1 June, 02:50

Results published here.

1 June, 01:49

hmm... about one more hour I would say...

1 June, 00:04

Well, this has been quite a journey! Congratulations to the four winners: Ivan, Alexandre, Arno and Cornel! Thank you to all participants for a memorable and very enjoyable tournament. I will soon publish all the results, I think it will take me an hour or two more. I will then post here the link. Some incredible gems to be discovered... :-)

1 June, 00:00

End of competition! :-) Soon more news...

31 May, 10:03

Wow... Arno finds the exact same F/13/33 position as the first one of Cornel, and becomes the first co-leader separated only by the date of sending!

29 May, 19:49

Arno is getting very close to Cornel in category F with a nice F/12/32!

28 May, 19:38

Ivan starts in the F category with a nice F/8/26!

25 May, 09:43

Alexandre improves several D category entries with: D/13/85, D/14/86 and D/15/87!

23 May, 20:10

Very last week! Ivan finds a second D/15/84!

18 May, 20:08

Ivan finds a very nice second D/5/45 version!

17 May, 15:31

Two more weeks! Ivan finds two entries: D/4/36 and D/13/82!

10 May, 12:03

Arno improves several entries: G/9/3/32, G/10/3/38, G/11/3/39, G/13/6/42!

08 May, 20:34

It was soooo calm lately, there had to be a big bang... :-) And there is!!! Arno finds an astonishingly elegant E/15/6/47! He also finds a G/14/6/46...

03 May, 11:40

Ivan finds two new entries in the C category: C/13/2/97 and C/14/2/100!

29 April, 19:53

Cornel finds one new entry in the G category: G/10/1/31!

28 April, 22:26

Cornel finds three new entries in the H category: H/10/30, H/11/32 and a second H/13/33!

27 April, 20:45

Cornel improves to 45 moves!!! He finds an E/16/5/45! This is seriously approaching 50... He also finds a G/15/5/44.

27 April, 17:17

Cornel improves in category B with a nice B/12/59!

27 April, 10:06

Cornel improves one of the entries with G/15/4/43!

27 April, 02:08

And indeed it is not over... :-) Cornel improves with a 44 moves! He finds: E/16/5/44, G/13/4/40, G/14/4/42 and G/15/5/43!

26 April, 19:49

Cornel improves with another beautiful matrix and reaches 42 moves!!! He finds an E/16/4/42! That is quite an achievement, and most probably still not over... he also finds a G/14/3/40 and a G/15/3/41.

24 April, 19:19

Cornel improves a category G entry with G/14/4/39!

23 April, 19:39

Cornel improves with: G/10/2/30, G/11/2/34 and G/12/2/36!

22 April, 22:56

And... yep, Cornel gets to 40!!! He finds a beautiful E/15/5/40! What seemed an almost impossible task becomes reality :-) And I believe it is still far from over... he also finds a G/13/3/37 and a G/14/4/38...

22 April, 20:14

Cornel finds a splendid E/16/4/39!!! Wow... and getting very close to the mighty 40! He also improves with six nice entries: F/13/33, G12/2/33, G/13/2/35, G/14/3/37, G/15/4/38 and H/12/32...

20 April, 12:06

Cornel increases his advance in the F category with a very nice F/15/33! He also finds an H/14/32...

19 April, 22:40

Thanks to Nicolas for a great idea and proposal! All the results of this tournament will be published in the magazine "Diagrammes"! This brings some "official" status to it, which is quite nice... :-)

19 April, 19:04

Nicolas finds two fantastic D category entries: D/6/53 and D/7/55!!! He also finds a second C/9/4/70! Ralf finds a nice F/10/28!

19 April, 11:10

Ivan finds two entries in the D category: D/5/45 and D/6/48!

18 April, 19:11

And Cornel is the first to solve it! :-)

18 April, 17:34

Unusually calm today... before the storm?! :-) Ok, then time for a funny brainteaser, probably the simplest one so far, but had me stamped for a few seconds, and thought interesting...

17 April, 18:42

Ivan finds a nice C/10/2/76!

17 April, 10:06

Ivan improves with both a D/9/69 and a C/11/2/92!

16 April, 20:43

Thanks to Cornel for a nice idea! Here below you will find all the participants who contributed to this tournament, and their respective country. Not meant to create any conflict of any kind - of course - just for fun... :-) 9 countries in all! I thought about putting myself also somewhere, but I did not know where. I thought about Belgium, Israël and Romania... :-) If I made any mistake, or forgot someone, please tell me so. I am not 100% sure about everyone.

16 April, 10:19

Wow... what a morning... :-) Several breakthrough results... Alexandre reaches E/16/5/38 with a beautiful matrix, Cornel also finds a most elegant E/16/6/37, a G/14/6/35 and a G/15/6/36, and finally Arno improves with a very nice H/5/23!!!

15 April, 19:03

Arno takes the lead in category E with a very nice E/16/6/35! He also finds a G/15/6/34...

14 April, 12:17

Calm morning... Cornel finds another version of the H/5/22. Now who will be the first to reach 40 in these new categories?! It seems it is a very tough barrier to reach!

