While face-to-face chess is disrupted in Dorset we are running a daily ‘Test Your Chess Knowledge’ quiz question (with 5 possible answers). For local quiz questions you may find the Bulletins and Chat articles helpful.
Martin Simons welcomes your feedback on the quiz and any submissions you have for questions.
Every day we will be publishing the Answers to the latest questions.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.150 – You are the Arbiter!
Player A forgets to press his clock after their move. Who can point this out to him or her?
A) No one.
B) His opponent only.
C) An independent arbiter only.
D) His opponent and an independent arbiter only.
E) His opponent, an independent arbiter and player A’s captain.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.149 – International Chess
Which player has achieved the perfect maximum score in the US Chess Championship?
A) Bobby Fischer
B) Yasser Seirawan
C) Hikaru Nakamura
D) Wesley So
E) Fabiano Caruana
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.148 – National Chess
Which British chess player won the World Under 10 Chess Championship at the age of eight?
A) Nigel Short
B) Matthew Sadler
C) Luke McShane
D) Gawain Jones
E) David Howell
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.147 – Local Chess
Which local player beat GM Keith Arkell at the 1st Bournemouth Grand Chess Congress in 2012?
A) Ian Clark
B) Mike Waddington
C) Allan Pleasants
D) Kevin Goater
E) Peter Anderson
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.146 – Chess Laws / Trivia
What is the shortest number of moves from the starting position can White or Black promote a pawn to a knight and, at the same time, checkmate the opponent?
A) 5
B) 6
C) 7
D) 8
E) 9
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.145 – You are the Arbiter!
Player A announces checkmate and both player A and player B shake hands. Soon after it is discovered that it is not checkmate. What do you do?
A) Award the game to player A regardless as both players shook hands.
B) Award the game to player A but only if his or her scoresheet has been handed in to the Controller’s desk.
C) Award the game to player A but only if there is evidence player B has resigned.
D) As player A made an error, the game must continue regardless of A, B and C above.
E) As player A made an error and this counts as disturbance, the game is awarded to player B.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.144 – International Chess
In November 2018, which country had the highest number of active FIDE rated players?
A) India
B) China
C) United States
D) Russia
E) Germany
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.143 – National Chess
Who currently holds the record as the UK’s youngest ever Grandmaster?
A) Nigel Short
B) Mickey Adams
C) Matthew Sadler
D) Luke McShane
E) David Howell
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.142 – Local Chess
In which year was the Dorset Rapidplay Championship first held?
A) 1993
B) 1994
C) 1995
D) 1996
E) 1997
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.141 – Chess Laws / Trivia
What do you think is the shortest number of White or Black moves from the start position it would take to construct a stalemate position?
A) 10
B) 12
C) 14
D) 16
E) 18
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.140 – You are the Arbiter!
It is player’s A move but his opponent is away from the board. Player A knows you are present. You notice he starts touching his pieces and his King’s knight first. What do you do?
A) Do nothing, it is clear player A was only adjusting his pieces and his opponent was not present hence why player A did not say ‘j’adoube’.
B) Although you believe player A was only adjusting his pieces you should nevertheless give him a warning.
C) Insist he moves the first piece he touched (i.e. his King’s knight) if he can make a valid move with it.
D) Wait to player A’s opponent returns to the board and explain the situation to him and ask if he wants to enforce the touch piece move piece rule.
E) Default player A for unsporting behaviour.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.139 – International Chess
Which International Grandmaster has had the most consecutive number of professional tournament first places? This excludes matches against one opponent.
A) Mikhail Tal
B) Bobby Fischer
C) Anatoly Karpov
D) Garry Kasparov
E) Magnus Carlsen
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.138 – National Chess
Which of the following organisations was formed first?
A) English Chess Federation (previously British Chess Federation)
B) Chess Scotland (previously the Scottish Chess Association)
C) Welsh Chess Union
D) Irish Chess Union
E) Channel Islands Chess Association
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.137 – Local Chess
As mentioned in Question No.62 the Bournemouth Grand Chess Congress ran for four years from 2012 to 2015 but which Grandmaster won it in its inaugural year in 2012?
