Vitaly Chekhover

Infobox chess player
playername= Vitaly Chekhover


caption=
birthname= Vitaly Alexandrovitch Chekhover
country= RUS USSR
datebirth= December 22, 1908
placebirth= Saint Petersburg, Russia
datedeath= February 11, 1965 (aged 56)
placedeath= Leningrad, Soviet Union
title= International Master
rating=
peakrating=

Vitaly Chekhover (also spelled Checkover, Tschechower or Czechower, pronounced "chekh a VYAIR") (Russian: Виталий Чеховер) was a Soviet chess player and chess composer, furthermore also a pianist.

Chess career

In the beginning of his career as a study composer, Chekhover ofter revised traditional studies of other authors. He strove to bring them into a more sparse and economical form, often with fewer pieces — hence focusing on the actual problem itself, rather than the position on the board. Later he found his own style and composed a number of original, independent chess studies and problems. Starting 1936, Chekhover has published more than 160 endgame studies. [cite web |url=http://www.arves.org/Biografie.htm |title=Biographical data about Endgamestudy composers/authors |accessdate=2008-04-03 |author=Peter Boll |publisher=ARVES – Dutch-Flemish Association for Endgame Study] He is considered a prominent specialist on knight endgames, and has written several books on the subject; either alone, or together with co-authors such as Russian grandmaster Yuri Averbakh. [cite book |last=Chekhover |first=Vitaly |coauthors=Yuri Averbakh |others=trans. Mary Lasher |title=Knight endings |publisher=Batsford |location=London |year=1977 |isbn=978-0713405521 (Included in "Comprehensive Chess Endings", vol 1, Averbakh and Chekhover, ISBN 0-08-026900-1.) ]

Between 1947 and 1965 he participated in the Soviet Union championship for chess composition. Chekhover twice received the title Master of Sports of the USSR. In 1956 he was awarded the title International Judge of Chess Compositions [cite web |url=http://www.sci.fi/~stniekat/pccc/ij.htm |title=International Judges for Chess Compositions |accessdate=2008-04-03 |author=Hannu Harkola |date=1999 |publisher=PCCC] by FIDE, and received the FIDE title "International Master of Chess Compositions" [cite web |url=http://www.sci.fi/~stniekat/pccc/im.htm |title=International Masters of the FIDE for Chess Compositions |accessdate=2008-04-03 |author=Hannu Harkola |date=1999 |publisher=PCCC] in 1961.

Chekover was also a very successful chess player, being awarded the title of International Master in 1950, when it was first introduced. Tournament victories include victory in the Leningrad City Chess Championship in 1937 (shared) and 1949. He won the Uzbekistani Chess Championship in 1944.

Example

chess diagram|=
tright
Vitaly Chekhover
"Schachmaty w SSSR 1947"
= 8 |kl| | | | | | | |= 7 | | | | | | |pd| |= 6 | | | | | | | | |= 5 | | | | | |pd| | |= 4 | | | | | |nl| | |= 3 | | | | |pd| | | |= 2 |kd| | | | | | | |= 1 | | | | | | | | |= a b c d e f g h

White to move, and draw
The study to the right is often reprinted. The solution: 1. Nd5 e2 2. Nc3+ Kb3 3. Nxe2 Kc4! 4. Nf4!! g5 5. Ne6! g4 6. Ng7! f4 7. Nh5 f3 8. Nf6 g3 9. Ne4 g2 10. Nd2+

External links

*chessgames player|id=20482

References