13 April, 20:20

Arno "completes the table"... :-) He finds a whole series of records: H/1/6, H/2/12, H/3/16, H/4/20, H/5/22, H/6/26, H/7/28 and H/8/29!

13 April, 11:30

Cornel finds the other H/4/20, and improves with three different H/5/22 and an H/7/27!

12 April, 20:42

Cornel finds another H/5/21, and improves with H/6/25 and H/7/26!

12 April, 12:49

Ralf finds both an H/4/20 and H/5/21!

12 April, 10:15

Nicolas also finds the elegant D/5/45!

11 April, 21:34

Nicolas finds a very nice C/10/4/74, C/11/5/80 and A/12/6/88!

11 April, 10:01

Arno improves with an H/8/29!

10 April, 22:43

Ivan improves several entries, and sets a new record: A/16/118, D/9/64, D/10/73 and D/11/78!

10 April, 11:49

Enters the Dragon... :-) Alexandre starts in the E category with a nice E/16/4/34! Nicolas finds the elegant C/6/1/51... and Cornel finds the second H/3/16, the H/4/20 and H/5/21!

09 April, 22:40

Ralf finds both an H/2/12 and H/3/16!

09 April, 15:46

Nicolas finds an H/3/16, and a nice H/4/20!

09 April, 09:32

Cornel improves with four new entries: H/10/28, H/11/30, G/12/2/32 and E/13/2/33! It seems it is not very easy to go up relatively fast in these categories. To reach 50 may be an achievement similar to reaching 100 in category A! I am still waiting for the second one to cross that barrier... :-)

08 April, 20:16

Hmm... as there are really several versions for H/1/6 and H/2/12, I will just show one... :-)

08 April, 19:50

Several results: Nicolas finds an H/2/12, Arno finds an H/8/27 and F/12/30, and finally Cornel finds an H/11/29, a second H/12/30, and a F/13/31!

08 April, 10:33

Ralf finds an H/1/6, and Cornel improves with: H/5/20, H/6/24, H/7/25 and F/10/27!

07 April, 18:50

Cornel finds a second H/1/6!

07 April, 18:05

Important announcement. After some thought, I decided to prolong the duration of the tournament by one month. The reason being that with the added categories, more time is probably needed for the competitors, in order not to stress too much. The new categories are now "official", and will include a prize. Thus for the first of E, and the first of F. There will also be a prize for the first in the overall records table, for C and D, and also for G and H. Please follow the link above for the details.

07 April, 09:52

Nicolas finds the D/4/36!

06 April, 22:59

Cornel finds a H/1/6!

06 April, 18:13

Very nice new puzzle added, contributed by Cornel :-) He also finds a G/11/2/29...

06 April, 17:57

Cornel improves already with H/7/24 and G/12/2/31!

06 April, 17:37

Cornel and Pascal solve the last puzzle! I have added 3 categories to have a similar structure for the E idea as the main one. When not mentioned, only the high will be given and the low will be assumed to be high-1. Cornel finds: H/1/[3,1], H/2/12, H/3/16, H/4/18, H/5/19, H/6/20 and H/7/21! This does not replace of course the main categories, which remain the most important.

05 April, 23:43

Cornel improves with a beautiful E/13/3/33!

05 April, 22:46

New puzzle added, based on the previous one :-)

05 April, 19:09

And Pascal the second... :-)

05 April, 17:51

Cornel is the first to solve the latest puzzle!

05 April, 13:51

Here is an intriguing - but relatively easy - puzzle. Ok, it is clear that to have a difference of two (or greater) in category E seems crazy. One may even wonder if it is possible. Now: what is the shortest possible such game (following the rules of the competition) with the smallest number of pieces, with a difference of two or more? This is puzzle number 9.

05 April, 11:53

The new version of Popeye (4.45) is out! Thank you Thomas for the changes, and Cornel for the testings and follow-up. It is now very fast as the previous ones, but also detects shorter solutions. Although it is extremely unlikely that any of the entries sent have shorter solutions, it is possible, thus it would be a good idea to use it from now on. Also it helps to compose for the E category... :-)

05 April, 11:02

First category E entry by Cornel! He finds a nice F/8/26! This should be very interesting, as the type of matrices for this to work have obviously some specific needed characteristics. Nicolas also finds a second D/6/48!

04 April, 21:04

You won't believe what Ivan just found (and it is not 1st of April :-) )... an extraordinary A/15/3/117!!! Wow...

04 April, 12:35

New category added! This issue with Popeye gave me an idea... :-) I think you think now what I think... this should be very interesting! This category is for the records of problems having at least two unique solutions, of different number of moves... hehehe... :-) Same stipulations / rules (except 4) as the other ones, of course. Currently only the absolute records, with promoted pieces, I do not know if I will split it, we will see how it goes. I wonder if a few of the current matrices could by some trick(s) be modified for this. I believe it should give some very neat ideas, and it leaves room for much creativity! The email title for this would be: E/[Number of black pieces]/[Number of promoted pieces]/[Number of moves high, Number of moves low]. This is not an "official" one for the prizes, I do not know yet if it will be, thus the A and B remain the main ones. The ranking decisions are: Number of moves for high, number of pieces, number of promoted pieces, difference between high and low: more is better (although for more than 1, one must really stretch one's imagination!), date of sending.

