An Afternoon of Pure Thought: NCR to Host the Romanian Chess Solving Cup at Three Venues

by Satanick Mukhuty - 03/03/2026

On 14 March, the Romanian Chess Solving Cup arrives in the National Capital Region of India with simultaneous action across three venues in Gurugram, Noida, and South Delhi. Organised by ChessBase India in collaboration with the Espresso Defense Club by Cut Coffee Paste Cafe and Chess Coffee Connect, this landmark initiative marks another purposeful stride in our ongoing mission to bring the rich and fascinating world of chess composition closer to India’s already flourishing chess community. Rated by the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC), the event offers participants not only the prospect of prizes but also the opportunity to earn their first international solver’s rating. We invite you to experience the quiet thrill of this 150-minute contest, where logic, imagination, and artistry meet over the board. All details follow in this article.

Building a Multi-Venue Solving Experience...

Behind the organisation of any event stands a quiet architecture of enthusiasm, collaboration, and timely initiative, and the upcoming Romanian Chess Solving Cup in the Delhi NCR region is no exception. When the distinguished Romanian composer and solver Vlaicu Crisan published the announcement of the event, I was immediately tempted to bring it to India. One of the quiet strengths of solving competitions is their ability to be conducted concurrently across multiple venues: every participant works on the same set of positions within the same time frame, under a uniform marking system.

The first person I approached was Harsh Sirohi, CEO of Cut Coffee Paste Cafe and the creator of the Espresso Defense Chess Club. His response was immediate and enthusiastic. Recognising the potential of the initiative, he readily agreed to host the competition, opening the doors of his café in Gurugram to a field of 15 participants.

Harsh Sirohi, the Founder and CEO at Cut Coffee Paste, Gurugram.

Chess players immersed in play at a Cut Coffee Paste gathering.

The momentum did not stop there. Nidhi Bhasin, founder of Chess Coffee Connect initiative and the guiding force behind several vibrant chess community meetups across Delhi NCR, quickly came on board. Equally eager to support the cause, she extended the event to two additional venues, Noida and South Delhi, transforming what began as a single-location idea into a coordinated, multi-venue solving experience across the National Capital Region.

The mother-daughter duo of Nidhi Bhasin and WFM Shivika Rohilla is steadily strengthening the chess community across Delhi NCR through the Chess Coffee Connect initiative. | Photo: Chess Coffee Connect

Where ideas meet the board — a Chess Coffee Connect event in progress. | Photo: Chess Coffee Connect

A Closer Look at the Romanian Chess Solving Cup

The Romanian Chess Solving Cup follows the broad spirit of the International Solving Contest held across multiple venues in India on 25 January, but the format here is intentionally simpler and more accessible. The competition features a single category and just one round lasting 2.5 hours, during which participants will tackle a set of 14 carefully selected puzzles, more precisely chess compositions. The problem set has been thoughtfully balanced: roughly half of the positions are designed to be approachable and encouraging for newcomers, while the remaining half will pose a sterner test for more experienced solvers. The aim is clear — to offer both an inviting entry point for beginners and a satisfying challenge for seasoned enthusiasts.

This year’s competition carries special significance as it marks its inaugural edition. The event is the brainchild of Vlaicu Crisan, conceived as a tribute to Romania’s oldest active solver, Ioan Zaharie, now 90 years old. Few are better placed than Vlaicu to shape such a contest: he holds the titles of Grandmaster of Chess Composition and International Master of Solving, combining deep artistic insight with practical solving strength. Beyond his competitive achievements, he is widely respected for his educational contributions, having mentored many young enthusiasts in both solving and composing. His presence at the helm ensures that the puzzle selection achieves an ideal balance between instructional value and competitive rigour.

Vlaicu Crisan at the 45th World Chess Solving Championship, Fujairah, UAE, 2022. | Photo: Fujairah Chess Culture and Club

Venues and Registration

To register for the venue most convenient for you, simply complete the relevant Google Form provided below. The base entry fee at all venues is ₹199, while participants in Gurugram may alternatively opt for a ₹399 package that includes a food coupon.

Gurugram:

Venue: Ground Floor, Time Centre, Shop no. 4&5, Golf Course Road, Suncity, Sector 54, Gurugram, Haryana 122011
Entry: ₹199 (Just Registration) or ₹399 (Registration+Food Coupon)
Maximum Entries: 15
Click here to fill up the google form and register.

Noida & South Delhi:

Venues: Binge Central, Candor Techspace, Block B, Industrial Area, Sector 62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201309 and 3rd Floor, ShellBeacon Patio Cafe, 1A/1, Hauz Khas Village, Deer Park, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, Delhi 110016
Entry: ₹199
Click here to fill up the google form and register.

Prizes and Results

A total prize fund of ₹5,200 will be awarded at each of the three venues. The top five solvers will receive:

1st: ₹2,000
2nd: ₹1,300
3rd: ₹900
4th: ₹600
5th: ₹400

There is only one catch: players will be eligible for prizes subject to achieving a minimum score of 25%. We believe this threshold is eminently achievable and reflects a sound basic standard of performance.

Prize payments will be made online, and the results will be communicated to participants by email within a week after the event.

Contact

For any technical queries regarding the competition, feel free to message on WhatsApp: +917908245176

Types of Compositions

The contest features six types of compositions: Mate in 2 (2#), Mate in 3 (3#), Mate in 4 or more moves (n#), Endgame studies (EG), Helpmates (h#), and Selfmates (s#).

