White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Ivar Godal, Ideal-Mate Review, 1983 Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 15 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 Bxe5! fxe5 (or 1…Rxh7 2 Rxf6!) 2 Rxe6!
White to play. Mateusz Bartel-Jules Moussard, London Chess Classic 2023. Bartel’s next move yielded a crushing advantage. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 8 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 Ne5!, e.g.
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Edith Baird, Illustrated Sporting and DramaticNews, 1890. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Wednesday 27 December. There is a prizeof £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 two moves. Composed by Werner Speckmann, Deutsche Schachzeitung, 1980. This problem has two solutions – can you find both? Then move White’s king from e5 to g8 and find two more solutions (again, mate in two). Please note that there is no prize for this week’s puzzle due to the Christmas printing schedule. Last week’s solution 1 Bb5+ Ke8 2 Rg3! wins one of the bishops. Not 1 Rg3 Bc6! or 1 Bc4 Rf6!
White to play. Lan Yao-Pia Cramling, Women’s European Team Ch, Budva 2023. Black has just made a serious error in grabbing the pawn on f3. How did White force a decisive gain of material? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 4 December. There is a prize of £20 for the firstcorrect answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1…Ng4! threatens …Qxh2#.
Black to play. Muir-Subelj, Euro Team Ch, Budva 2023. White seems to have everything covered on the kingside, but the young Slovenian grandmaster found a weak spot. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 27 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 Rxf4!
White to play. Jansa-Wengholm, World Senior Championship 65+, 2023. With his next move, the Czech grandmaster Jansa struck a decisive blow on the kingside. What did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 21 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…Rd1! 2 Qxd1 b2 and wins, or 2 Qxb3 Rd3+ or 2 Qb7 Rd2 with…b3 to follow.
Black to play. Donchenko-Mishra, Fide Grand Swiss 2023. Abhimanyu Mishra, 14, was one of the youngest players in the field. Which move allowed him to capitalise on his passed b-pawn? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 13 November 2023. 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 Qe5! For example, 1...Bxe5 2 Ra5# or 1...Bb6 2 Qb8# or 1...Bd6 2 Qa1#.
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Lionel Penrose, Chess Life 1956. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 6 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…Ba5! threatens Rc6xc8 since the b7 pawn is pinned. White has no good response, as 2 Bxd4 exd4 does not improve the situation.
Black to play. Bertholdt-J. Penrose, Olympiad Final, Munich 1958. White has just played Bh3-c8, so that the Rc8 is imprisoned in case of the obvious capture on c3. Penrose found a much stronger response. What was it? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 30 October. 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…Rc4! Then if 2 Rxc4 Rd1+ 3 Bf1 Bh3 with mate to follow. Or 2 Ra1 Bxb7 3 Rxb7 Rxc5 wins a piece.
Black to play. Dubov-Anand, Levitov Chess 2023. Dubov has just grabbed a pawn on b7. Which response gave Anand a decisive advantage? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 23 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…Re3!, as 2 fxe3 Qxg3+ 3 Kh1 Nxe3 threatens Qg2# and Nxc2. In the game 2 Rfe1 Rae8! renewed the threat of Rxf3+, Qh2+ etc and White resigned soon after.
Black to play. Dardha-Mamedyarov, European Club Cup, 2023. A knight down, which move enabled Black to break the kingside defence? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 16 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 Nh1! threatens 2 Rxh2#. Then 1… Kxh1 2 Ng3#, or 1…Rf1 2 Qxh2#, or 1…Rxh1 2 Rg3#.
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Andrii Sergiienko, Fide Youth Composing Championship 2023. Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 9 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 Bf6! gxf6 2 exf6 Rg8 3 Rd8!
Silman-McFarland, Reno 1991. White is clearly in control. Which move did he play to decide the game? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 30 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 Qg6! e.g.
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by C.G.S. Narayanan, K. Seetharaman, 2017. Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 25 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 Nc2!
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Philip Hamilton Williams, 1894. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 18 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…Qd7! deflects the queen from the defence of e1. White resigned, as 2 Qc3 Rxe1+ 3 Qxe1 Qxc6 wins. But not 1…Qd5? 2 Qxd5 check!
Black to play. Wall-Raczek, Northumbria Masters 2023. Black’s next move brought the game to a swift close. What did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 11 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 Nd5! Qxb5 2 Nc7#, or 1…Qxd6 2 Nf6+ wins. The game continued 1…exd5 2 Qe2+ Ne5 3 Qxe5+ Kd7 4 Qxh8 and Black resigned a few moves later.
White to play. Liu-Adhiban, Abu Dhabi Masters2023. White’s next move secured a decisive advantage. What did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 4 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 Rxd4! Then 1…exf4 2 Qf4+ or 1…Rxd4 2 Qc8+ Ka7 3 Qc5+ Ka8 4 Qf8+. White wins the Rh6 in either case.
White to play. Steiger-Stebbings, European Senior Team Championship, 2023. White played 1 h2-h4, and a draw was agreed a few moves later. What opportunity did he overlook? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 28 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.
White to play. Erigaisi-Azarov, Baku 2023. The Bh6 looks in trouble, but Erigaisi found a powerful move to decide the game in his favour. What did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 21 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 Qg4.
