The Fruits of Hard Work
Today I will be analysing a few of the beautiful studies that were composed at the FIDE World Cup in 2020. The winner was Darko Hlebec from Serbia, who created a magnificent study where there consisted of 4 active self-blocks! Second place was Oleg Pervakov from Russia, who is a well known composer.
First of all we will be looking at Pervakov's study. This is was Yochanan Afek, who was the official judge, said about this study:
A subtle eye-catching struggle of minor pieces to trap the black monarch leads to a surprising mutual zugzwang followed by a pair of ideal mates. The quiet and precise support of the white king all the way through is impressive. An original piece of fine art!
11 years ago, I was privileged to award a shared victory in a major tourney to a gem study displaying an ideal mate by a knight underpromotion following 4 active self-blocks (Yuri Bazlov, 1st-2nd prize, Corus-70 JT, 2009). Here we witness a similar magic carried out by a single rook (not by promoting though...) mating following 4 active self-blocks! The fluent and natural introductory play with all units active is highlighted by a queen sacrifise so that the absence of a white key is easily forgiven.
The last study is left as a puzzle for the reader! If you have the answer, please post it down below in the comments section
