ChessBase India and DD-DBCA Bring the Israel Chess Solving Championship to Kolkata
In a groundbreaking first for the city, ChessBase India, in collaboration with the Dhanuka Dhunseri Dibyendu Barua Chess Academy (DD-DBCA), is organising the Israel Chess Solving Championship in Kolkata. Set for May 11, the event will be held simultaneously in multiple cities worldwide, with Ra’anana, Israel, serving as the primary centre. The Kolkata leg of the contest provides local enthusiasts with a rare opportunity to pit their skills against international solvers and earn an official solver’s rating. Furthermore, outstanding local participants will receive gift vouchers as a token of appreciation for their efforts. Details regarding the time, venue, format, and other relevant aspects follow in this article.
City of Joy to Host Its First-Ever Chess Solving Contest!
Kolkata has long stood as one of India’s foremost chess strongholds. Yet, like much of the country, it still awaits a meaningful breakthrough in the realm of chess composition and solving. Looking to change that, ChessBase India has partnered with the city’s premier chess academy, DD-DBCA—led by none other than Dibyendu Barua, Bengal’s first Grandmaster and India’s second—to host the Israel Chess Solving Championship, a global event set to take place simultaneously in cities across the world on May 11.
What is a Solving Contest?
A chess-solving contest is akin to a math test. You have to solve a series of chess positions within a fixed time frame. But there's a twist. These positions aren't from real games; instead, they're intricately crafted artistic riddles with well-defined solutions—in other words, compositions!
Format
Participants can compete in any one of two categories: Category 1, designed for advanced solvers, and Category 2, intended for those with less experience. Both categories will be rated and have two rounds of two hours each, with a one-hour break in between; each round will include six positions for participants to solve.
Eligibility
Category 1 is open to all participants. However, those with a WFCC solver’s rating of 2000 or above are not eligible to participate in Category 2.
Note: If you are relatively new to chess solving, we recommend selecting Category 2 for a more rewarding and accessible experience. However, if you are in search of a real challenge, you are more than welcome to test your mettle in Category 1!
When & Where?
The event will take place on Sunday, May 11, from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM, at the Dhanuka Dhunseri Dibyendu Barua Chess Academy, located at 26/1/1 Chakraberia, Ballygunge, Kolkata, West Bengal – 700019.
Schedule
Round 1: 2 pm - 4 pm
Round 2: 5 pm - 7 pm
Participants are required to arrive and report at the venue at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the event.
How to Enrol?
We will accept approximately 50 entries on a first-come, first-served basis. To secure your spot, complete the registration by filling up our Google Form. A fee of ₹200 applies to all participants, except those holding any of the following FIDE titles: GM, IM, WGM, or WIM, who are invited to participate free of charge.
Payments should be made to ChessBase India via UPI: chessbaseindia@okhdfcbank. Please upload a screenshot of the payment in the Google Form. Kindly note that this registration fee is non-refundable. Participants with GM, IM, WGM, or WIM titles may submit a screenshot of their FIDE ID card in place of the payment proof in the Google Form.
Prizes
To recognise local excellence, gift vouchers worth a total of ₹15,000 will be awarded to the top solvers in Kolkata. These vouchers can be redeemed for any product on the ChessBase India shop. The prize distribution is as follows:
Category 1
1st Prize: ₹5,000 gift voucher
2nd Prize: ₹3,000 gift voucher
3rd Prize: ₹1,000 gift voucher
Category 2
1st Prize: ₹3,000 gift voucher
2nd Prize: ₹2,000 gift voucher
3rd Prize: ₹1,000 gift voucher
Important: To qualify for the gift vouchers, participants must score a minimum of 40%—that is, at least 24 out of 60 points.
General Rules & Regulations
Arrival Time: Participants are required to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the contest, i.e., by 1:45 pm, to facilitate smooth registration and ensure the event begins on time.
Chess Sets: While chess sets will be provided at the venue, participants are welcome to bring their own sets if preferred. However, electronic devices such as mobiles, tablets, or any other devices are strictly prohibited during the event.
Pen Requirement: All participants must bring a pen to write down their solutions during the contest.
