Study of the Year 2013

An expert gremium has selected the "Study of the Year 2013", which is not the best study of the year but the best one to promote chess composition to a general public. Last night Dr. Harold van der Heijden (Netherlands) has sent the e-mail (the small error in the linking was there in the original mail but the link itself works):

Dear all,

The Study of the Year 2013 has been selected!

The marvellous study of Pavel Arestov can be downloaded here:

www.arves.org/PDF-Awards/The%20Study%20of%20the%20Year%202013%20-%20study.pdf

www.arves.org/PGN-Awards/SOY%202013%20Arestov.pgn

Every year we select a Study of the Year to popularize endgame studies among the general chess public. Therefore I ask you to publish it in your magazine or on your website. Please also refer to: www.arves.org/English/index.htm

Further details (report, all studies submitted, and the scores of the judges) can be found here:

www.arves.org/English/StudyOfTheYear2013.htm

www.arves.org/PDF-Awards/SOY%202013.pdf

www.arves.org/PGN-Awards/SOY%202013.pgn

Best wishes,

Harold van der Heijden

Spokesman of the endgame study subcommittee of the WFCC

 For the convenience of the reader, the study is reproduced here.

Pavel Arestov

Jenever tourney 2013, prize

White to move and draw

1.d7 Ke5! 2.Sd3+! Ke4! 3.Sf2+!! B:f2 4.d8Q Sd4+

5.Kc5!!, and:

5.-Se6+ 6.Kd6 S:d8 stalemate (left diagram)

5.-Rh5+! 6.Kb6!!/i Se6+ 7.Ka6 S:d8 stalemate (right diagram)

i - 6.Kc4? Rc5+! 7.K:c5 reaches the position after the fifth move, but without the Rh7. Now 7.-Se6+ 8.Kd6 S:d8 wins since the king can enter the seventh rank. This is known among experts as the "WCCT 7 theme" since it was required for White in that tourney that ran from 2001 to 2004.

         

Left: Stalemate after 5.-Se6+

Right: Stalemate after 5.-Rh5+