Dan Meinking (1960-2012)

Dan Meinking
1960   –   2012

25th November, 2012

With a deep regret I have to inform, that a famous composer, Dan Meinking, has died yesterday from the heart attack. Dan was well known in the world of chess and won multiple Cincinnati and Dayton Chess championships in the early 1980’s. He was awarded the title of “FIDE Master of Chess Composition” in 2009 by the International Chess Composition Union. He was an avid game designer and his Alpha Sleuth and Lexmaze puzzles published in “Brain Games” games books. 

Visitation will be held at Good Shepherd Church on Kemper Road on Tuesday Nov. 27, 2012 at 9:00 AM with Mass to follow at 10:00 AM.

For many composers Dan was also a very good friend. I’d like to quote some comments about Dan Meinking:

“Needless to say, this is a huge shock to all of us and an enormous loss to our small chess problem community. I am planning to have a tribute to Dan in SG61.” (Mike Prcic)

“I’m very shocked indeed… Dan and I exchanged hundreds of emails this year, as he helped me a lot in the writing of my recent SG article, and he was the Director of the last chessproblem.ca thematic tourney, co-organized by Cornel and I. Bad bad news, can’t trust it.” (Dupont Nicolas)

“For me, Dan was more than a gifted problem composer… he was a great teacher (who helped introduce me to the art of problem composition), a mentor, and a good friend (always… for many years… no matter what).  He will be missed, beyond words.” (Kevin Begley)

“I was lucky to closely communicate and collaborate with Dan for more than a year and had opportunity to value his great talent and remarkable personality.” (Valery Liskovets)

“Shocking and totally unexpected news. Words fall short of expressing my sorrow – we have lost a great problemist, a great person and a great friend. May he rest in peace, he will always be remembered.” (Cornel Pacurar)

“For our small chess problem community enormous loss.” (Bosko Miloseski)

“This is TERRIBLE. I had very enjoyable correspondence with Dan. He was a really fine problemist and man.” (Ian Shanahan)

“He was a really fine problemist and man. For our small chess problem community enormous loss.May he rest in peace, he will always be remembered.” (Микола Чернявський)

“I’ll always remember Dan from our group of Problemists on the ICC chess server. He’d gather several people into a room and we’d shoot the breeze and look at problems for hours. He loved collaborating on compositions and seeing promising ideas come to fruition.” (Ryan McCracken)


You can see Dan Meinking’s Chess Problem Collection here.

Daniel E. MEINKING’s Obituary on The Cincinnati Enquirer.


Site Updates-241112

Updates as of 22-24.Nov, 2012:

  • (24.11) After 3 months break – Peter Harris with original problem No.174! I’d like to mention that this is the 20th problem by Peter published here! Thank you, Peter!
  • (24.11) Welcome to a new author on the site – K.R.Chandrasekaran, India! See s#2 with Superguards condition – No.173. Thanks a lot to the author!
  • (22.11) I’ve just published my own original problem, hs#3 with a pair MAO & MOA, which I call my “dream of the week” – No.172! I simply love it myself, and I’m happy that after many tries finally I’ve found the scheme where my chinese horses really show themselves!

You can click on the Original Problems tab on the top to see the whole list of published problems. Problem numbers are links to the problems – click on any number to see the problem. Standard search using Ctrl+F also works for the list.

Your original problems are very welcome!!


Site Updates-191112

Updates as of 16-19.Nov, 2012:

I’m grateful to 4 authors – Nikolaj Zujev, Georgi Hadzi-VaskovKenneth Solja, Petko A. Petkov  for “coming back to the site” again with their new problems!

  • (19.11) See an interesting original with a non-standard realization of Dentist theme by Petko A. Petkov – No.171!
  • (18.11) And one more original problem of today – a synthesis of two complicated fairy conditions – Take&Make and KoBul Kings – by Kenneth Solja – see No.170
  • (18.11) A new original problem is added – see light miniature with Grasshoppers by Georgi Hadzi-VaskovNo.169

(17.11) I’ve added 8 more of my published problems. Again, for most of you only 2 of them can be something new, as 6 others are published here, in Original Problems. You can see a list of 56 problems I have for now in My Problems section. But I’ll mention only 2 of just added, published in the magazines:

  • No.54 Neutral Locust and Nightriders in h#3, published in Variantim;
  • No.56 White anti-batteries with the white King and NAOs in h#2,5, published in StrateGems.