A) David Howell
B) Simon Williams
C) Nick Pert
D) Keith Arkell
E) Alexander Cherniaev
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.136 – Chess Law / Trivia
Which famous grandmaster once quoted that ‘the threat is stronger than the execution’?
A) François André Philidor
B) Howard Staunton
C) Emanuel Lasker
D) Savielly Tartakower
E) Aron Nimzowitsch
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.135 – You are the Arbiter!
You notice that Player A, who is playing on another board, starts to walk around the tournament hall and then stops to watch another game by standing directly behind but to one side of Player B (i.e. in close proximity but not directly in view) who has the move. Player B becomes aware of Player A’s presence and becomes agitated. Player B asks Player A to move away but Player A refuses. What do you do?
A) Politely ask Player A to move away.
B) Whilst Player A is not in any contravention of the FIDE rules, as a good arbiter, you should influence the situation by staring at Player A in the hope s/he will move away.
C) Do nothing as Player A is allowed to watch other players’ games especially as Player A is not directly in Player B’s vision.
D) Advise Player B that s/he is not entitled to ask Player A to move away as Player A is not directly in Player B’s vision.
E) Make an assessment of the situation to determine if Player A is disturbing Player B and if the request is reasonable then choose one of the options A, B, C or D as appropriate.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.134 – International Chess
Excluding any defaults, how many moves were played in Magnus Carlsen’s shortest game since he became World Champion?
A) 1
B) 5
C) 8
D) 10
E) 12
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.133 – National Chess
How many times did Nigel Short beat Garry Kasparov in the 1993 World Chess Championship Match in London?
A) 0
B) 1
C) 2
D) 3
E) 4
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.132 – Local Chess
For how many years did the B&DCL Newsknight magazine run for?
A) 9 years
B) 11 years
C) 13 years
D) 15 years
E) 17 years
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.131 – Chess Laws / Trivia
Which one of these famous films does not contain a chess scene?
A) From Russia With Love (1963)
B) 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
C) Star Wars Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
D) Blade Runner (1982)
E) Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.130 – You are the Arbiter!
In the B&DCL (and DCCA), how is the title determined when two teams have the same match points at the end of the season?
A) The team with the greater number of game points shall be the winner of that relevant Division. If two teams have the same game points then they will share the title.
B) The team with the greater number of game points shall be the winner of that relevant Division. If two teams have the same game points then there will be a tie-break match match to determine the winner.
C) The team with the greater game points difference shall be the winner of that relevant Division. If two teams have the same game points difference then they will share the title.
D) The team with the greater game points difference shall be the winner of that relevant Division. If two teams have the same game points difference then there will be a tie-break match match to determine the winner.
E) The two teams shall share the title.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.129 – International Chess
Which of the following is the correct chronological order of first time World Chess Champions?
A) Steinitz, Euwe, Capablanca, Lasker
B) Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Euwe
C) Capablanca, Botvinnik, Tal, Smyslov
D) Alekhine, Bronstein, Petrosian, Fischer
E) Lasker, Smyslov, Botvinnik, Tal
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.128 – National Chess
The British Chess Championship has been held outside the UK on one occasion. Where was this?
A) Isle of Man
B) Jersey
C) Guernsey
D) Republic of Ireland
E) Isle of Wight
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.127 – Local Chess
Who was our first Dorset Chess Webmaster from 2004 to 2015?
A) Phil Holt
B) Phil Taylor-Bowd
C) Mike Jay
D) Peter Anderson
E) Alan Dommett
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.126 – Chess Laws / Trivia
As mentioned in Question No.116, to be awarded a Grandmaster title by FIDE, one of its criteria is that a player must have achieved an ELO rating of 2500 at some point. In addition to or instead of this which of the following would not earn you the right to be awarded a GM title?
A) One exceptionally strong performance in a GM tournament with an average ELO performance more than 2700 from at least 9 games.
B) Two (or three) favourable results (called norms) must be achieved from a total of at least 27 games in tournaments.
