White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Sam Loyd, Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, 1858 Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 10 November. 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
Black to play. Wonderful time-Daniel Naroditsky, Chess.com, 2021. Le Tuan Minh, the Vietnamese grandmaster playing White, faces a fierce attack. Naroditsky’s next move won him the game. What was it? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 3 November. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the first correct answer out of
A variation from Kourkoulos-Arditis-Maroroa Jones. The Greek grandmaster playing White went wrong and lost the game, but could have aimed for this position, where White has a brilliant winning move. Which one? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 27 October. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the first correct answer
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Theodore Morris Brown, American Chess-Nuts, 1868. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 20 October. 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. Cmiel – Leitner, European Senior (50+) Championship, October 2025. The situation looks hopeless, but White found a brilliant counterattack. Which move did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 13 October. 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 Franz Dittrich, Ceske Listy Sachove, 1897. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 6 October. 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. Anish Giri-Viktor Laznicka, France 2010. Black’s king is in obvious peril, and Giri found the only move which wins by force. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 29 September. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal
Black to play. Szymon Gumularz-Nihal Sarin, Fide Grand Swiss, 2025. Sarin found a tactic which decided the game in his favour immediately. Which move did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 22 September. 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 Edith Baird, British Chess Magazine, 1894. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 15 September. 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…Qxg2+!
Black to play. Cervantes Landeiro-M. Muzychuk, Women’s World Cup 2025. Black, down rook for knight, retreated Ne4-g5 and went on to lose. How could she have salvaged a draw? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 8 September. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a
Black to play. O. Bronstein – L. McShane, World Blitz Team Championships, London, 2025. Bronstein sacrificed a knight for a kingside attack, but here I missed a chance to decide the game in my favour. Which move should I have played? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 1 September. There is a prize of £20
White to play and mate in two moves. Composed by Godfrey Heathcote, Manchester Evening News, 1887. Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 25 August. 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. Siva Mahadevan-Nikita Vitiugov. White is attacking the f7-pawn, but Vitiugov’s next move won him the game. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 18 August. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address. Last week’s solution 1
White to play. A position from an internet game played in 2025. Black looks well placed, as the Bd6 is pinned and the c3 pawn is menacing. But there is an extraordinary move which wins the game for White. Which one? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 9 August. There is a prize of a
White to play. Byron-Pereslavtsev, English Championship, 2025. The game ended in a draw by perpetual check: 1 Ne3 Ng5+ 2 Kh2 Nf3+ etc. White could avoid that in various ways, but only one wins easily. Which move should he have chosen? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 4 August. There is a prize of £20
Black to play. So-Keymer, Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, Las Vegas 2025. Keymer’s next move forced So to resign. What did he play? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 28 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. Gukesh-Firouzja, SuperUnited Rapid, Zagreb 2025. Firouzja has just walked into a trap. Which move allowed Gukesh to reach an easily winning position? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 21 July. There is a prize of a £20 John Lewis voucher for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a
White to play. Abdusattorov-Rapport, UzChess Masters 2025. The a-pawn seems bound to promote before the h-pawn. Which move allowed Abdusattorov to win the game anyway? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 14 July. 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 moves. Composed by Barry Barnes, the Observer, 1964. Barnes, who died in January, was a great expert and composer of mate in two problems. Email answers (first move only) to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 7 July. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of
White to play. Maroroa Jones-Aronian, World Rapid Team Championship, London 2025. Aronian’s last move Nf6-e4 was a blunder. Which response prompted immediate resignation? Email answers to chess@spectator.co.uk by Monday 30 June. There is a prize of £20 for the first correct answer out of a hat. Please include a postal address. Last week’s solution 1