Baltic Combined

66th WCCC, Jūrmala, Latvia

Director: Iļja Ketris

The rules

  1. The competition is open to the participants of the 66th WCCC. It comprises composing and solving.
  2. Each participant composes one problem conforming to either stipulation:
  • a helpmate in two with one solution (h#2 1.1.1.1)
  • a reflexmate* in two (r#2)

Semi-reflexmates are not permitted.

  1. Participants submit their problems by email to the controller, subject to approval, as the total number of slots is limited.
  1. The solving phase of the competition takes place during the WCCC at 31.07.2024 (preliminary date)
  • location: ASPAZIJA hall 11.fl.
  • time: 18:00 (preliminary time)
  1. The participants solve all submitted problems, except their own. The problems are offered anonymized.
  2. The time allocated shall be 10 minutes times the number of problems to solve (which equals the number of participants minus one).
  3. Correct solutions are expected to be written down as follows:
  • for helpmates: all four half-moves (BWBW)
  • for reflexmates: first white move, and pairs of subsequent half-moves for all lines (W, [BW, BW, BW…]). Reasonable wildcarding is permitted for cumulative lines (e.g. “S~”, “Ba~” etc.)
  1. The scoring system is a zero-sum game. The total number of points at stake is equal to the number of problems squared, which is also the number of participants, given that participants get 0 points for their own problems.
  2. Scoring rules — for every problem the solver is awarded:
  • +1 if fully solved
  •  +0.5 if the first white move is correctly given for a reflexmate, but the rest of the solution is not complete or correct
  • -1 if solving is not attempted or the solution is not otherwise correct

The composer receives exactly minus the number of points for the same problem
(-1, -0.5, +1).

  1. If a participant submits a problem, but fails to show up at the solving, their problem is removed from the competition.
  2. All problems become official publications of the 66th WCCC.

* reflexmate in two (r#2)

White moves and forces black to deliver checkmate to white on their second move with the added condition that if either side can give checkmate, they must.

Example:

Iļja Ketris
The Problemist, 2008


r#2

Solution: 1.♖×c3! ~ 2.♖×f4 ♖×f4

1…♘c4 [A] 2.♔e4 ♗×c6 [B]
1…♗×c6 [B] 2.♗e4 f×g3 [C]
1… f×g3 [C] 2.♖c5 ♘c4 [A]

NB: for the Baltic Combined competition the last black move doesn’t need to be written.