But Americans and Brits wouldn’t

The final two Chess Heroes books will be published soon. Here’s a position from Chess Heroes Puzzles Book 2. Zukertort – Weiss (Vienna 1882) White, to play, has a bunch of passed pawns …

On Monday I offered you a Proof Game puzzle composed by Gianni Donati (Source: Mark Kirtley’s series of Proof Game Shorties articles found on Angela & Otto Janko’s website and origi…

I left you last time at the end of 1925, with Mrs Arthur Rawson proposing to run a tournament for girls under the age of 21. The reasons for promoting chess for girls were, in one sense, not a lot …

Bob and Carol were back at Cambridge Park Bowls Club after the summer holidays, and surprised by what they saw. “What a lot of new members here! It will be great to get to know them all, woul…

I left you with this simple pawn ending with White to play on Monday. It looks obvious for White to continue with b4, a4 and b5 here, but, as White discovered in the game, it’s only a draw. Y…

What could be simpler than this pawn ending? It’s from Isaac Lam – Rock Yu (Kingston Invitational 2026). White to play. How would you continue?

This is Philidor – Wilson (London 1789). Black has just mistakenly moved his rook to e8 (d8 would have been better). I’m sure you can do better than Philidor and find the best continuation here. I …

We’re thrilled to announce that we’re running a new junior section of RTCC before the main club on Thursday evenings. We believe there’s a market for a social, community based, fa…

Thanks to Roger Scowen for informing me that today marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great François-André Danican Philidor, a renowned composer of operas, instrumental and sacred musi…

Bharat Kumar – Sedykh (Kingston 2026). White continued 29. dxc6 and soon lost. He should have continued 29. Nxe6+! 30. Qxe6 Ne5! (or 30… Qd4+ 31. Kf1 Ne5! with the same result) 31. Qg8+ Ke7 3…

Here’s a random position from the recent Kingston tournament for you to analyse this Bank Holiday Monday. Bharat Kumar – Sedykh. White to play. How would you assess this position? How w…

Mike Healey has annotated his game from our London League match against Streatham last May. If you’re familiar with Mike’s play you’ll know what to expect. As he says, an interest…

On Monday I left you with this position from Adam A Taylor (2269) – Sanjit Kumar (2074) (Kingston 2026 Round 3) with white to play. Black’s last move, 71… Rf1-h1, was a blunder. The fou…

A test of your rook ending skills this week. Adam A Taylor – Sanjit Kumar (Kingston 2026 Round 3). White to play. How would you continue, and why. As always, I need more than just your first …

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RJCC Alumnus Luke McShane v Frederick Waldhausen Gordon, from Round 6 of last month’s British Championship. If you’re a reasonably sharp tactician (which you certainly ought to be) you’…

RJCC Alumnus Luke McShane v Frederick Waldhausen Gordon, from Round 6 of last month’s British Championship. White to play. How would you continue, and why?

On Monday I invited you to analyse this position from the British Championship Round 2 game between Koichi Nicholas and Trisha Kanyamarala last week. White has three winning moves in this position:…

I’ve been looking through some of the games played at last week’s British Championships. This position is from the Round 2 game between Koichi Nicholas and Trisha Kanyamarala. The game …

This is from Arthur Kendall – Harvey Li (Sussex University Masters R3 21 July 2026), with Black to move. Let’s take it slowly. 40… b5?? Black had one winning plan here: 40… bxc5! 41. bx…

Last time I offered you the story of Hans Cohn, who was blinded as the result of a childhood accident. Here, going back a long time, is the story of another chess player who lost his sight in a ver…

Time for another pawn ending. This is from Arthur Kendall – Harvey Li (Sussex University Masters R3 21 July 2026), with Black to move. Play continued 40… b5 41. Kg3 h5 42. h4 g4 and the…

Vasyuchko, Mykola#2 3 solutions1st Pr The Problemist 2025 In a helpmate in 2 moves Black plays the first move, and you’re looking for a BWBW sequence ending in mate. In this case there ar…

We’re investigating the viability of a new junior section of RTCC running before the main club on Thursday evenings. We believe there’s a market for a social, community based, family or…

Perhaps the most popular problem genre today is the HELPMATE, in which both sides work together to produce a checkmate position. The latest issue of The Problemist includes the British Chess Proble…

Bodhana Sivanandan (ENG: 2303) – MarcAndria Maurizzi (FRA: 2628)DOLE Open Aix-en-Provence 2026 R1 18-07-2026 Black’s last move, 27… Qb6 was an oversight in a marginally better position,…

Bodhana Sivanandan (ENG: 2303) – MarcAndria Maurizzi (FRA: 2628) DOLE Open Aix-en-Provence 2026 R1 18-07-2026 How did Bodhana (White, to play) beat a top French GM from this position on Satur…

#40 Banaszek, Marcin1st HM Gazeta Częstochowska 1966 I offered you a mate in 40 for our 400th puzzle. Congratulations to David for finding the first three moves, and especially to Ma…

For our 400th puzzle I thought I should post a Mate in 400, but I wasn’t able to find anything suitable, so decided to divide by 10 and offer a mate in 40 from 60 years ago instead. #40 Banas…

#3 Nabokov, VladimirThe Problemist Nov 1969 Here’s the solution to Monday’s problem, copied from YACPDB (Yet Another Chess Problem DataBase). If you’re interested you’l…

Our much delayed final match of the season, a rearranged London League match against Hammersmith, took place on Tuesday 7 July. With little at stake for either side, the Hammers weren’t at fu…

Vladimir Nabokov was one of the most influential novelists of the 20th century as well as being a talented chess problemists. #3 Nabokov, VladimirThe Problemist Nov 1969 I found this example in an …

Monday’s puzzle was taken from the game Vaccani – Cohn (3rd IBCA Blind World Championship 1975). From this position the game continued 42. h4 h6 43. g5 h5 44. Ke5 Ke7 and a draw was agreed a …

Last time I introduced you to a Jewish chess player who fled the Holocaust. Here’s another story on the same theme, one I hope you’ll find inspirational. The story of Hans Hermann Cohn.…

My latest Minor Piece tells the inspirational story of Hans Cohn, a blind Jewish boy from Berlin who fled the Nazis to study at Worcester College for the Blind. He played chess at a high level for …

Monday’s puzzle was an endgame study composed by two of the greatest Soviet masters of this art, Leopold Mitrofanov and David Gurgenidze (Shakhmaty v SSSR 1987), which I discovered in the Jun…

The inaugural Gavin Wall Memorial Trophy match took place at Orleans Park School, Twickenham, the HQ of Richmond Junior Club, on Saturday 20 June. The trophy celebrates the life of IM Gavin Wall, w…

It’s the last match of the season and you’re facing your rivals for the league championship. If you win, you win the league, if you draw there will be a play-off, and if you lose, they …

Monday’s position, with Black to move, was taken from a game between Leo Wosner (Wood Green) and Alexander Distler (Athenaeum), played in a London League match in November 1948. In those days…

As we finally approach the end of the London League season, this week’s puzzle is taken from a London League match between Athenaeum and Wood Green. It’s Black’s move: how would y…

My first season in competitive chess.

Monday’s position was a tribute to my late friend (and 1970s RTCC star) Malcolm Lightfoot. The game Lightfoot – Cowlrick (Charlton Open 1973) continued with a queen sacrifice: 24. Qd8+ Rxd8 2…