Black to play. This position is from Carlsen-Wang Hao; Norway Masters 2013. Can you spot Black’s clever winning move in this endgame? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 28 May or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681 3773. The winner will be the first correct answer out of a hat,
Sergei Karjakin stormed into an early lead with 4/4 in the elite tournament at Stavanger in Norway, which finishes on Saturday 18 May. Karjakin also triumphed in a blitz tournament (four minutes per player per game) preceding the main event, the results of which were used to determine pairings for the competition proper. Leading scores in
White to play. This position is from Anand-Nakamura, Norway Masters. What is White’s best move? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 21 May or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681 3773. The winner will be the first correct answer out of a hat, and each week I shall be
The Alekhine Memorial split between Paris and St Petersburg has been won jointly by Lev Aronian and Boris Gelfand. The final scores (out of 9) were as follows: Aronian and Gelfand 51/2; Anand 5; Vitiugov, Fressinet, Kramnik, Adams and Vachier-Lagrave 41/2; Ding Liren 31/2 and Svidler 3. Britain’s Michael Adams got off to a blazing
Black to play. This is from Kramnik-Fressinet, Alekhine Memorial 2013, a variation from a sensational win by the French grandmaster. Two pieces down, how does Black continue? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 14 May or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681 3773. The winner will be the first
As I write, the prestigious Alekhine Memorial tournament is drawing to a close. Brainchild of sponsor Andrei Filatov, this high-powered event is taking place partly in the Louvre in Paris and partly in the Mikhailovsky Palace of the State Russian Museum in St Petersburg, combining Mr Filatov’s twin passions for chess and art. The event
White to play. This position is a variation from Alekhine-Hofmeister, Petrograd 1917. A typical Alekhine conclusion. A queen down — how does he force the win? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 7 May or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681 3773. The winner will be the first correct
Trust the French to have cuisine in mind when coining their phrase for April Fool. On the front page of the Daily Telegraph of 3 April, I spotted a statistical prediction by my old rival for the British chess championship, Bill Hartston, that Seabass (a horse, not a marine delicacy) would win the Grand National.
White to play. This position is from Hartston-Penrose, London 1963. Here Hartston agreed a draw but he missed a cast that would have reeled Black in. Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 30 April or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681 3773. The winner will be the first correct
Adrian, who died earlier this year, was both an Oxford classicist from Keble College and a Correspondence Chess Grandmaster. One of the outstanding personalities of British chess, he won the UK Correspondence Chess Championship three times, either outright or shared. But his superlative achievement was to win a world title. From 1982 to 1987 he
White to play. This position is from Hollis-Courteney, Bognor Regis 1959. The Black king is badly exposed. How did White quickly cash in? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 23 April or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681 3773. The winner will be the first correct answer out of
Magnus Carlsen has qualified from the London Candidates tournament to earn a title match against the incumbent world champion Vishy Anand of India. Final scores were as follows: Carlsen and Kramnik 8½; Svidler and Aronian 8; Grischuk and Gelfand 6½; Ivanchuk 6 and Radjabov 4. Kramnik tied for first and in my opinion played better
Black to play. This position is from Gelfand-Carlsen, Fidé Candidates London 2013. What was the key move that enabled Carlsen to make the most of his queenside pawns? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 16 April or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681 3773. The winner will be the
This week, further fascinating positions from the world championship qualifier Candidates tournament recently concluded in London. Although there were the regulation number of draws, for such an elite event, the general tenor was one of superb fighting chess, with little quarter asked or given. The theme of many of the games from the second cycle
White to play. This position is a variation from Svidler-Carlsen; London Candidates 2013. This is a trap that Carlsen avoided on the way to victory. What win for White had he foreseen? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 9 April or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681 3773. The
In the history of suppression of press freedom in the UK, now once again a fierce topic of debate, an honourable role was played by the chessplayer, writer, editor and irrepressible optimist James Mortimer. An officer in the US diplomatic corps, Mortimer was posted to Paris from 1855 to 1860, during which time he was
White to play. This position is from Grischuk-Ivanchuk, London Candidates 2013. White’s next destroyed the black position. Can you see it? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 2 April or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681 3773. The winner will be the first correct answer out of a hat,
The Candidates tournament to decide the challenger to world champion Anand is the strongest tournament ever to have graced the capital. As I write, three rounds of fighting chess have produced the following scores: Aronian 2½, Carlsen and Svidler 2, Kramnik Grischuk and Radjabov 1½, Gelfand and Ivanchuk ½. The tournament continues at the IET
White to play. This position is a variation from Radjabov-Ivanchuk, London Candidates 2013. White has only one move to win here. Can you see it? Answers to me at The Spectator by Tuesday 26 March or via email to victoria@spectator.co.uk or by fax on 020 7681 3773. The winner will be the first correct answer
The world championship qualifier, known as the Candidates’ tournament, should now be underway in London. (For details see the website worldchess.com/candidates.) The favourite is Magnus Carlsen, who has identified Lev Aronian of Armenia as his most dangerous rival according to an interview in the Guardian with Stephen Moss. If Magnus fails to rise to the
