The World Championship of Chess Composition is a triennial competition for composers of chess problems and studies, organised by FIDE via the Permanent Commission of the FIDE for Chess Compositions (PCCC). The official title is World Championship in Composing for Individuals.
A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by the composer using chess pieces on a chess board, which presents the solver with a particular task. For instance, a position may be given with the instruction that White is to move first, and checkmate Black in two moves against any possible defence. A chess problem fundamentally differs from over-the-board play in that the latter involves a struggle between black and white, whereas the former involves a competition between the composer and the solver. Most positions which occur in a chess problem are 'unrealistic' in the sense that they are very unlikely to occur in over-the-board play. There is a good deal of specialized jargon used in connection with chess problems; see glossary of chess problems for a list.
The Fédération Internationale des Échecs or International Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national chess federations around the world and acts as the governing body of international chess competition. It is usually referred to as FIDE, its French acronym.
The championship is divided into eight sections:
A) Twomovers (checkmate in two moves)
B) Threemovers (checkmate in three moves)
C) Moremovers (checkmate in more than three moves)
D) Studies
E) Helpmates
F) Selfmates
G) Fairies (using elements of fairy chess)
H) Retros (retrograde analysis)
Checkmate is a game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check and there is no way to remove the threat. Checkmating the opponent wins the game.
A helpmate is a type of chess problem in which both sides cooperate in order to achieve the goal of checkmating Black. In a helpmate in n moves, Black moves first, then White, each side moving n times, to culminate in White's nth move checkmating Black. Although the two sides cooperate, all moves must be legal according to the rules of chess.
A selfmate is a chess problem in which White, moving first, must force Black to deliver checkmate within a specified number of moves against his will. Selfmates were once known as sui-mates.
Composers wishing to participate in any given section are expected to submit at most six of their compositions, published in the relevant three-year period and fulfilling the requirements of the section. The problems submitted are then evaluated by a commission of three Judges, and the best four of them count for the final result in the section. (More on rules is at the official PCCC page.)
Three championships have been held up to 2006 for the relevant three-year periods: 1998–2000, 2001–2003 and 2004–2006. The most successful composer so far is Mikhail Marandyuk of Ukraine, who won ten gold medals and two silver medals.
Ukraine, sometimes called the Ukraine, is a country in Eastern Europe. Excluding Crimea, Ukraine has a population of about 42.5 million, making it the 32nd most populous country in the world. Its capital and largest city is Kiev. Ukrainian is the official language and its alphabet is Cyrillic. The dominant religions in the country are Eastern Orthodoxy and Greek Catholicism. Ukraine is currently in a territorial dispute with Russia over the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014. Including Crimea, Ukraine has an area of 603,628 km2 (233,062 sq mi), making it the largest country entirely within Europe and the 46th largest country in the world.
This page explains commonly used terms in chess problems in alphabetical order. For a list of unorthodox pieces used in chess problems, see Fairy chess piece; for a list of terms used in chess is general, see Glossary of chess; for a list of chess-related games, see List of chess variants.
Genrikh Kasparyan is considered to have been one of the greatest composers of chess endgame studies. Outside Armenia, he is better known by the Russian version of his name Genrikh Moiseyevich Kasparyan or Kasparian.
The World Chess Solving Championship (WCSC) is an annual competition in the solving of chess problems organised by the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC), previously by FIDE via the Permanent Commission of the FIDE for Chess Compositions (PCCC).
International Judge of Chess Compositions is a title award by FIDE via the World Federation for Chess Composition to individuals who have judged several chess problem or study tournaments and who are considered capable of judging such awards at the highest level.
The FIDE Albums are publications of the world chess governing body, FIDE, via the Permanent Commission of the FIDE for Chess Compositions (PCCC), containing the best chess problems and studies of a certain period.
A chess composer is a person who creates endgame studies or chess problems. Chess composers usually specialize in a particular genre, e.g. endgame studies, twomovers, threemovers, moremovers, helpmates, selfmates, or fairy problems. Moreover, composers have their own preferred style of composing, allowing their sorting according to composition schools.
Nenad Petrović, was a Croatian chess problemist.
The World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC) is the highest body governing the official activities in the chess composition. It was known as the Permanent Commission of the FIDE for Chess Compositions (PCCC) from its inception in 1956 until October 2010. It is now independent from FIDE, but both organisations are cooperating. Currently 40 countries are represented in the WFCC.
Gia Nadareishvili was a Soviet chess composer of Georgian nationality, and author of many books on chess studies.
Iuri Akobia was a Georgian composer of chess endgame studies and chess problems. For most of his working life he was a radio communications engineer in the National Center for Radio and TV of Georgia, and was Chief Engineer from 1975 until 1996.
Vitaly Alexandrovich Chekhover was a Soviet chess player and chess composer. He was also a pianist.
A chess title is a title created by a chess governing body and bestowed upon players based on their performance and rank. Such titles are usually granted for life. The international chess governing body FIDE grants several titles, the most prestigious of which is Grandmaster; many national chess federations also grant titles such as "National Master". More broadly, the term "master" can refer to any highly skilled chess player.
Harold van der Heijden is a Dutch composer of chess endgame studies. He was born in Veghel, The Netherlands, on 18 December 1960. By profession, after finishing his PhD in 2009, he is head of the Research and Development laboratory of a veterinary institute.
The World Chess Federation, FIDE, awards several performance-based titles to chess players, up to and including the highly prized Grandmaster (GM) title. Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and norms. Once awarded, FIDE titles are held for life, though a title may be revoked in exceptional circumstances. Open titles may be earned by all players, while women's titles are restricted to female players. A strong female player may have a title in both systems.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to chess:
Peter Gvozdják is a Slovak chess composer.
Bedrich Formánek is a Slovak chess composer.
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