Daily Chess Puzzle

Today’s problem is a trip down memory lane for me. Recently, I was telling a friend of the time my school, Bolton School, won the Sunday Times national schools’ chess tournament. It made me look at my game from the final, which I haven’t looked at for the last forty years. I found out it had a little tactic worth including in my blog.

Since the start of 2018, I have decided to adopt the style of only saying which side is to play: and not giving an idea if the move wins or otherwise, unless on occasion I think signposting would be helpful. Instead, the problems are posed with the instruction to decide what you would play, as in a game.

Black to play

P Markwell v Allan Beardsworth, St Ermin’s Hotel, London, 17th July 1976

Solution

The game had been heading for a draw until White’s last move, 1 Qe5-d4? It allows 1…Bd5 winning a pawn. White collapsed, and my win secured the title for my school. Happy days.

FEN

2r3k1/pb2qpp1/1p1Rp2p/8/2PQ4/P7/1P2BPPP/6K1 b – – 0 23