White to play and win. Composed by Alexey Troitsky, Novoye Vremya, 1895. Trapping Black’s queen looks unimaginable on such an open board, but it can be done. What is White’s first move? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 5 September. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of
White to play. Gormally–Claridge-Hansen, British Championships 2022 Black’s last move, Ra8-a7,was a fatal mistake. Which move won the game for White? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 29 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
Black to play. A variation from McShane-Hamitevici, Chennai 2022. I avoided this position, but lost in a different way. White would be three pawns up, but facing a fierce attack. Which move wins the game for Black? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 22 August. There is a prize of £20 for the
White to play. Navara – Batsuren, Chennai Olympiad 2022. In this strange position Czech grandmaster David Navara found an elegant way to conclude the game. Which move did he play next? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by 16 August. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat.
Black to play. Smirnov – Duda, Chennai Olympiad 2022. With his next move, Duda forced a decisive gain of material. What did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by 9 August. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow
White to play and mate in two. Composed by Henri Rinck, La Strategie, 1892. Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 2 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
White to play and mate in two. Composed by Philip Hamilton Williams, British Chess Magazine, 1895. Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 25 July. 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
White to play. Short-Timman, Staunton Memorial 2008. Short played 1 Qb3, missing an unusual opportunity to cause havoc with the pair of knights. Which move gives White a decisive advantage? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 18 July. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat.
White to play. J. Polgar-Carlsen, Casual blitz game, Madrid 2022. Carlsen’s last move 15…Ra8-c8 was a losing blunder. How did Judit Polgar exploit it? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 11 July. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and
White to play. Miles-Pritchett, Lloyds Bank Masters 1982. Tony Miles found a powerful counter to the queenside threats. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 4 July. 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
White to play. Rezasade-Movsesian, Bundesliga 2022. White was an underdog in this game, but found a subtle winning idea. What did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 27 June. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow
White to play. Trent-Carlstedt, Hamburg 2022. Lawrence Trent spotted a way to deliver a quick mate. Which move did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 20 June. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks
White to play and mate in 3. Composed by Sigmund Franz Josef Lehner, 1864. There are several ways to give mate in 4 moves, but it takes a delicate finesse to get the job done in 3. What is White’s first move? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 13 June. There is a
White to play. Giri-Praggnanandhaa, Chessable Masters 2022. A game from the preliminary stages. What did Giri play to induce resignation? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 6 June. 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
Black to play. Bacrot-Anand, Bastia Rapid 2001. A spectacular blow from Anand prompted Bacrot to resign. What did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 30 May. 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
White to play. Vachier-Lagrave-Caruana, Bucharest 2022. The Bh4 can retreat to g3, f2 or e1. Which one is best, and why? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 23 May. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks
White to play. Averbakh-Zita, Szczawno-Zdroj 1950. Black has just interposed Rb6-g6, so White needs an accurate finish before e3-e2 mate arrives. What did Averbakh play next? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 16 May. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal
White to play. Reshevsky-Savon, Petropolis 1973. Reshevsky played the awful 1 Qxg6+, and resigned after 1…Bxg6. Many moves win, but which one forces mate in just three moves? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 9 May. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer picked. Please include a postal address. Last week’s
White to play and draw. Composed by Jan Timman, 2011. 1 h8=Q Rxd5 wins for Black, so how does White escape? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Tuesday 3 May. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks
Black to play. Sukandar-Niemann, Reykjavik Open 2022. In this preposterous position, Black found a quick forced mate. What did he play? Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 25 April. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six weeks
