World Chess Solving Championship


The World Chess Solving Championship is an annual competition in the solving of chess problems organized by the World Federation for Chess Composition, previously by FIDE via the Permanent Commission of the FIDE for Chess Compositions.
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:

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.
  • Women and Juniors – This event only requires 10 solvers from at least seven countries.

Rating

Formulas

We assume that the tournament has n solvers, with ratings and in the tournament their scores are .
  • AveRat = average rating of the solvers
  • AveSco = average score of the solvers
  • VarRat =
  • Covar = covariance between ratings and scores =
  • Slope =
  • Intercept =
For players who didn't already have a rating, a preliminary rating is calculated. This rating is determined at the end of the first tournament in which the solver has participated. The formula that is used to calculate this rating is:
  • preliminary rating =
For players who already have a rating, the new rating is calculated as follows.
  • Rat = most recent rating of the solver
  • ExpSco =
  • TC = tournament coefficient, a number between 1 and 4; when the tournament is stronger, the TC is higher
  • ChangeRat =
  • NewRat = new rating =
These formulas are the defaults. If parameters fall outside a predetermined range, correction calculations are being carried out. These can be found in the reference.

Rating list in 2015

October 1st 2015, Top 10:
  1. GM Georgy Evseev 2785
  2. GM Kacper Piorun 2744
  3. GM Piotr Murdzia 2742
  4. GM John Nunn 2716
  5. GM Ram Soffer 2667
  6. GM Eddy Van Beers 2632
  7. GM Anatoly Mukoseev 2631
  8. GM Arno Zude 2626
  9. GM Jonathan Mestel 2595
  10. GM Ofer Comay 2594

Rating list in 2023

July 1st 2023, Top 10:
  1. GM Danila Pavlov 2776
  2. GM Georgy Evseev 2747
  3. Andrei Zhuravlev 2683
  4. GM Piotr Murdzia 2661
  5. GM Kacper Piorun 2645
  6. GM Eddy Van Beers 2636
  7. GM John Nunn 2630
  8. GM Ram Soffer 2604
  9. IM Ural Khasanov 2602
  10. Kevinas Kuznekovas 2567

Winners

Team competition

  • 1977 –
  • 1978 – image:Flag of [Finland.svg|25px] Finland
  • 1979 –
  • 1980 –
  • 1981 – 25px Finland
  • 1982 –
  • 1983 – 25px Finland
  • 1984 – 25px Finland
  • 1985 – 25px Finland
  • 1986 –
  • 1987 – image:Flag of [Germany.svg|25px] West-Germany
  • 1988 – 25px West-Germany
  • 1989 –
  • 1990 – and
  • 1991 –
  • 1992 –
  • 1993 –
  • 1994 – 25px Germany
  • 1995 –
  • 1996 –
  • 1997 – image:Flag of [Israel.svg|20px] Israel
  • 1998 –
  • 1999 –
  • 2000 –
  • 2001 –
  • 2002 – 25px Germany
  • 2003 –
  • 2004 –
  • 2005 –
  • 2006 –
  • 2007 –
  • 2008 –
  • 2009 –
  • 2010 – image:Flag of [Poland.svg|25px] Poland
  • 2011 –
  • 2012 –
  • 2013 –
  • 2014 –
  • 2015 –
  • 2016 –
  • 2017 –
  • 2018 –
  • 2019 – 25px Poland
  • 2021 –
  • 2022 –
  • 2023 –
  • 2024 –
  • 2025 –

Individual competition