STUDY OF THE YEAR 2006
The Study of the Year award for 2006 has been granted by the PCCC (Permanent Commission
of Fide for Chess Composition) to the following masterpiece from the special composing
tourney held in memory of the British composer C.M.Bent.
Yuri Bazlov
1st HM Bent MT 2006-07
White to play and win
1.Be4+ (1.Qe4+ Kc5 2.Bxc4 Bf4+ 3.Kg6 Rxc4 4.Qa8 Re7=) 1…Ke6
2.Qc5! (2.Qb3? Rf4 3.Qxa4 Rxe4 =) 2…Bf4+ (2…Rfa7 3.Bd5+
Kf5 4.Qf8+ Kg4 5.Qf3+ Kh4 6.Be6 mating) 3.Kg6 Se5+ 4.Kh5 Rxe4 (4…Rd7
5.Bd5+ Rxd5 6.Sc7+ Kd7 (Kf5) 7.Sxd5 wins; 4…Rfa7 5.Bd5+ Kd7 6.Sf6+ Kd8
7.Be6 R4a5 8.Qb6+ Ke7 9.Sg8+ Kf8 10.Qd8+ Kg7 11.Qf6+ Kh7 12.Se7 wins) 5.Qd6+
Kf5 6.Qf6+!! Rxf6 7. Sg7 mate!
"An outstanding and aristocratic example of the familiar maximal selfblock
mate, this study has an excellent quiet second move permitting black counterplay.
All pieces move into their final position"
David Friedgood and Timothy Whitworth, Judges in the C.M. Bent
MT 2006-07
Midboard ideal mate with the last piece following four active self-blocks.
All units move in the course of the main line of play and the only two captures
are of white pieces.
John Roycroft, chairman of the award committee
Yuri Bazlov (born 1947) has been a prominent Russian composer for the last
four decades. It is for him the second time in a row to win this award.
Yochanan Afek
spokesman of the studies sub-committee of the PCCC