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.
Answer: B
FIDE Rule 12.6 – The arbiter must not intervene in a game except in cases described by the Laws of Chess. He shall not indicate the number of moves completed, except in applying Article 8.5 when at least one flag has fallen. The arbiter shall refrain from informing a player that his opponent has completed a move or that the player has not pressed his clock.
If a player forgets to press his clock after moving neither the arbiter nor captain is allowed to inform him. The opponent does not have to inform the player either (but is allowed to do so).
Often it is not noticed by either player and a reply is made. If it is not corrected at this point the clock may have the wrong number of moves. This can cause a problem later in the game if the clock is using the move counter to add on additional time when a time control has been reached. (See Article 12.)
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
Answer: A
Bobby Fischer achieved 11 out of 11 at the US Championship in 1963/64, regarded by many as one of the best ever tournament performances.
CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
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
Answer: C
McShane won the World Under 10 Championship in Duisburg at the age of eight in 1992.
CC BY-SA 3.0
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
Answer: C
Allan’s victory was his first ever win against a GM and it was reported in the Bournemouth Echo.
Allan also beat GM Raymond Keene OBE in a simultaneous display in the same year so a great year for Allan!
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
Answer: A
This might come as a surprise but the solution is …
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.
Answer: C
Answer A could also be acceptable, particularly in our local leagues, but may not be acceptable in tournament play particularly if there are international players with language barriers due to possible misunderstandings.
FIDE Rule 5.1.1 – The game is won by the player who has checkmated his opponent’s king. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing the checkmate position was in accordance with Article 3 and Articles 4.2 — 4.7.
FIDE Rule 5.1.2 – The game is won by the player whose opponent declares he resigns. This immediately ends the game.
The method of resigning can vary e.g. knocking over the king. A player extending his hand is a common source of confusion at the end of the game. Arbiters should try to ensure that both players agree on the result. Particularly in junior tournaments it can be discovered that one player accepts he was mated to discover later that he could prevent the mate. Where a player announces mate and immediately shakes hands only for it to be discovered seconds later that the move played was not mate he should not be given the win despite any handshake.
If only player A handed their scoresheet in then this may not be sufficient evidence unless it has been signed by both players with the result confirmed. If the result has been reported separately by both players then this can be accepted as a win for player A as this is evidence that player B has resigned.
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
Answer: E
This might come as a surprise but in November 2018, Germany had the highest number of active FIDE rated players with 11,813. Russia, by comparison, had 11,313.
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
Answer: E
Luke McShane held the record when he achieved his Grandmaster (GM) title at the age of 16 in 2000 but this has since been beaten by David Howell in 2007, who was awarded the GM title at the same age of 16 but he was a slightly younger 16 year old!
Whilst Nigel Short was the youngest player in the world to obtain the IM title at the time in 1980 he did not achieve his GM title until he was 19 in 1984. Mickey Adams achieved his GM title at the age of 18 whilst Matthew Sadler was 19.
CC BY 2.0
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
Answer: C
We celebrated our 25th Rapidplay Championship in 2020 which suggests that this tournament may have started in 1996. However, when it was previously held at the Tuckton Social Club, Southbourne, it was run in the Autumn. After the 2012 event, when the tournament transferred to the Greyfriars Community Centre, Ringwood, the next tournament was delayed to the Spring of 2014, therefore there was no tournament held in 2013.
Back in 1995, the tournament was won jointly by Graham White (Southbourne) and Mike Freeman (Southbourne).
Pictured below is the tournament’s old venue at Tuckton Social Club from 1996 to 2012 and then its new venue at Greyfriars Community Centre from 2014 to 2020.
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
Answer: A
The shortest known stalemate was composed by Sam Loyd
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.
Answer: C
Fide Rule 4.2.1 – Only the player having the move may adjust one or more pieces on their squares, provided that he first expresses his intention (for example by saying “j’adoube” or “I adjust”).
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
Answer: D
Garry Kasparov was placed first or equal first in 15 consecutive tournaments between 1981 and 1990.
Photo courtesy of S.M.S.I., Inc. – Owen Williams, The Kasparov Agency
GNU Free Documentation License
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
Answer: B (we think!)
Chess Scotland was formed in 2001 but its roots go back to 1884 when the Scottish Chess Association was formed and is one of the oldest chess organisations in the world.