02 April, 21:52

Almost half way through the tournament... :-) Ralf finds the elegant D/5/45! Jacques solves the 7th and 8th puzzles... Now for an important news concerning the reason why Popeye is slow with the newer versions. Thanks to Cornel and Thomas Maeder for the follow-up on this issue. The reason has been found, and it is because in the newer versions, with this stipulation, Popeye checks for each and every number of moves to see if there are shorter solutions. The previous versions did not do this, and only checked for exactly the number of moves given. This makes the 4th rule ("If there is a unique solution in exactly n moves, there cannot be solutions in less than n moves") not testable with the old versions! But then, with the new ones it is not possible to participate (a resolution to this is planned). That said, it is very (extremely) unlikely that such thing happens, nevertheless it is unfortunately a possibility. Thus, could you please check your entries for shorter solutions if you have time? Just check also for your number of moves -1, it should suffice. Unless you are sure it is not possible. I checked the 3 first of each category and they are all ok... :-)

01 April, 20:42

Ralf finds the tricky D/4/36!

01 April, 11:02

Ivan improves in the A category with a very nice A/15/2/102! Just 2 promoted pieces!!!

30 March, 22:09

Wow... Arno reaches a grand: A/16/4/96, with a superb and original matrix!!! Who will be the second one to reach 100?! Several contenders...

30 March, 16:31

Cornel already solved one of them!

30 March, 15:04

Ok, time for some new riddles... :-)

30 March, 11:46

Cornel finds the elegant D/5/45!

29 March, 20:45

It is Ivan's week... :-) He finds a nice D/12/81! Relatively calm otherwise, so many results up to now... of course it becomes tougher with time to reach / pass the records already set, but I am sure there is still a lot to discover!

29 March, 14:23

Ivan improves even more with an A/16/5/102!

29 March, 12:25

Pascal improves in the A category with a nice: A/16/4/83!

27 March, 22:06

Ivan finds a very nice: D/11/76! Soon April... hmm... what would I receive on the 1st of April... :-)

27 March, 18:51

Miodrag improves several records in the D category: D/8/58, D/9/61 and D/10/64!

25 March, 19:00

Ivan sets in high-gear, and reaches 100!!! Actually a beautiful A/16/4/101... wow... :-) This one is very special, not only because it reaches an incredible 100, but also because it is Ivan's wife, Libuše, birthday (happy birthday!), and he dedicates this one to her. Quite touching... :-) I will add the dedication for a few days, then remove it and put it again for the results page when the tournament will end. Of course it is probably possible to do more, it is not a celebration of the "absolute best", but of love and attention... :-) He also finds a very nice A/12/2/95! That said, Alexandre also is in super form, and reaches a grand: B/16/88!!! I have the feeling he will also work now for the 100... :-) Funny, my pre-tournament record in the A category might well end up being reached in the B's... hmm... and Cornel finds a quite surprising C/6/1/51 which was passed by many (including me as I had a C/6/1/50 before the tournament)!

24 March, 20:00

Arno finds a nice B/16/71. Although we have currently two pairs of twins in category B, they are not identical twins... :-)

24 March, 18:32

Cornel finds the other D/7/51... :-)

24 March, 15:56

Well well, Ivan also improves to B/16/86!!! It is the first time we have a tie in the high-end, only separated by the date of arrival! Pascal also enters the dance with a nice B/16/65!

24 March, 13:18

Hmm... it is snowing outside, I love snow, but it is a little bit strange for this month... :-) Just as a side note, if you are interested in mathematical problems and puzzles, I would highly recommend the site: http://www.mathpuzzle.com Maybe one of the best existing...

24 March, 11:51

And Alexandre responds by taking the lead again in the B category!!! He finds an elegant B/16/86! That should be interesting... :-) Cornel finds several entries in the D category: D/4/36, D/6/48, D/7/51, D/8/54! Pascal also solves the tricky 4th puzzle.

23 March, 11:25

Ivan also takes the lead in the A category with a nice A/15/2/94!!! Hmm... not 90 yet in the B category, but approaching... Ivan improves with B/15/84 and B/16/85! Welcome to a new competitor Pierre Tritten! He starts very nicely, with an original and elegant matrix: A/16/2/59 and B/15/49! Ralf also finds the nice: D/6/48 and D/7/51.

21 March, 20:28

Ivan found a beautiful gem, and improves even more: B/15/82, and B/16/83!!! Quite an achievement... hmm... soon 90, in the B category?! :-)

21 March, 18:43

Miodrag improves an entry with: C/11/3/75. One could note that each entry is a problem in itself, and improving those could help for the A and B categories. And they are quite fun to find by themselves... :-)

21 March, 14:52

Cornel is getting very close to the very top! He finds: C/11/4/75, C/12/5/79 and A/15/7/86!

21 March, 12:56

Arno also reaches the 70 barrier in the B category with a very nice B/16/70! Prelude to a grand fight there...

21 March, 10:13

Miodrag fights back, and finds: D/9/57, D/12/68, D/13/69 and B/16/71! I am very much impressed by the competitors creativity... Some ideas I would never have dreamt of finding... Cornel also improves significantly yet again in category A, being the third competitor to pass the 80 barrier with an A/15/7/83! 90 next?! :-) Each ten moves can be seen as an important milestone, and 100 being the Royal Crown-stone! I am glad to have started this tournament on the 7th instead of the initially planned 15th, seeing how things go, the more time one has, the better.