  • (16.11) It’s nice to see a Lithuanian author, Nikolaj Zujev, again on the site! See ANI-problem complicated for solving – No.168

You can click on the Original Problems tab on the top to see the whole list of published problems. Problem numbers are links to the problems – click on any number to see the problem. Standard search using Ctrl+F also works for the list.

Your original problems are very welcome!!


How to..? Diagrams in comments (2nd edition)

Diagrams in comments (2nd edition)

(I’ve rewritten the old post, from 07-Jun-2012)

In some cases, when we discuss a problem, it is good to show the ideas or suggestions on the diagram. The fact is that you can’t copy-paste the diagram (or any other graphical image) into the comment field on the site. But still there’re some options how to show it.

First of all – this is what you can show:

  • a link to your diagram or to the page containing the diagram;
  • a diagram as a picture inside the comment.

1. How to show a link to your diagram.

1.1. If you don’t have your problem in the internet (skip it if you have it and read 1.2!), but would like to be able to show it using a link – then you can :

  • use ankona.ch web-based software to create your problem as any problem created there has the unique link to it. Don’t forget to make your problem “public”  then – in the Edit screen of your problem you have to check “Public” option. Each your problem at Ankona has the unique ID number. Your “public” problem can be visible with all the headers and solutions by the link: http://www.ankona.ch/diagrams/[PROBLEM_ID]  (the example: http://www.ankona.ch/diagrams/99885)  or just a diagram (as graphic object) can be visible by the link http://www.ankona.ch/diagrams/[PROBLEM_ID].png – you add .png to the address in this case  (the example: http://www.ankona.ch/diagrams/99885.png). You can read more about Ankona in the section Software/Ankona of this site.
  • use LightShot program to make a screenshot of your diagram and to get a virtual link to it, which you can add to the comments as a link. The example of the link generated by LightShot is http://prntscr.com/ju38m. If you install LightShot – then you can use “PrintScreen” key on your keyboard to be able to select some area on your screen and to either copy, or print it, or get a virtual link to it.

1.2. When you have your problem somewhere in the internet – it is easy for you to show a link to it:

  • open it to see its URL in the address line of your browser;
  • copy-paste a link to the diagram, asking others to use this link to see your diagram. It can be either a link to the page containing your diagram/problem or a link to graphical image of the diagram.

2. How to show a diagram inside your comment.

2.1. If you don’t have your diagram in the Internet (skip it if you have and go to 2.2.!), then you have to have it! There’re many options to do it, like:

  • use ankona.ch web-based software to create your problem as any problem created there has the unique link to it. Don’t forget to make your problem “public”  then – in the Edit screen of your problem you have to check “Public” option. Each your problem at Ankona has the unique ID number. Your “public” problem can be visible with all the headers and solutions by the link: http://www.ankona.ch/diagrams/[PROBLEM_ID]  (the example: http://www.ankona.ch/diagrams/99885)  or just a diagram (as graphic object) can be visible by the link http://www.ankona.ch/diagrams/[PROBLEM_ID].png – you add .png to the address in this case  (the example: http://www.ankona.ch/diagrams/99885.png) – and this is the link to your diagram to have it inserted inside your comment! Just add [img] before this link and [/img] after it, without spaces!!  You can read more about Ankona in the section Software/Ankona of this site.
  • Dropbox online application which gives you an opportunity to have some space for your files in the internet, to have there private, shared and public folders to upload your files (and also to synchronize the content of it with the special folder on your computer or smart mobile phone as an extra, which is not related much to my topic here, but where I can help you if needed). You can sign-up for Dropbox, and will have an online directory for your files. One of already existing folders there is “Public”. You can create a folder like “ChessProblems” inside “Public”, upload any diagrams as graphical pictures (.png, .jpg, etc) there, and to get a links to these objects to be used in your comments. Like, I have a link to my diagram uploaded to Dropbox as http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4737166/ChessProblems/38-jv-trio-3.png and can add [img] before it and [/img] after to make it shown inside my comment.
  • Of course, you can always send your problem, idea, diagram to me – julia@juliasfairies.com –  I’ll upload it to the server of this site, and will send a link to it back to you, so you could use it in your comments.

2.2. If you already have your diagram as graphical image somewhere in the Internet, then all you need is to insert a link to it into your comment, but enclosed between [img] and [/img] formatting commands. Don’t have spaces between [img] and your link!! The example is [img]http://www.ankona.ch/diagrams/99861.png[/img] which after posting your comment would give the result as: 

Or, without adding [img] and [/img] manually, you can use an option  You can add images to your comment by clicking here – which is shown below the Comment field. In this case if you click on it, you will be asking for a link to graphical image, but [img] and [/img] will be added automatically.