The Irish Chess Union (ICU) is the governing body for chess in Ireland since its formation in 1912. Previous to this, chess competitions in Ireland were run under organisations named The Irish Chess Association (formed in 1885).
The English Chess Federation (ECF) was formed in 2004 and was effectively a re-constitution of the previous governing body, the British Chess Federation, an organisation founded in 1904.
The Welsh Chess Union was formed on 19 June 1954 as a Union of Associations in South Wales and
Monmouthshire, it was originally a part of the British Chess Federation (BCF). The Union established the Welsh Championship in 1955.
It is not clear when the Channel Islands Chess Association was formed but we think after 1884.
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
Answer: A
The first year in 2012 attracted over 150 entries including over 60 players in the Open. David Howell won with a maximum score of 5 out of 5. There were four grandmasters in the first year, David Howell, Simon Williams, Keith Arkell and Alexander Cherniaev, a great attraction for the Bournemouth chess area.
CC BY 2.0
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
Answer: E
Nimzowitsch is considered one of the most important players and writers in chess history and his influence is still felt today.
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.
Answer: E
FIDE Rule 12 – The Role of the Arbiters, 12.2.4 – The arbiter shall ensure that the players are not disturbed.
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
Answer: B
Magnus Carlsen offered a draw with the White pieces to Vidit Gujrathi after his 5th move in the Tata Steel event in India in 2019 because he apparently had an upset stomach. In the link to the short clip below Gujrathi seemed a bit confused at first before accepting the generous offer with some amusement!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wofz0k6FCMU&ab_channel=ChessBaseIndia
Despite his upset stomach, Carlsen still won the event with 3 rounds to spare and he achieved a 3027 performance from the event!
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
Answer: B
Despite achieving a number of winning positions with the White pieces, Short only managed the one win in game 16 when he was already 10.5 – 4.5 down. In the Channel 4 commentary, Raymond Keene OBE famously sang the UK’s National Anthem as Short was about to win!
Photo courtesy of S.M.S.I., Inc. – Owen Williams, The Kasparov Agency
CC BY-SA 3.0
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
Answer: C
The B&DCL produced its own local regular chess magazine from 1993 to 2006, called “Newsknight “(28 editions – often hitting 30 pages!). Its editor was Alan Dommett and sub-editor was Martin Simons. Articles ranged from reporting on local and national events, World Chess Championships, through to Opening Oddities and Bits & Pieces.
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)
Answer: C
The other four can be found on the following links.
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.
Answer: D
B&DCL League Club Tournament Rule 4 – The team with the greater game points difference shall be the winner of that relevant Division for that year. If two teams have the same games point difference a tie-break match will be played. If this match is drawn, the winner shall be decided by board count, then by elimination rule. (see Rule 13).
These rules apply for both promotion and relegation (if applicable).
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
Answer: B
Steinitz (1886 – 1894), Lasker (1894 – 1921), Capablanca (1921 – 1927), Alekhine (1927 – 1935), Euwe (1935 – 1937), Alekhine (1937 – 1946), Botvinnik (1946 – 1957), Smyslov (1957 – 1958), Botvinnik (1958 – 1960), Tal (1960 – 1961), Botvinnik (1961 – 1963), Petrosian (1963 – 1969), Spassky (1969 – 1972), Fischer (1972 – 1975).
Pictured below is Max Euwe, perhaps the least well known of the world champions.
Courtesy of Dutch National Archives
CC BY-SA 3.0 NL
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
Answer: A
The British Chess Championship was held in the Isle of Man in 2005.
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
Answer: B
The Dorset Chess website was comprehensive and ahead of its time with essentially all the information we look for from a modern chess website today – and it included a complex programme, all designed by Phil, to record results and then compute an updated league table.
To a large extent Phil’s new website was the modern day “Newsknight” and therefore its eventual replacement. It is also replaced the Bournemouth Echo chess column which finished in 2011.
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.
Answer: A
The current requirements for becoming a Grandmaster are (Source: Wikipedia) :-
⦁ An Elo rating of at least 2500 at any point in their career (although they need not maintain this level to obtain or keep the title).
⦁ The rating requirement can be fulfilled even if the player starts a tournament rated <2500 and then reaches or exceeds 2500 during the tournament but concludes the tournament with a rating <2500.
⦁ Two favourable results (called norms) from a total of at least 27 games in tournaments. With some exceptions, to receive a norm in a tournament:
⦁ The player’s rating performance at the end of the tournament must be at least 2600.
