Julia's Fairies

The order of publication might be not the same as in the waiting list: the problems easy to test and to animate, C+, and those without additional questions to composers will go first.

• (30.09) No.1764 (#2 ; Paralyzing piece, PAO, VAO, Antelope) – Peter Gvozdják – “Pioneer example of the 5-fold Odessa theme…” (PG)
• (30.09) No.1763 (s==9 ; Royal Grasshopper, Nightrider ; SAT) – Neal Turner – “What makes these sequences special is that they don’t involve the usual captures…” (NT)
• (30.09) No.1762 (h#2.5 ; Berolina Pawn) – Andrew Kalotay & Jorge Kapros & Jorge Lois & János Mikitovics – Unusually big group of composers! Unfortunatelly, Jorge Kapros (1955-2023) is no longer with us.
• (30.09) No.1761 (h#2 ; Neutral Grasshopper ; Take&Make) – Georgy Evseev – “This is, I think, an original T&M post-mate switchback effect.” (GE)
• (30.09) No.1760 (Mixed hs#7) – N.Shankar Ram – “Mixed HS#N not programmed in WinChloe and Popeye.” (NSR).
• (30.09) No.1759 (h#2 ; Circe, Madrasi) – S. K. Balasubramanian – “Subtle Madrasi effect on the mating move.” (SKB)
• (30.09) No.1758 (hs#5 ; Anda) – Vlaicu Crişan – “Unfortunately I wasn’t able to fully test this composition: Popeye and Jacobi don’t know Anda, while Winchloe is too slow.” (VC)
• (13.09) No.1757 (-11 & s#1 Proca ; Anti-Circe Calvet ; PAO) – Klaus Wenda – “The problem is a dedication to the 75. birthday of my German friend Hanspeter Suwe on 13.9.” (KW)

Animated diagrams use Py2Web by Dmitri Turevski and WinChloe‘s graphics, Christian Poisson

The order of publication might be not the same as in the waiting list: the problems easy to test and to animate, C+, and those without additional questions to composers will go first.

• (30.06) No.1756 (hs#3 ; Protean Chess) – Bruno Stucker – “64 variations to checkmate the white king”. The animation is made only partly, for the first 26 twins. The full solution together with Author’s comment is attached as PDF.
• (29.06) No.1755 (#2 ; LEO, PAO, VAO, MAO, MOA ; Take & Make Chess) – Ralf Danck – “The work was inspired by a problem of H. Gockel (The Problemist 2010, 1st Pr.).” – Warm welcome to Ralf!
• (23.06) No.1754 (h#2 ; Immune Chess Rex Inclusive, Take & Make Chess) – Petko Petkov – “Complete Cycle in the play of three white pieces…. This idea in Meredith form is here presented for the first time.”
• (20.06) No.1753 (h#2 ; Bicaptures Rex Exclusiv) – Manfred Rittirsch – “The fairy tournament of the recent RIFACE meeting (see announcement) was not a great success (only 4 entries according to Jérôme Auclair, including just a single h#), and I retrieved only 2 helpmate examples using the fairy condition Bicaptures Rex Exclusiv from the WinChloe database Echecs. However, the condition lingered on, and I was happy to find something very specific”.

Animated diagrams use Py2Web by Dmitri Turevski and WinChloe‘s graphics, Christian Poisson

My dear judges, composers, commentators, readers, visitors… those who take part in JF’s life in all different ways, I’m happy to have all of you here, in this fairy home!

This year we have 3 judges (!!) who kindly offered their help: K.Seetharaman for JF-2023, Thierry Le Gleuher for JF-R2023-24 and Sébastien Luce who will replace the judge of JF-2013/II !

Any editor knows what a complicated and delicate job is to find a judge. We engage the same people for doing this hard and time consuming job again and again, feeling guilty, but still having no choice. When somebody offers this help he really removes a heavy stone from the shoulders of the editor! 🙂 Well, at least I feel so. And again I would like to tell to all of you, who work this year, and who worked for JF before – THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

I’m also grateful to the helpful composers, who sent their problems in kindly prepared way: with English notation, full solution (departure-arrival squares), definitions of unusual fairy elements, programs/times to test. This all helps a lot to make the publication faster and easier.

I apologize for the delays in some publications! With a growing number of different obligations during 12 years in chess composition, I couldn’t do all at one time, combining it with a work and family and a 4-year young horse. For some weeks jumping into one or another project, and coming back. It is hard to stay enthusiastic and fast in a long term period. And the help of all of you is really very much needed to keep going.

Well, this is not what I like to mention, but still, to composers: please, check your problem for some days before sending to me for publication – each correction, new version takes some time to be published and announced! I’m very glad when a new, improved versions are coming from the comments, a joint work – this is what the comments are for! But the case when the composer corrects his problem on the next day after publication, or even before, is not the right approach, please! And one more thing I’d like to remind (maybe there’s something about it in the CODEX?): the problem couldn’t be “unpublished”! I can remove it from the tournament, but once shown it couldn’t disappear to my opinion. Please, also take care about the work of judges! If you don’t want your problem to take part in the competition, to be judged or commented – let me know it before the publication (and I will consider if to publish it at all 🙂 )!

Let’s care about each other! The June’s originals are coming in few days! – Julia

Dear composers, I still have no judge for PG & Retro tournament, Retro & PG problems 2023-2024, I’d be grateful to the one who is willing to accept this job!
Also, I have to admit that the judge of JF-2013-II, Diyan Kostadinov, has to be replaced as he doesn’t seem to deliver the award ever. Again, I’d appreciate it a lot if anybody can overtake it!
The award of JF-2020-I by Eric Huber is expected in 2024.

• (25.05) No.1752 (ser-h#13 ; Circe) – Paz Einat – “I am not a fan of miniatures nor of model mates, but when magic happens to include both – it certainly adds value.” Warm welcome to Paz after a long break from 2015!
• (25.05) No.1751 (phser-dia33) – Paul Rãican & Dmitrij Baibikov – Parry-series proofgame with white moving last.
• (18.05) No.1750 (h#2.5 ; Phantom Chess) – Hein Verduin – Warm welcome to Hein in Original Problems section of JF!
• (18.05) No.1749 (h#2.5 ; Anti-Kings) – Michael McDowell – “It seems to be an original combination of fairy condition and theme.”
• (18.05) No.1748 (h#2 ; illegal/shadow piece) – János Csák & Béla Majoros – different solutions in the twins, b) bPc5<–>bPd5. Same as for the problem No.1718 (June,2022) it is referred to the Retro&PG section if no objections.

Animated diagrams use Py2Web by Dmitri Turevski and WinChloe‘s graphics, Christian Poisson