This week’s puzzle is a chance to enter an annual national contest in which FT readers traditionally perform strongly and in significant numbers. White in the diagram, playing as usual up the board, is to play and checkmate in two moves, against any Black defence.
The puzzle is the first stage of the annual Winton British Chess Solving Championship, organised by the British Chess Problem Society. This competition is open only to British residents, and entry is free. To take part, simply send White’s first move to Nigel Dennis, Boundary House, 230 Greys Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG9 1QY, or by email to [email protected].
All entries must be postmarked or emailed no later than July 31, and provide the entrant’s name and home address. Juniors under 18 on August 31 2024 should give their date of birth. Please mark your entry “FT”.
Receipt of the solution to the first-stage problem will be acknowledged after the closing date, when all competitors will receive the answer. Those who get it right will also be sent the postal round of eight harder problems, with plenty of time for solving. The best 15-20 competitors from the postal round, plus the best juniors, will be invited to the final at Harrow School on Saturday February 21 2026, where the prize money is expected to be £1,500.
The winner of the final will also qualify for the Great Britain team in the 2026 world solving championship, an event where Britain is often a serious medal contender. At Jurmala, Latvia, in July 2024, the Great Britain team of John Nunn (individual silver medallist), David Hodge (2024 British champion) and Jonathan Mestel won the team gold medals for the first time since 2007. Poland won the silver medals, and Israel the bronze.
The starter problem is tricky, with both White and Black armies scattered apparently randomly round the board. There are some near-misses to avoid. Very obvious first-move choices rarely work. It is easy to make an error, so be sure to double- and treble-check your answer before sending it. Good luck in solving it to all FT entrants.
There’s a new youngest international master, and he’s only 10 years and three months old. Last weekend in Serbia, Russia’s Roman Shogdzhiev broke the world age record set earlier by Argentina’s “chess Messi” Faustino Oro, at the same time that Oro made his own first unsuccessful bid for the higher-rated grandmaster norm. A GM title requires 2600 Fide world ranking points, an IM 2400.
There have been criticisms that Shogdzhiev’s performances were only made against elderly and low-rated grandmasters and not against the high-calibre opponents that Oro faced. However, it is clear that the young Muscovite has the firm support of his national federation. He has no fewer than has seven coaches assigned to help him, led by the two-time Russian champion Evgeny Tomashevssky, who at his peak ranked No 13 in the world.
Please note that as our column covers the Winton British Chess Solving Championship, there is no Chess solution this week. Click here for previous solutions
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