White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Sam Loyd, The Musical World, 1858. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 26 January. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher 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… e3!! 2 Bxc6 e2 wins, e.g.
Black to play. Trent-Hawkins, King’s Place Open, 2015. The bishop’s skewer looks set to cause heavy material losses. Hawkins next move showed that he can nevertheless win the game. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 19 January. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address. Last week’s solution 1… Nf3! wins, e.g. 2 gxf3 Qxf3+ 3 Kg1 Qg2#. White tried 2 Bg6 but soon lost: fxg6 3 Qxd5+ Qxd5 4 Nxd5 Bxg2+ etc.
Black to play. Hakobyan-Erigaisi, Fide World Rapid Championship, Doha 2025. Erigaisi’s next move decided the game in his favour. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 12 January. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address. Last week’s solution 1 Rb7! Nxb7 2 h6! g6 3 Qf6 Kf8 4 h7 with mate to follow. Not 1 h6 f6! and Black survives.
White to play. Theodorou-Dominguez, London Chess Classic Super Rapidplay, December 2025. Theodorou found a clever winning shot. Which move did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 5 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 Nd4! g6 2 Qh3 Black resigned, e.g. 2…Rxd4 3 Rxf7 Bg7 4 Rxg7+ Kxg7 5 Bh6+ Kg8 6 Rf8 mate.
Martirosyan-Yilmaz, European Individual Championship 2025. Black has just pushed his pawn to c4, overlooking a crucial tactic. Martirosyan’s next move decided the game. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 22 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 a8=N! Kg2 2 Nb6!
White to play and mate in three moves (that is, W-B-W-B-W checkmate). Composed by Sam Loyd, Holyoke Transcript, 1876. Please note that because of the Christmas printing schedule, this is not a prize puzzle. Last week’s solution 1 Qf6+!
White to play. A nice example from the ‘Generating Chess Puzzles’ paper mentioned above. Which move allows White to force checkmate on the kingside? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 1 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 Qg7+!
Donchenko-Liem, Fide World Cup, Goa 2025. Donchenko’s next move forced a decisive material gain. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 24 November. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher 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 Bf7+!! After 1… Kxf7 2 fxe3 the queen was lost and White won. No better is 1…Qxf7 2 Qxe5+ or 1…Ke7 2 fxe3 Qd6 3 Rad1 etc.
Wei Yi-Kacper Piorun, Fide World Cup, Goa 2025. Which surprising move enabled Wei to gain a decisive material advantage? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 17 November. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher 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 two moves. Composed by Sam Loyd, Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, 1858 Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 10 November. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher 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…Qd1!!
Black to play. Wonderful time-Daniel Naroditsky, Chess.com, 2021. Le Tuan Minh, the Vietnamese grandmaster playing White, faces a fierce attack. Naroditsky’s next move won him the game. What was it? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 3 November. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address. Last week’s solution 1 Qa5+!
A variation from Kourkoulos-Arditis-Maroroa Jones. The Greek grandmaster playing White went wrong and lost the game, but could have aimed for this position, where White has a brilliant winning move. Which one? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 27 October. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the first correct answer out of a hat. Last week’s solution 1 Qa8! After 1...Bxb3 or 1...Kxa1 2 Qh8# or 1...
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Theodore Morris Brown, American Chess-Nuts, 1868. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 20 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 Qh5+!!
White to play. Cmiel – Leitner, European Senior (50+) Championship, October 2025. The situation looks hopeless, but White found a brilliant counterattack. Which move did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 13 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 Bh3! After 1...Kd5or 1...Kd6 2 Qe6#, or 1...Kf6 2 Qg7# or 1...
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Franz Dittrich, Ceske Listy Sachove, 1897. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 6 October. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher 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 Qc5!
White to play. Anish Giri-Viktor Laznicka, France 2010. Black’s king is in obvious peril, and Giri found the only move which wins by force. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 29 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…Ne2+! wins the Rf4, as 2 Qxe2 Qxg2# or 2 Rxe2 Qc1+ leads to mate.
Black to play. Szymon Gumularz-Nihal Sarin, Fide Grand Swiss, 2025. Sarin found a tactic which decided the game in his favour immediately. Which move did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 22 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 f6!
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Edith Baird, British Chess Magazine, 1894. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 15 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…Qxg2+!
Black to play. Cervantes Landeiro-M. Muzychuk, Women’s World Cup 2025. Black, down rook for knight, retreated Ne4-g5 and went on to lose. How could she have salvaged a draw? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 8 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…Qxg6! 2 fxg6 Bxg5+ wins back White’s queen, with decisive material gains.
Black to play. O. Bronstein – L. McShane, World Blitz Team Championships, London, 2025. Bronstein sacrificed a knight for a kingside attack, but here I missed a chance to decide the game in my favour. Which move should I have played? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 1 September. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution David Marsh, Gurnard Last week’s winner 1 Qh8! Then 1...Kd4 2 Rf4# or 1...d4 2 Qh1# or 1...g3 2 Qh4#.