Welcome to the Chessable Holidays Quiz!
As we offer our finest festive felicitations to all of our readers, we also offer you a challenge.
Don’t worry; we are not going to delve into the serious side of chess today. There will not be a task asking you to find the toughest of tactics or the prettiest of pins. We are not even going to insist you make sure your chess openings help you to control the Santa of the board.
The ethos of our Chessable quiz is quite different.
Do you remember fun? I do – and I want spread more of it, whenever I can. Why not sit back, relax and try our 12 questions?
We have six mystery Chessable authors and six chess puzzles to solve. Time to make a start!
I am not sure if our Chessable authors realised there was a sanity clause in their contracts, but we have made good use of it anyway.
With apologies to anyone suffering from pogonophobia, we present the first of our mystery Chessable authors, demonstrating his understanding of the Silent Knight.
Question One
Who is it?
Question Two
An easy starter for our six chess puzzles. Black is in checkmate! However, a white piece has fallen from the board.
Which piece is it – and where should it be to deliver the checkmate?
Replace the piece to checkmate Black
Question Three
Who is it?
Question Four
Here is an old favourite. The position was composed by George Edward Carpenter (1844-1924). It’s only a two-mover, so that shouldn’t be too tricky…should it?
White to play and checkmate Black in two moves
Question Five
Who is it?
Question Six
Samuel Loyd (1841-1911) is one of the finest composers of problems and puzzles ever known. He didn’t confine himself to the world of chess, but there are hours of fun to be had trying to solve his chess compositions.
Hopefully, it won’t take you hours to solve this one though – but do help yourself to another mince pie while you ponder.
White to play and checkmate Black in three moves
Question Seven
Who is it?
Question Eight
Let’s head back to Samuel Loyd to see what he has in store for us this time. Why! It’s a mere checkmate in two moves. This one shouldn’t keep you busy for too long. Don’t keep the next secret Santa waiting!
White to play and checkmate Black in two moves
Question Nine
Who is it?
Question Ten
When I was first shown this problem, which was composed by Tibor Orbán, it baffled me for a while.
Both sides must play four moves and end up in this position. The moves are all legal, but not necessarily the best!
How can you reach this position after Black’s fourth move?
Question Eleven
Who is it?
Question Twelve
At this time of year, we cannot be blamed for wanting a little extra. This intriguing position was composed by Hieronymus Fischer (1843-1927). There is something odd going on here, but once you find out what it is you should be able to complete the task soon enough.
White to play and checkmate Black in one move
We hope you enjoyed our Chessable Holidays Quiz. You will have to wait a little longer for the answers, but stay tuned to this blog and they will soon be revealed!
For more Holiday-themed fun, check out our Free Halloween Tactics Puzzles!
