I could list all manner of things I don’t try, because I know I won’t like them, like skydiving and revolting cocktails. But there’s another list of things I don’t try, knowing I might like them just a bit too much. ‘Puzzle Rush’ was, for some time, in the second category. Chess.com is one of the websites where people go seeking out internet games, and their release of ‘Puzzle Rush’ in late 2018 was an instant hit. The challenge is to solve as many chess puzzles as you can in five minutes. The puzzles get gradually harder, and after three strikes, you’re out. It goes to show that even games can be gamified, and many found this virtual chess whack-a-mole ludicrously addictive. Eventually curiosity got the better of me.
It was fun, and a rush was certainly to be had from the blend of frantic clicking and wide-eyed attention in this new flavour of online speed chess. But there is more ‘rushing’ than ‘puzzling’. With the clock ticking down, it’s hardly possible to immerse yourself in the puzzle, or pause to savour its beauty. In my experience, the finest chess puzzles deserve to ferment in the mind, and be consumed sparingly.
That must be part of the appeal of formal solving competitions, which have existed much longer than ‘Puzzle Rush’. The final of the Winton British Chess Solving Championship is conducted over several hours in the manner of a written exam, with a series of puzzles grouped into stages. The 2019/20 edition concluded last month, and was won by John Nunn, a three-time world champion. He finished ahead of Jonathan Mestel and David Hodge; this trio made up Great Britain’s bronze-medal winning team at the World Championships held in Lithuania last year.
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