{{Short description|Soviet chess player (1908–1965)}} {{Infobox chess player |name= Vitaly Chekhover |image= |caption= |birthname= Vitaly Alexandrovitch Chekhover |country= Russia <br /> Soviet Union |birth_date= December 22, 1908 |birth_place= [[Saint Petersburg]], Russia |death_date= February 11, 1965 (aged 56) |death_place= [[Leningrad]], Soviet Union |title= [[International Master]] (1950) }} '''Vitaly Alexandrovich Chekhover''' (also spelled '''Tschechower''' or '''Czechower''', pronounced "chekh a VYAIR") ({{langx|ru|Вита́лий Алекса́ндрович Чехове́р}}) (December 22, 1908 – February 11, 1965) was a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[chess]] player and [[chess composer]]. He was also a pianist.
== Composing career == {{chess diagram|floatright | '''Vitaly Chekhover'''<br />''Schachmaty w SSSR 1947'' |kl| | | | | | | | | | | | | |pd| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |pd| | | | | | | |nl| | | | | | |pd| | | |kd| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | {{hidden|ta1=left|fw1=normal| White to move and draw | 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+ <br /><br /> The study is often published.}} }} {{algebraic notation|pos=egright}} In the beginning of his career as an [[endgame study]] composer, Chekhover often revised traditional studies of other authors. He strove to bring them into a more sparse and economical form, often with fewer [[Chess piece|pieces]] – hence focusing on the actual [[Chess problem|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 published more than 160 endgame studies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arves.org/Biografie.htm |title=Biographical data about Endgamestudy composers/authors |access-date=2008-04-03 |author=Peter Boll |publisher=ARVES – Dutch-Flemish Association for Endgame Study |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915205227/http://www.arves.org/Biografie.htm |archive-date=2008-09-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He is considered a prominent specialist on [[Knight (chess)|knight]] [[Chess endgame|endgames]], and has written several books on the subject; either alone, or with coauthors such as [[Russia]]n [[Grandmaster (chess)|grandmaster]] [[Yuri Averbakh]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Chekhover |first=Vitaly |author2=Yuri Averbakh |others=trans. Mary Lasher |title=Knight endings |publisher=[[Anova Books|Batsford]] |location=London |year=1977 |isbn=978-0-7134-0552-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/knightendings00aver_0 }} (Included in ''Comprehensive Chess Endings'', vol 1, Averbakh and Chekhover, {{ISBN|0-08-026900-1}}.)</ref>
Between 1947 and 1965 he participated in the Soviet Union championship for chess composition. Chekhover twice received the title [[Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR|Master of Sports of the USSR]]. In 1956 he was awarded the title [[International Judge of Chess Compositions]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sci.fi/~stniekat/pccc/ij.htm |title=International Judges for Chess Compositions |access-date=2008-04-03 |author=Hannu Harkola |year=1999 |publisher=[[Permanent Commission of the FIDE for Chess Compositions|PCCC]]}}</ref> by [[FIDE]], and received the FIDE title ''International Master of Chess Compositions''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sci.fi/~stniekat/pccc/im.htm |title=International Masters of the FIDE for Chess Compositions |access-date=2008-04-03 |author=Hannu Harkola |year=1999 |publisher=[[Permanent Commission of the FIDE for Chess Compositions|PCCC]]}}</ref> in 1961.
==Playing career== Chekover was also a very successful chess player, being awarded the title of [[International Master]] in 1950 when the title 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. He also performed credibly in a number of USSR championships
A variation of the Sicilian Defence is [[List of chess openings named after people|named]] after him: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 (see [[Sicilian Defence, Chekhover Variation]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.365chess.com/eco/B53_Sicilian_Chekhover_variation/games|title=ECO B53: Sicilian, Chekhover variation|publisher=365chess.com|access-date=11 February 2011}}</ref>
==Bibliography== *{{cite book |title = Comprehensive Chess Endings: Knight Endings |author-link2 = Yuri Averbakh |last2 = Averbakh |first2 = Yuri |last1 = Chekhover |first1 = Vitaly |year = 1977 |publisher = [[Anova Books|Batsford]] |isbn = 978-0713405521 |url = https://archive.org/details/knightendings00aver_0 }} *{{cite book | title=Comprehensive Chess Endings: Queen v. Rook/Minor Piece Endings | author-link2=Yuri Averbakh |last2=Averbakh |first2=Yuri |last3=Henkin |first3=V. | last1=Chekhover |first1=Vitaly | year=1978 | publisher=[[Anova Books|Batsford]] | isbn=978-0713408669}}
== References == <references/>
== External links == *{{chessgames player|id=20482}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chekhover, Vitaly}} [[Category:1908 births]] [[Category:1965 deaths]] [[Category:Chess players from Saint Petersburg]] [[Category:People from Sankt-Peterburgsky Uyezd]] [[Category:Chess International Masters]] [[Category:Chess composers]] [[Category:Soviet chess players]] [[Category:Soviet chess writers]] [[Category:Soviet male writers]] [[Category:Chess theoreticians]]