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.
Older questions are still available: 1 to 50, 51 to 100, 101-150, 151-200 and 201-250.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.300 – Bits & Pieces!
Which music composer was a strong enough chess player to beat each of Lasker, Capablanca and Rubinstein in simuls?
A) Sergei Prokofiev
B) Maurice Ravel
C) Dmitri Shostakovich
D) Aaron Copland
E) Edward Elgar
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.299 – International Chess
Fabio Caruana has lived in several countries to further his chess career. Which of these lists comprise 3 countries he has lived in for at least a year each?
A) Russia, USA, Italy
B) Sweden, Hungary, Spain
C) Spain, USA, Hungary
D) Italy, Sweden, Spain
E) Czechia, USA, Italy.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.298 – National Chess
On 21st May 2004, which English Chess player(s) set a new world record for simultaneous chess?
A) Andrew Martin
B) Keith Arkell
C) Nigel Short
D) Chris Ward / John Emms
E) John Nunn
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.297 – Local Chess
In Bulletin No.58 we reported on more Riveting Rapidplay games including two well played games by the players who came equal 4th but who were they?
A) Mike Duggan & Richard Allis
B) Allan Pleasants & Ian Clark
C) Richard Allis & Allan Pleasants
D) Ian Clark & Richard Smith
E) Richard Smith & Mike Duggan
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.296 – Chess Laws / Trivia
What is the birth order of the Polgar sisters (oldest first)?
A) Susan, Judit, Sofia
B) Susan, Sofia, Judit
C) Judit, Susan, Sofia
D) Judit, Sofia, Susan
E) Sofia, Susan, Judit
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.295 – Bits & Pieces!
Who wrote The Defence, a novel about chess?
A) Jovanka Houska
B) Ian Rankin
C) Dan Brown
D) John Le Carre
E) Vladimir Nabokov
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.294 – International Chess
With thanks to Graham White (Wimborne) for supplying the following question.
The Linares International Chess Tournament was an annual chess tournament, usually played around the end of February. It began in 1978 and was held annually from 1988 to 2010 (with the exception of 1996).
It was sometimes described as the Wimbledon of chess, being one of the strongest annual tournaments held on the chess tour, along with the Tata Steel, Wijk aan Zee, Tal Memorial and Dortmund events. Since 2010, the tournament has not been held for financial reasons.
As one of the strongest tournament, a performance of only +3 or +4 could be a winning score. Anatoly Karpov won the 1994 Linares chess tournament. What was his score from his 13 games?
A) 9
B) 9.5
C) 10
D) 10.5
E) 11
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.293 – National Chess
Since 2011 which British Grandmaster has been the The Director of the Gibraltar International Chess Festival?
A) Julian Hodgson
B) Stuart Conquest
C) Glenn Flear
D) Jim Plaskett
E) Raymond Keene
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.292 – Local Chess
On the 29th March 2021, Poole scored a record amount of points in the Ringwood Online Team Battle but how many points did the team score?
A) 87
B) 97
C) 107
D) 117
E) 127
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.291 – Chess Laws / Trivia
Which famous artist was photographed playing chess with Alexander Alekhine?
A) Georges Braque
B) Paul Cezanne
C) Salvador Dali
D) Marcel Duchamp
E) Pablo Picasso
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.290 – Bits & Pieces!
When was the first known computer program for playing chess developed?
A) 1941
B) 1951
C) 1961
D) 1971
E) 1981
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.289 – International Chess
The 2006 World Chess Championship was a match between the Classical World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik and the FIDE World Chess Champion Veselin Topalov. It was designed to reunite the two World Chess Championship titles and produce an undisputed World Chess Champion. Why did Kramnik forfeit Game 5?
A) He was ill.
B) He overslept and failed to turn up on time.
C) His taxi broke down and he failed to turn up on time.
D) He was no longer allowed to use his private bathroom following an allegation by the Topalov team that he might be using computer assistance whilst in there.
E) There was an issue over secret messages during the match being sent by colour coded yoghurts.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.288 – National Chess
Which of these English Grandmaster has written the fewest chess books?
A) John Emms
B) Chris Ward
C) Mark Hebden
D) Jon Speelman
E) John Nunn
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.287 – Local Chess
Which Highcliffe player secured the vital draw to help Highcliffe win the B&DCL Team Handicap Knockout Cup Final in 2016?
A) Adam Ursell
B) Richard Ursell
C) Ron Salinger
D) Robert Halse
E) Christian Westrap
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.286 – Chess Laws / Trivia
You probably will not know the answer to this question unless you were there watching the game(!) but how many consecutive queen moves by one player were played in the Mackenzie v Mason chess game in London in 1882?
A) 33
B) 43
C) 53
D) 63
E) 73
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.285 – Bits & Pieces!
Which famous chess player came out with this quote? …
‘I used to attack because it was the only thing I knew. Now I attack because I know it works best’
A) Garry Kasparov
B) Nigel Short
C) Mikhail Tal
D) Hikaru Nakamura
E) Bobby Fischer
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.284 – International Chess
Who won the 2021 Bullet Chess Championship, presented by SIG, on 5th to 7th April 2021?