20 March, 18:26

Hold your breath... an absolutely stunning result, and an absolutely superb matrix too, by Ivan, in the B category! He found a B/16/78!!! Wow... :-) Completing with a B/15/77...

20 March, 11:04

Cornel improves significantly in the A category with a nice A/15/7/78! That's right, 7 promoted pieces!!! :-) Miodrag improves in many entries: D/4/36, C/6/1/50, C/8/3/65, C/9/4/70! That's quite high to say the least... :-) Paul improves in the A category with an elegant A/15/4/64.

19 March, 17:33

Miodrag improves one of the C entry with a C/14/6/89! I have added a new table, showing the number of records entries per competitor.

19 March, 09:38

Several interesting results, Pascal improves significantly in the A category and is just one move away from the 80 barrier with an A/16/6/79! Cornel has been very productive, and found: C/6/1/50, C/7/1/58, C/8/2/59, C/9/2/65, A/10/2/66! And finally Paul also improves in the A category with an A/13/3/58... who will be the third to reach 90? :-)

18 March, 09:18

Arno finds a D/4/36! It shows there are still things to discover in the "low dimension"... :-) Cornel improves in the A category with a nice: A/16/3/60, and he is also the first to solve the 6th puzzle!

17 March, 16:57

Paul starts his ascent with an A/13/3/53. Miodrag finds a few entries in the C category: C/11/2/74, C/14/6/88, C/15/6/89. Ok, time for a new puzzle... :-)

17 March, 08:56

Welcome to Paul Raican! He finds a very elegant matrix, in the A category: A/11/2/45. Miodrag finds a nice: C/10/2/73!

16 March, 21:44

Welcome to Jacques Rotenberg! He starts nicely with a D/1/10 and D/2/20. Cornel improves in the A and B categories with A/14/2/54 and B/11/51 respectively.

15 March, 21:19

Miodrag improves with a B/14/69!

15 March, 19:16

Pascal starts quite strong with an A/16/5/72! Very nice matrix too... so many different kind of matrices in this competition, it is quite amazing.

15 March, 17:24

Wow, unbelievable... Miodrag finds an incredible (and most beautiful) B/11/67!!! What a matrix... and still several pieces left... well well... :-) With it he takes currently 1st place in that category. He also finds a D/10/62... Ralf improves in the A category with an A/11/1/62, and Pascal solves the 2nd and 5th puzzles.

15 March, 08:36

Miodrag also makes it to 90!!! He finds an A/16/6/90... very nice... Ralf finds a pretty C/6/1/50.

14 March, 22:05

Miodrag gets well over the 80 barrier, to a grand A/13/6/86!!! That's getting very close to the 90 symbolic barrier, and also to Alexandre's best! Nicolas also finds the D/3/28.

14 March, 21:37

Just 7 days after the start of the tournament, and so many things happened during that time! And still 47 days to go... I am quite sure there will be still some surprises in store...

14 March, 20:47

Miodrag fights back with a very nice A/12/4/77! Arno improves in the D category with a D/11/56, and Nicolas finds the tricky D/2/20...

13 March, 17:06

Thus... Alexandre is the first to beat both my records, many congratulations! He must be in such a state, I wonder how many nights he didn't sleep... :-) Fantastic matrix... and, again, it is completely different than mine. There are quite many contenders in this category, and everything is still possible. Gilles starts nicely with the D/1/10.

13 March, 08:04

Alexandre has also beaten my B record with was B/16/65! He finds B/16/67 (and not B/16/66, missed an attachement)!!! More on it when I return, I really must go now unfortunately... Ralf also founds a very nice matrix and reached B/15/62! This should prove most exciting now, not for the records passing, but for the ultimate title... :-)

13 March, 01:23

Miodrag finds a D/11/54; Ivan, Arno, you will soon have a neighbor... :-) well... today I will probably stay up all night, 'have to prepare a presentation for tomorrow morning... won't be easy... If you do not hear from me for several days, know that I am in a deep happy and joyful sleep!

12 March, 23:33

Miodrag also finds the D/6/48 and D/7/51! It should become quite interesting also in this category :-) Let's wait and see...

12 March, 22:08

Well, it - was - a calm day... :-) Arno improves in the D and B category, and enters the 60 club there: D/6/48, D/7/51, B/16/60... and Ivan continues his route with a B/14/63! My record is tumbling...

12 March, 19:54

Today is a relatively calm day. Ralf starts his ascent with very nice entries: B/15/48 and an A/11/1/61! Welcome to Gilles Regniers! He solves the first, very tricky puzzle.

