White to play. Makkar-Cherniaev, 4NCL Spring GM, March 2024. White is a pawn down, but his pieces are well placed. How did he strike a decisive blow? Answers should be emailed 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
Black to play. Abdusattorov-Praggnanandhaa, Prague Masters, March 2024. White has a rook for a knight. Which move allowed Black to turn the tables and gain a decisive advantage? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 15 April. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal
White to play. Menchik-Graf, Women’s World Championship, Semmering 1937. Which brilliantmove provoked instant resignation? Beware: there is a tempting option which falls short. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 8 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
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Sam Loyd, Baltimore Herald 1880. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 1 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 for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Rf3!
White to play and mate in two moves. One of the conventional problems from the same Winton British Chess Solving Championship, composed by Huibrecht van Beek, 1899. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 25 March. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address
White to play. Brkic-Shengelia, Bundesliga, February 2024. White’s pieces coordinate far better than Black’s. Which move cashes in? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 18 March. 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
Black to play. Royal-Gormally, British Rapidplay Championship, 2024. White’s last move, 26 f2-f3, was a fatal mistake. How did Gormally respond? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 11 March. 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
White to play. Borsos-Nawalaniec, Cambridge International Open, 2024. White found a devastating tactical shot. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 4 March. 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 and mate in two moves. Composed by M. Lokker, Shakhmatnaya Moskva, 1967 Answers should be emailed to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 26 February. 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
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by V. Antipov, Kudesnik, 1998. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 19 February. 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 Qg5+! Kf7
White to play. Salem-Vrolijk, Tata Steel Challengers 2024. Black’s last move, Qf2-c2, was a fatal error in an otherwise drawn endgame. Which queen check won White the game? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 12 February. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal
White to play. Maghsoodloo-Warmerdam, Tata Steel Masters 2024. Maghsoodloo’s situation looks desperate, but he found a surprise winning move here. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 5 February. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and allow six
White to play. Blübaum-Pavlidis, Bundesliga 2024. Which move won the game for Blübaum? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 29 January. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postaladdress and allow six weeks for prize delivery. Last week’s solution 1 Re8! Rxe8 (or 1…Nxe8
White to play. Cheparinov-Rapport, World Rapid Championship 2023. White found an elegant combination to make use of the passed pawn on f7. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 22 January. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address and
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Ivar Godal, Ideal-Mate Review, 1983 Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 15 January. 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 Bxe5!
White to play. Mateusz Bartel-Jules Moussard, London Chess Classic 2023. Bartel’s next move yielded a crushing advantage. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 8 January. 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
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Edith Baird, Illustrated Sporting and DramaticNews, 1890. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Wednesday 27 December. There is a prizeof £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 King
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Werner Speckmann, Deutsche Schachzeitung, 1980. This problem has two solutions – can you find both? Then move White’s king from e5 to g8 and find two more solutions (again, mate in two). Please note that there is no prize for this week’s puzzle due to
White to play. Lan Yao-Pia Cramling, Women’s European Team Ch, Budva 2023. Black has just made a serious error in grabbing the pawn on f3. How did White force a decisive gain of material? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 4 December. There is a prize of £20 for the firstcorrect answer out of a
Black to play. Muir-Subelj, Euro Team Ch, Budva 2023. White seems to have everything covered on the kingside, but the young Slovenian grandmaster found a weak spot. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 27 November. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please
