Chess: national solving championship 2023 open for entries from Britain

This week’s puzzle is the opening round of a national contest where Guardian readers traditionally perform strongly and in considerable numbers.

You have to work out how White, playing as usual up the board, can force checkmate in two moves, however Black defends.

The puzzle is the first stage of the annual Winton British Solving Championship. organised by the British Chess Problem Society. The competition is open only to British residents, and entry is free. Its prize fund is expected to be around £2,500, including awards to juniors.

To take part, simply send White’s first move to Nigel Dennis, Boundary House, 230 Greys Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG9 1QY. The email route is winton@theproblemist.org. Please be sure to include your name, home address and postcode, and mark your entry “Guardian”. If you were under 18 on 31 August 2022, please give your date of birth.

The closing date is 31 July 2023. After that, all solvers will receive the answer. Those who get it right will also be sent a postal round of eight harder problems, with plenty of time for solving. The best 15-20 entries from the postal round, plus the best juniors, will be invited to the final in February 2024. The champion will qualify for the Great Britain team in the 2024 world solving championship, an event where GB is often a medal contender.

The starter problem, with white and black armies crammed into half the board, is tricky. Obvious moves rarely work. It is easy to make an error, so double-check your answer before sending it. Good luck to all Guardian entrants.

The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (GCL), the first franchise-based chess event, will be played in Dubai from next Wednesday to 2 July. Six teams of six will each include an icon, two