11th TT Chess Composition Microweb C 28.2.2003

Many friends of chess composition know, that I'm not a promotions' enthusiasist. Usually I'm trying to find more in various promotion-aimed problems and if there is not much of other content, I'm not happy about them. But it is not general rule and even time to time I try my luck in this field. As one of Portorose tourneys that catched my interest, Becherovka 2002, explicitly required promotion problems (and more), I was trying promotions intensively. The idea od dedicating one CCM tourney to promotions materialised this way.

Well. But which kind of promotions? I remember my admiration of Andernach 1992 awarded problems, some of which were reprinted in Pat a Mat. That tourney was dedicated to bishop promotions. It is usual underpromotion and I understand well the point of view of orthodox chess player, who looks at underpromotions as something extraordinary. But spending some years in chess composition makes you (or at least me) insensitive to speciality of underpromotion. No, but queen promotions are in fact slightly unusual! Yes, they use to appear as one element of allumwandlung, but to see them as the main type of promotion shown in the composition, it is not as common. So...

Announcement

Chess Composition Microweb announces formal thematical tourney for chess problems with queen promotions. There are two sections:
  1. orthodox helpmates,
  2. fairy problems (fairy means using at least one fairy condition and/or fairy piece - the stipulation is free and it doesn't count as a fairy element).
Judges in respective sections:
  1. Chris Feather (UK),
  2. Juraj Lörinc (Slovakia).
Prizes: problem chess books.

Entries should be sent by email to juraj.lorinc@bigfoot.com before February 28th 2003. The award will be published at Chess Composition Microweb.

Please, let know your friends about our competition!

Examples

CCM has now published more than 2200 chess problems and I found more than dozen problems featuring queen promotions and thus they can be considered thematical for our 11th TT.

More examples in both sections are coming in thematical files.

As you can see from examples, there are many fine task ideas already realised, but I'm sure there is enough space for original discoveries (otherwise I wouldn't choose this theme) and especially strategical problems featuring promotions can surely surprise us. Just remember in fact recent shocking helpmates of the late Gábor Cseh or very fine seriesmovers that appeared in 90s...

I wouldn't encourage "normal" AUW problems to be entered into the tourney. In usual AUW all promotions have approximately the same importance or sense. This tourney is however aimed at queen promotions. It means other promotions aren't excluded, but the queen promotions should be in some sense the most prominent in the problem. In the end, the decision will be with judges.

Orthodox helpmates

Fairy problems

Results

Many thanks to mr. Chris Feather for preparing his award of orthodox helpmates' section. We had 14 helpmates and 15 fairies helpmates competing in respective sections. The tourney was successful thanks to the following authors that submitted their compositions:
And here are the winners:
  1. award of orthodox helpmates' section by Chris J. Feather
  2. award of fairy section by Juraj Lörinc
Send any claims against this award to Juraj Lörinc before June 30th 2003, please.

As no claims were received, the award becomes final.

Again many thanks to everyone who helped tourney success in whichever way. We also invite you to take part in 12th TT Chess Composition Microweb.

Comments to Juraj Lörinc.
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