Chess: Your Chance to Take Part in the British Solving Championship
This week's puzzle is a unique opportunity to enter an annual national competition where Guardian readers traditionally perform well and in considerable numbers. White in the diagram, playing up the board as usual, is to play and checkmate in two moves against any black defence.
The puzzle serves as the first stage of the annual Winton British Solving Championship, organized by the British Chess Problem Society and sponsored by the investment managers Winton. This competition is open exclusively to British residents, and entry is free. To participate, simply send White's first move by post to Nigel Dennis, Boundary House, 230 Greys Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG9 1QY, or by email to winton@theproblemist.org.
All entries must be postmarked or emailed no later than 31 July 2026, and must include the entrant's name and home address. Juniors under 18 on 31 August 2025 must also provide their date of birth. Please mark your entry "Guardian." Receipt of the solution will be acknowledged after the closing date, when all competitors will receive the answer. Those who solve it correctly will also be sent the postal round of eight harder problems, with plenty of time for solving.
The best 15-20 players from the postal round, along with the best juniors, will be invited to the final at Harrow School on Saturday, 13 February 2027, where prize money is expected to be at least £1,600. The winner of the final earns the right to represent Great Britain at the 2027 World Solving Championship, an event where the GB team is often a medal contender. In 2024, the GB team of John Nunn (individual silver medal), David Hodge (2024 British Solving Champion), and Jonathan Mestel won team gold for the first time since 2007.
The starter problem is tricky, with several near misses to avoid. Obvious first move choices may not work. It is easy to make an error, so double- and treble-check your answer before submitting it. Good luck to all Guardian entrants.
In other chess news, Harry Grieve became England's latest grandmaster on Tuesday. The 25-year-old, who was British champion in 2022 and helped CSC/Kingston finish second in this season's UK 4NCL League, won first prize in Budapest with a 7/9 total. Grieve earned his first GM norm alongside his British title at Torquay 2022, and his second in 2023 while playing for The Sharks in the 4NCL. However, the third norm proved elusive despite several near misses. Last summer he achieved a 2500 rating, a mandatory requirement for grandmasters, and finally reached his target on Tuesday. There was a moment of doubt after a round seven loss, but Grieve rose to the occasion, defeating a Ukrainian GM in fine style with the decisive tactic 32 Rxf6+!
Back in the 1950s, most top English players were amateurs, often civil servants or teachers, who competed in tournaments during their vacations. After the 1970s Fischer boom and English successes brought an influx of sponsors, chess professionals could earn a decent living, but the tide turned again during the 1990s. The breakup of the Soviet Union introduced harder international competition, while Nigel Short's world title defeat and the shift to screen rather than print marketing drove sponsors away. Now the trend has come full circle. It is understood that Grieve and his Cambridge colleague Matthew Wadsworth will follow other 2500-rated GMs who combine chess with a full-time career in banking, investment, artificial intelligence, or other major professions.
