Julia's Fairies

Julia's Fairies

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2023!

Dear Friends,
I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Let the cold and snow outside brings only the beauty. And the Christmas lights warm our hearts.

I have to apologize for a very quiet 2nd part of 2022 on JF. I’m sorry, this year turned to be too social for me! 🙂 Organizing ECSC in Riga in May, and taking active part in the organizing of WCSC in Fujairah in November; 6.YCCC; and now some work around the presentation of WFCC on social medias….
After all, the gift I’ve made to myself, the grey Arabian beauty from the photo who asks for my time too.

What to do now? In any case, there are no chances anymore to have the informal competition in this half-year. I haven’t published any problem after the end of JF-2022/I, but have got many of your problems. For some time I really hoped to be able to publish them this year. Now I have to ask all of you who sent me originals in September-December, if you’d accept to be published in January,2023? (I will be writing personal emails as well).

No, no, JF will not stop working. Let it be active again in 2023! The same time, I might need helpers in the future if continue to take part in some other activities of WFCC.

Be happy, creative, smiling, celebrating, composing, solving, producing, helping, … whatever brings you joy! – Julia


Originals September 2022

JF Original Problems | September, 2022

The judge of JF-2022/II: not appointed yet
The judge of Retro & PG problems 2021-2022: Thomas Brand

Dear composers, I’m very sorry for a delay in publication of your original problems! I’m involved in several projects at the moment, being a director of the youth composing competition 6.YCCC in the frames of WCCC, being in the organizing committee of WCCC 2022, including the website and registrations… plus some important updates for the WFCC website about the World Solving Cup, WCCI, WCCT.

The next days I’ll give a list of composers whom I will try to publish in September-October. But I have to say that practically up to the end of year I seem to be very much overloaded, considering preparations for the Congress, the time there, and office work upon arrival.


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


WCCI 2019-2021: Results

The RESULTS of the 8th World Championship in Composing for Individuals WCCI 2019-2021 are published on the WFCC official website!

AUGUST 29, 2022 | CATEGORY: WCCI

Congratulations to the winners!

A Twomovers: Vasyl Dyachuk, Pavel Murashev, Marjan Kovačević
B Threemovers: Aleksandr Kuzovkov, Mikhail Marandyuk, Igor Agapov
C Moremovers: Aleksandr Kuzovkov, Mikhail Marandyuk, Valery Shavyrin
D Endgame studies: Steffen Slumstrup Nielsen, Oleg Pervakov, Serhiy Didukh
E Helpmates: Mykola Kolesnik, Aleksandr Semenenko, Viktoras Paliulionis
F Selfmates: Andrey Selivanov, Zoran Gavrilovski, Gennadiy Koziura
G Fairies: Petko Petkov, Valery Semenenko, Václav Kotěšovec
H Retros: Silvio Baier, Dmitrij Baibikov, Kostas Prentos


FCCP: August 2022 Update!

FCCP project as of August 2022

This time, we have:

  1. A revised version of the “Tree and Leaf” article, based on additional information from Peter Wong
  2. Maryan Kerhuel’s revised documents on the classification of fairy conditions: document, Spreadsheet with list of elements
  3. Maryan Kerhuel’s documents on the classification of fairy pieces: document, Spreadsheet with list of elements
  4. A sneak peek at the future unified model (see the image!), with multiple categories for the same element or group.

Happy Reading! – Shankar Ram


Günter Büsing 75 Jubilee Tourney

Die Schwalbe and feenschach announce a joint

Günter-Büsing-75 Jubilee Tourney

Stipulated theme: Helpmate with at least three moves presenting a “helpmate of the future” (at least two pairs of solutions, each pair showing a separate theme).

Two sections: I) orthodox; II) with any fairy elements.

Send your contributions to the controller Thomas Brand (t.brand@gmx.net), closing date is March 31, 2023.

Judges: Hans Gruber & Ulrich Ring | Prizes: 300 EUR.

Examples can be found here: https://www.dieschwalbe.de/kompositionsturniere.htm


18th TT by Phénix (C 25.12.2022)

Announcement of the 18th thematic tourney by Phénix

ANNONCE DU 18ème CONCOURS THÉMATIQUE

On the occasion of Rex Multiplex 40 years anniversary the editorial staff of Phénix is organizing the
fairy composition tournament Rex Multiplex-40.

  • Section I «Opposition». Judge : Bruno Kampmann
  • Section II «Coopération». Judge : Hans Gruber
  • Section III «Tanagras». Judge: Maryan Kerhuel
  • Section IV «Rétros». Judge: Thierry Le Gleuher

Final date of entries is December 25th 2022 | Announcement with examples | The problems must be sent to the tourney Director : Laurent Riguet, travailphenix@gmail.com


Originals June 2022

JF Original Problems | June, 2022

The judge of JF-2022/I: Vlaicu Crişan
The judge of Retro & PG problems 2021-2022: Thomas Brand

July’s publications (new half-year period!) will come with a delay, after some announcements and FCCP updates

  • (30.06) No.1725 & 1725.A (ser-h#8 ; Chameleon ; Circe Equipollents) – Chris Feather“Both problems show a double chameleon cycle…” (CJF)
  • (30.06) No.1724 (#2 ; Quintessence) – James Quah“This is a quadruple Grimshaw incorporating an English Grimshaw (line-pinned rook), a pawn Grimshaw, and a vertically moving rook…” (JQ)
  • (30.06) No.1723 (ser-s#33) – Paul Rãican“Promotions:QRBBBBB” (PR)
  • (29.06) No.1722 (h#2 ; Breton Adverse) – Manfred Rittirsch“2x repositioning of black obstructing piece to eliminate defense by indirect capture.” (MR)
  • (29.06) No.1721 (#2 ; Senora ; Immune chess) – Michael Barth & Franz Pachl “Schedey cycle” (Authors)
  • (29.06) No.1720 (#10 ; MinDister) – Ralf Krätschmer – The Dister condition was invented for the tourney in Andernach 2022, see the bulletin. Dedicated to Andreas Thoma, who invented the Dister.
  • (29.06) No.1719 (h#2.5 ; Neutral pieces, Moose ; Take&Make, Anti-Take&Make) – Ján Golha“4-fold exact echo mates” (JG).
  • (29.06) No.1718 (h#2 ; illegal/shadow pieces) – János Csák & Béla Majoros – different solutions in the twins, b) bBe8<–>bBd8.
  • (20.06) No.1717 (hs#3 ; Anticipés, Anti-Circe Cheylan) – Eric Huber“The fairy condition Anticipés was the theme of the Messigny 2006 TT. It is not defined yet in the FCCP.” (EH)
  • (19.06) No.1704.1 (h#2 ; Breton Adverse) – Borisas Gelpernas & Thomas Maeder & Jacques Rotenberg –  “Jacques Rotenberg has found many improved settings, but the following one has the agreement of Borisas, Jacques and myself“ (TM)
  • (19.06) No.1716 (hs#4) – Daniel Novomesky – after Mihail Croitor No. 25

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


Award JF-2020/II by Hans Gruber

With a gratitude to the judge, Hans Gruber, and with congratulations to the winners of JF’s informal tournament of the 2nd half of 2020!

“I leaned on Hans Peter Rehm’s advice that it is the main task of a judge to select those problems which she or he considers to be worth to be studied once more by the general audience and to argue why those problems are considered excellent or beautiful (or both). This means that awards should focus, like the FIDE-Album, on the positive selection, and they should single out compositions, not composers. However, my sincere thanks to the composers who gave me the pleasure that I could study the following problems.” (Hans Gruber, from the Award)


RIFACE 2022 : composing tournaments

The 43th RIFACE (International Meeting in France for Chess Problems Lovers) will take place in Issy-Les-Moulineaux, 4th-6th June, 2022.

Themes of composing tournaments:

Thème aidés.pdf | Thème féerique.pdf | Thème rétro.pdf

Address to send the entries : RIFACE.2022@gmail.com for Helpmates and Fairies;
retro.riface2022@gmail.com for retro problems. Time limit to send the entries : Sunday 5th June at 15:00 (French time)