Petko Andonov Petkov was born February 27,1942 in Dobrich – a small town in northeastern Bulgaria.  He graduated from high school in 1959, and then graduated in Law Sciences in Sofia.  During the communist rule in Bulgaria (1944-1989), the regime did not allow him to practice as a lawyer.  So, he worked as a journalist – firstly, in the central newspaper called "Naroden Sport" – Sofia.  Later, he worked as a main editor of "Shahmatna Misal" Magazine.  He now lives in Sofia.

Petkov became interested in chess composing in 1956.  He has now composed 6,115 problems, and has won 2,383 distinctions (593 prizes, from them 415 – 1^st prizes!  He is an International Grandmaster of Chess Composition (since 1984) and an International Judge of Chess Composing.  His best results are:

He works in all genres of  Chess Composition, but during last 20 years has focused mainly Selfmates, Fairies and Helpmates.   In the Selfmate genre, he has many original discoveries, especially in those with 4 or more moves.   (He calls them "MSSN" – Modern Strategic Selfmate in N-moves).  He has made a large contribution in theoretical and practical development of such important s# themes as Battery-play, Transformation of Batteries, Bristols and Annihilations, Active White King, Grimshaw and Nowotny, Promotions etc…  In the Fairies genre, Petkov has made many new discoveries too, especially in: Chameleon Chess, Eiffel Chess, Massand Chess, Anti-Andernach Chess, BGL Problems, Half-Neutral Pieces, Anti-Super Circe , etc.

During the period 1962-2003, he has published over 100 theoretical articles.  In 1996, French magazine Diagrammes issued two volumes with Petkov’s selected prize problems.  In 2000, U.S. author Mike Prcic published "Petkov -- Selected Compositions".  In Bulgaria, he published five small problem books, the last one, in 1980, being "Chess Composition – Some Selected Problems".  Petkov composes using a self-made system for analysis and work, called “PAPGS”.  In his opinion, this system is perfect, and modern, and could be a basis for establishing a computer program for chess composing.   In this manner, Petko made his first studies and experiments.

International Grandmaster Petko Petkov offers the following FREE service to h#, s# and fairy composers, via email only please:

6BK/r1p3pS/2P1R1P1/1Ppk1p1p/2p2R2/3q4/6p1/b4b2

Solution:  Click & hold left mouse button and highlight the area below:

1.Sg5! (2.Ree4+! Kd6 3.Sf7+ Kd5 4.Sh6+ Kd6 5.Sxf5#)
1…Ra8 2.Re8+! Kd6 3.Sf7+ Kd5 4.Sd8+ Kd6 5.Sb7#
1…Qh3 2.Re2+! Kd6 3.Sf7+ Kd5 4.Se5+ Kd6 5.Sxc4#

Theme: transformation of R/B into new S/B batteries, line-closing by black Q,R,B.

1S3B2/5p2/2R2P2/P2Pk3/p3BR1S/2p1Pp2/1pP4p/rs1K1b1q

Solution:  Click & hold left mouse button and highlight the area below:

1.Bh7! (2.Re4+ Kxd5 3.Rd6+ Kc5 4.Rb6+ Kd5 5.Rb5+ Bxb5#)
1…Qg2 2.Bd6+ Kxd5 3.Be4+ Ke6 4.Bb4+ Ke5 5.Bxc3+ Sxc3#
1…Kxd5 2.Rc5+ Ke6 3.Bf5+ Kxf6 4.Bd3+ Ke6 5.Bc4+ Bxc4#
1…f2 2.Rf5+ Ke4 3.Rh5+ Kxe3 4.Bh6+ Kd4 5.Sf3+ Qxf3#.

Double white Grimshaw with creation of 4 white batteries.

Petko A. Petkov
1st Prize
Schachmatna Misal 1978
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b) Sd3Êa4 c) -Pb5 d) Sd3Êb1 e) Pb4Êc3

q1b2KB1/5R2/3p1Q2/1pp5/1p2p3/pk1sp3/2r1p3/2b1s3

Solution:  Click & hold left mouse button and highlight the area below:

a) 1.Kc4! Qd4+! 2.cxd4 Rc7#
b) 1.Bb2! Qf2! 2.exf2 Rf3#
c) 1.Qa4! Qc3+! 2.bxc3 Rb7#
d) 1.Ka2! Qb2+! 2.axb2 Ra7#
e)1.Kc4! Qf3! 2.exf3 Rf4#

Task: 5 sacrifices of the white Queen with line-opening after 5 black captures by the Pawns; 5-fold play of white R/B battery.

4$wR61Ks/6$wQ61/6$wQ61/6$wQ6s/8/5p$bR61/5kp1/2b2b2

Solution:  Click & hold left mouse button and highlight the area below: