White to play. Maxime Lagarde-Thai Dai Van Nguyen, Reykjavik 2021. Lagarde found a brilliant finish, forcing mate in just a few moves. What was his next move? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 17 January. 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.
White to play. Abdusattorov–Rakhmatullaev, Uzbek Championship 2021. How did White deliver a pretty mate in two moves? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Tuesday 10 January. 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 h8=R! Then 1…h2 2 Ra8 Kg1 3 Ra1#, or 1…Kg1 2 Rxh3 Kf1 3 Rh1# or 1…Kh2 2 Kf2 Kh1 3 Rxh3# But not 1 h8=Q Kg1 2 Qxh3 with stalemate.
White to play and mate in 3. Composed by Albert Barbe, 1861. Only the first move is required, but it’s not as obvious as it looks! Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Tuesday 4 January. 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 Qf3, e.g.
White to play and mate in 2. Composed by W.A. Shinkman, Montreal Spectator, 1880. As things stand, White has no immediate mate in answer to 1…Ka3 or 1…a3. The key move offers an ingenious way to meet these moves. Please note that owing to Christmas printing deadlines there is no prize for this puzzle. Last week’s solution 1…Qxh3+ 2 Kxh3 Rh6+ 3 Kg4 Reg6# Last week’s winner C.
Black to play. Plat-Esipenko, European Team Championship, 2021. The 19-year-old Russian playing Black found a way to force mate in three moves. What did he play next? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 6 December. 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 Qb8+!
White to play. Erigaisi–Liem, Tata Steel Rapid, 2021. Here 1 Rxf6? Qd1+ sees White getting mated on the back rank. The 18-year-old Indian grand-master found a much stronger move. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 29 November. 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 Bg5!
White to play and win. The conclusion of an endgame study by Henri Rinck. The imminent promotion of the g-pawn makes White’s situation look desperate, but there is one way to win the game. What is White’s winning move? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 22 November. 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 Qxf6+!
White to play. Trisha Kanyamarala–Roderick Mckay, EJCOA Forest Hall Invitational, 2021. White found a brilliant strike on the kingside, forcing a quick mate. What did she play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 15 November. 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 Qxh7+!
White to play. Short-Ye, Sanjin Hotel Cup 2004. A snappy finish from a game in Winning. Which move allowed Short to force a quick checkmate? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 8 November. 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…Ne4+ 2 Nxe4 a4 and the a-pawn cannot be stopped.
Black to play. Turner–Jackson, Hull 4NCL GM Tournament 2021. Which move did James Jackson play to ensure a decisive advance of his passed a-pawn? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 1 November. 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 Rg8+ Kxg8 2 Qxf7+ Kh8 3 Qg8# (or 3 Qf8#). Not 1 Qxf7+ Kh6 2 Qf4+ Rg5 3 Qh4+ Rh5 which only leads to a draw.
White to play. Bjerre–Maiwald, Bundesliga 2021. Black has menacing counterplay, so White’s attack needs an accurate conclusion. What did he play next? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 25 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.
White to play and mate in one. I found this puzzle online, composed by someone with the pseudonym ‘Illion’. I was stumped for several minutes before the solution dawned on me. Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 18 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 Qxf8+!
White to play. Mamedyarov–Artemiev, MeltwaterChampions Final 2021. Black’s last move, was Ra8-a4, attacking the pawn on g4. But it allowed Mamedyarov a decisive tactical opportunity. What did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 11 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 Ng4+!
White to play. This was a variation which could arise in the game R. Pert–M. Parligras, Manx Liberty Masters 2021. Here, White has a surprising way to conclude the game. What is the winning move? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 4 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…Rc3! wins, e.g.
Black to play. J. Polgar — Gaprindashvili, Novi Sad Olympiad 1990. Gaprindashvili’s next move prompted immediate resignation. What did she play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by 27 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 Qf6! blocks the f-pawn, so Bh6 and Qg7# is unstoppable. e.g. 1...Qxa2 2 Bh6 Qa5+ 3 Kd1 Qa4+ 4 Kc1 Qa1+ 5 Kc2 Qa4+ 6 Kb1 wins.
White to play. Gaprindashvili–Servaty, Dortmund 1974. The dark squares around Black’s king are critically weak, and White found an accurate way to conclude the attack. What was her winning move? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 20 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 d6+! Rxd6 2 Bb4 won rook for bishop, and the game soon after. But not 1 Bd4? Nxd5 2 Re4+ Re6 and Black is safe.
White to play. Harvey–Roberson, Northumbria Masters 2021. Black’s last move, 37…Kf7-e7 looked plausible, but walked into a clever tactic. What was White’s next move? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 13 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 b4+ Qxb4 2 Qa2+ Kb5 3 Qxb2 and the f6-pawn decides the game. Or if 1…Kxb4 2 Qe7!
White to play. Swiercz–Xiong, Sinquefield Cup 2021. 1 Kxb2 allows a perpetual check. But forcing an exchange of queens would allow the f6-pawn to decide the game in White’s favour. Which move did Swiercz play to bring that about? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 6 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+! 2 Qxg6 Rxe1+ 3 Kh2 hxg6 leaves Black an easy win. Not 1…dxe4? 2 Rxh5, nor 1….Rxe4?
Black to play. Geller–Sveshnikov, USSR Ch 1978. Geller’s last move, 34 Rb1-e1 looked clever, since Black cannot safely capture the queen. But Sveshnikov’s next move exposed a critical flaw in Geller’s idea. What did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 30 July. 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 Rh1 Qe8 2 Ke1 Qa8 3 Kf1 Qa6+ 4 Kg1 and Black cannot progress, since 4…Qc4 is stalemate.
White to play and draw. The conclusion of an endgame study composed by J. Hašek (1951). Black is preparing a queen infiltration via a6. But with the right move, White can ensure that is not fatal. What should White play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 23 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 Ra8+ Bxa8 2 Nc8+ Ka6 3 Rb6 mate. Last week’s winner Andrew Espley, Masham, N.
