Известный австрийский шахматный журнал «Шах-Актив» более не будет организовывать конкурсы составления… Очень жаль! Внизу оригинальный текст письма, который мы получили от Вильфреда Зеехофера (Wilfried Seehofer) сегодня вечером.
«Despite its great wealth of tradition, the problem section in the Austrian magazine Schach-Aktiv, founded in 1986 by Fritz Chlubna and continued (after his untimely death in 2005) by Wilfried Seehofer, has been discontinued with effect from the beginning of 2013. There is currently no plan for any replacement.
The reasons for this step are purely economical. After a significant decline in subscriptions over recent years, the publishers are now dependent upon subsidies from the Österreichische Sportförderung (the national body promoting sport in Austria) in order to maintain the existence of the magazine even in a reduced format. In future Schach-Aktiv is therefore obliged to concentrate upon the original purpose for which it was founded: as an Austrian magazine for over-the-board chess.
This decision was taken by the Austrian Chess Federation as the proprietors and publishers of Schach-Aktiv. It is extremely regrettable, especially in view of the notable international successes of Austrian problem and study composers, but in the current situation it was unavoidable.
As a result problemists, not only in Austria but in the world as a whole, have lost a much-loved source of publication, whose high standards are made evident by a total of well over 100 compositions chosen for FIDE Albums and by F. Chlubna's 1995 brochure 'Das Beste aus Schach-Aktiv' ('The Best of Schach-Aktiv'), which contains all the prizewinners in the period from 1986 to 1993.
All the current informal tourneys will of course be properly concluded. The awards will be sent to participants by e-mail. Originals which have not appeared by January 2013 are once again at the disposal of their composers, to whom we offer our apologies and thanks. An alternative source of publication is available in the internet chess composition magazine harmonie, edited jointly by Torsten Linß and Wilfried Seehofer from march 2013!
The editors hereby thank all contributors of originals and of solvers' comments. The sum total of their contributions is what established and maintained the outstanding quality of the problem section in Schach-Aktiv.
Vienna & Hamburg, January 2013
Dr Klaus Wenda
Wilfried Seehofer (translation: Chris Feather)
