Chess: nationwide fixing championship 2025 open to entries from Britain

This week’s puzzle is an opportunity to go into an annual nationwide contest by which Guardian readers historically carry out strongly and in substantial numbers. White within the diagram, enjoying as same old up the board, is to play and checkmate in two strikes, in opposition to any black defence.

The puzzle is the primary level of the once a year Winton British Solving Championship, organised via the British Chess Problem Society. This pageant is open best to British citizens, and access is loose. To participate, merely ship White’s first transfer to Nigel Dennis, Boundary House, 230 Greys Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG9 1QY or via electronic mail to winton@theproblemist.org.

All entries will have to be postmarked or emailed no later than 31 July 2025, and give you the entrant’s title and residential cope with. Juniors beneath 18 on 31 August 2024 must give their date of delivery. Please mark your access “Guardian”.

Receipt of the approach to the primary level downside might be said after the ultimate date, when all competition will obtain the solution. Those who get it proper can be despatched the postal spherical of 8 more difficult issues, with quite a lot of time for fixing. The easiest 15-20 competition from the postal spherical, plus the most productive juniors, might be invited to the overall at Harrow School on Saturday 21 February 2026, the place the prize cash is anticipated to be £1,500.

The winner of the overall may also qualify for the Great Britain workforce within the 2025 international fixing championship, an tournament the place GB is continuously a medal contender. At Jurmala, Latvia, in July 2024, the Great Britain workforce of John Nunn (person silver medallist), David Hodge (2024 British champion) and Jonathan Mestel gained the workforce gold medals for the primary time since 2007. Poland gained the silver medals, and Israel the bronze.

The starter downside is difficult, with each white and black armies scattered it appears randomly around the board. There are some near-misses to keep away from. Obvious first transfer alternatives hardly ever paintings. It is simple to make an error, so make sure you double- and treble-check your resolution sooner than sending it. Good success to all Guardian entrants.

There generally is a double burst of chess historical past this weekend.

At Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, Argentina’s “Chess Messi”, 11-year-old Faustino Oro, is ultimate in on Abhimanyu Mishra’s age report for the youngest ever grandmaster identify, which the American completed at 12 years and 4 months.

Oro, who already has two of his required 3 GM norms, can surpass Mishra’s report if he totals 1.5/3 from his ultimate 3 Sharjah video games after which improves his score from its present 2454 to the desired 2500.

With 3 of the 9 rounds at Sharjah ultimate, Oro has scored an unbeaten 3.5/6 with a match efficiency score of 2560. All his six warring parties were grandmasters rated above 2550. He most likely wishes simply 1.5/3 for his historical 3rd GM norm.

Over to Belgrade, Serbia, the place Russia’s Roman Shogdzhiev, who has been beating GMs at blitz since he was once seven, and is now simply 10 years and two months outdated, is at the hunt for Oro’s international data and in the hunt for his 3rd and ultimate IM norm.

Shogdziev is competing at Belgrade in a low-level tournament the place the IM norm is a difficult 7.5/9, however the teen was once not too long ago invited to a blitz match along Russia’s GM elite and made a very good ranking in opposition to the likes of Andrey Esipenko and Alexey Dreev, either one of whom he beat.

At Belgrade, Shogdzhiev has made gentle of his job, with 4.5/5 up to now. He will nonetheless want some score issues, however Oro’s IM international age report of 10 years and 8 months is inside his succeed in. All the indicators are that this younger boy is being groomed to revive the nice days of Russian chess.