A) Hikaru Nakamura
B) Magnus Carlsen
C) Levon Aronian
D) Alireza Firouzja
E) Andrew Tang
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.283 – National Chess
Which of these English Chess Grandmasters also teaches Salsa dancing?
A) Chris Ward
B) John Emms
C) Jon Speelman
D) David Howell
E) Simon Williams
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.282 – Local Chess
Which four local players took part at the Jersey Chess Tournament in 2013?
A) Mike Waddington, Bruce Jenks, Allan Pleasants, Ian Clark
B) Mike Waddington, Bruce Jenks, Allan Pleasants & Martin Simons
C) Mike Waddington, Bruce Jenks, Ian Clark & Martin Simons
D) Mike Waddington, Allan Pleasants, Ian Clark & Martin Simons
E) Bruce Jenks, Allan Pleasants, Ian Clark & Martin Simons
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.281 – Chess Laws / Trivia
Prior to Covid times, and in particular had you been playing in the Corus Chess Tournament in 2008, what would have happened if you had refused to shake your opponent’s hand?
A) You would have been deducted time.
B) Your opponent would have been given extra time.
C) You would have forfeited the match.
D) The arbiter would have been called over and given you a verbal warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.
E) Nothing but it would not have been good etiquette.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.280 – Bits & Pieces!
Chess novice and speed learner Max Deutsch lost a game to Magnus Carlsen in 2017 after he had one month to prepare. Then, at the beginning of April 2021 there was a rumour that Magnus Carlsen had retired from chess as a result of losing a bet when he lost a chess rematch against Max Deutsch. What was the gambit opening supposedly played by Max Deutsch?
A) Evans Gambit
B) Morra Gambit
C) Kings Gambit
D) Danish Gambit
E) Blackmar Diemer Gambit
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.279 – International Chess
How many official World Champions have lost their title to their very first challenger, never to regain it?
A) 4
B) 5
C) 6
D) 7
E) 8
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.278 – National Chess
Baruch Wood (B.H. Wood) was not only a good chess player but he founded the now famous CHESS magazine? How long was he the Editor of this magazine for?
A) 23 years
B) 33 years
C) 43 years
D) 53 years
E) 63 years
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.277 – Local Chess
Which club narrowly lost the last B&DCL Team Handicap Knockout Cup Final played in 2019?
A) Poole
B) Purbeck
C) Wimborne
D) Weymouth
E) Highcliffe
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.276 – Chess Laws / Trivia
At the beginning of April 2021, it was alleged that FIDE had changed an international rule of chess with immediate effect but what was this rule change?
A) That en passant can be played on any move not just on the move immediately following when an adjacent pawn moves forward two squares next to the opponent’s pawn which is on the 5th rank.
B) That castling can be played regardless if either (or both) the king and rook have previously moved.
C) The removal of the 50 move draw rule.
D) The removal of the stalemate rule – the player moving last and creating the stalemate now wins!
E) The removal of all draws.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.275 – Bits & Pieces!
Which past World Chess Champion made the following interesting statement? … ‘I am convinced, the way one plays chess always reflects the player’s personality. If something defines his character, then it will also define his way of playing’.
A) Magnus Carlsen
B) Vishy Anand
C) Vladimir Kramnik
D) Garry Kasparov
E) Anatoly Karpov
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.274 – International Chess
How many moves were played in the longest World Championship game of chess?
A) 94
B) 104
C) 114
D) 124
E) 134
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.273 – National Chess
Which English player won the World Under 10 Chess Championship at the age of eight?
A) Nigel Short
B) Mickey Adams
C) Matthew Sadler
D) Luke McShane
E) David Howell
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.272 – Local Chess
Which is the only local club to have won the B&DCL Team Handicap Knockout Cup in three consecutive years?
A) Wimborne
B) Highcliffe
C) Poole
D) Southbourne
E) Weymouth
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.271 – Chess Laws / Trivia
In the UK, as things stand, when is the earliest that B&DCL and Dorset league chess matches might be permitted to resume indoors?
A) 12th April 2021
B) 17th May 2021
C) 21st June 2021
D) This has not yet been determined by the UK Government.
E) This will determined by the English Chess Federation.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.270 – Bits & Pieces!
What do Grandmasters Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Hou Yifan both have in common in relation to a FIDE tournament game?
A) They have been defaulted for not shaking their opponent’s hands.
B) They have been defaulted for turning up to their boards late.
C) They have tried to castle by touching their rooks first (instead of their kings) which was not allowed. They were then both made to make a legal move with their rooks.
D) They forgot to press their clocks and lost on time.
E) They have both made illegal moves.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.269 – International Chess
Which of these players served as a second to Nigel Short in his 1993 World Chess Championship match versus Kasparov?
A) Robert Hübner
B) Mickey Adams
C) Boris Gelfand
D) Artur Yusupov
E) Boris Gulko
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.268 – National Chess
The ECF Yearbook 2021 has recently just been issued. How many pages long is it?
