1st World Youth Chess Solving Championship

Girls outsmarted boys in Brazil

Florianópolis, the capital of southern Brazil’s Santa Catarina state, was the venue of the 1st FIDE & WFCC World Youth Chess Solving Championships in the Open and Girls categories for participants up to 14, 16 & 18 years. The solving competitions in these six categories were held in the context of the World OTB Championships in the same age and gender categories, during the free day in the OTB events, on 4th November 2024.

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Before turning thoughts to 21st November and the 1st World Cadets Chess Solving Championships (U8, U10 & U12) in Montesilvano (Italy), you may read the report from Florianópolis, by Marcos Roland, one of the main organizers of the 1st WYCSC:

Solving in Floripa: 1st WYCSC reapproximates chess composition and OTB chess


WFCC online meeting, 25th October 2024

  • ECSC 2025 in Athens,
  • WCCC & WCSC in Alba Iulia

An online WFCC Meeting took part via Zoom connection on 25th October 2024, organized and executed by WFCC secretary Mohammad Alhallak. Among 35 participants there were delegates or deputies of 28 countries: Argentine, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

Agenda with all the details

The first topic to discuss and decide on was selection of the hosts for the two regular yearly events in 2025, 18th European Chess Solving Championship and 67th World Congress of Chess Composition (including 48th World Chess Solving Championship).

The only bid for ECSC 2025 came from Greece and was accepted by acclamation. The 18th ECSC will be held in University of Athens, from 25th to 27th April 2025.

During discussion about the three bids for WCCC & WCSC 2025, Honorary Member Hannu Harkola commented expressed opinion that according to the Statutes only the bids from member countries should be taken in consideration, and not the Montenegro bid. Since we have had exceptions before (Turkey ECSC 2008 and Montenegro ECSC 2014), the case was put on voting, and the bid wasn’t accepted, with 15 votes against it, 8 for, and 5 abstentions.

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Marjan Kovačević suggested that in the current situation, with four WFCC member countries involved in wars, the WFCC needs to establish an Ethic Committee to work on Ethic Codex. Upon his proposal, Honorary Presidents Klaus Wenda and Harry Fouigiaxis, as well as the delegate of India Narayan Shankar Ram accepted to be the members if the working group, with Mr. Fougiaxis as the leader.

Marjan Kovačević, WFCC president


Solvers’ ratings October 1st 2024

Solvers’ ratings as of October 1st 2024 produced by the Solving Tournament Manager are published on the WFCC Solving Portal.
Only 3 tournaments of the 3rd quarter 2024 are included: 6th Ukrainian Cup 2024, Open Solving Tournament of WCCC 2024, 47th World Chess Solving Championship 2024.
Ranking of the top 10 solvers: 1. Danila Pavlov (FID) 2818.95, 2. Kacper Piorun (POL) 2717.28, 3. Piotr Murdzia (POL) 2700.12, 4. John Nunn (GBR) 2654.46, 5. Ural Khasanov (FID) 2653.87, 6. Nikos Sidiropoulos (GRE) 2590.25, 7. Bojan Vučković (SRB) 2585.61, 8. Aleksey Popov (FID) 2577.85, 9. Eddy Van Beers (BEL) 2577.04, 10. Ilija Serafimović (SRB) 2560.25.
Nikos Sidiropoulos and Ilija Serafimović among the top 10 solvers for the first time!
Largest five gains: women junior Anna Ličková (CZE) +123.52, junior Chinguun Sumiya (MGL) +91.88, junior Alexandru Mihalcescu (ROU) +83.16, Modris Rāviņš (LAT) +73.54, Lev Glanzspiegel (ISR) +64.06


World Solving Cup season 2024/2025

According to the Rules for the World Solving Cup (WSC) member countries of the FIDE can register for the WSC until one month after the end of the WFCC congress. By the end of this period, 17 countries had registered for the 2024/2025 season. The Open Solvings of the ECSC and the next WCCC will also count for it.
Information on announcements, results, problems and solutions will be published on the WFCC Solving Portal at this link: https://solving.wfcc.ch/wsc/2024-2025/info.html

Roland Ott, director WSC season 2024/2025


Invitation to the 21st  ISC

The International Solving Contest next year will take place on Sunday 19.01.2025. The event is happening simultaneously in all participating countries.

There will be three categories: one for experienced solvers. The second category is intended for weaker, inexperienced solvers. This second category is not open for solvers with a rating (or half-rating or non-active-rating) of more than 2000.
The third category is intended for youngsters born after 31.12.2011.

According the WFCC sanctions against Russia and Belarus because of the war in Ukraine only tournaments in category-3 are possible in Russia/Belarus.
According to the decision at the WCCC in Jūrmala, no cash prizes are permitted for all participating countries.

Separate results are recorded for youth, females and seniors. For Categories 1 and 2 the results of solvers will be rated. However for all solvers no norms for titles are possible.

The name of the locally appointed controller must reach the central controller by e-mail not later than 31.12.2024.

Announcement of 21st ISC | Rules of ISC

Thank you for your cooperation,
Arvydas Mockus
Central controller of ISC 2025


66th WCCC – Highlights and Decisions

30 member countries were present, 4 of them via Zoom connection.

