The World Chess Solving Championship (WCSC) is an annual competition in the solving of

chess problem A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by the composer using chess pieces on a chess board, which presents the solver with a particular task. For instance, a position may be given with the instruction that White is to ...

s (also known as chess puzzles) organized by the

World Federation for Chess Composition The World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC) is the highest body governing the official activities in the chess composition. It was known as the Permanent Commission of the FIDE for Chess Compositions (PCCC) from its inception in 1956 until Oct ...

(WFCC), previously by

FIDE The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE ( Fédération Internationale des Échecs), is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national c ...

via the

Permanent Commission of the FIDE for Chess Compositions The World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC) is the highest body governing the official activities in the chess composition. It was known as the Permanent Commission of the FIDE for Chess Compositions (PCCC) from its inception in 1956 until Oct ...

(PCCC). The participants must solve a series of different types of chess problem in a set amount of time. Points are awarded for correct solutions in the least amount of time. The highest score at the end of the competition is proclaimed the winner.

Format

The Tournament consists of six rounds over two days, with three rounds each day according to the following table: *Round 1 – 3 twomovers 20 minutes solving time *Round 2 – 3 threemovers 60 minutes solving time *Round 3 – 3

endgame studies In the game of chess, an endgame study, or just study, is a composed position—that is, one that has been made up rather than played in an actual game—presented as a sort of puzzle, in which the aim of the solver is to find the essentially uniqu ...

100 minutes solving time *Round 4 – 3

helpmate A helpmate is a type of chess problem in which both sides cooperate in order to achieve the goal of checkmating Black. In a helpmate in ''n'' moves, Black moves first, then White, each side moving ''n'' times, to culminate in White's ''nth'' mov ...

s 50 minutes solving time *Round 5 – 3 moremovers 80 minutes solving time *Round 6 – 3

selfmate A selfmate is a chess problem in which White, moving first, must force Black to deliver checkmate within a specified number of moves against their will. Selfmates were once known as sui-mates. Example The problem shown is a relatively simple examp ...

s 50 minutes solving time

Sections

*Team Championship – To qualify as an official team world championship, there must be at least seven teams from seven countries present. This section has grown from nine teams in 1977 to now averaging 20. *Individual – Likewise, for an official individual world championship to take place, 30 solvers from at least 10 countries must participate. This number too has grown from 18 in 1977 to well over 70 in the past six years (as of 2007). *Women and Juniors (up to 23 years old) – This event only requires 10 solvers from at least seven countries.

Rating

Formulas

For calculating ratings for players who previously did not have one, a provisional rating is given. This rating is given at the completion of the player's first tournament where the formula used is as follows: *Provisional Rating = (Average Tournament Player's Rating) x (Player's Result / Average Result At Tournament) For players who have previously established a rating the following formula demonstrates how a new rating is achieved. *New Rating = (Old Rating) + (KT) x (Player's Result - (Average Result x Old Rating / Average Tournament Old Rating)) KT = Tournament Coefficient (Ranging from 4 to 1 depending on strength of competition)

Current rating list

October 1st 2015, Top 10: # GM Georgy Evseev (RUS) 2785 # GM

Kacper Piorun Kacper Piorun (born 24 November 1991) is a Polish chess player who received the FIDE title of Grandmaster (GM) in September 2012. He is a five-time winner of the World Chess Solving Championship, and two-time winner of the Polish Chess Champion ...

(POL) 2744 # GM Piotr Murdzia (POL) 2742 # GM

John Nunn John Denis Martin Nunn (born 25 April 1955) is an English chess grandmaster, a three-time world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician. He is one of England's strongest chess players and was former ...

(GBR) 2716 # GM

Ram Soffer Ram Soffer (born 6 September 1965) is an Israeli chess player. He was awarded the title Grandmaster by FIDE in 1994. Ram Soffer is also a grandmaster in chess problem A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by the c ...

(ISR) 2667 # GM Eddy Van Beers (BEL) 2632 # GM Anatoly Mukoseev (RUS) 2631 # GM

Arno Zude Arno Zude (born 14 May 1964) is a German chess International Master and chess problemist. Biography Zude has won the German Chess Solving Championship several times (1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2001, ...

(GER) 2626 # GM

Jonathan Mestel Andrew Jonathan Mestel (born 13 March 1957 in Cambridge, England) is Professor of Applied Mathematics at Imperial College London. He worked on magnetohydrodynamics and biological fluid dynamics. He obtained his PhD with the thesis "Magnetic Le ...

