White to play. Mamedyarov-J. Polgar, Fide World Blitz, Dubai 2014. Black is lagging in development, and her last move, 10…Nb8-d7, gifted White a tactical opportunity. Which move won the game for White? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 24 October. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Be2!
White to play and mate in two. Composed by Bruce Leverett, Chess Life, 1968. What is White’s first move? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 17 October. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1…b5! cuts off the Qa5. 2 Qd8 Qe5+ 3 g3 Qa1 wins e.g.
Black to play. Giorgobiani-Sivanandan, Fide Cadets U8 Girls Championship, 2022. Black has a subtle winning move in this position. What is it? (The game continued 32…Rf1 33 Qd5 and Black won after a long fight.) Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 10 October. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1…Qb1!
Black to play and win. A variation from the game Aronian-Ivanchuk, Julius Baer Generation Cup, September 2022. Ivanchuk could have reached this position, where he can now win at least a knight by force. What should Black’s next move be? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 3 October. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Qa6! Then 1...Kxd2 2 Qh6#, or 1...cxd2 2 Qa1# or 1...
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Carl Schlechter, Allgemeine Sport-Zeitung, 1908. What is White’s first move? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 26 September. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Be8! and 2 Bb5 mate cannot be stopped.
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Edith Baird, for The Chess Amateur, 1923. Answers should be emailed by Tuesday 20 September to chess@spectator.co.uk. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Qxe6+!
White to play. Cornette-Feller, French Champion-ship, August 2022. Black has just played 13...h7-h6. How did White capitalise on this mistake? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 12 September. There is a prize of £20 for a correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 c3! Qxf4 2 g3! wins.
White to play and win. Composed by Alexey Troitsky, Novoye Vremya, 1895. Trapping Black’s queen looks unimaginable on such an open board, but it can be done. What is White’s first move? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 5 September. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address. Last week’s solution 1 Qg6! threatens Qxg7 mate.
White to play. Gormally–Claridge-Hansen, British Championships 2022 Black’s last move, Ra8-a7,was a fatal mistake. Which move won the game for White? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 29 August. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1…Rg3! 2 Qxg3 Rxf1+ 3 Kh2 Ng4+ 4 Kh3 Rh1+ 5 Kg2 Rg1+ wins. But not 1…Qc8 2 Rf3!
Black to play. A variation from McShane-Hamitevici, Chennai 2022. I avoided this position, but lost in a different way. White would be three pawns up, but facing a fierce attack. Which move wins the game for Black? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 22 August. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Qxh7+!
White to play. Navara – Batsuren, Chennai Olympiad 2022. In this strange position Czech grandmaster David Navara found an elegant way to conclude the game. Which move did he play next? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by 16 August. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for delivery. Last week’s solution 1...Qxg2+ White resigned, as 2 Bxg2 Nxe2+ and 3...Nxc3 leaves Black with a winning advantage.
Black to play. Smirnov – Duda, Chennai Olympiad 2022. With his next move, Duda forced a decisive gain of material. What did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by 9 August. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution Last week’s solution: 1 Qh8! Depending on Black’s response, mate follows with Qb8, Qf8, Qe5 or Qd4. Last week’s winner Richard Booth, Cheltenham, Glos.
White to play and mate in two. Composed by Henri Rinck, La Strategie, 1892. Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 2 August. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Rc2!
White to play and mate in two. Composed by Philip Hamilton Williams, British Chess Magazine, 1895. Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 25 July. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Nd6! wins. If 1...Qxd6 2 Nf7+ or 1...
White to play. Short-Timman, Staunton Memorial 2008. Short played 1 Qb3, missing an unusual opportunity to cause havoc with the pair of knights. Which move gives White a decisive advantage? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 18 July. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Bb6! wins the queen, since 1…Qxb6 2 Qxd7 is mate!
White to play. J. Polgar-Carlsen, Casual blitz game, Madrid 2022. Carlsen’s last move 15…Ra8-c8 was a losing blunder. How did Judit Polgar exploit it? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 11 July. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Be5! Black resigned.
White to play. Miles-Pritchett, Lloyds Bank Masters 1982. Tony Miles found a powerful counter to the queenside threats. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 4 July. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Ke6! Wins, e.g. 1…Nc6 2 Kf6 Nd8 3 h7+ Kh8 4 Ke7 Nc6+ 5 Kf8. The game went 1…Nd3 and after 2 Kf6 Kh8 3 h7! Black resigned, e.g. 3…Nf4 4 g7+ and Kf7.
White to play. Rezasade-Movsesian, Bundesliga 2022. White was an underdog in this game, but found a subtle winning idea. What did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 27 June. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Qxh5+! Kxh5 2 Bf7#.
White to play. Trent-Carlstedt, Hamburg 2022. Lawrence Trent spotted a way to deliver a quick mate. Which move did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 20 June. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution : 1 Rc1! with the idea 1…Kb8 2 Kxb6 Ka8 3 Rc8# After 1…b5 or 1…Ka8 White plays 2 Kc7!
White to play and mate in 3. Composed by Sigmund Franz Josef Lehner, 1864. There are several ways to give mate in 4 moves, but it takes a delicate finesse to get the job done in 3. What is White’s first move? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 13 June. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Bf4!
