Award Best Problems 2020: Mats en 3 coups.

Award de la fédération Polonaise des écheces 2022

Sędzia: Walerij KOPYL – sędzia międzynarodowy FIDE

Site web de la "Polish Chess Federation " 

• 1.Fa6 Cf3 2.Fb5 Cd2‡
• 1.Tb1 C×f7 2.Tb3 Cd6‡
• 1.Cf5 T×é1 2.R×d4 Té4‡
• 1.f6 F×ç8 2.R×d5 Fé6‡

• Switchback de Fou
• Switchback de Tour
• Echo diagonal-orthogonal

Award The Macedonian Problemist 2022

• 1…F×é5 2.C×ç1 Td6 3.Rç7 Tf1 4.Tç8 Tf2 5.Td3+ T×d3‡
• 1…T×d4 2.C×g1 Fd6 3.Rd7 Cd3 4.Fç8 Cf2 5.Ff4+ F×f4‡
   
• Echange de fonction des couples :
• Te8/Fb7 (blocage passif/blocage actif en c8)
• Td4/Fe5 (capturé/sacrifice)
• Td7/Fc7 (canon/obus) Batteries réciproques. Indien noir.
• Tg1/Cc1 (capturé par le Ce2 /blocage actif en f2) Thème Chumakov
• Bristol bicolore des couples Td4/Td7 et Fe5/Fc7
• Echecs croisés
• Echo diagonal-orthogonal

Commentaire du juge Manfred Rittirsch   : «  Without a doubt this is a very good hs#. However, big parts of the scheme, including everything around the white mating net, have already been used before by the author (see G61 1st Prize Schakhmatnaya kompozitisya 162/2022 and 12888 feenschach 250/12.12.2022, available on www.feenschach.de and diagrammed above as G and H) and elaborated further in at least 9 problems during 2023 (see e.g. 5466 Tehtäväniekka/iii 2023; 4543 Pat a Mat 123/iii 2023; 4929 Best Problems 106/iv 2023 asf.). This makes it very hard to evaluate the special merits of each single instance. I guess that several captures producing a Chumakov and a Zilahi-like wrangle + echoed S moves yield one of the best settings in this context, but I cannot rank it higher with the other variations in mind, especially the early one already awarded a Prize.  »

Award de la revue Suèdoise Springaren pour l'année 2022.

• 1.T×é5 Fg6 (Dg6 ?) 2.Té3 (Té5~ ?) C×é3‡
• 1.F×é5 Dg6 (Fg6 ?)  2.Fd6 (Fé5~ ?) C×d6‡

• Active sacrifice (black) × 2
• Ambush (wB) &  (wQ)
• Annihilation  é5 × 2
• Exchange of functions (bBg3/bRe7, Active sacrifice + Line opening / Passive) & (wQa6/wBf7, Guard / Passive guard)
• Hideaway (bB, sacrificial)  & (bR, sacrificial)
• Play on the same square (B1, 2) &  (W1, 2)
• Model mate × 2

A la mémoire du compositeur Finlandais Unto Heinonen (25-12-1946 , 17-09-2022) , grand maitre de la composition échiquéenne. 

Le diagramme montre un aide en 2,5 avec deux solutions.

• 1…Fé8 2.Dç3 d×ç3!! 3.Cç5 Cb6‡
• 1…Cf6 2.Cç3 b×ç3!! 3.Dç5 Fd3‡
• 1…Fé8 2.Cç3 b×ç3??  3.Dç5 Cb6? 4.D×b6! Or  4.T×b6!
• 1…Fé8 2.Cç3 d×ç3?!  3.Dç5 Cb6? 4.D×b6!
• 1…Fé8 2.Dç3 b×ç3!?  3.Cç5 Cb6? 4.T×b6!
• 1…Fé8 2.Dç3 d×ç3!! 3.Cç5 Cb6‡
• 1…Cf6 2.Dç3 d×ç3??  3.Cç5 Fd3? 4.C×d3! Or 4.T×d3!
• 1…Cf6 2.Dç3 b×ç3?!  3.Cç5 Fd3? 4.C×d3!
• 1…Cf6 2.Cç3 d×ç3!?  3.Dç5 Fd3? 4.T×d3!
• 1…Cf6 2.Cç3 b×ç3!! 3.Dç5 Fd3‡
   