C) Becoming the World Women’s Chess Champion.
D) Becoming the World Junior Chess Champion.
E) Becoming the World Seniors Chess Champion.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.125 – You are the Arbiter!
In a B&DCL or DCCA local league match, where the time control is one hour plus 30 second increments, which of the following statements is incorrect?
A) All moves must be recorded even if there is less than 5 minutes on the clock.
B) All moves must be recorded even if there is less than 2 minutes on the clock.
C) A player who has less than 2 minutes remaining on their clock may claim a draw if their opponent is not making any genuine attempt to win by normal means.
D) A player can never make a claim for a draw at any point of the game on the basis that their opponent is making no genuine attempt to win by normal means. This is due to the 30 second increments.
E) A player must record all their moves regardless of time remaining on their clock and cannot claim a draw on the basis that their opponent is making no genuine attempt to win by normal means.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.124 – International Chess
What was the outcome of the first Fischer-Spassky World Championship game played in Reykjavik in 1972?
A) Spassky won with White
B) Fischer won with White
C) The game was drawn
D) Spassky won with Black
E) Fisher won with Black
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.123 – National Chess
How many times has England won a medal at the Chess Olympiads?
A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5
E) 6
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.122 – Local Chess
Peter Anderson wrote an informative and entertaining four part series on Animal Openings. In Part One on Mammals, which of these openings was awarded the highest overall score (based on ‘Strength’ and ‘Fun’)?
A) Black Lion
B) Elephant Gambit
C) Hedgehog
D) Monkeys Bum
E) Tiger’s Modern
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.121 –Chess Laws / Trivia
In which century was castling changed to one move?
A) 15th
B) 16th
C) 17th
D) 18th
E) 19th
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.120 – You are the Arbiter!
In the local B&DCL match there is a dispute. According to its rules, who should fulfil the role of arbiter(s) in the first instance?
A) The players
B) One team captain
C) Both team captains
D) Independent witnesses
E) The League Controller
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.119 – International Chess
How many times has the UK hosted the Chess Olympiad?
A) Once
B) Twice
C) Thee times
D) Four times
E) Five times
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.118 – National Chess
The British Chess Championship is traditionally held at a seaside resort. When was it last held more than 10 miles inland away from any coast?
A) 2014
B) 2015
C) 2016
D) 2017
E) 2018
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.117 – Local Chess
Who was the main organiser of the Poole Club Chess International trips?
A) Julian Tilney-Bassett
B) Alf Bullock
C) Greville Marples
D) Bob Dickson
E) Roy Milner
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.116 – Chess Trivia / Laws
To be awarded a Grandmaster title by FIDE, with a few exceptions, one of its main criteria is that a player must achieve a certain ELO rating at some point. What is this rating?
A) 2400
B) 2450
C) 2500
D) 2550
E) 2600
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.115 – You are the Arbiter!
A club captain advises you that for a forthcoming match in the B&DCL it must vacate its premises by a certain time which may not accommodate a longer game with time increments. What do you do?
A) Insist the match is postponed.
B) Insist that the current time limits with time increments must be used.
C) Advise that a faster time limit including time increments may be used.
D) Allow a time control of 35 moves in an hour and a quarter with a 15 minute quickplay finish.
E) Depending on when the club needs to close, a faster time control to D above may be used.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.114 – International Chess
When was FIDE, the World (International) Chess Federation founded?
A) 1894
B) 1904
C) 1914
D) 1924
E) 1934
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.113 – National Chess
In what year was the British Chess Championship first held?
A) 1894
B) 1904
C) 1914
D) 1924
E) 1934
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.112 – Local Chess
Which local chess club started to meet up outdoors in the summer (July and August) on Friday mornings?
A) Purbeck
B) Weymouth
C) Dorchester
D) Wimborne
E) Southbourne
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.111 – Chess Laws / Trivia
As seen in Question 41 we know from the starting position there are 8 different ways for Black to mate in two moves (and we showed you the different move order combinations) but how many different ways are there for White to mate in 3 moves from the starting position?
