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Welcome to OzProblems.com, a site all about chess problems in Australia and around the world! Whether you are new to chess compositions or an experienced solver, we have something for you. Our aim is to promote the enjoyment of chess problems, which are at once interesting puzzles and the most artistic form of chess.
An in-depth introduction to the art of chess composition, examining various problem types and themes.
The weekly problem’s solution will appear on the following Saturday, when a new work is quoted.
See last week's problem with solution: No.810.
Prominent Australian problemists write about their involvement in the contemporary problem scene, and present some of their best compositions.
A comprehensive collection of Australian chess problem materials, including e-books, articles, magazines and columns (all free downloads).
A chess problem blog by Peter Wong, covering a range of subjects. The main page provides a topic index.
See latest post below, followed by links to other recent entries.
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Walkabout
Classic four-piece problems – Part 1
7 Jun. 2026
Problem positions with few pieces tend to be more enticing to solve, a natural preference that is happily compatible with the principle of economy of force in chess composition. The latter states that the amount of material used to show a problem’s idea should be minimised, with all non-essential pieces removed. Favouring economical positions is also reflected in how they are specially categorised: a miniature contains no more than seven units, while the German term wenigsteiner denotes a problem with four units or fewer. At the extreme end of the scale, employing just four pieces might seem too limiting to yield high quality content, but in fact skilful composers can incorporate advanced themes in such super-light problems. Let’s look at some of the best examples which have attained classic status.
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