with Supplement) released to Publisher, will be delivered to Abo-holders soon.
Interesting contents:
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Many studies of the Strategems 2018 and 2019 tournaments available.
Winner 2018: Martin Minski with Niclas Huchenbeth
Winner 2019: Steffen Nielsen.
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In the Problem Paradise 2019 tournament there were two sections.
In Win-section the winner is Peter Krug;
In the Draw-section Christopher Yoo and Jan Timman are the prize winners !
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Tournament: Tehtäväniekka 2017-2019 is won by Arpad Rusz !
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Sad news.
One of the founders of the GBR code
Guy, Richard 1916-2020 died at a respectable age of 103 !!
It might be interesting to do statistics about ages of Endgame composers.
Many reach respectable ages above 90.
May be Chess Endgame composing is good for health?
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Amatzia Avni wins IRT 2019
The April 2020 issue of the Israeli magazine Variantim is available.
It has an interesting study article by Gady Costeff as well
as the award of Variantim 2019 (IRT 2019) judged by Steffen Slumstrup Nielsen.
The tournament saw a home victory, as Amatzia Avni triumphed with a spectacular "one move" study.
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Piotr Murdzia and Martin Minski win the Polish Chess Federation ty 2019
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In the 10th Jubilee tournament of the Union Argentina de Problemistas de Ajedraz, there were 4 sections.
For the thematic Win-Miniatures section A1: the winner is: Mario Micaloni with Arpad Rusz,
For the thematic Draw-Miniatures section A2: the winner is: Vladislav Tarasiuk,
For the no-theme Win Section B1: the winner is: Peter Krug,
For the no-theme Draw Section B2: the winner is: Michael Pasman.
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Evgeny Kopylov wins Pobeda-75
14 composers competed in a tournament to commemorate Russia's defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.
Accordingly all six prizes were awarded to win studies.
The first place winnner was Evgeny Kopylov (Russia) in front of Vladislav Tarasiuk (Ukraine) and Luis Migual Gonzalez (Spain).
Special prizes were awarded to Yuri Bazlov, Oleg Pervakov and Alexey Sochnev (all Russia).
The tournament was judged by Sergey Osintsev (Russia), who put all 14 studies in his award.
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Steffen Nielsen with Martin Minski win the Magyar Sakkvilag 2019 tournament !
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Russian Oleg Pervakov
is the old and new world champion
of endgame studies.
Congratulations!!
The scores of the studies section of the 2016-2018 WCCI have been released, securing Pervakov the honours for the fourth time, this time scoring 42,5 points.
The judges of the championship were Harold van der Heijden (The Netherlands),
Tournament Awards
Please send new awards (if possible PDF and PGN) to
webmaster This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or also to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and they will be published at this website.
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S.Hornecker, M.Minski and Reddmann win the Moscow 2019 ty with a nice miniature.
2nd: M. Dore; 3rd: Gromov and O.Pervakov
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Preliminary award Lubos Kekely 60 Jubilee Tournament available as PDF.
Winners are Igor Yarmanov and A.Zhokiv with V. Lebedev.
PDF see Awards Files.
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Pavel Arestov wins the 5th FRME 2019 tournament.
Second prize winners Avni with Martin Minski.
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Martin Minski with Steffen Nielsen win the Phenix 2018 tournament.
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In four sections the winners of the UAPA 8th 2019 Foguelman 95 MT are:
Richard Becker, Peter Krug & Mario Garcia, Jan Timman & Mario Garcia and Peter Krug.
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Andrzej Jasik and Jan Timman win the Japanese magazine tournament: Problem Paradise 2018.
Studies to replay: Problem Paradise 2018
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Steffen Slumstrup Nielsen and Martin Minski win the Romanian tournament Bucovina 100 Years Cup 2018.
At the website of e4-e5, from page 696 to 698 you find the result in PDF.
Studies to replay: e4-e5 100 Years Cup 2018
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Jan Timman wins the Pal Benko 90 Jubilee Tournament.
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Amos Gilboa and Yochanan Afek win the Velimir Kalandadze Memorial Ty 2019
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Sergey Didukh winner of the 7th FIDE World Cup 2019 !