11 March, 21:13

Congratulation to Alexandre, who has beaten my A record!!! With a fantastic A/16/5/94!!! It was not an easy challenge, and he succeeded with brio. Now he has some other challenges, first beat my B record, then reach the 100 (or the other way around)... :-) I can reveal now my own record, which was an A/15/6/92. For information, those two matrices are miles apart, absolutely nothing in common. Thus there are most probably several more such "super matrices" to be found. And also those two, which could eventually be improved. Thus still hope for everyone, no discouragement please... Rome was not build in one day (mostly), sometimes it takes some time for ideas to sink in and be improved; and there is still plenty of time until the end. For the other news, also welcome to Ivan Skoba! He was one of the winners of the previous tournament I organized, and he already "sets in" with a very nice B/13/58! Will we get a situation where one competitor has beaten one of my records, and the other, the other, and both look out for each other matrices... funny (not for them) situation... Then also Arno improves significantly in the A category with: C/13/5/71, C/14/5/74, A/15/5/77! Guy finds the D/3/28, and Ralf the: D/2/20, D/3/28, D/4/34. One thing that can be said, is that the relatively modest: D/3/28, is also a superb matrix, and not an easy find. A good puzzle/problem to give in your local club :-) Mario also enters the dance, with the D/1/10.

11 March, 20:39

Big announcement to make, just in a minute... :-)

11 March, 00:17

'Calm before the storm?! Guy finds the tricky D/2/20...

10 March, 18:42

Hello... :-) Hmm... ok, so what have we today, o, just Alexandre got to an A/16/4/92, and Arno who finds: C/7/1/54, C/9/1/60, C/10/2/64, C/11/2/67, C/12/3/69, C/13/3/70, C/14/3/71, A/16/3/72... routine :-) Those two are topping the charts lately!!! Alexandre is so close to surpass my A record, he has good chances of being the first. Then he will have to work on the B category... :-)

09 March, 22:34

Ok, I'm gonna sleep now, have to go to work tomorrow quite early. I was on holiday this week, thus it was no problem for me to update this page rapidly. It will probably be updated tomorrow evening. Good night!

09 March, 20:59

Welcome to Arno Tüngler! He will be quite a dangerous competitor... :-) He finds: D/1/10, D/2/20, D/3/28, D/4/32, D/5/45, D/6/47, and C/7/1/50!!! And also welcome to Alexandre Leroux, I knew he would be a very dangerous competitor too. He finds, "roulement de tambour"... an A/16/3/84!!!!!! And a superb matrix. For those of you who wonder, no, it is not yet my record... :-)

09 March, 19:18

A relatively calm day... James finds a C/9/3/52, and improves with a C/10/4/55...

09 March, 12:39

Miodrag improves his A category entry with an A/16/3/65! He also finds the following: C/9/1/48, C/11/3/57, C/12/3/58, C/13/3/60, C/14/3/62, C/15/3/63, D/9/47, D/10/48. James improves one of his C entry: C/10/4/54. Finally Cornel improves in the B category with a B/15/48.

09 March, 03:24

Hmm... almost calling it a day... :-) James found a A/16/5/63!!! That is quite tight... now I first disconnect the Internet, and then the computer! :-)

09 March, 03:05

Ok, I am calling it a day :-) The battle is raging now and is getting quite exciting. Miodrag is currently the leader, but there are several hungry wolves behind. James is getting very near; to say the least... but Miodrag will surely not stay still... :-) Have a good night everyone!

09 March, 03:00

James improves greatly and enters the 60 club with an A/14/5/62!!!, he also finds a C/13/5/60, and a C/11/4/54! Guy is not at rest, producing a splendid game, and also enters the 60 club with an A/5/16/60!!! Please note that I changed the "1 or 2" initial moves, in the "positions not allowed" section, to "very few". This leaves some (very small) margin for creativity in this aspect too, in some very specific, non-trivial cases.

09 March, 00:07

48 hours passed, so many things happened! Guy improves with two entries: D/6/42 and D/7/43. James fights back with a very nice and original A/10/3/52!!! Tremble my friends, tremble... :-)

08 March, 22:49

Miodrag improves with a D/6/40 and a D/7/42!

08 March, 22:03

Guy finds a few new entries: D/5/37, D/6/39, D/7/40, C/8/1/44. Miodrag finds the D/2/20, D/3/28 and D/4/31. Cornel improves a little bit with a A/13/3/49...

08 March, 20:41

Miodrag finds a D/9/46, D/10/47, D/11/50 and the D/1/10...

08 March, 19:28

A few improvements: Pascal finds a D/5/35, and Cornel a D/7/36...

08 March, 17:02

Well, hmm... ready?! Miodrag finds a B/16/56!!! Very nice one. He also adds the: D/12/52, D/13/53, D/14/54, D/15/55.

08 March, 16:41

Miodrag improves to: A/16/3/64... 64, that is a chess symbol... So, who's up to the challenge? :-)

08 March, 15:43

Ouch... that's gonna hurt... Miodrag improves... a lot... and gets to: A/16/3/63!!! :-)

08 March, 15:15

Miodrag improves slightly with an A/16/2/58...

08 March, 14:42

Miodrag improves with an A/16/3/58, and takes first place in category A!

