‘Back to the Future with Casablanca Chess’ was the tagline for the elite rapid tournament held in Morocco last month. The intriguing premise was that games would begin from positions taken from the opening phase of famous historical games. The four guinea pigs for this experiment – dubbed the Casablanca Chess Variant – were Magnus
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Michael Lipton, Deutsche Schachzeitung, 1970. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 10 June 2024. 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…Be4!
In Competition 3352 you were invited to submit a passage about snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, or vice versa. Hitler, the Hindenburg, tiddlywinks and chess all featured, as did Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak, and it was sad not to have room for D.A. Prince’s cat having victory literally snatched from its jaws.
A book title has three elements, each one suggested by three unclued lights. The author’s name is hidden in the grid and should be highlighted. Ignore three accents. Across 1 Notice cutter that bobs up and down (6) 4 Temporary halt proves to relax (4,4) 9 Message no longer seen in
The eight unclued lights are names of Roman emperors. The puzzle’s title refers to the period 14-222 AD covered by the eight reigns. First prize Michael Crapper, Whitchurch, Hants Runners-up Peter Moody, Fareham, Hants; Mark Steele, Hatfield, Doncaster