Commentaire du juge : 

« A striking Meredith based on a novel dual-avoidance mechanism for Black’s sacrifices on c3 – as each mating square is potentially covered by one of the static rooks and by one choice of self-block on c5. The resulting c-file Chumakov and three pairs of exactly-analogous active function exchanges are made to look very easy in this super presentation. It’s set in motion by two piquant, slightly paradoxical, keymoves – the bishop ambush and a flight-unguard by the retreating knight..... »

Judge : Stephen J.G. Taylor (Tehtäväniekka 4/2024 )

• The British Chess Magazine 2022-2023
• Award by Hans Gruber (D–Regensburg),
• International Judge of the FIDE

See Award The British Chess Magazine 2020-2021

List of participating problems

I/2022 Lipton, Jones, Cook, Ugren [4]. II/2022 Shire, Michelet, Lozek, McDowell [4]. III/2022 Moen, Lyubashevsky & Makaronez, Jonsson, Ugren [4]. IV/2022 Shankar Ram, Cook, Jones, Ugren [4]. V/2022 Moen, Shire, Rice (Anticipation), Hudak [4]. VI/2022 Rice, Shire, Kapros, Ugren [4]. VII/2022 Shire, Lipton, Lipton, Jonsson [4]. VIII/2022 — [0]. IX/2022 Lipton, Makaronez, Ramaswamy, Milewski [4]. X/2022 Lozek & Svitek, Jonsson & Kapros, Jones, Onkoud [4]. XI/2022 Moen, Makaronez, Onkoud, Ugren [4]. XII/2022 Lipton, Shire, Dowd, Ugren [4]. I/2023 Jonsson, Onkoud, Jones, Ugren [4]. II/2023 Lyubashevsky & Makaronez, Onkoud, McDowell, Ugren [4]. III/2023 Moen, Kalotay, Hudak, Ramaswamy [4]. IV/2023 Pereira & Tarnawiecki & Moen, Dowd, Gavryliv, Keller (stipulation: H=4, see V/2023) [4]. V/2023 Tarnawiecki & Moen, Lyubashevsky & Makaronez, Gavryliv, Ugren [4]. VI/2023 Lyubashevsky & Makaronez, Nesek, Onkoud, Kalotay [4]. VII/2023 Shire, Kalotay, Bilokin, Ugren [4]. VIII/2023 Dowd, Lyubashevsky & Makaronez, Hudak, Bilokin [4]. IX/2023 Moen, Onkoud, Lyubashevsky & Makaronez, Ugren [4]. X/2023 Dowd & Echemendia, Jones, Hudak, Ugren [4]. XI/2023 Lyubashevsky & Makaronez, Michelet, Hudak, Bilokin [4]. XII/2023 Michelet, Michelet (Dual; correction see below), Hudak (Anticipation), Bilokin [4].

A fine number 92 problems had to be judged. As in previous tournaments, the problem editor Christopher Jones attracted many composers to submit originals to The British Chess Magazine. The Problem World continues being a very successful column. The majority of the participating problems naturally were two-movers, three-movers and helpmates, and in addition seven more-movers, two helpstalemates and one reflexmate. Thanks to Wieland Bruch who checked the two-movers for originality; he found that John Rice’s problem from May 2022 is almost identically anticipated by Halvar Hermanson, Schweizer Arbeiter-Schach, IX-X 1952 (only the white king on a different square). I found that Stanislav Hudak’s helpmate from December 2023 is completely anticipated by Peter Kniest, Schachmatt, IV 1950. Paul Michelet’s 11-mover from December 2023 had duals (9.Ba3! etc.; 6.Bh4! 7.Be1 etc.), but could be saved by adding WPa2 and BPa3. 

• 5th Prize: Abdelaziz Onkoud
• 1.Ra5 Ng6 2.R×c5 Q×c5+ 3.Kf3 Bd5#,
• 1.Ra6 Bg6 2.R×f6 Q×f6+ 3.Ke3 Nd5#
• Reciprocally changed functions of the white bishop and the white knight with play on the square g6 in move 1 and d5 in move 3. The author must be praised for his daringness to use of white queen.