08 March, 14:34

Cornel improves with a B/13/46, getting in front of Miodrag for category B; and with an A/14/1/48, enters category A! Guy improves even more in the A / C category: C/13/2/54, C/14/2/55, A/15/2/56... Mario also solves the 3rd and 4th puzzles, finishing all :-)

08 March, 13:06

So, here we go, I hope I did not make a mistake, please correct me otherwise... Cornel finds: D/1/10, D/2/20, D/3/28, D/4/31, D/5/33, D/6/34, D/7/35, C/7/1/36, B/9/40, B/10/42. Jacques finds: D/2/20, D/3/28, Guy goes strong and finds a: A/16/4/57. Pascal finds: D/3/28 and D/4/31. And finally Miodrag also goes very strong: A/12/1/45, B/11/44, A/16/2/56! I must say this stipulation is even more promising that I first thought. I missed many very nice ideas and matrices that composers find now. Thus, until when my records will stand?!

08 March, 12:22

Ok, woke up not long ago :-) Quite a few emails to sort out. It seems the competition is now on its rails...

08 March, 03:49

Ok, I'm gonna sleep a little bit... actually a lot... good night!

08 March, 03:46

Welcome to Ralf Krätschmer, who enters the (Dragon's) Den... :-) He starts with a D/1/10...

08 March, 03:18

Guy is unstoppable... :-) A/15/2/52, B/14/51...

08 March, 02:47

Guy improves still more: A/16/3/52, B/13/48...

08 March, 00:51

Many results :-) Welcome to Axel Gilbert! He finds the D/1/10, and solves puzzles 2, 3 and 5. James also finds the D/1/10. Guy is putting the turbo, and finds: D/8/43, D/10/46, B/12/47, and first category A entry with a A/13/1/48!

08 March, 00:24

Pascal finds the D/2/20!

07 March, 23:58

Welcome to Miodrag Mladenovic! He starts very strong with a B/11/41!

07 March, 23:13

Welcome to Pascal Wassong! He finds the D/1/10. Jacques also submits his first entry, being the D/1/10. This problem is indeed a good start, to understand better the task ahead.

07 March, 22:40

Guy finds the tricky D/1/10... first two author entry...

07 March, 16:52

James finds a D/2/20, and is currently leading the charts! Ok, for every action, there is a reaction... so says Newton's 3rd law... :-)

07 March, 14:31

James improves yet more with a D/3/28 and D/4/31! Just as a side note, maybe you already know of these great puzzles, by the Hanayama company. I have several of those. One that I particularly like, so incredibly elegant, and is very hard to solve is: http://www.castpuzzle.net/english/castpuzzle/elk.html If you wish for a (very) long peaceful moment (hours / days / ...) from someone at work, offer him this one as a gift.

07 March, 13:17

Welcome to Mario Richter! Currently working on the puzzles :-) He solved the 1st and the 5th.

07 March, 12:42

James improves to D/3/27! And finds a D/4/30...

07 March, 11:03

Ok, had a good night sleep... back in form :-) Welcome to a new composer, James Willson, he finds an incredible D/3/26!!! Beautiful. I will confess I completely overlooked this matrix. I am really happy about that finding, it's a real puzzle. He is the first to surpass one of my sub-records. Not yet the global ones (but for how long...) :-) Cornel had apparently no rest... and finds several ones: D/5/27, D/6/28, C/8/1/29, C/10/1/30!

07 March, 02:42

Nicolas is going strong with a D/2/18! Cornel improves with a D/3/22, and a D/4/23...

07 March, 02:26

Welcome to Nicolas Dupont! He enters with a D/1/10! Cornel sends a D/2/16, and a D/3/20...

07 March, 01:29

Guy improves to D/3/20, Cornel enters the competition with a D/1/9... those two will be tough competitors. I will, to start, not say what it compares to with my own results, this I will do only in a few days, when it will all "calm down".

07 March, 01:08

And we have the first entry!!! Welcome to Guy Sobrecases! he starts with a D/3/10.

07 March, 00:42

I received a very good example (thank you Guy!), which exposed a problem in my definition. The starting position must include a white king and a white bishop, thus the white bishop cannot be a promoted one.

07 March, 00:07

Start of tournament! Good luck to all!

06 March, 20:11

Cornel and Adrian solved the latest puzzle... 4 hours to go... please, do not blame me for sleeplessness... :-) If I see Zombies with hatches in front of my house, Buffy lives next door... be warned!

06 March, 14:04

Ok, last puzzle before the "real thing" starts...

05 March, 23:03

Jacques also solves the fourth problem! 25 hours to go... prepare the coffee, and a bunch of chips / popcorn packets...

05 March, 17:03

Welcome to Adrian Doroiman! He solves the 3 last puzzles :-) And of course Cornel gets the last one...

05 March, 11:39

Well, just around 36 hours to go. So, time for a new, you know what :-)

04 March, 22:51

And Jacques follows... :-) He also solves both problems... I actually gave the 2nd one in my previous tournament, thus I just added both who solved it beforehand.

04 March, 18:54

Hmm... I think the other competitors must watch him closely... :-) Cornel solves the new puzzle!

04 March, 18:02

Ok, I'll add one more nice puzzle... some would start to think that this is actually a puzzle contest, don't worry you are on the right page. It is just that like many, I love all kinds of puzzles and problems, of which of course chess problems could be seen as a (important) subset. I will present just a few, from time to time.

