GM Yochanan Afek explains a research in café Batavia in Amsterdam to GM Tal Baron, IM Merijn van Delft and IM Manuel Bosboom. (Photograph credit score, 2017, Lennart Ootes, https://www.chessphotoshop.com)
Endgame research profit us
Yochanan Afek is a chess composition grandmaster and a global grasp in over-the-board chess. In his years of expertise, he can state with certainty the significance of finding out endgames, which type a major a part of the workout routines he composes.
“For good cause, many chess trainers advise their college students to resolve endgame research as a coaching device”, Afek says, in reference to well-known trainers IM Mark Dvoretsky and GM R.B. Ramesh.
Afek is thought by the very best of the very best for his sensible compositions; simply ask the challenger for the subsequent world title, GM D. Gukesh, “There are workout routines and the positions are so attention-grabbing, Afek is a superb composer. The positions are so lovely.” Gukesh stated of Afek’s ebook, Sensible Chess Magnificence in an interview with ChessBase India.
Sensible Chess Magnificence is a mirrored image on Afek’s lifelong experiences as a participant and a composer. In its introduction, he sums up the advantages of endgame research: Prime grandmasters use research as a part of their coaching packages to enhance their creativity and out-of-the-box considering, to shine their calculating expertise, to complement their arsenal of tactical weaponry and to deepen their endgame understanding. And no much less importantly: to maintain sharp usually and intensify their pleasure in chess!
Endgame research are a style of chess compositions. They embrace many different genres like mate issues, extra movers, self-mates, helpmates and fairy chess. “It’s a enormous ocean which reveals the treasures of chess which aren’t essentially straight associated to the sensible recreation. The endgame research style is probably the most associated to and useful for the over-the-board recreation”, Afek says. Different genres will also be useful for over-the-board gamers, for instance, two mover issues assist prepare the calculation of quick traces.
Endgame research are composed positions primarily from the final stage of the sport. “For me it’s so pure. In precept endgame research are composed endgames.” They’re synthetic however generally primarily based on inventive concepts in actual endgames. Then again, many endgames in video games are impressed by concepts from research. A number of examples are proven in Sensible Chess Magnificence.
Afek guesses that he has composed about 350 endgame research and about 100 issues in different genres of composition. “I by no means counted them.”
About Yochanan Afek
Yochanan Afek (born Kopelovich) was born in 1952 in Tel Aviv to a Romanian-born father and a Polish-born mom, each Holocaust survivors. Since he was 14 years outdated, Afek has been energetic as a participant and a research composer with nearly no break.
He started enjoying in chess tournaments in 1967 and continued enjoying till the Covid-19 epidemic in 2020. As a participant, he has visited nearly all European nations many occasions. Particularly memorable was his go to with an Israeli group in Egypt 1981, two years after the peace treaty between the 2 nations was signed in Washington. “Our group was invited by the President of the Egyptian chess federation, who was the brother of the late President Anwar Sadat.” After a few years, Afek nonetheless is the official delegate of Israel on this planet congresses of chess composition.
On the age of 48, Afek moved to Paris, the place two years later in 2002 he scored his finest event outcome by profitable the Paris championship, scoring a GM-norm with a efficiency of 2670. In 2000, Afek grew to become a resident within the Netherlands, the place he performed for golf equipment in Apeldoorn, Bussum, Wageningen and Amsterdam. He additionally acted as a participant and a coach in German, French and Belgian golf equipment.
“Chess is the principle essence of my life. It’s the solely factor I’ve ever completed for work, with only one exception at a younger age: I composed for ten years the weekly crossword in a every day newspaper. I’m fairly good at Hebrew by now, because of that.”
What particularly attracted him to chess was the way in which he was welcomed by the chess neighborhood as a younger boy. “The chess world accepted me as I used to be and I may contribute from the very starting to chess life within the Tel Aviv youth centre beneath the management of IM Moshe Czerniak, who taught us chess love and was an ideal fan of endgame research. My good outdated pals Amatzia Avni and Ofer Comay had been additionally members of the membership they usually grew to become chess masters and tremendous composers. Later when Czerniak handed away, I grew to become a full-time supervisor of the Tel Aviv chess membership. Most significantly, I can specific in chess most of my pure items, like writing, composing and enjoying.”
Afek has 5 official FIDE chess titles: an Worldwide Grasp over the board, Grandmaster of chess composition, FIDE Grasp in fixing, Worldwide Arbiter and Worldwide Choose of chess composition. “Truly I may additionally apply for the titles of FIDE Coach and Worldwide Organizer however titles are literally not that necessary. Artistic achievements and contributing to the neighborhood are much more satisfying.”
In 2000, he moved to Amsterdam, the place he nonetheless lives. Uniquely, he obtained a everlasting residence allow from the federal government because of his contribution to Dutch chess tradition.
