and it remained to be seen if any other country could offer resistance to the Polish juggernaut. The individual title was being defended by Kacper Piorun, who in 2014 had narrowly edged out his compatriot Piotr Murdzia to seize first place.

The hotel entrance, prominently displaying the banner of the event

The hotel backed onto a large lake which was used for various water sports [smartphone photo by J. Nunn]

The format of the event has remained the same for many years, and consists of six solving sessions spread over two days. Each session is devoted to a different type of problem, and the event always kicks off with three mates in two. The chosen problems, this year selected by Axel Steinbrink, are kept a closely guarded secret until they arein three, but not this year. One of the three-movers caused considerable difficulty, and only 25 of the 85 competitors scored any points at all on it, with just eight making the full five points (points are awarded not only for the first move, but also for giving all the variations correctly). Here is the troublesome problem; allow yourself 25 minutes for tournament conditions.

White to play and mate in three

The final round of the first day consisted of three studies. The study round is always difficult for those competitors who are primarily problemists. However, this time one of the studies also proved troublesome for some of the players, with even former world solving champions Piotr Murdzia and Jonathan Mestel falling down on it. Allow yourself 35 minutes to