The World Youth Championships start next week in Maribor, Slovenia.

These are among the most important chess events of the year. Since all the players are junios the youngest is likely to be about 5 years old, you might be interested to see what a big tournament such as that looks like. You can follow whats going on, find out who is playing from your country and see lots of photos on the Championships web site: http://www.wycc2012.com/

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Some of you have been with us now for almost a year. We are sure you have found your free membership to be useful. We hope that you have been improving your understanding of chess, but most of all we hope that you have been having fun. Have you thought about upgrading your membership to Premium? It costs just 10 euros for a full 12 months the time starts from the date you upgrade. You get lots of things on the Premium web site and something else you get a FIDE Student Rating. That puts you on the same ladder of ratings as the World Champion Anand and all the leading players, adult and junior, in your country. Click on the Upgrade button at http://sm.fide.com On the back page, you will find the rest of the article that we began in the last issue. Then we told you a little about how our chessboard came to be the way it is. This time, we look at the pieces. Keep enjoying your chess! Gens Una Sumus (We are One Family) Ali Nihat Yazici, Chairman of FIDE-CiS

Hou Yifan (18) Womens World Champion

FIDE-CiS SM Magazine 010

In the Beginning
Just starting to play? These are for you. Odd numbers are the easiest. Even numbers a little harder. In the Beginning 41 (Chess Camp 1-411) Whites move: Where can the white king go? In the Beginning 43 (Chess Camp 1-434) White to move: Where can the king go?

In the Beginning 42 White to move: Where can the black king go? Take advantage!

In the Beginning 44 White to move: Where can the black king go? Take advantage!

41. 1. a1-a2 or 1. a1-b1. 42. Nowhere! 1. a4a8+ d6d8 2. a8xd8# (D. RUDISTORFER R. QUINTINO, World Youth Championship, Open u10, Bratislava 1993 PSM001).

43. 1. d4xe3 only all other squares are attacked (and defended) by Black. 44. Nowhere 1. e4e8+ 10. If 1... d7xe8 2. e1xe8#. (R.Vasquez-S.Gedvilaite, World Youth Championship, Open u10, Bratislava 1993 - PSM001).

FIDE-CiS SM Magazine 010

In the Beginning
Just starting to play? These are for you. Odd numbers are the easiest. Even numbers a little harder.

In the Beginning 45 (Chess Camp 1-537) Black to move: Win a piece

In the Beginning 47 (Chess Camp 1-548) Black to move: Win a piece

In the Beginning 46 White to move: What would you play?

In the Beginning 48 Black to move: Discover the best move!

45. 1... c3d5+. 46. 1. c6e5+ White played 1 b4-b5 and the game ended up as a draw in Iru KUMARASIRI Octavian-Nicu PANTURU, World Schools Championship, Open u7 2012. 1...f6xe5 2. c1xc8 and White should win without too much trouble.

47. 1... c6e4+ Double check. 48. 1... a2c4+ 2. d2xc4 a8xa1+ and Black won the ending rather easily. Egor KARLOV Rares BIGHIU, World Schools Championship, Open u7 2012

FIDE-CiS SM Magazine 010

Chess sets
Back in the days (years 500-1000 or so) when you might have used that first board (SM009), your pieces might well have looked like this: In Europe, sets had also greatly changed their appearance, like this St. George set:

When the chequered board with alternating coloured squares came, you might have used a set with pieces looking like this:

But since the mid-late 1800s the Staunton design has become the most used all around the world:

But not everywhere. In Eastern Europe sets like these (look at the bishops) are common:

Top row: king, queen, bishop; bottom row: knight, rook, pawn. Hundreds of years later, chess pieces in use in India looked something like this:

Your own chessmen may well look like the ones in the pack we send out to schools ->->-> The pack contains boards, sets, books and a big demonstration board for teacher to use.

FIDE-CiS SM Magazine 010