Of course, there’re many other options to have something in the internet, I’ve just shown some of them I use myself, and can help you with. Also, if we speak about LightShot or Dropbox – these applications can be very useful not only for diagrams in comments. F.i., I use LightShot to copy screens with my problems at Ankona or WinChloe into emails, or I use Dropbox for automatic upload of some pictures made by the mobile phone to the Dropbox folders with a copy on the computers synchronized with Dropbox. I can write more about these things if needed, either here on the site, or answering mails. Just ask if needed!


Site Updates-131112

Updates as of 12-13.Nov, 2012:

  • (13.11) Warm welcome to world-known Australian composer and problem-editor –Geoff Foster! I’m happy to show you a nice miniature by Geoff – No.167. My gratitude to the author for his problem and also for all work he does for chess composition! 
  • (12.11) I’m happy to show you one new original problem – No.118.1 – by Bosko Miloseski, which is really a good improvement to his problem No.118, published in August-2012. The both problems are on the same page, so you can see the difference. Thanks a lot to the author for his work!

WinChloe update – 131112

WinChloe – latest update of
WinChloe & Echecs database!

  • The latest version of WinChloe solving program – WinChloe 3.21 is available starting 11-Nov-2012. “Latest news” TAB is added to the top menu, showing latest updates to the program and Echecs database. Looks like: 
  • The latest update (as of 12-Nov-2012) of WinChloe Echecs database is available for those, who uses it. The number of problems has increased till 447279 !  
  • 90 of original problems published at juliasfairies.com are added to WinChloe Echecs database as of 12-Nov.
  • I’ve just installed WinChloe on Windows 8 and it works! So, if anyone likes to use a pleasant Windows 8, you shouldn’t be afraid of it! 🙂
  • I repeat my text from the previous post, 12-Oct, here: I’d like to write more about WinChloe in my section Software/WinChloe – hopefully, will find time somehow! But for now a little info I haven’t mentioned on my pages: although, WinChloe has user interface in 2 languages (French and English), most of fairy pieces and conditions are in French. So, for non-french speaking beginners I’d advice to visit WinChloe‘s author’s website – Problemesis by Christian Poisson – to see the translations and definitions of
    fairy pieces   (http://christian.poisson.free.fr/problemesis/pieces.html),
    fairy conditions (http://christian.poisson.free.fr/problemesis/condus.html); 
    link to WinChloe (http://winchloe.free.fr/) and some more useful information.

Site Updates-111112

Updates as of 10-11.Nov, 2012:

I’ve added 12 more of my published problems. Really, for most of you only 4 of them can be something new, as 8 others were published here, in Original Problems. You can see a list of 47 problems in My Problems section, or the last problems added – by the links shown below (added 11.nov, 10.nov).

Added as of 11.11.2012:

Added as of 10.11.2012:


Site Updates-091112

Updates as of 08-09.Nov, 2012:

  • (09.11) The new original problem I’ve to show you is something very different to all the others. You have a problem for solving by Seetharaman Kalyan! See – No.166 – Construct an “Illegal cluster”! – with a book prize offered!
  • (08.11) So, my dear Friends – it’s a day when I had to create page No.100 in Original problems section! Of course, I couldn’t miss it to show my own problem, just finished and the very first Take & Make I’ve composed – No.165.
    I like this one myself! 🙂

Your original problems are very welcome!


WinChloe update of Echecs – 121012

WinChloe – latest update of
WinChloe Echecs database!

  • The latest update (as of 12-Oct-2012) of WinChloe Echecs database is available for those, who uses it. The number of problems has increased till 444141 !   In September I was written about the update as of 12-Sep-12 – there were 441047 problems that time. So, 3094 new problems are added in 1 month!
  • 74 of original problems published at juliasfairies.com are added to WinChloe Echecs database as of 12-Oct.
  • I’d like to write more about WinChloe in my section Software/WinChloe – hopefully, will find time somehow! But for now a little info I haven’t mentioned on my pages: although, WinChloe has user interface in 2 languages (French and English), most of fairy pieces and conditions are in French. So, for non-french speaking beginners I’d advice to visit WinChloe‘s author’s website – Problemesis by Christian Poisson – to see the translations and definitions of
    fairy pieces   (http://christian.poisson.free.fr/problemesis/pieces.html),
    fairy conditions (http://christian.poisson.free.fr/problemesis/condus.html); 
    link to WinChloe (http://winchloe.free.fr/) and some more useful information.