RIFACE 2022 – June 3th-6th, Paris (Issy-Les-Moulineaux)

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This year, the 43th RIFACE (International Meeting in France for Chess Problems Lovers) will take place, as usual.  We stay right next to Paris, but this time in Issy-Les-Moulineaux. The hotel has chargeable parking.

Hotel Ibis « Paris Issy les Moulineaux Val de Seine » – 213, rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau – 92130 Issy-Les-Moulineaux – 01.47.36.42.00 (GPS : N 48° 49’ 21.05’’ E2° 15’ 25.70’’)

PAY ATTENTION : the French Chess Solving Championship is registered for the World Solving Cup 2021-2022 and will take place Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 15:30 pm.

Thank you to register as soon as possible and no later than Saturday, April 30 2022! – Jerome Auclair

WFCC sanctions & JF’s originals

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WFCC sanctions in reaction to hostilities in Ukraine are based on the voting result you can see on the official website. I’m glad about some of our decisions, I regret about the voting result related to 11.WCCT. And I’m very much disappointed about the ignorant behavior of some delegates who never appeared on any WFCC meeting and didn’t trouble themselves with the voting. I apologize to all composers who had trust in our organization. Please, stay patient, stay healthy, and I will try to keep JF out of politics, as a fairy garden where fairy composers are always glad to meet each other and to share their creativity.

JF will continue to publish original problems by individuals from any countries. Our creativity, good will, positive emotions, support to each each other are needed to keep the peace where we can, to calm our minds and to warm our hearts.

This month JF celebrates its 10 years jubilee. Please, join me with the smile!

A Chess Problem Tribute to the James Webb Space Telescope!

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A Chess Problem Tribute to the
James Webb Space Telescope!

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched by NASA on 25-Dec-2021, is the most powerful telescope ever launched into space and is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. It is expected to look farther than the Hubble and has created great excitement among the astronomer community. It will uncover details to study and understand the earliest formation and evolution of Galaxies, Stars and Planets, including the origins of life.

When faced with all these new vistas, one is reminded of our own TRD’s words, from the envoi to “Ultimate Themes”, 1938: “Fairy problems have the limitless geometry of space before them, with life, fire, exquisite beauty, in rich and growing and never-ending profusion.“
https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Webb_Space_Telescope

#2
Immobile BKd4 (Cannot move or capture)

The layout of the JWST’s 18 mirrors immediately suggests a hexagonal chessboard which was covered in our classification project. So, here is a hexagonal chess problem to celebrate the JWST!

Chess Problem: Hexagonal Board with 19 squares: a1-a3-c5-e3-e1-c1

Rooks move through the sides of the squares. Bishops move through the corners. Pawns move vertically through the sides of the squares towards their bottom rank (here a1-e1 for BPs) and capture through the edges of the squares to the left or right.

Solution:
1.Re1-c3! ZZ
1…Ra2-b3 2.Rc3-c5#
1…Ba1-b3 2.Rc3-c4#
1…Rd1-d2 2.Rc3-e3#
1…Bc1-d2 2.Rc3-d3#
Double Grimshaw + 4 mates by WR
Tries: 1.Rb3+? R/Bxb3! 1.Rd2+? R/Bxd2! 1.Rxd1+? c2xd1=Q/R/B/S! 1.Re3+? Bxe3! 1.Re2? ZZ Rb3/Bc5!

Shankar Ram

Andernach Meeting 2022

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breaking news – Andernach Meeting 2022

In the last two years, the Andernach meeting had to be cancelled due to COVID19 — now it will take place again: May 26-29 at the Ristorante Bellini, Hochstraße 39, 56626 Andernach, Germany.
We will meet there on May 26 from 17:00.

Please organize your own accommodation, but inform Thomas Brand (t.brand@gmx.net) about your participation and possible contributions to the program.  A solving tournament (a bit different than usual) is planned.

Until May many greetings – Hans Gruber and Thomas Brand

Fairy Eater Chess – a fairy chess variant by Vadrya Pokshtya

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My name is Sergey Kulelyaev (my pen name Vadrya Pokshtya). I am chess variants inventor and chess composer. Not so long ago, I managed to implement one of my most successful variants of fairy chess in terms of tactics, strategy and game dynamics – Fairy Eater Chess.

With a gratitude to P. A. Stonemann for a help with publishing my chess variants at Game Courier.

Vadrya Pokshtya (Sergey Kulelyaev)

The battlefield is an odd 9×9 board, on which two opposing sides have gathered, consisting of both classic fairy chess pieces and two new ones to reveal the strongest.

