White to play. F. Olafsson – Tal, Alekhine Memorial, Moscow 1971. Tal’s last move, attacking the queen, was a huge mistake. How did Olafsson win the game? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 12 May. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address
White to play. Dardha-Sorensen, Grenke Freestyle Open, 2025. The knight forks rook and bishop, and Re6-e3 runs into another fork with Nd4-c2+. Which move enabled Dardha to decide the game in his favour? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 5 May. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the first correct
Black to play. Wikar-Rida, European Women’s Championship, 2025. Three pawns down, 13-year-old Rida had done well to create counter-chances, and here she spotted her opportunity. Which move won her the game? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 28 April. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the first correct answer out
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Sam Loyd, Detroit Free Press, 1877. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 22 April. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal addressand allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Rb3!
White to play. Bjerre-Bodrogi, European Individual Championship, 2025. The game was eventually drawn, but in this position Bjerre missed a beautiful winning move. What was it? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 14 April. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and
White to play. Eren-Bosiocic, European Individual Championship, 2025. Here, White conjured a mating attack from his tangle of pieces on the kingside. Which move did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 7 April. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by William Shinkman, The Good Companion, 1919. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 31 March. 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.
Black to play. Verbytski – Sarakauskas, British Rapidplay Championship, 2025. 1…Re1+ 2 Kf2 is wildly complex, while Sarakauskas tried 1…Qb1+ and lost. But he missed a move which wins on the spot. What was it? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 24 March. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by George Edward Carpenter, Dubuque Chess Journal, 1873. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 17 March. 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
White to play. Spassky-Marsalek, World U26 Team Championship, Leningrad 1960. After Spassky’s next move, his opponent resigned. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 10 March. 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
White to play and mate in two moves. The original problem was a mate in three, composed by Godfrey Heathcote for British Chess Magazine in 1904. In this, the most beautiful variation, White has just two moves left to give mate. What is the first move? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 3 March. There
White to play. A variation from Keymer-Carlsen, Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, Weissenhaus 2025. Which move allows White to conclude the attack? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 24 February. 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
White to play. Gukesh-Praggnanandhaa, Tata Steel Masters tiebreak, 2025. Black’s last move, 35…Qd3-d6 was a blunder. Which move did Gukesh play to exploit it? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 17 February. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal
Black to play. Gurel-Nguyen, Tata Steel Challengers, 2025. Black’s king is in danger here. Which move allowed him to save the game? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 10 February. 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
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Sam Loyd, St Louis Globe-Democrat, 1907. What is White’s first move? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 3 February. 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
Black to play. Gukesh-Giri, Wijk aan Zee, 2025. With less than a minute, Giri erred and lost here. Which move would have won him the game? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 27 January. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include
White to play. Karthikeyan–Tabatabaei, Qatar Masters 2024. With his next move, Karthikeyaninitiated a winning combination. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 20 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
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Edith Baird, Pen and Pencil, 1888. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 13 February. 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. Composed by František Dedrle, Deutsches Wochenschach, 1921. Black plans to draw by eliminating the last pawn on b5. What is White’s only winning move? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 6 January. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please
White to play. The conclusion of one of the rapid games from the ‘Battle of Generations’ match (See question 4 above). Which move did the grandmaster play to decide the game in her favour? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Friday 27 December. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of