|
WINTON CAPITAL BRITISH CHESS SOLVING CHAMPIONSHIP
2008-2009
(Organised
by the British Chess Problem Society)
Readers may know that
Great Britain are the current World Chess Solving Champions, our team of
John Nunn, Jonathan Mestel and David Friedgood having won on the Greek Island of Rhodes late
last year, that being the team's third successive victory. John Nunn came
first individually to become World Chess Solving Champion for the second
time.
The 2008-2009
competition starts here. We continue with the successful format enabled by
our generous sponsorship from Winton Capital Management.
Readers may enter by
solving the chess problem below (the, starter problem). White, is to play
and force mate in two moves against any black defence. The entry fee is £3.
Competitors need only send White's first move, known as the key-move.
Entries (by post only please) should be sent to:
Paul Valois, Newton Park Drive, LEEDS, LS74HH
Entries should be
accompanied by a cheque or postal order for £3.00, made payable to British
Chess Problem Society.
Entries should be
postmarked no later than 31st July 2008. After the closing date but not
till then, all competitors will receive the answer to the starter problem.
Those who get it
right will also receive the postal round, which will contain 8 more
difficult and varied problems, In addition to this, all competitors,
whether successful or not, who are not members of the BCPS will each
receive a recent copy of The Problemist, the
magazine of the British Chess Problem Society. In due course, the best
competitors from the postal round will be invited to the final (in February
2009 at Oakham School) at which the prize fund
will be about £1,000. The ultimate winner of this final will win the right
to represent Great Britain at the World Chess Solving Championship in 2009.
Readers will be able
to find out more about the BCPS and chess problems, and to follow the
course of the competition and to see problems from earlier years at my
website at: http://www.bstephen.me.uk
Brian Stephenson
Controller - Winton
Capital British Chess Solving Championship
WCBCSC Starter Problem 2008-2009
White to play and
mate in two
The position is
White K on h1, Q on
g6, R on c3, N on c2 and c8, P on e5 and f4.
Black K on d5, B on
c5, N on b3 and b7, P on c6,d7 and g7.
past reports
B.C.A. members reach postal stage
The Winton Capital
Problem Solving 2008 competition has reached the postal stage after the
initial problem solving round. 168 of the 217 entrants go on to this stage
and this includes B.C.A.’s Bill Armstrong and Paul Cumbers, who will
again try to reach the final 30-40 in the February 2008 final.
If you think problem
solving is easy, try this for starters.
White K on d6, Q on
f2, R on c5, P on c3. Black K on d3.
White to play and
mate in three moves.
If you solved that
problem quickly you have a bright future as a solver. If you did not, don't
worry, you are in the majority and some of them are top class players and
solvers.
Bill Armstrong finds it tough!
Bill Armstrong reports
I and former BCA member Paul Cumbers
were both successful in the postal round and reached the final at Oakham in February. The event had the championship and
a parallel open competition with solvers who had failed to reach the final
and several invited foreign solvers. The defending champion GM John Nunn
and his main UK rival GM Jonathan Mestel again
battled for the title with Mestel emerging
victorious. Even they found the problems tough this year. Many of the
competitors were like me struggling to get any points at all. My final
score was a mere 2.5 this year and many competitors were in single figures
out of a possible 65. To see information for next season’s
competition, see the info above.
|