Monika Socko
Encyclopedia
Monika Soćko is a Polish
chess player. She won the Polish women's chess championship
four times (1995, 2004, 2008 and 2010). She is married to Polish GM Bartosz Soćko
.
She achieved the title of Grandmaster in 2008.
In 2007, Soćko won an international women's tournament in Baku
, ahead of women's World Champion Antoaneta Stefanova
. She won the 2009 Arctic Chess Challenge in Tromsø
, in spite of being only ranked as number 16 before the tournament, while her top-ranked husband finished in 13th place. In March 2010 she won the bronze medal at the European Chess Championship for Woman after defeating Yelena Dembo
and Marie Sebag
in the tie-breaks.
In the 2008 Women's World Championship
she was involved in a game which resulted in a dispute about the interpretation of the FIDE rules of chess
. In an Armageddon game she needed a win to advance to the next round. The position got down to each player having only a king
and a knight
in which a checkmate
position is possible but cannot be forced. Her opponent ran out of time under time control
. Since checkmate cannot be forced with this material, the arbiter initially ruled that the game was a draw
, therefore her opponent advanced to the next round. Soćko appealed, pointed out that the rules state that what matters is not whether or not checkmate can be forced, but rather it is possible. (see rules of chess#Timing.) The arbiter compared the possible checkmate position to a helpmate
, in which the defender has to cooperate in order to get to the checkmate. Soćko won the appeal and advanced to the next round.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
chess player. She won the Polish women's chess championship
Polish Chess Championship
Individual Polish Chess Championship is the most important Polish chess tournament, aiming at selecting the best chess players in Poland. Based on the results of the tournament , the Polish Chess Federation selects the national and subsequently the olympiad team.The first men's championship took...
four times (1995, 2004, 2008 and 2010). She is married to Polish GM Bartosz Soćko
Bartosz Socko
Bartosz Soćko is a Polish chess Grandmaster. In 2008 Soćko became Polish champion. He played for Poland at six Chess Olympiads and at six European Team Chess Championships...
.
She achieved the title of Grandmaster in 2008.
In 2007, Soćko won an international women's tournament in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, ahead of women's World Champion Antoaneta Stefanova
Antoaneta Stefanova
Antoaneta Stefanova is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster, and a former Women's World Chess Champion. She became the twelfth holder of that title in 2004 in a 64-player knockout tournament held in Elista, Kalmykia under the auspices of FIDE....
. She won the 2009 Arctic Chess Challenge in Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
, in spite of being only ranked as number 16 before the tournament, while her top-ranked husband finished in 13th place. In March 2010 she won the bronze medal at the European Chess Championship for Woman after defeating Yelena Dembo
Yelena Dembo
Yelena Dembo is a Greek International Master of chess. On the May 2010 FIDE rating list for women, she is ranked 31st in the world, with a rating of 2470. She became a Woman Grandmaster when she was seventeen years old, and an International Master at age nineteen...
and Marie Sebag
Marie Sebag
Marie Sebag is a French chess player, who won the French Chess Championship for women in 2000 and 2002.-Tournament results:...
in the tie-breaks.
Rules appeal in 2008
Women's World Chess Championship 2008
The Women's World Chess Championship 2008 consisted of a tournament for the Women's World Chess Championship which took place from August 28, 2008 to September 18 in Nalchik in Russia. It was won by Alexandra Kosteniuk, who beat Hou Yifan in the final by 2½ to 1½.-Participants:Players were seeded...
she was involved in a game which resulted in a dispute about the interpretation of the FIDE rules of chess
Rules of chess
The rules of chess are rules governing the play of the game of chess. While the exact origins of chess are unclear, modern rules first took form during the Middle Ages. The rules continued to be slightly modified until the early 19th century, when they reached essentially their current form. The...
. In an Armageddon game she needed a win to advance to the next round. The position got down to each player having only a king
King (chess)
In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
and a knight
Knight (chess)
The knight is a piece in the game of chess, representing a knight . It is normally represented by a horse's head and neck. Each player starts with two knights, which begin on the row closest to the player, one square from the corner...
in which a checkmate
Checkmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
position is possible but cannot be forced. Her opponent ran out of time under time control
Time control
A time control is a mechanism in the tournament play of almost all two-player board games so that each round of the match can finish in a timely way and the tournament can proceed. Time controls are typically enforced by means of a game clock...
. Since checkmate cannot be forced with this material, the arbiter initially ruled that the game was a draw
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
, therefore her opponent advanced to the next round. Soćko appealed, pointed out that the rules state that what matters is not whether or not checkmate can be forced, but rather it is possible. (see rules of chess#Timing.) The arbiter compared the possible checkmate position to a helpmate
Helpmate
A helpmate is a type of chess problem in which both sides cooperate in order to achieve the goal of checkmating Black. In a helpmate in n moves, Black moves first, then White, each side moving n times, to culminate in White's nth move checkmating Black...
, in which the defender has to cooperate in order to get to the checkmate. Soćko won the appeal and advanced to the next round.