The distribution of the 14 compositions is as follows:

3 two-movers (2#)
2 three-movers (3#)
3 endgame studies (EG)
2 helpmates (h#)
2 moremovers (n#)
2 selfmates (s#)

Each correct and complete solution will fetch 5 points. Accordingly, the maximum possible score is 14 × 5 = 70 points.

Solving Instructions

In all positions, except helpmates, White makes the first move. Hence, "n#" means White to play and mate in n, "+" denotes White to play and win, and "=" denotes White to play and draw.
All diagrams will be displayed from White’s perspective, with a1 located at the bottom-left corner.
To earn full marks (5 points) for a 2# puzzle, you only need to provide the correct key move, which is the first move of the solution.
For 3# and n#, you must provide the key and all variations of full length up to White's penultimate move. Black's last move and White's mating move need not be written.
For EG, give all moves up to an obvious win or draw.
In a Helpmate in n moves (h#n), Black plays first and both sides cooperate to get the black king mated in the stipulated number of moves. Helpmate may have multiple solutions or multiple parts, also known as twins. When this occurs, it will be clearly indicated in the question. To score full marks, you must provide all solutions or solve all parts, as indicated. A solution to a helpmate is written in the following format:
1) Black move, White move
2) Black move, White move
...
n) Black move, White move#
In a Selfmate, White makes the first move and the goal is to compel Black to mate the white king in the given number of moves. Unlike in a helpmate, where Black works together with White, in a Selfmate, Black does not comply and is instead forced to deliver mate. To score full marks in a s#, write the key move and all full-length variations till White's last move.

While stipulations like “White to play and win/draw” or “White to mate in a specified number of moves” are well within the comfort zone of most players, helpmates and selfmates often raise eyebrows on first encounter. Their cooperative logic and unusual objectives can feel daunting at first. To demystify these forms, we will look at one helpmate and one selfmate purely for illustrative purposes.

Problem 1

Helpmate in 3 (2 Solutions)

The above is a helpmate in 3 (h#3). This means (see point 6 above) that Black moves first and cooperates with White so that the black king is mated on the third move. Simply put, you must find a legal three-move sequence that begins with Black’s move and ends with White delivering mate on move three.

The trick is to visualise a possible mating position and then check whether it can be reached by a legal sequence of the stipulated length. The visualisation is usually the harder part; once the final mating picture is clear, working out the moves is rarely difficult. Here, with the wR on d4 and the wB on a7, a plausible mating net begins to take shape. The sole problem is the bK’s flight square on d6. If we can bring a black unit (specifically, an N or a B) to occupy d6, then Rd4 and Ba7 should seal the deal. Thanks to the creative cooperation of both sides, this proves eminently possible: 1.g1=B Rxf4 2.Bh2 Rd4 3.Bd6 Ba7#. The bPg2 underpromotes, after which White neatly facilitates the arrival of the newly promoted bishop on d6 by eliminating the f4 pawn and clearing the h2–d6 diagonal. This mutual facilitation lies at the heart of help-play.

Helpmates typically come with multiple solutions or parts (twins). This is indicated in the stipulation itself, and the solver is required to find all the solutions or work out all the parts. The above, for instance, has a second solution which, although completely different, employs the same underlying strategy. One can visualise an alternative mating picture with the wR on b5 and the wB on e5. The difficulty now is that the bK can escape via c4. Perhaps a black rook can be brought in to seal that flight square? 1.g1=R Bxf4 2.Rg4 Be5 3.Rc4 Rb5# — et voilà! Once again, the journey of the underpromoted rook to c4 is facilitated by the annihilation of the f4 pawn — the same idea, only this time the wR and wB have exchanged roles.

This was a joint work of Alexander Pankratyev and Dieter Müller, published in 1999. Next, we look at a selfmate.

Problem 2

Selfmate in 2

In a helpmate, the adversarial relationship between the two sides is lifted. This is not the case in a selfmate. Here, the two sides remain in contest with each other; only the nature of that contest is turned on its head: White is trying to get mated, while Black does their best to prevent this. In the world of the selfmate, getting mated is a win. White is trying to “win,” so to speak, and Black is doing their best to resist. So, first things first: in the above diagram, 1.Qxf2# would be a win for Black and therefore is NOT the solution!

With that clarified, the thematic core of the position is the a8–h1 battery. White can potentially compel the black king to move, thereby getting the wK on h1 mated. The key move is the subtle 1.Re4!, threatening 2.Qg2+ hxg2#. Black has a few defenses against Qg2+, but every one of them enables White to prise open the a8-h1 battery:

1...Kxe4 2.Qd3+! Kxd3#
1...Ra1 2.Re3+! Kxe3#
1...Qxe4 2.Qxf2+! Kxf2#

From 1965 comes this neat composition with just 10 units by the Polish composer Eugeniusz Iwanow, who was especially known for his mastery of the selfmate.

Pre-Contest Awareness Session

Still feeling unsure about helpmates or selfmates? No worries. A free pre-contest online awareness session will be held on 12 March at 7:00 PM, where we will walk you through the basics once again. All participants who register by 12 March will receive an email invitation containing the Google Meet link for the session.

In the meantime, if you would like to prepare, the following links may prove helpful.