Code of Conduct: Any form of discussion between participants or the use of unfair means during the event will not be tolerated and may result in disqualification.
Types of Compositions
The contest features six types of chess puzzles: Mate in 2 (2#), Mate in 3 (3#), Mate in 4 or more moves (n#), Endgame studies (EG), Helpmates (h#), and Selfmates (s#).
In Category 1, each round will present one puzzle of each type—2#, 3#, n#, EG, h#, and s#
In Category 2, Round 1 will consist of two 2#, one 3#, one n#, one EG, and one h#. Round 2 will have one 2#, two 3#, one n#, one EG, and one s#.
Solving Instructions
In all positions, except helpmates, White makes the first move. Hence, "n#" means White to play and mate in n, "+" denotes White to play and win, and "=" denotes White to play and draw.
Each position solved correctly is worth 5 points.
To earn full marks (5 points) for a 2# puzzle, you only need to provide the correct key move, which is the first move of the solution.
For 3# and n#, you must provide the key and all variations of full length up to White's penultimate move. Black's last move and White's mating move need not be written.
For EG, give all moves up to an obvious win or draw.
In a Helpmate in n moves (h#n), Black plays first and both sides cooperate to get the black king mated in the stipulated number of moves. Helpmate may have multiple solutions or multiple parts, also known as twins. When this occurs, it will be clearly indicated in the question. To score full marks, you must provide all solutions or solve all parts, as indicated. A solution to a helpmate is written in the following format:
1) Black move, White move
2) Black move, White move
...
n) Black move, White move#
In a Selfmate, White makes the first move and the goal is to compel Black to mate the white king in the given number of moves. Unlike in a helpmate, where Black works together with White, in a Selfmate, Black does not comply and is instead forced to deliver mate. To score full marks in a s#, write the key move and all full-length variations till White's last move.
Please ensure that all your solutions are written in standard Algebraic Chess Notation. In case of any ambiguity, the decision of the local and central coordinators will be considered final.
Examples
Since most chess players are new to helpmates and selfmates, we offer two sample problems of these types for reference.
Petko. A. Petkov & Krasimir Gandev, Schach-Echo 1973, 5th Prize
Think of a helpmate in n (h#n) as a teamwork puzzle: Black moves first, and then both sides work together, making cooperative moves, that lead to the black king being checkmated on White’s nth move.
In this example, n=2, and one of the solutions is: 1.Nd5 Ba3 2.Re7 Nd6#. Observe how the pieces cooperate: first, the knight self-blocks on b5; then Ba3 and Re7 ensure the f8 queen is shut off and the f4 bishop is fully pinned, enabling Nd6 mate. While the underlying strategy remains the same, the other solution employs a different combination of pieces and moves to fulfill the stipulation: 1.Nb5 Ra3 2.Bg3 Ne3#. Here, the bN self-blocks on b5 (instead of d5). Then, Ra3 and Bg3 ensure the h3 rook is blocked and the e4 rook is fully pinned, allowing Ne3 mate.
György Bakcsi, Budapesti Sakkszövetség 1962, 2nd Prize
A selfmate (s#) is a type of puzzle where White must force Black to deliver checkmate—even if Black tries to avoid it! In the position above, it is evident that the mate will eventually come from the black rook along the first rank. However, Black will not simply cooperate by playing RxQ mate right away. White must make precise and clever moves to leave Black with no choice but to give checkmate. The key move is 1.Nd5!, setting up the idea 2.Qc1+ Rxc1#. To avoid this, Black may try to capture the queen with underpromotion, but White is ready for that too. The variations are:
1...fxe1=N 2.Rc2+ Nxc2#
1...fxe1=B 2.Rc3+ Bxc3#
Each line ends with Black being forced to give checkmate, just as the problem demands.
Important Links
Problems of Israel Solving Championship 2024 (Cat 1) and Solutions
Problems of Israel Solving Championship 2024 (Cat 2) and Solutions
Website of the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC)
Contact
If you have any queries, feel free to reach out to Satanick, the local coordinator for the event, via WhatsApp at +917908245176.
