Ferhat Karmil

Ferhat Karmil is a chess composer, formerly representing the Soviet Union, Georgia, and Turkey. Since 2025 he has been active as an independent author, not associated with any particular country.

He is the founder and editor of the independent online platform ChessStar.com.

Karmil was awarded the title of FIDE Master for Chess Composition in 2014, and the title of International Judge of the WFCC in 2021.

As of 2024, he is the author of 24 selected compositions included in the FIDE Album.

After graduating from school in 1976, he entered the Georgian Polytechnic Institute, where he studied mechanical engineering of machine tools and instruments. From 1983 to 1985, he served in the Soviet Armed Forces in a training tank regiment in the city of Vladimir.

Since 2009, Karmil has also been writing rubaiyat poetry.

Continuum Theory, the Stream System, and SAS

Since 2025, Karmil has conducted independent research on Continuum Theory, the Stream System, and their applications to the analysis of musical structures.

In Karmil's formulation, Continuum Theory treats space and time as distinguishable but inseparable attributes of the Continuum, related through an intrinsic coupling. This differs from approaches in which space and time are treated as independent entities, separate dimensions, or externally combined components of a geometric framework.

The Stream System describes directed processes in terms of ascending and descending streams. It was initially applied to the study of musical structures, including diatonic systems, modal relations, symmetry, and transitions between different stream states.

Karmil also developed SAS, a software system intended for the computational analysis and classification of musical, audio, and video materials using parameters and models derived from the Stream System. Project descriptions, software materials, and examples of application have been made publicly available.

Chess composition

Since 1986, Karmil has published more than 260 chess problems, and is a multiple prize-winner in international composition tournaments. His greatest successes have been achieved in the genre of moremover logical problems.

He has served as a judge in a number of international tournaments in the genres of three-movers and moremovers, and is the author of articles on chess composition. He has also organized annual international tournaments, including the miniature competition MiniStar, held on ChessStar.com.

Karmil is also the creator and administrator of the “Chess Star” group on Facebook, a community dedicated to publishing materials related to chess composition.

In 2013, Karmil (unofficially) represented Turkey at the 56th World Congress of Chess Composition in Batumi.

In 2018, he served as director of the composing tournament at the 43rd Chess Olympiad in Batumi.

Karmil was the silver medalist of the 10th FIDE World Cup in Composing in 2022, and the winner of the 11th FIDE World Cup in Composing in 2023 in the moremovers section.

Karmil specializes in two main genres of chess composition: logical moremovers, which involve a sequence of precise moves leading to checkmate, and orthodox miniatures, which are composed using seven or fewer pieces. His compositions often demonstrate a combination of strategic depth and thematic clarity.

He also regularly contributes articles related to chess composition for the news section of ChessStar.com, where he discusses developments and theoretical issues in the field.

Chess problems

Awards

In 2022, Karmil received the silver medal in the FIDE World Cup in Chess Composition, placing second in the moremovers section.

In 2023, he was awarded the gold medal as the winner of the moremovers section in the FIDE World Cup in Chess Composition.

Certificates and official documents

The following certificates and plaques illustrate Karmil's official titles and achievements in the field of chess composition: