ChessBase India to Host the 21st International Solving Contest in Mumbai and Bhopal
The International Solving Contest (ISC) is an annual chess-solving competition for individual solvers, held concurrently worldwide at multiple locations on a Sunday in late January. Under the auspices of the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC), the ISC brings together a vibrant global community of chess composition enthusiasts, promoting friendly competition among solvers from diverse backgrounds. The 20th edition of the event, held last year, attracted 669 solvers from as many as 26 countries – a testament to its growing reach and significance. Since its inception in 2005, the ISC has nearly tripled in size! This year marks the 21st edition of the contest, scheduled for January 19, 2025. In a welcome development, ChessBase India is introducing the event to two new Indian cities: Bhopal and Mumbai. Details follow.
For several years now, Chennai and Bengaluru have hosted the International Solving Contest in India, thanks to the tireless efforts of veteran chess problemists like IM CGS Narayanan and IM Narayan Shankar Ram. Building on this legacy, ChessBase India is thrilled to expand the ISC's footprint in India, introducing the event to Mumbai and Bhopal for the first time. 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! At ChessBase India, we have organised such events before, both online and offline. Hosting the ISC at two new locations is our latest effort to promote the enjoyment of composed problems and studies nationwide. Let's dive into the details.
When and Where
Venue 1: Khelo Chess India Club, SAGE International School, Kolar Road, Bhopal
Venue 2: Atrium 5, Phoenix Marketcity, Kurla, Mumbai
The event will take place in both venues on January 19, 2025 (Sunday) from 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
Format and Eligibility
The event features three categories:
Category 1: Open - For experienced solvers, open to all participants.
Category 2: Less Experienced Solvers - For participants with no solvers' rating or a solvers' rating below 2000.
Category 3: Youth - For participants born after 31st December 2011 (13 years old or younger in the competition year).
Important Note 1: Category 1 is designed for highly experienced solvers. If you're relatively new to chess-solving, we recommend starting with Category 2 or 3 for a more suitable challenge.
Important Note 2: Familiarity with Algebraic Chess Notation is absolutely mandatory, as answers are to be provided in this format.
The competition will consist of two 120-minute rounds for Category 1 and 2, with six chess positions to solve each round. Category 3 will only have one round with six positions. There will be a break of at least 30 minutes between the rounds.
Schedule
Round 1: 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Round 2: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm (for Categories 1 and 2)
Participants are required to arrive and report at the venue at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the event.
Registration
To confirm your participation, please fill out our Google Forms.
Participation Fee
Rs. 100 per participant (Non-refundable). Please pay via UPI to chessbaseindia@okhdfcbank or scan the QR code in the Google form. Important: Please include the full name of the participant in the payment details to ensure accurate registration.
Additional Rules
1. Please keep all personal electronic devices like smartwatches, mobiles, and tablets switched off during the contest.
2. Carry a pen with you to write the answers.
3. No discussion with other participants during the event. Anyone found adopting unfair means will be disqualified.
Prizes
The top three winners in Category 1 and Category 2, provided they score 50% or more, will receive premium ChessBase products as prizes: ChessBase 18, Fritz 19, and Vidit Gujrathi's course on Calculation. Both Categories 1 and 2 are rated, enabling participants to receive a global solvers' rating based on their performance. Category 3 is unrated. The top three winners in this category will receive copies of the recently published book One Endgame Study in a Thousand.
Types of Compositions
The contest features six types of puzzles: Mate in 2 (2#), Mate in 3 (3#), Mate in 4 or more moves (n#), Endgame (EG), Helpmate (h#), and Selfmate (s#).
Category Details:
Category 1: Each round consists of one puzzle from each type (2#, 3#, n#, EG, h#, and s#).
Category 2:
Round 1 - Two 2#, one 3#, one n#, one EG, and one s#.
Round 2 - One 2#, two 3#, one n#, one EG, and one h#.
Category 3: Four 2#, one 3#, and one EG.
Solving Instructions
1. 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.
2. Each position solved correctly is worth 5 points.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. For EG, give all moves up to an obvious win or draw.
6. 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#
7. 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.
Examples
Uri Avner, Baruch Lender-75 JT 1989, 2nd Prize
In order to meet the stipulation, White needs to force Black to unleash the bishop-knight battery on d8-h4. The key move is 1.Nf5!. Black now has exactly two legal moves, both with their king. 1...Kd7 is met with 2.Ng7+, while 1...Kf8 is met with 2.Nd6+. In both cases, the e7 knight is unpinned, forcing Black to deliver 2...Nf5 mate. If you find the key and spot the second moves in the two variations, you will score the full 5 marks here.
Yuri Fokin, Severni zoni 1969, 1st Prize
As with most selfmates, the mobility of the kings is severely limited in the diagrammed position. The white king is already cornered. All we have to do is induce Black to play …hxg2#. Black would obviously want to avoid this and move their knight instead, but our strategy is to neutralise this knight, forcing Black's hand.
The solution begins with 1.Nc2!, which waits while also crucially controlling the e1 square and leaving certain key lines open for the queen.
Now 1...Ne2 is met with 2.Qd3!, pinning the knight, and Black is compelled to deliver 2…hxg2#. Similarly, 1...Nf3 is answered by 2.Qf6!, forcing 2…hxg2#.
Note that, in both cases, Black doesn’t play hxg2 willingly; White sort of strong-arms Black by restricting their pieces — in this case, using pin as the main device — thereby leaving them no other choice. You can refer to this excellent article by Peter Wong to find some more examples of selfmates.
Helpmates have been extensively covered on ChessBase India. Please refer to the following articles:
1. Karthikeyan's helpmate puzzle explained
2. Romancing the helpmate with Grandmaster Christopher Jones
3. Remembering György Bakcsi and his helpmates
Important Links
1. Registration form for the contest, Mumbai venue
2. Registration form for the contest, Bhopal venue
3. Problems and Solutions of all previous editions of ISC
4. A playlist of videos on helpmates by Anirudh Daga
Contacts
If you have any queries, you may contact Satanick on WhatsApp: +918918723798
