Malcolm Pein on…New Year Posers

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Malcolm Pein’s Daily Telegraph chess column started the 2021 with with two New Year posers and a miniature game from the Hastings Chess Congress of 1970/1.

Incidentally, the famous Hastings tournament, which enjoys a fabulous history dating back to the inaugural event of 1895, received a major boost this year with very welcome sponsorship by Caplin Systems. We shall return to the subject in a forthcoming column.

Malcolm Pein on…New Year Posers

For day number one, a mate in one. Some are not as easy as you might think. My thanks to GM Mohd. Al-Mudahaka of Qatar for posting this.

New Year Poser

White to play and checkmate in one move

If you thought that was hard, There are 47 ways to mate in one from this position composed by Pollmächer et al and first published in 1859 in Illustriert Zeitung. See if you can find them all.

47 Checkmates

White to play and checkmate in one move (47 solutions)

Precisely 50 years ago today, England international Peter Markland scored a quick win at Hastings where he finished equal second with Uhlmann, Hort and Krogius and behind Portisch.

P. Markland – Z. Mestrovic

Premier, Hastings Christmas Congress 1970/71 (4)

Sicilian c3
1.e4 c5 2.c3 b6 3.d4 e6 4.Nf3 Bb7 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 d5 (Now 7.e5 is the critical test when White has a good version of the French Defence where the bishop on b7 is poorly placed) 7.exd5 Qxd5 8.0–0 Bd6?! (8…Be7 9.Re1 cxd4 10.cxd4 Nc6 was fine for Black) 9.Re1 Qh5?! 10.dxc5 Bxc5?? (Although, 10…bxc5 11.Qa4+ is highly disruptive for Black)
P. Markland – Z. Mestrovic
11.Re5! g5 (The Black queen is trapped after 11…Qg4 12.h3 Qf4 13.Ne4) 12.Rxg5 Qh6 13.Ne4 Nxe4 14.Bxe4 Bxe4 15.Rxc5 Qg7 16.Qa4+ Nd7 17.Qxe4 Rd8 18.Rg5 1–0
Highlight the space below this line to reveal the answers to Malcolm’s New Year Posers.
Answer 1:

1.Qb3#

Answer 2:

1.a8 (Q), 1.a8 (B), 1.Ra4, 1.Rb4, 1.Rd4, 1.Re4, 1.Rf4, 1.Rg4, 1.Rh4, 1.Rcc1, 1.Rc2, 1.Rc3, 1.Rc5, 1.Rc6, 1.Rc7, 1.Rc8, 1.Nb2, 1.Nb4, 1.Nc1, 1.Nc5, 1.Ne1, 1.Nf2, 1.Nf4, 1.d8 (Q), 1.d8 (R), 1.e4, 1.Ba1, 1.Bb2, 1.Bc3, 1.Bd4, 1.Bf6, 1.Bg7, 1.Bh8, 1.Bb8, 1.Bc7, 1.Bd6, 1.Bf4, 1.Bg3, 1.Bh2, 1.Nc7, 1.Nf6, 1.Qe4, 1.Qe6, 1.Qf3, 1.Qf7, 1.hxg8 (Q), 1.hxg8 (B)

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