Chess problem
[1] Not every chess problem has every one of these features, but most have several: Problems can be contrasted with tactical puzzles often found in chess columns or magazines in which the task is to find the best move or sequence of moves (usually leading to mate or gain of material) from a given position.
(threatening 2.Nc3) There are various different types of chess problems: In all the above types of problem, castling is assumed to be allowed unless it can be proved by retrograde analysis (see below) that the rook in question or king must have previously moved.
Of far greater relation to standard chess problems, however, are the following, which have a rich history and have been revisited many times, with magazines, books and prizes dedicated to them: Across most of the above genres, there is great interest in exploring fairy chess, in which non-standard boards, pieces or rules apply.
The role of aesthetic evaluation in the appreciation of chess problems is very significant, and indeed most composers and solvers consider such compositions to be an art form.
Vladimir Nabokov wrote about the "originality, invention, conciseness, harmony, complexity, and splendid insincerity" of creating chess problems and spent considerable time doing so.
The full solution is as follows: The thematic approach to solving is to notice then that in the original position, Black is already almost in zugzwang.
Similarly, if Black tries 1...Rf7, this interferes with the bishop's guard of d5, allowing White to mate with Nd5#.
The problem to the right, shown in Norwegian broadcaster NRK's airings from the World Championships in Dubai 2021, calls for White to mate in just one move.
The trick is to recognize that despite the arrangement of the Black men, the board is actually viewed from the White side, as shown by the black king standing on a square of its own color, rather than on the opposite color as in the standard opening position.
In tourneys conducted by correspondence, the participants send their entries by post or e-mail.
The most notable tournament of this type is the World Chess Solving Championship, organised by the PCCC.
Just as in over-the-board play, the titles Grandmaster, International Master and FIDE Master are awarded by FIDE via the Permanent Commission of the FIDE for Chess Compositions (PCCC) for especially distinguished problem and study composers and solvers (unlike over-the-board chess, however, there have not been any women-only equivalents to these titles in problem chess).
For composition, the International Master title was established in 1959, with André Chéron, Arnoldo Ellerman, Alexander Gerbstmann, Jan Hartong, Cyril Kipping and Marian Wróbel being the first honorary recipients.
These albums are collections of the best problems and studies composed in a particular three-year period, as selected by FIDE-appointed judges from submitted entries.
GM and IM titles can only be gained by participating in the official World Chess Solving Championship (WCSC): to become a GM, a solver must score at least 90 percent of the winner's points and on each occasion finish in at least tenth place three times within ten successive WCSCs.
For the IM title they must score at least 80 percent of the winner's points and each time finish in at least fifteenth place twice within five successive WCSCs; alternatively, winning a single WCSC or scoring as many points as the winner in a single WCSC will earn the IM title.