One in every of his finest early efforts from 1972 gained second prize within the Swedish journal Tidskrift for Schack. White to play and win:
1.Rb5+! [1.Ne5? Kxb6 2.Nd7+ Kc6 3.Nxf8 Bxg4 4.Nh7 Bd1 5.Nxg5 b4=] 1…Kxb5 2.Ne5+ Ka4 [2…Kc5 3.Kd7+; 2…Kb6 3.Nd7+] 3.Nd7 threatens mate in a single! 3…Be2! The one transfer to forestall mate, however what’s the thought behind if white simply takes? 4.Bxe2 Rb8+! Wow, that was the thought! If white takes the rook it’s stalemate. What now?
5.Bb5+!! Probably the most phenomenal transfer of this research! [5.Nxb8?=; 5.Ka2? Rb2+!=] 5…Rxb5+ 6.Ka2 Wow! Black is in Zugzwang. No matter transfer he does together with his rook, it doesn’t matter, he all the time will lose it!
Work with different composers
Afek enjoys collaborating with different composers. He has sometimes labored with prime composers resembling Martin Minski, Amatzia Avni and Harold van der Heijden, who created the biggest endgame research database on this planet (https://www.hhdbvi.nl). Generally he works with youth and amateurs in the event that they give you a pleasant thought or a recreation place.
White to maneuver:
“Research of the century”, Yochanan Afek 1976
Appreciation of Afek’s work
Afek’s work has been appreciated by nice trainers and different composers. One particular instance is his “Research of the Century” as the nice Georgian composer GM David Gurgenidze named it. The research is predicated on an evaluation of one in all Afek’s personal video games. IM Mark Dvoretsky used the research in coaching superior gamers. Gameviewer Research of the Century
Yochanan Afek, Israel Ring Ty. 1981
Second place:Tom Molewijk – Karel van Delft, ’t Harde 2014
An instance of the connection between endgame research and over-the-board chess could be seen ready the creator of this text, Karel van Delft, had on the board in a speedy event in opposition to Tom Molewijk. Black didn’t see the draw variations and resigned. When Van Delft confirmed the place to GM Artur Yusupov, Yusupov instantly responded: “The place is the ultimate stage of a research by Afek with reversed colors.”
M. Liburkin, 1935
Selling endgame research
Afek is all the time glad when he can promote the artwork of endgame research, which he has completed in some interviews with some high-profile gamers, resembling GM Judit Polgár and IM Sagar Shah.
Yochanan Afek with sun shades within the center. In entrance of him is GM Boris Avrukh. On his left stands Karel van Delft and on his proper GM Jan Gustafsson. (Photograph credit score: Ferdi Kuipers)
Yochanan Afek and Mark Dvoretsky giving simuls to Apeldoorn faculty youngsters
Endgame research in training
Afek believes that mini-studies are helpful in coaching and in training, even together with growing life expertise. “For instance through Réti (White Kh8, pawn c6, Black Ka6, pawn h5, White to maneuver) and Saavedra’s well-known research, numerous paradoxes could also be demonstrated. Not the whole lot is what it appears to be. By way of chess positions you possibly can present the significance of on the lookout for extra choices and candidate strikes in addition to the worth of endurance and self-control.” However, the research must be straightforward, Afek says. If too troublesome, the ultimate stage of the research could also be used. Relying on the extent of the solvers, a trainer could determine what number of strikes must be solved.
With a view to stimulate curiosity, Afek suggests displaying youngsters YouTube movies of Indian grandmasters Vidit and Praggnanandhaa fixing research blindfold.
Educators could discover mini-studies at www.arves.org or in Afek’s Anthology of Miniature Endgame Research.
Studying find out how to compose research
Afek recommends 5 articles for individuals who need to learn to compose research.
1. Johan Hellsten: Composing endgame research
https://www.chess.com/weblog/jhellsten/composing-endgame-studies
2. John Nunn: Composing a research
https://www.wfcc.ch/wp-content/uploads/Nunn-Composing-a-Research-TP2019.pdf
3. Steffen S. Nielsen: Strip or therapeutic massage: Two methods of making research from video games
https://www.wfcc.ch/wp-content/uploads/Steffen-Nielsen-Strip-or-massage-2-ways-of-creating-studies-from-games.pdf
4. WFCC President Marjan Kovačević: Eighth YCCC: Inspiring the subsequent technology of chess composers
https://en.chessbase.com/submit/Eighth-yccc-inspiring-chess-composers
5. Karel van Delft: De passie voor eindspelstudies van Harold van der Heijden
https://maxeuwe.nl/de-passie-voor-eindspelstudies-van-harold-van-der-heijden
Books and programs by Yochanan Afek
Yochanan Afek: Anthology of Miniature Endgame Research
Yochanan Afek: Sensible Chess Magnificence
Yochanan Afek: Excessive Chess Techniques
Yochanan Afek and Emmanuel Neiman: Invisible Chess Strikes
Yochanan Afek and Hans Böhm: The Royal Chess Couple (mixture of two books in Dutch)
Yochanan Afek and Horacio Volman, Advert Ha’ragli Ha’acharon (“Preventing to the Final Pawn”), about Moshe Czerniak (solely in Hebrew)
Many books have been translated into a number of languages.
Chessable programs:
Excessive Chess Techniques https://www.chessable.com/extreme-chess-tactics/course/53457
Invisible Chess Strikes https://www.chessable.com/invisible-chess-moves/course/17330
