Chess composition

Chess composition is the deliberate creation of a position and task with a solution designed by an author, called the composer. Unlike a normal game, the main purpose is not to defeat an opponent sitting across the board but to construct and solve a chess idea. The task, called the stipulation, tells the solver what must be achieved, such as checkmating in a specified number of moves or demonstrating a win or draw.

The field contains several forms. A chess problem usually sets a specific task, such as a directmate, where White forces mate against Black's best defense. An endgame study is a composed position in which White must find a win or draw. In a helpmate, both sides cooperate to produce checkmate; in a selfmate, White forces Black to checkmate White. Fairy chess compositions may change pieces, conditions, or rules.

A composition is also judged for soundness, meaning that its intended solution is correct and unique when uniqueness is required. The Codex of the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC) requires it to be solvable according to the author's intended solution unless multiple solutions are explicitly stipulated. If there is an unintended solution that differs on the very first move, the composition is called cooked and has a cook, an unintended solution. In composition tournaments that apply the ordinary rules of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), illegal positions are not accepted unless the tournament conditions say otherwise.