The original names of the pieces create the appropriate atmosphere of the game and immerse us in the world of dark fantasy, giving the necessary flavor to everything that happens on the board. It would seem that with such a crowded initial arrangement, the gameplay is impossible, but in reality it turns out the opposite: the pieces begin to behave super-aggressively, quickly devouring each other in these conditions of a confined space. The game is replete with mind-blowing combinations and incredible possibilities, which distinguishes it from all other variants of fairy chess.

Let’s take for example the following position from a practical game, which shows the amazing world of Fairy Eater Chess in the best possible way.

White to move and mate in one.

Nightrider’s non-obvious rebound from square d3 to h1 decides the outcome of the battle in favor of White. Black cannot close with the Shield on e7 from the Ghost (Skull) on d1, since the Nightrider on h1 does not allow to do it. Also note that Black’s Sorcerer cannot retreat to e9 because this square is under attack by the white Nightrider on a1.

The Hopper is out!

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Welcome to THE HOPPER – a new chess problem magazine
from Singapore!

The team – Andrew Buchanan, Anirudh Daga and James Quah – has created something you’ve never seen before.

Back from Rhodes WCCC…

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I’m back from Rhodes Congress!

With the Title of FIDE Master in Chess Composition! The first title I ever had, making the final banquet even more special!

With all excitement and success of the 5th YCCC (50 young composers from 12 countries)! See the post 63.WCCC – 5.YCCC results, but some more materials and photo gallery is still coming.

With the 15th ECSC in Riga, 13-15.05.2022 – welcome to be my guests!
Although this is mostly an event for solvers, I’m looking for the reason to composers to come as well 🙂 And here the reason is: 10 years jubilee of JF next spring! So, the thematic composing tournament with the prize giving in Riga will be coming too!

It was nice to have an alive meeting, to catch some warmer sun, the atmosphere of vacation and a competition at the same time, and the celebration after all! I tried to put the main events, results and photos, on the WFCC website: 63.WCCC: the first events | 44. WCSC, Rhodes, 19-20.10.21 | 63.WCCC: Machine gun & Fairy solving | 63.WCCC – 5.YCCC results | WCCC 2021 final: agenda and bulletin

…my photo gallery I gladly share with you – Google Album 63.WCCC Rhodes. – Julia

FIDE ALBUM 2016-2018 – Results in Fairy section

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The results of the FIDE Album 2016-18 section G are published at WFCC official website!

“An impressive number of 1520 entries (excluding duplicates) were received and they were split in two groups: G1 for fairies without conditions and G2 for problems with at least one fairy condition. This classification was a success as 747 entries were allocated to G1 and 773 to G2. In each group there were three judges with each team of judges working independently. 1331 entries scored at least 4,5 points (87,5% of the total entries, a very good ratio for such a popular genre). 357 problems out of them (63 more compared to the previous album) scored at least 8 points, which represents a ratio of 26,8% selected problems; 125 entries (one third of the selected problems) had already qualified from the WCCI process.” (Harry Fougiaxis)

Our TOP 10:

Name Album G1 Album G2 WCCI Total Points
Petkov, Petko 8 13 6 27 27.00
Loustau, Jean-Marc 19 5 24 22.00
Caillaud, Michel 6 14 20 17.00
Dragoun, Michal 24 6 30 16.83
Gockel, Hubert 4 9 6 19 14.83
Pachl, Franz 6 8 6 20 14.67
Parrinello, Mario 2 8 3 13 13.00
Rittirsch, Manfred 1 12 13 12.50
Lörinc, Juraj 3 5 5 13 12.00
Salai jr., Ladislav 23 23 9.83

“Regarding the selection percentages, I think the results without the “pre-selected” WCCI entries should also be mentioned. As seen below, they are only 14.76% for G1 and 18.47% for G2. In total, they are only 16.63%. If we take the WCCI entries into the total, then obviously the percentages increase.” (Shankar Ram, one of G1 judges)

Thanks a lot to the judges!
Sincere congratulations to all of us!

Sad news – Jaroslav Stun

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Jaroslav Stun passed away… With a deep condolences to family and friends

Dear Jaroslav’s colleague and friend,

It is with deep sorrow and sense of loss in my heart when I write these lines.
However, as his colleague and friend, I wanted to let you know that my father has recently, shortly before his 70th birthday, passed away, after a valiant month-long struggle with a severe COVID-19 infection.

I know and I am sure Jaroslav valued every bit of exchange, collaboration and sense of community he took part in together with you on the field of Chess – all the Problems, Compositions, Fairies and Puzzles he worked on or shared with you; and I wanted to take this time to Thank you for all the joyful and happy moments you made for him.

My dad died in complete peace, we know the One who my father believed in and relied on the most throughout his whole life, took good care of him, and we will always keep Jaroslav in our hearts and memories.

Jaro Stun