WINTON
BRITISH CHESS SOLVING CHAMPIONSHIP

Lloyd's Bank Problem Solving Championship, 1980-1981

Written by Brian Stephesnon

The following report is taken from The Problemist, March 1981, p. 124 and is by the then editor, Colin Vaughan.

Fourteen solvers took part in the final of this event on 31st January at the Royal Horseguards Hotel, London, and were faced with eight problems in two sessions of 75 minutes each. Session one had two #2, one #3 and one #5; the other had one H#2 (twinned), one H#3 (2 solutions), one S#2 and one study (+).

Winner was Grandmaster John Nunn, who got 7 of the 8 correct to total 34 pt out of a maximum of 42, and received the 1st Prize of £50 and a Lloyds Bank Trophy. Ranked among the world's best players, Dr Nunn lectures in mathematics at Oriel College, Oxford, and is already known as an outstanding solver, being runner-up in the world solving championship at Canterbury in 1978.

The runner-up in this event was Iain Sinclair, 26, of Glasgow, with 27 pt (£20 prize), who is a Scottish international player. He is also a problemist with published helpmates to his credit. Third prize (£10) was shared by David Friedgood, last year's runner-up, and Tony Lewis, both well known to our readers. They each scored 23 pt. Leading scores are given in the table.

Graham Lee, last year's winner, was absent from the final this year, having dropped 2 pt in Round 2, along with many other competitors, on that very difficult #2 by Bob Gooderson, published as C6415 in November.

Thanks are tendered once more to Jack Fenner, who was in charge of the first round, and supplied the opening problem, to John Rice, who conducted the later rounds and the final, to Leonard Barden for helpful advice, to all column editors for giving the initial problem such wide publicity, and, finally to Lloyd’s Bank for sponsoring the event, and particularly Mrs Grace Waterman for coping with all the paper work and arranging everything on the final day. This year's competition is now being planned, and a starting problem will be published in the May issue, and in other columns about the same time.

		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Total
	Maxima	3	3	6	8	4	6	4	8	42
1.	Nunn, John	3	3	6	0	4	6	4	8	34
2.	Sinclair, Iain J	0	3	5	0	4	6	3	6	27
3.	Friedgood, David	3	3	6	0	2	0	4	5	23
4.	Lewis, Tony	3	3	0	0	4	6	4	3	23
5.	Peters, SG	0	3	6	0	2	6	3	0	20
6.	Thornton, MD	3	0	5	0	2	0	3	6	19
7.	Pollard, TG	0	3	6	0	2	0	3	0	14

Also competed: J Billsborough, P H Clarke, P Epstein, M Hellewell, C B Pepler, M Stevens, and K L Williams.

Here are three of the problems used in this competition. No. 1 was the starter problem and No. 2 was the difficult #2 in the postal round that accounted for reigning champion Graham Lee. No. 3 is a very difficult five-mover that defeated everybody at the final.

1. A J (Jack) Fenner

Starter Problem, 1980-1981

1.d5!     ()

1...cxd2,
    c2    2.S1b2#
1...f3    2.Se3#
1...Qc5   2.Se5#
1...Qe5,
    Qxd5,
    Qb4,
    Qxe6,
    Qxc7  2.R(x)b4#
1...Qa3,
    Qe7,
    Qf8   2.Qxf4#
1...Qd7,
    Qd8   2.Qxf4,Rb4#

In the diagram position, only one black move is not set with a mate, and that is 1...Qc5! which guards both b4 and e5, the mating squares after other black queen moves. To provide for 1...Qc5, White has to play 1.d5! to cut off the black queen from e5 after it plays to c5. As 2.Se5 now takes the last remaining guard off c5, 1...Qc5 (now a self-block) is the only move which is followed by 2.Se5 and another mate has to be found for black queen moves which continue to cover b4. Luckily, the composer has arranged for 1.d5 to open the line from f4 to the black king, so that the new mate 2.Qxf4 is possible. Also, because the key move takes a guard off c5 and puts one on c3, there are further changed mates after the moves of the black pawn c3. This must have been tricky for the starter problem solvers that year!

2. A R (Bob) Gooderson

3rd HM., The Problemist, 1980/II

Of all Black's moves all but 1...fxe5! are provided for. White has various ways of attending to that move but only one of them doesn't cause other difficulties.

1.Bxd5?  (2.Be4#)              1...exd5!
1.Bd8?   () 1...fxe5  2.Rg5#;  1...d4!
1.exf6?  (2.Rg5#)              1...e5!
1.Qa6?   () 1...fxe5  2.Qxe6#; 1...Se3!
1.Rg1?   () 1...fxe5  2.R1g5#; 1...Sb2!

1.Rxg7!  ()

1...Sb~  2.S(x)d4#
1...Sc~  2.S(x)d6#
1...d4   2.Be4#
1...fxe5 2.Rf7#

3. Hans Ott

Schweizerische Schachzeitung, 1947

1.c3!    (2.Rxc5+ Kxc5 3.Qxd4#
         2.cxd4   &    3.Qe5,Rxc5#)

1...Rxc3 2.Bxg6        (3.Bxe4#)
                  fxg6 3.Kxd7    (4.Qe6#)
                              d3 4.Qe6+   Kd4  5.Qxe4#
                                 4.Sc6    &    5.Qe6,Qd4#
                  Bb1  3.Kxd7 &  4.Bxf7+  Sxf7 5.Qe6#
                  Rhe3 3.Kxd7    (4.Bxf7+ Sxf7 5.Qe6#)
                              d3 4.Sd1    &    5.Sxc3,Sxe3#

I have been unable to trace any more of the problems used in any of the stages of this competition. I would be pleased to hear from any reader who has retained copies.