Chess puzzle

Black to play… and lose! Aronian–Van Foreest, March 2021. Van Foreest’s next move didn’t blunder his queen but was nonetheless a fatal error. Can you see what he played? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 29 March. 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…Rb4! 2 Rxh4+ Kg3! Now 3 Rxb4 is stalemate, or 3 Rg4+ Rxg4 4 hxg4 Kxg4 is a draw. White played 2 Kh2 and after Ke3 a draw was agreed soon after.

Black to play. Kosteniuk–Koneru, Skolkovo Grand Prix, 2019. The obvious 1…Kg3 fails to 2 Rg5+ Kf4 3 Rg4+. Losing the pawn looks inevitable, but Koneru found the only move to save herself. What did she play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by 22 March. 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 Qh3!

White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Philip Hamilton Williams, Birmingham Post, 1890. Answers should be emailed to chess@-spectator.co.uk by Monday 15 March. 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 Qd5! Nc5+ 2 Ka2 and the threat Qd5-g8 is decisive. 1 Bxe6? Qa3+! soon led to a draw, because it’s stalemate if the queen is captured: 2 Kc4 Qb4+ 3 Kd5 Qd6+ etc. Or 1 Qe3? Nd4+ 2 Qxd4 Qa3+ is similar.

White to play. Garcia Ramos–Maurizzi, -Barcelona 2021. Black has just played Kg8-h7, to attack White’s queen by unpinning the knight on e6. Choose between 1 Qd5, 1 Qe3 and 1 Bxe6. Which do you prefer? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 8 March. 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…Rb8! and White resigned, since 2 Rxb6 Bxg2+! wins easily.

Black to play. Warakomski-–Korobov, February 2021. White has a pin on the b-file and 1…Bxg2+ 2 Kxg2 Bc5 3 Rb7 should suffice for a draw, despite the pawn deficit. But Korobov’s next move provoked instant resignation. What did he play? Answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 1 March, for a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include your address. Last week’s solution 1 Rc8! Now 1…Rxc8 or 1…Raa8 are both met by 2 Bd4 mate. Or 1…Bxc3 2 Rxd8+ leaves White with an easy win.

White to play. Carlsen–Vachier-Lagrave, Opera Euro Rapid 2020. Carlsen played 31 Bd4+ Rxd4 32 cxd4 Bxd4 which should be drawn, though he won in the end. Can you find the much s-tronger move which he missed? Answers to be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 22 February. 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 Qh1!, e.g.

White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Theodore Herlin, Schachzeitung 1852. Answers to be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 15 February. 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 Rxh7! and then Kxh7 2 Rd7+ Kg8 (or 2… Kh8 4 Nxg6+) 3 h7+ Kh8 4 Nxg6 mate.

White to play. Giri-Wojtaszek, Wijk aan Zee 2021. On his last move, Black waited with 48… Ba1-b2, yielding White a decisive opportunity. Which move enabled Giri to break through? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 8 February. 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...Bc3+!

Kokkoris–Kavalek, Athens 1968. Kavalek’s next move initiated a beautiful forced mating sequence. What did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 1 February. 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 Bxe7! Kxe7 2 cxb6! Rxc1 3 b7 Rxf1 4 b8=Q and the queen prevailed.

White to play. Howell — Adams, Caplin Hastings Online 2021. Adams’s last move, 35...Ba4-b3, gave Howell the chance for a tactical strike, gaining a decisive advantage. What was his next move? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 25 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 b4!

Gormally–Turner, Caplin Hastings Online 2021. Black looks safe, but Gormally’s next move forced a win of material. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 18 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 Qg6+!! If 1…fxg6 2 Nxh6 mate, or 1...Nxg6 2 Nxh6 mate, or 1…Rxg6 2 Nxe7 mate.

Mastrovasilis–Marechal, Cappelle la Grande 2011. Black is a whole rook up, so his last move 34… Nd5-e7, angling for an exchange of knights, looks plausible. Which move did White play to expose a hidden flaw? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 11 January. 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 Be5! Bh1 2 Bxg3 and 3 Bd6, 4 Bf8, 5 Bg7 mate. Not 1 Bb2? Bh1! 2 Ba3 g2! 3 Bf8 and Black is in stalemate.

White to play and mate in five moves. Composed by Kohtz & Kockelkorn, 1875. Be careful — four moves isn’t enough! What is White’s key first move? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 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.

Four puzzles in one, composed by Werner Speckmann, 1963. In each case, White to play and mate in two. (a) As in diagram; (b) In (a), move Qh7 to a7; (c) In (b), move Ke6 to c6; (d) In (c), move Ke4 to c4. We regret that there is no prize for this puzzle, owing to the Christmas printing schedule. Last week’s solution 1 g4!! blocks the c8-h3 diagonal, so a back rank mate with 2 Rc8+ is threatened. In defending the threat, Black loses the queen.

White to play. A position taken from Chess Improvement (perhaps from Luchowski–Gridnew, Moscow 1992.) Black’s menacing pieces make the situation look desperate. How can White turn the tables? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 7 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 Qc8+! Kxc8 (or 1...Kd6 2 Qe6#) 2 a8=Q+ Kd7 3 Qe8+ Kd6 4 Qe6 mate.

White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Sam Loyd, 1857. Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 23 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 Qg7+!! Kxg7 2 Nf5+ Kg8 3 Nh6 mate.

White to play. Mista–Kloza, Poland 1955 (supposedly). Which move does White play to force a quick checkmate? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Tuesday 17 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 Kd7! If 1…Bg7 2 Nd6 and 3 Ne8 mate. Or if 1…Kg7, 2 Nd6 and Nd6-e8, Nd6xf5 or Ng5-e6 mate.

White to play and mate in 3. A puzzle featured in The Queen’s Gambit, apparently composed by W. Atkinson in 1890. What is White’s first move? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Tuesday 10 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 b5! is ‘Zugzwang’. After 1...Kh5 (or 1...Kf6 2 Kg4 g5 3 Kh5) 2 a5! Black resigned in view of 2...bxa5 3 b6!

White to play. Wade–Korchnoi, Buenos Aires, 1960. Bob Wade’s next move prepared a surprising and decisive breakthrough. What did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 2 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…f5! wins, because 2 exf6 Rxf6+ 3 Ke2 Bg4+ is crushing. (1…f6 2 Nd2!, or 1…Qxb2+ 2 Nd2!) After 1…f5 White tried 2 cxd5 f4! 3 Bxh7+ Kxh7 4 Qxd4 Nxd4 and resigned before further losses.