04 March, 17:55

Cornel has just been hired... :-)

04 March, 17:30

New puzzle added... let's see if you would have been hired by this technological company :-)

02 March, 22:44

And Jacques Dupin follows! Welcome to both :-)

02 March, 22:28

And we already have an entry! Cornel Pacurar is the first to solve the puzzle!

01 March, 22:17

Ok, preparing the terrain... :-) Let's start with a puzzle, just for fun (added in the table here below).

Competitor

Number of moves

Number of pieces

Number of promoted pieces in the initial position

Date of sending

Ivan Skoba

118

16

3

10/04/2008 at 22:33

Arno Tüngler

96

16

4

30/03/2008 at 19:24

Alexandre Leroux

94

16

5

11/03/2008 at 17:22

  Miodrag Mladenovic

90

16

6

15/03/2008 at 00:25

Nicolas Dupont

88

12

6

11/04/2008 at 21:24

Cornel Pacurar

86

15

7

21/03/2008 at 14:42

Pascal Wassong

83

16

4

29/03/2008 at 22:36

Paul Raican

64

15

4

19/03/2008 at 22:56

James Willson

63

16

5

09/03/2008 at 03:25

Ralf Krätschmer

62

11

1

15/03/2008 at 17:18

 Guy Sobrecases

60

16

5

09/03/2008 at 01:02

Pierre Tritten

59

16

2

22/03/2008 at 18:01

Competitor

Number of moves

Number of pieces

Date of sending

Alexandre Leroux

88

16

25/03/2008 at 02:39

Ivan Skoba

86

16

24/03/2008 at 15:16

 Miodrag Mladenovic

71

16

20/03/2008 at 23:10

Arno Tüngler

71

16

24/03/2008 at 12:50

Pascal Wassong

65

16

24/03/2008 at 15:05

Ralf Krätschmer

62

15

13/03/2008 at 04:14

Cornel Pacurar

59

12

27/04/2008 at 17:08

Nicolas Dupont

55

7

19/04/2008 at 16:33

Guy Sobrecases 

51

14

08/03/2008 at 14:54

Pierre Tritten

49

15

22/03/2008 at 18:01

Competitor

Number of moves for both solutions (high, high-1 by default)

Number of pieces

Number of promoted pieces in the initial position

Date of sending

Arno Tüngler

47

15

6

08/05/2008 at 04:36

Cornel Pacurar

45

16

5

27/04/2008 at 18:48

Alexandre Leroux

38

16

5

16/04/2008 at 08:25

Competitor

Number of moves for both solutions
(high, high-1 by default)

Number of pieces

Date of sending

Cornel Pacurar

33

13

22/04/2008 at 11:01

Arno Tüngler

33

13

31/05/2008 at 07:23

Ralf Krätschmer

28

10

19/04/2008 at 16:35

Ivan Skoba

26

8

28/05/2008 at 11:01

Nicolas Dupont

20

4

09/04/2008 at 09:37

Competitor

Number of records

Ivan Skoba

13

Nicolas Dupont

8

Miodrag Mladenovic

7

Cornel Pacurar

6

Arno Tüngler

5

Ralf Krätschmer

5

Competitor

Number of records

Arno Tüngler

15

Cornel Pacurar

7

Number of black pieces in the initial position

Competitors

Number of moves

Number of promoted pieces in the initial position

3

4

5

6

7

Cornel Pacurar

58

1

8

Miodrag Mladenovic

65

3

9

Miodrag Mladenovic

Nicolas Dupont

70

4

10

Ivan Skoba

76

2

11

Ivan Skoba

92

2

12

Ivan Skoba

95

2

13

Ivan Skoba

97

2

14

Ivan Skoba

100

2

15

Ivan Skoba

117

3

16

Ivan Skoba

118

3

Number of black pieces in the initial position

Competitors

Number of moves

1

Nicolas Dupont, Guy Sobrecases, Pascal Wassong, Jacques Dupin, Axel Gilbert, James Willson, Ralf Krätschmer, Cornel Pacurar, Miodrag Mladenovic, Arno Tüngler, Mario Richter, Gilles Regniers, Jacques Rotenberg

10

2

James Willson, Pascal Wassong, Cornel Pacurar, Jacques Dupin, Miodrag Mladenovic, Arno Tüngler, Guy Sobrecases, Ralf Krätschmer, Nicolas Dupont, Jacques Rotenberg

20

3

James Willson, Cornel Pacurar, Pascal Wassong, Jacques Dupin, Miodrag Mladenovic, Arno Tüngler, Ralf Krätschmer, Nicolas Dupont, Guy Sobrecases

28

4

Arno Tüngler, Miodrag Mladenovic, Cornel Pacurar, Ralf Krätschmer, Nicolas Dupont, Ivan Skoba