A) 121
B) 151
C) 181
D) 211
E) 241
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.267 – Local Chess
Which Highcliffe player has managed to retrieve the B&DCL Team Handicap Knockout Trophy after it had been in self-isolation for a year?
A) Adam Ursell
B) Richard Ursell
C) Robert Halse
D) Christian Westrap
E) Ron Salinger
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.266 – Chess Laws / Trivia
Which famous chess player once made this amusing comment ‘Up to this point, White has been following well-known analysis. But now he makes a fatal error, he begins to use his own head’?
A) Wilhelm Steinitz
B) Emanuel Lasker
C) Mikhail Chigorin
D) José Raúl Capablanca
E) Siegbert Tarrasch
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.265 – Bits & Pieces!
In 1973, a chess tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, was raided by the police. They arrested the director of the tournament as well as confiscated the chess sets but what were the charges?
A) Aiding and abetting.
B) Permitting gambling and on the possession of gambling devices.
C) Possessing stolen property.
D) Tax evasion
E) Money Laundering
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.264 – International Chess
Which Indian chess player won an award in the Indian BBC Sports Personality competition for 2020?
A) Vishy Anand
B) Pentala Harikrishna
C) Koneru Humpy
D) Dronavalli Harika
E) Vidit Santosh Gujrathi
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.263 – National Chess
Which County has recently won the Western Counties Online Championship?
A) Devon
B) Gloucestershire
C) Somerset
D) Cornwall
E) Dorset & Wilts
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.262 – Local Chess
Up to 31st March, which local player has won most Monday evening individual Ringwood Online Chess Tournaments in 2021?
A) Richard Ursell
B) Adam Ursell
C) Reenen Du Toit
D) Jon Catchpole
E) Martin Clancy
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.261 – Chess Laws / Trivia
Which famous chess player once said ‘Those who say they understand chess, understand nothing.’
A) Aron Nimzowitsch
B) François-André Danican Philidor
C) Fred Reinfeld
D) Robert Hübner
E) José Raúl Capablanca
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.260 – Bits & Pieces!
We all know Magnus Carlsen loves football, quite possibly because he was coached chess by Simen Agdestein (who played football for the Norway international team) when he was as a junior but which is Carlsen’s favourite football team?
A) Manchester United
B) Barcelona
C) Real Madrid
D) Rosenborg
E) Bayern Munich
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.259 – International Chess
How many World Chess Champions have regained their title in a match situation against the current World Champion having previously lost it?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) 5
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.258 – National Chess
In March 2021 the ECF announced that it has had to cancel the 2021 British Chess Championship. Do you know where it is now planning to hold the 2022 British Chess Championship?
A) Torquay
B) Brighton
C) Eastbourne
D) Scarborough
E) Swansea
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.257 – Local Chess
The 2021 1st Dorset Online Rapidplay Championship ended in a 3 way tie but who between?
A) Andrej Furjel, Allan Pleasants & Peter Anderson
B) Andrej Furjel, Allan Pleasants & Richard Allis
C) Christian Westrap, Richard Allis & Peter Anderson
D) Allan Pleasants, Christian Westrap & Richard Allis
E) Andrej Furjel, Christian Westrap & Peter Anderson
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.256 – Chess Laws / Trivia
What is the world record for the most number of blindfolded simultaneous games?
A) 18
B) 28
C) 38
D) 48
E) 58
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.255 – You are the Arbiter!
The position below has been reached. Black plays 46…Rc1+, lets go of the piece but fails to press the clock in time and their ‘flag’ falls. All of this is seen by the arbiter who is watching closely. What should happen next?
A) The arbiter should automatically intervene and award a win on time to White.
B) The arbiter should award a win on time to White only if White claims it.
C) The arbiter should automatically intervene and declare the position a draw as the following forced sequence of moves 47.Qxc1+ Qxc1+ 48.Kxc1 leads to stalemate!
D) The arbiter should declare a draw if Black claims one as the following forced sequence of moves 47.Qxc1+ Qxc1+ 48.Kxc1 leads to stalemate!
E) If neither White claims a win nor Black claims a draw immediately the arbiter should let play continue and see if White claims a win on time before the inevitable stalemate is reached.
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.254 – International Chess
Excluding the FIDE World Chess Championships between 1993 and 2005, how many official World Chess Championship matches have there been since 1886?
A) 25
B) 35
C) 45
D) 55
E) 65
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.253 – National Chess
Who is the current Executive Editor of the CHESS magazine based in the UK?
A) Richard Palliser
B) Murray Chandler
C) Byron Jacobs
D) John Saunders
E) Malcolm Pein
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.252 – Local Chess
Who has been Dorset’s longest serving Correspondence Chess team captain?
A) Ian Clark
B) Frank Kingdon
C) John Kelly
D) Greville Marples
E) Alf Bullock
Test Your Chess Knowledge No.251 – Chess Laws / Trivia
Henri Grob (4 June 1904 – 5 July 1974) was a famous Swiss chess player, artist and painter. He pioneered eccentric chess openings, such as 1.g4 sometimes known as Grob’s Attack but can you guess how many times he was married?
A) 5
B) 6
C) 7
D) 8
E) 9