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Tournament Calendar.
On this page a calendar of all known Endgame study tournaments which are running with information:
Also a very good page to check tournament announcements is on UAPA: Informal Tournaments, Formal Tournaments.
Another good calendar for study tournaments is chess-compose blogspot.
Latest update on 10-9-2020.
Henri Rinck 150 MT
The Sociedad Española de Problemistas de Ajedrez (SEPA) organizes a Memorial Tourney for endgame studies to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of the renowned composer Henri Rinck.
Judges: Luis Miguel González and Pedro Cañizares Two sections:
A) Free theme
B) After H. Rinck (please indicate the reference position)
See this PDF for explanation with examples.
Joint compositions are allowed but only a maximum of 3 studies per composer in each section.
Submission deadline: 31.12.2020 Prizes, honourable mentions and commendations will be awarded in each section.
The preliminary award of the tourney will be sent to participants by e-mail and will be published in the magazine Problemas (2021).
Send your original endgame studies (preferably in PGN format although PDF and DOC also are admitted) to the Tourney Director:
Luis Gómez, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject H. Rinck 150 MT.
13th INTERNATIONAL INTERNET TOURNAMENT (UAPA) – 2020
Section A : Theme : One or two Rooks vs. Queen
- In the initial position, may presented be additional pieces
- Slogan: Win or Draw
Judge : Valery Kalasnhikov (Ural-Rusia)
Section B: No set theme.
B.1. Studies Win - Judge: Amatzia Avni (Israel)
B.2. Studies Draw- Judge: Sergey Osintsev (Ural-Rusia)
Entries : not more than three per composer (in each section)
– Send studies to:: Sebastian Palomo This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.– or M. García This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
– All selected original studies will be posted periodically on the UAPA website: http://www.problemistasajedrez.com.ar/
– Prizes, honourable mentions, commendations and special nominations will be awarded.
– The provisional award will be issued in March 2021, will be available in the same website and will be sent to all participants by e-mail.
– Closing date 31.12.2020
8th FIDE World Cup in Composing 2020
REGULATIONS of the Eighth FIDE World Cup 2020 in Composing
1. TASKS AND OBJECTIVES
The Eighth FIDE World Cup in Composing is held with the aim to:
- develop and promote chess;
- develop and promote chess composition as a constituent of chess culture;
- expand the geography of participants;
- decide the winners.
2. ORGANIZERS
The organizers are the International Chess Federation, with the participation of the World Federation for Chess Composition.
The holding of the tournament is the direct responsibility of the Director and the Panel of Judges:
The Director of the tournament is Aleksandr Bulavka (Belarus).
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A. Twomovers – Judge: Dragan Stojnić (Serbia)
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B. Threemovers – Judge: Miodrag Mladenović (Serbia)
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C. Moremovers – Judge: Mikhail Marandyuk (Ukraine)
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D. Endgame studies – Judge: Yochanan Afek (Israel)
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E. Helpmates – Judge: Michal Dragoun (Czech Republic)
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F. Selfmates – Judge: Aleksandr Azhusin (Russia)
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G. Fairies – Judge: Vlaicu Crisan (Romania)
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H. Retros and Proofgames – Judge: Nicolas Dupont (France)
3. TIME SCHEDULE OF THE EVENT
The closing date for submitting the entries is May 15, 2020.
The director will send all compositions to the judges on uniform and anonymous diagrams by June 1, 2020.
All judges are to submit their awards by August 1, 2020.
4. PARTICIPANTS
Anyone wishing to take part in the tournament can do so.
5. PROCEDURE FOR PARTICIPATION
In each section, only one composition by each author is acceptable and joint compositions are not allowed.
The theme is free in all sections. In the fairies section (G), there is no restriction on stipulations, conditions, the use of fairy pieces, or the number of moves.
In the selfmates section (F) and fairies section (G), only computer-tested problems (using Alybadix, Popeye, Gustav or WinChloe) are allowed;
the participants should specify the version of the program they used to test their entry.
