Ferhat Karmil is a chess composer, formerly representing the Soviet Union, Georgia, and Turkey. Since 2025 he has been active as an independent author, not associated with any particular country. He is the founder and editor of the independent online platform ChessStar.com.
Karmil was awarded the title of FIDE Master for Chess Composition in 2014,[1] and the title of International Judge of the WFCC in 2021.[2] As of 2024, he is the author of 22 selected compositions included in the FIDE Album.[1] He is also engaged in research in music theory; Karmil introduced the "dual-stream method" in the diatonic system, in which descending and ascending scales are considered as two interrelated directions of a single process. To illustrate this concept, he developed the "Karmil Streams Table", which demonstrates changes of modal structures and functions in descending and ascending motion.[3]
Since 1986, Karmil has published more than 260 chess problems, and is a multiple prize-winner in international composition tournaments. His greatest successes have been achieved in the genre of moremover logical problems.
He has served as a judge in a number of international tournaments in the genres of three-movers and moremovers, and is the author of articles on chess composition. He has also organized annual international tournaments, including the miniature competition *MiniStar*, held on ChessStar.com.
Karmil is also the creator and administrator of the “Chess Star” group on Facebook, a community dedicated to publishing materials related to chess composition.
He specializes in orthodox three- and moremover miniatures.
In 2018, he served as director of the composing tournament at the 43rd Chess Olympiad in Batumi.[5] Karmil was the silver medalist of the 10th FIDE World Cup in Composing in 2022,[6] and the winner of the 11th FIDE World Cup in Composing in 2023 in the moremovers section.[7]
Biography
Ferhat Karmil is of Turkish nationality and professes Islam.
His father was Rasim Karmil, and his mother was Fazilet Kakabadze (née Djevdet-zade), the daughter of the Turkologist, linguist, and literary scholar Hikmet Djevdet-zade. In 1944, the family was deported from the Georgian SSR to the Kyrgyz SSR, settling in the city of Kyzyl-Kiya.
In the second half of the 1950s, they returned to Georgia; however, in 1960, due to increasing administrative pressure and unfavorable living conditions, the family was forced to leave Georgia and resettle again in the Kyrgyz SSR. In 1966, Karmil began his studies at Secondary School No. 3 named after A. P. Chekhov. In 1967, the family returned to Georgia, where he continued his education at Secondary School No. 8 named after V. G. Belinsky in Batumi.[8]
Since 2009, Karmil has also been writing rubaiyat poetry.[10]
Chess composition
Karmil specializes in two main genres of chess composition: logical moremovers, which involve a sequence of precise moves leading to checkmate, and orthodox miniatures, which are composed using seven or fewer pieces. His compositions often demonstrate a combination of strategic depth and thematic clarity.[11]
He also regularly contributes articles related to chess composition for the news section of ChessStar.com, where he discusses developments and theoretical issues in the field.[12]
Chess problems
Ferhat Karmil (Türkiye) 11th World Cup, 2023 1st Prize, Gold medal «Zülfikar»
Official letter from the President of the World Federation for Chess Composition (PDF, Wikimedia Commons)
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