36

5

Arno Tüngler, Cornel Pacurar, Ralf Krätschmer, Nicolas Dupont, Ivan Skoba

Ivan Skoba

45

6

Nicolas Dupont

53

7

Nicolas Dupont

55

8

Miodrag Mladenovic

58

9

Ivan Skoba

69

10

Ivan Skoba

73

11

Ivan Skoba

78

12

Ivan Skoba

81

13

Alexandre Leroux

85

14

Alexandre Leroux

86

15

Alexandre Leroux

87

16

Alexandre Leroux

88

Number of black pieces in the initial position

Competitors

Number of moves

Number of promoted pieces in the initial position

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Arno Tüngler

32

3

10

Arno Tüngler

38

3

11

Arno Tüngler

39

3

12

13

Arno Tüngler

42

6

14

Arno Tüngler

46

6

15

Arno Tüngler

47

6

Number of black pieces in the initial position

Competitors

Number of moves

1

Cornel Pacurar, Ralf Krätschmer, Nicolas Dupont, Arno Tüngler

6

2

Cornel Pacurar, Nicolas Dupont, Ralf Krätschmer, Arno Tüngler

12

3

Cornel Pacurar

Nicolas Dupont, Ralf Krätschmer, Cornel Pacurar, Arno Tüngler

16

4

Cornel Pacurar, Arno Tüngler

Cornel Pacurar, Nicolas Dupont

20

5

Arno Tüngler

23

6

Arno Tüngler

26

7

Arno Tüngler

28

8

Arno Tüngler

29

9

10

Cornel Pacurar

30

11

Cornel Pacurar

32

12

13

Cornel Pacurar, Arno Tüngler

Cornel Pacurar

33

14

15

16

Puzzle

Statement

Competitors

1

Here is a beautiful problem. Given the four numbers: 1, 5, 6, 7. Using only the simple math operators: +, -, * and /, how can one arrive to 21? No tricks (it is really possible!).

Cornel Pacurar, Jacques Dupin, Mario Richter, Pascal Wassong, Gilles Regniers

2

Here is another very nice one. It was apparently used as an entry test problem to a technological company. Given 100 identical pieces of money laid out randomly on the table. 90 are heads, 10 tails. You are asked to close you eyes, and you wear gloves. Goal: create two packs, having the same number of tails in both. How can it be done?

Cornel Pacurar, Jacques Dupin, François Perruchaud, Mario Richter, Adrian Doroiman, Axel Gilbert, Pascal Wassong

3

What is the sum of the digits of the numbers going from 1 to 1.000.000.000 ? Hmm... must I specify, no computer aid? :-)

Cornel Pacurar, Jacques Dupin, Adrian Doroiman, Axel Gilbert, Mario Richter

4

Given a sequence of 6 numbers: [1,0,1,0,0,0]. An operation consists of adding 1 to each consecutive elements, or to the first and last. Is it possible to arrive to a sequence where all the elements are the same, after a certain number of operations? If yes, how, if not, why? Example:
[1,0,1,0,0,0]->[1,1,2,0,0,0]->[1,1,2,0,1,1]->[2,1,2,0,1,2]->...

Adrian Doroiman, Cornel Pacurar, Jacques Dupin, Mario Richter, Pascal Wassong

5

Here is a quite elegant problem: you have a simple scale, with two plates. You would like to be able to find the weight (being an integer) of all objects between 1 and 40 kg, in just one weighting. How many counter-weights do you need for that, and with what values?

Cornel Pacurar, Adrian Doroiman, Mario Richter, Axel Gilbert, Pascal Wassong

6

Here is a problem having a very elegant solution: Given 33 rooks to be placed on an 8x8 board. Prove that no matter how they are arranged, one can always pick 5 from them which do not attack each other (all the other rooks are removed).

Cornel Pacurar

7

Here is one I read recently, really cute: Given a bottle, a cork, and a coin. The coin is in the bottle, and it is closed with the cork. You wish to get the coin out from the bottle, without taking out the cork, or breaking the bottle. How can you do it?

Cornel Pacurar, Jacques Dupin

8

Another very elegant one: You are in a desert with your best friend, and both are fighting for survival. You have a transparent bottle having a weird form, full of water, and a marker pen. You wish both of you to drink exactly half of the water. How can you do it?

Jacques Dupin

9

What is the shortest possible game, with the smallest amount of material (still following the rules of the competition), for a category E like game with a difference between high and low of at least 2?

Cornel Pacurar, Pascal Wassong

10

Given maximum the number of pieces found in the previous puzzle, plus 1. What is the biggest difference between high and low that one can find?

Cornel Pacurar, Pascal Wassong 

11

Here is a very elegant problem, by Cornel: Find the shortest game, with the fewest pieces, having 4 unique solutions (with 4 different number of moves)! Of course, in the initial position, white has only the king and a bishop, and in the final position there is only the white king and bishop, and the black king!

Cornel Pacurar

12

Here is one I just read on a site and found quite interesting, although most simple. I thought about a bizarre answer for a few seconds at first, but didn't quite fit the bill, and then it hit me (pun... :-) ): "How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you, even if it doesn't hit anything, there is nothing attached to it, and no one else catches or throws it?"

Cornel Pacurar

Country

Competitors

Belgium 

Gilles Regniers

Canada 

Alexandre Leroux, Cornel Pacurar

Czech Republic

Ivan Skoba

France 

Axel Gilbert, François Perruchaud, Guy Sobrecases, Jacques Dupin, Nicolas Dupont, Pascal Wassong, Pierre Tritten

Germany 

Mario Richter, Ralf Krätschmer

Israël 

Jacques Rotenberg

Romania 

Adrian Doroiman, Paul Raican

Serbia 

Miodrag Mladenovic

United States 

James Willson