A) 47
B) 147
C) 247
D) 347
E) 447
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.110 – You are the Arbiter!
In the B&DCL what is the penalty for a team fielding an ineligible player?
A) Automatic loss of the game concerned only.
B) Automatic loss of the game concerned plus, if the Controller so determines, the loss of an additional half game point.
C) Automatic loss of the game concerned plus, if the Controller so determines, the loss of one additional game point.
D) The match score will stand but one match point will be deducted.
E) The match score will stand but two match points will be deducted.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.109 – International Chess
Which top Grandmaster is/was popularly known as the ‘Minister of Defence’
A) Vishy Anand
B) Mickey Adams
C) Tigran Petrosian
D) Keith Arkell
E) Sergey Karjakin
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.108 – National Chess
Which English Grandmaster transferred his FIDE registration to Wales in 2015.
A) Nigel Davies
B) Nick Pert
C) Chris Ward
D) Jonathan Hawkins
E) Allan Pleasants
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.107 – Local Chess
Which local chess player was rumoured to have cycled to an ECF Council meeting from Dorset to Birmingham?
A) Alf Bullock
B) Ian Clark
C) Malcolm Steevens
D) Greville Marples
E) Frank Kingdon
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.106 – Chess laws / Trivia
In the B&DCL, what is the process for agreeing and notifying match results?
A) Match results should be input on LMS within 24 hours. Match result cards are no longer required.
B) Match results should be input on LMS within 48 hours. Match result cards are no longer required.
C) Match results should be input on LMS within 24 hours. Match result cards should be signed by both match captains as confirmation of the result.
D) Match results should be input on LMS within 48 hours. Match result cards should be signed by both match captains as confirmation of the result.
E) None of the above, there are no specific instructions.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.105 – You are the Arbiter!
In a B&DCL Division One match, Team A’s board one player fails to turn up. You are the League Controller (arbiter) in attendance. The captain of Team A asks you what are the rules around fielding a substitute player? Your answer is …
A) The substitute player must start playing within 30 minutes of the start of the match and be graded no more than 10 points lower than any of the players on boards 2, 3 or 4.
B) The substitute player must start playing within one hour of the start of the match and be graded no more than 10 points lower than any of the players on boards 2, 3 or 4.
C) The substitute player must start playing within 30 minutes of the start of the match and can be graded more than 10 points lower than any of the players on boards 2, 3 or 4.
D) The substitute player must start playing within one hour of the start of the match and can be graded more than 10 points lower than any of the players on boards 2, 3 or 4.
E) Regardless of when the substitute player must start playing the match, either 30 minutes or one hour of the start of the match, he can only be graded more than 10 points lower than any of the players on boards 2, 3 or 4 with the permission of the opposing captain.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.104 – International Chess
Which of the following is an untrue statement about Magnus Carlsen?
A) He became the youngest grandmaster in history of chess.
B) At two years of age, rumour had it he could solve 50-piece jigsaw puzzles
C) He is the youngest player in chess history to be ranked no.1.
D) By the time he was 5, rumour had it he could name almost all the countries in the world along with their capitals and population.
E) When asked why he started playing chess, Magnus revealed that he started showing real interest in learning the game because he wanted to beat his elder sister.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.103 – National Chess
Chess used to be played by sand timers. When was the first mechanical clock introduced?
A) 1860s
B) 1880s
C) 1900s
D) 1920s
E) 1940s
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.102 – Local Chess
Who is the current Dorset (Closed) Chess Champion?
A) Ian Clark
B) Martin Simons
C) Mike Waddington
D) Allan Pleasants
E) James Forster
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.101 – Chess Laws / Trivia
In the B&DCL, each club secretary shall send to the League Controller, a list of all its club members who are expected to play in the League Tournament not later than how many days before the start of the playing season?
A) It does not matter, the League Controller is a nice person and will accept the list any time before the team’s first match.
B) 5 days
C) 7 days (i.e. one week)
D) 10 days
E) 14 days (i.e. two weeks)