(GBR) 2595 # GM Ofer Comay (ISR) 2594

Winners

Team competition

*1977 – *1978 – *1979 – *1980 – *1981 – *1982 – *1983 – *1984 – *1985 – *1986 – *1987 – *1988 – *1989 – *1990 – and *1991 – *1992 – *1993 – *1994 – *1995 – *1996 – *1997 – *1998 – *1999 – *2000 – *2001 – *2002 – *2003 – *2004 – *2005 – *2006 – *2007 – *2008 – *2009 – *2010 – *2011 – *2012 – *2013 – *2014 – *2015 – *2016 – *2017 – *2018 – *2019 – *2021 – *2022 –

Individual competition

*1983 –

Roland Baier Roland Baier (born August 11, 1954) is a Swiss chess problemist. In 1983 Baier won the first individual World Chess Solving Championship The World Chess Solving Championship (WCSC) is an annual competition in the solving of chess problems (also ...

(Switzerland) *1984 –

Kari Valtonen Kari Valtonen (born April 26, 1954) is a Finnish chess problemist. Biography Valtonen is chess problemist who worked in several genres, including endgame study, helpmate and selfmate. He was one of Finland's chess problem magazine ''Tehtävänie ...

(Finland) *1985 – Ofer Comay (Israel) *1986 –

Pauli Perkonoja Pauli Perkonoja (born July 19, 1941) is a Finnish chess problemist. Biography Perkonoja was born in a suburb of Tampere, but after a few years moved to Turku, where he has lived all his life. He worked in the Finnish postal service. In his free ...

(Finland) *1987 –

Michel Caillaud Michel Caillaud (born 10 April 1957) is a French chess problemist. In 1993, Caillaud gained the title Grandmaster of the FIDE for Chess Compositions. At 36 years of age, he was the youngest GM for Chess Compositions. He has 200.92 points in ...

(France) *1988 –

Michael Pfannkuche Michael Pfannkuche (born September 1, 1956) is a German chess problemist. Biography Twice won the individual World Chess Solving Championship (1988, 1993). Five times won the team World Chess Solving Championships for Germany (1987, 1988, 199 ...

(Germany) *1989 – Georgy Evseev (USSR) *1990 – Georgy Evseev (USSR) *1991 – Georgy Evseev (USSR) *1992 –

(Finland) *1993 –

(Germany) *1994 –

(Germany) *1995 –

(Finland) *1996 –

Noam Elkies Noam David Elkies (born August 25, 1966) is a professor of mathematics at Harvard University. At the age of 26, he became the youngest professor to receive tenure at Harvard. He is also a pianist, chess national master and a chess composer. Ear ...

(Israel) *1997 –

(Great Britain) *1998 – Georgy Evseev (Russia) *1999 – Ofer Comay (Israel) *2000 –

(France) *2001 –

Jorma Paavilainen Jorma Paavilainen (born April 5, 1960) is a Finnish chess problemist. Biography Twice (1983, 1985) played for Finland in World Youth U26 Team Chess Championships. In 1985 played for Finland second team in the Nordic Cup in chess. In later years ...

(Finland) *2002 – Piotr Murdzia (Poland) *2003 –

Andrey Selivanov Andrey Nikolayevich Selivanov (5 August 1847 – 15 July 1917) was a Russian politician and general notable for capturing Przemyśl during World War I. Biography Selivanov served in the Russian army during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 an ...

(Russia) *2004 –

(Great Britain) *2005 – Piotr Murdzia (Poland) *2006 – Piotr Murdzia (Poland) *2007 –

(Great Britain) *2008 – Piotr Murdzia (Poland) *2009 – Piotr Murdzia (Poland) *2010 –

(Great Britain) *2011 –

(Poland) *2012 – Piotr Murdzia (Poland) *2013 – Piotr Murdzia (Poland) *2014 –

(Poland) *2015 –

(Poland) *2016 –

(Poland) *2017 –

(Poland) *2018 – Piotr Murdzia (Poland) *2019 – Piotr Górski (Poland) *2021 –

Danila Pavlov Danila, Dănilă or Dănila may refer to: People * Danila (given name) , a given name * Danila or Dănilă, a surname Other uses * ''Dănila'', a village in Dărmănești, Suceava Dărmănești (german: Hatna) is a commune located in Sucea ...

(Russia) *2022 –

(Russia)

References

{{Chess Solving Chess problems