Upcoming events 2024:

21st International Solving Contest (ISC) on 19.01.2025, Director Arvydas Mockus.

The deadlines for bids for 67th WCCC, 48th WCSC & 18th ECSC were extended till October 5 2024, the final decisions will be made in an online Meeting after that. The only bid presented before the Congress, to hold WCCC & WCSC 2025 in Moscow, wasn’t supported by the assembly.


Jūrmala WCCC 2024 – short summary

See detailed information, tournaments/results and photo gallery on the official WCCC 2024 website – WCCC2024.WFCC.CH

The program included:

 


Jūrmala 29.07.2024 – World Solving Cup 2023/2024 – final tournament of season

Open Solving Tournament of WCCC 2024 | 18th tournament of World Solving Cup 2023/2024:
Participants: 90 | Joint Winners: Piotr Murdzia (POL) and Boris Tummes (GER) ahead of Kacper Piorun (POL) and Miroslav Voráček (CZE).
1st IM and GM norm of Miroslav Voráček (CZE), IM norms of Andy Ooms (BEL) and Dmitrijus Chocenka (LTU), FM norms of Lev Glanzspiegel (ISR), Richard Dobiáš (SVK) and Stasys Steponavičius (LTU)
Average rating of top ten solvers: 2575.50 | WSC category: 2
Top 5 WSC Final Standings: 1. Piotr Murdzia (POL) 109 points (+41), 2. Eddy Van Beers (BEL) 108 points (+16), 3. Martynas Limontas (LTU) 88 points (+15), 4. Kacper Piorun (POL) 80 points (+31), 5. Vidmantas Satkus (LTU) 68 points (unchanged).
More details published in Competitions→Solving→World Solving Cup @ Solving Portal


Youth solving championships – the FIDE & WFCC joint project

The most deserving pioneers of the FIDE solving events Akaki Iashvili and David Gurgenidze at the closing ceremony of the Batumi WCCC 2023
The most deserving pioneers of the FIDE solving events Akaki Iashvili and David Gurgenidze at the closing ceremony of the Batumi WCCC 2023

The celebration of the FIDE Centenary 1924-2024 will include a new and promising project in cooperation with the WFCC. During November the two biggest FIDE events for cadets (U8, U10, U12) and juniors (U14, U16, U18) will include World Solving Championships for girls and boys, forming the biggest ever youth solving event.

Juniors will be solving problems and endgames on November 4th, during the free day of the World Youth Chess Championships in Florianópolis, the capital of southern Brazil’s Santa Catarina state. Cadets will have their solving championships on November 21st, the rest day of the World Cadet Chess Championships in Montesilvano, the city in the Abruzzo region of Italy.

While celebrating this historical breakthrough in promotion of chess composition among new generations, it’s time to recall the prehistory that allowed one more step to be made. More than 30 years ago different countries started applying the model of national solving championships in the context of youth chess championships. On European level it was applied in 2002, with the first event organized in Serbia, in the context of European Youth Blitz and Rapid Championship, and in the age categories U10, U14, and U18. The more or less same format has been accepted by majority of the future hosts of the same European chess competitions, but some of the countries were not ready to organize it. In other words, all those competitions kept depending on the activity of the local chess composers and their relations with the national chess federations.

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All these preparatory actions, controlled and coordinated by WFCC, make a difference to the FIDE competitions of the Georgian team, who has handed in the organization to WFCC and helped so much in this transition. Another reason to mark the coming world championships with number 1 is the technical difference. It is the first time to have world solving championships in all six age categories: U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, and U18.

Marjan Kovačević, WFCC president


Solvers’ ratings July 1st 2024

Solvers’ ratings as of July 1st 2024 produced by the Solving Tournament Manager are published on the WFCC Solving Portal.
13 tournaments of the 2nd quarter 2024 are included: Open Solving Tournament Lithuania 2024, 45th Lithuanian Championship 2024, 43rd Azerbaijan Chess Solving Championship 2024, 32nd Chess Solving Championship of Slovakia 2024, Open Solving Tournament of ECSC 2024, 17th European Chess Solving Championship 2024, 50th Latvian Chess Solving Championship 2024, 45th French Chess Solving Championship 2024, Open Solving Championship of Serbia 2024, 46th German Solving Championship 2024, 32nd Czech Chess Solving Championship 2024, 9th Israel Open Solving Championship 2024, 9th Israel Open Solving Championship 2024 Category 2.
Ranking of the top ten solvers: 1. Danila Pavlov (FID) 2818.95, 2. Piotr Murdzia (POL) 2698.54, 3. Kacper Piorun (POL) 2678.52, 4. Ural Khasanov (FID) 2653.87, 5. John Nunn (GBR) 2638.24, 6. Bojan Vučković (SRB) 2585.61, 7. Eddy Van Beers (BEL) 2582.58, 8. Aleksey Popov (FID) 2577.85, 9. Marko Filipović (CRO) 2555.24 ahead of 10. Danila Moiseev (FID) 2555.00.
Largest five gains: junior Alexandru Mihalcescu (ROU) +158.62, Dmitrijus Chocenka (LTU) +110.56, Panagiotis Konidaris (GRE) +84.11, Jakob Leck (GER) +75.90, Jakub Marciniszyn (POL) +73.38