Chess: nationwide fixing championship 2025 open to entries from Britain | Chess

This week’s puzzle is an opportunity to enter an annual nationwide contest by which Guardian readers historically carry out strongly and in appreciable numbers. White within the diagram, taking part in as typical up the board, is to play and checkmate in two strikes, in opposition to any black defence.

The puzzle is the primary stage of the annual Winton British Fixing Championship, organised by the British Chess Downside Society. This competitors is open solely to British residents, and entry is free. To participate, merely ship White’s first transfer to Nigel Dennis, Boundary Home, 230 Greys Highway, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG9 1QY or by electronic mail to winton@theproblemist.org.

All entries have to be postmarked or emailed no later than 31 July 2025, and supply the entrant’s title and residential tackle. Juniors below 18 on 31 August 2024 ought to give their date of delivery. Please mark your entry “Guardian”.

Receipt of the answer to the primary stage drawback shall be acknowledged after the deadline, when all rivals will obtain the reply. Those that get it proper can even be despatched the postal spherical of eight tougher issues, with loads of time for fixing. The very best 15-20 rivals from the postal spherical, plus the very best juniors, shall be invited to the ultimate at Harrow College on Saturday 21 February 2026, the place the prize cash is predicted to be £1,500.

The winner of the ultimate can even qualify for the Nice Britain crew within the 2025 world fixing championship, an occasion the place GB is commonly a medal contender. At Jurmala, Latvia, in July 2024, the Nice Britain crew of John Nunn (particular person silver medallist), David Hodge (2024 British champion) and Jonathan Mestel gained the crew gold medals for the primary time since 2007. Poland gained the silver medals, and Israel the bronze.

The starter drawback is difficult, with each white and black armies scattered apparently randomly around the board. There are some near-misses to keep away from. Apparent first transfer selections hardly ever work. It’s simple to make an error, so remember to double- and treble-check your reply earlier than sending it. Good luck to all Guardian entrants.

There could possibly be a double burst of chess historical past this weekend.

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

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

With three of the 9 rounds at Sharjah remaining, Oro has scored an unbeaten 3.5/6 with a event efficiency score of 2560. All his six opponents have been grandmasters rated above 2550. He in all probability wants simply 1.5/3 for his historic third GM norm.

Over to Belgrade, Serbia, the place Russia’s Roman Shogdzhiev, who has been beating GMs at blitz since he was seven, and is now simply 10 years and two months outdated, is on the hunt for Oro’s world information and searching for his third and closing IM norm.

Shogdziev is competing at Belgrade in a low-level occasion the place the IM norm is a difficult 7.5/9, however the teenager was just lately invited to a blitz event alongside Russia’s GM elite and made a superb rating in opposition to the likes of Andrey Esipenko and Alexey Dreev, each of whom he beat.

At Belgrade, Shogdzhiev has made mild of his activity, with 4.5/5 up to now. He’ll nonetheless want some score factors, however Oro’s IM world age file of 10 years and eight months is inside his attain. All of the indicators are that this younger boy is being groomed to revive the good days of Russian chess.