Entries must be sent on diagrams with complete solutions and any comments by email only to the Director’s address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Participants should mention their postal address in the email.
6. TOURNAMENT AWARD
After receiving the entries in anonymous form from the Director, the judges consider the submitted compositions, determine their originality, difficulty, aesthetic appeal, search for possible anticipations, and decide their ranking in the tournament. In each section, compositions in first, second, and third places must be determined, as well as entries receiving honorary mentions and commendations.
It is also possible to specify prize-winning compositions (no more than three per section).
After ranking the entries, the judges are to send, within the preset period, their award, with the indication of numbers of the compositions in the award and related comments, to the Director of the tournament. After receiving the awards from the judges, the Director is to enter the names of the authors and provide the preliminary results for publication on the websites of FIDE and WFCC before August 15, 2020. During one month after the publication of the preliminary results, claims of defects and anticipations can be sent to the Director, who will accumulate and forward them to the judges.
After receiving the claims, the judges will make the final decision on the results of the World Cup and send the final award to the Director.
7. PUBLICATION OF RESULTS
The final results of this competition will be published on the FIDE and WFCC websites no later than Oсtober 1, 2020.
8. PRIZE-GIVING
In each section, the Cup winner will be entitled to a money prize of 500 Euro, a Cup, a medal, and a certificate.
Composers in 2nd and 3rd places will be awarded medals and respective certificates.
The certificates for 1st-3rd places will be signed by the President of FIDE.
The prizes and other distinctions are to be presented to the laureates on October 9, 2020, at the closing ceremony of the World Chess Composition Congress in Rodos (Greece)
9. ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES
These Regulations shall constitute an official invitation to the tournament.
44th World Chess Olympiad of 2020
The All-Russian Public Organization “The Chess Federation of Russia” (CFR) and, at the request of the CFR, the Commission for Chess Composition (CCC) announce an international chess composing tournament dedicated to the 44th World Chess Olympiad of 2020.
The chess composing tournament will be conducted in the following eight sections: twomovers; threemovers; moremovers; endgame studies;
helpmates; selfmates in 2-12 moves; fairy compositions; retros and proofgames.
The number of entries from one author in a section must not exceed two.
Moreover, only one individual composition will be allowed, i.e. one author can maximally submit oneindividual and one joint composition or two joint entries.
The number of co-authors of collective compositions is not limited.
All compositions are to be sent by email to the Executive Director of the tournament Vitaliy Medintsev, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
The closing date is postponed !
All participants are asked to present their entries not only on diagrams but also in FEN notation.
Information on the tournament, including the award, will be posted on the CFR website: https://ruchess.ru/.
The judges are:
Twomovers – V.Markovtsiy (Ukraine),
Threemovers – V. Kirillov (Russia),
Moremovers – V. Volchek (Belarus),
Endgame studies – M. Hlinka (Slovakia),
Helpmates – B. Shorokhov (Russia),
Selfmates in 2-12moves – V. Kopyl (Ukraine),
Fairies – P. Petkov (Bulgaria), Retros – V. Crisan (Romania).
Additional information on the Fairies section from the judge P. Petkov: 1.All types of fairy stipulations are allowed. There are no restrictions on the use of fairy pieces and conditions. 2. Only computer-tested (C+) entries will be allowed. The author must specify the pro-gram (and the program’s version) that was used to test the entry. Entries without such in-formationwill not be accepted for the tournament.
The preliminary award will be posted on the website http://www.selivanov.world/. The preliminary award may also be presented on a number of other sites. After the publication of the preliminary award, the participants will have 1 month for submitting their claims of defects and anticipations. After analyzing the claims, the judges will prepare the final award in each section. The CFR will present certificates and commemorative medals to the winners of the tournament. The judges will also receive commemorative medals.
EG 2020-2021
EG, the only periodical exclusively devoted to endgame studies, announces an informal tourney for original studies.
The studies and the award will be published in EG.
You are strongly urged to only send your best and most creative works.
The original’s editor will only select very good studies for publication.
Please send your originals in PGN-format to the editor Steffen Slumstrup Nielsen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The judge for the 2020-2021 tourney is Yochanan Afek.