⦁ At least 33% of the player’s opponents must be Grandmasters.
⦁ At least 50% of the player’s opponents must hold a FIDE title.
⦁ The player’s opponents must have an average rating of at least 2380.
⦁ The player’s opponents must come from at least 3 different chess federations, which can include the player’s own federation.
⦁ A maximum of 60% of a player’s opponents can come from the player’s own federation.
⦁ A maximum of 66% of a player’s opponents can come from a single federation.
The Grandmaster title is also automatically conferred, without needing to fulfil the above criteria, when winning the Women’s World Championship, the World Junior Championship, or the World Senior Championship. Current regulations can be found in the FIDE Handbook.
FIDE titles including the grandmaster title are valid for life, but FIDE regulations allow a title to be revoked for “use of a FIDE title or rating to subvert the ethical principles of the title or rating system” or if a player is found to have violated the anti-cheating regulations in a tournament on which the title application was based.
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.
Answer: C
B&DCL League Club Tournament Rule 9 – The “2-minute rule” does not apply. All moves must be recorded.
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
Answer: A
This is now the known as the infamous game when Fischer blundered with 29… Bxh2 in a dead level position. At the time, this was condemned by analysts as the losing move. However, later more detailed engine analysis confirmed that Fischer was still drawing due to the activity of his king. Nevertheless, it is still considered as a blunder.
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
Answer: E
England have won three silvers (in 1984, 1986 and 1988) and three bronzes (in 1927, 1976 and 1990).
It only missed out on the gold medal in 1986 by one point.
Taken from the 1986 Chess Olympiad in Dubai, pictured below are Jon Speelman, Nigel Short, John Nunn and Tony Miles
CC BY 3.0
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
Answer: E
The scores on the doors were:
Tiger’s Modern – Strength = 6, Fun = 8, Total = 14
Black Lion – Strength = 5, Fun = 8, Total = 13
Elephant Gambit – Strength = 3, Fun = 7, Total = 10
Hedgehog – Strength = 7, Fun = 3, Total = 10
Monkeys Bum – Strength = 5, Fun = 5, Total = 10
Peter is often seen playing the 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
Answer: B
Castling used to be two moves, a rook move followed later by a king jump over the rook. This gradually changed through the 16th century to be only one move. We know from different references that by 1561 the rules were still not uniform, with some regions using two moves for castling and others one.
By the end of the 16th century it was firmly one move but with many variants (e.g. If playing White there were 16 different ways of castling as opposed to the two allowed today. On the kingside you could castle the rook and king to respectively e1 and f1; e1 and g1; e1 and h1; f1 and g1; f1 and h1, g1 and h1 and there were 10 similar ones of the queenside).
The current version of castling was established in France in 1620 and England in 1640 (Sunnucks 1970:66).
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
Answer: C
B&DCL League Club Tournament Rule 13 – In the case of disputes, in the first instance the captains of the respective teams are requested to jointly fulfil the role of arbiter. In the event the captains are unavailable, then the players must attempt to resolve the dispute.
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
Answer: B
The Chess Olympiad has been held in the UK in 1927 (London) and 1933 (Folkestone). Indeed, 1927 was the first year of the official Chess Olympiad which was won by Hungary. England came third.
Location of 1927 Olympiad
Photo (cropped, brightened) by Carlos Cunha
CC BY-SA 3.0
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
Answer: B
The British Chess Championship was held at the University of Warwick in Coventry in 2015 which is almost 120 miles away from any coast by car. As we know, the 2016 British Chess Championship was held in Bournemouth so we hope no-one selected C!
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
Answer: E
Roy Milner together with his wife Betty worked very hard to organise many popular trips abroad to support Dorset chess.
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
Answer: C
There are also other criteria and exceptions but these will be saved for a later question.
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.
Answer: D
B&DCL League Club Tournament Rule 9 – Where a Club must vacate their venue at a time which will not accommodate the potential longer games created by the use of time increments, the time controls listed in Option B will be used.
Option B – Type “Q” – Quickplay finish game
The time control will be 35 minutes in an hour and a quarter with a 15 minute quickplay finish
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
Answer: D
The Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation was founded in Paris, France on 20th July 1924. It is an international organisation based in Switzerland that connects the various national chess federations and acts as the governing body of international chess competition. It is usually referred to as FIDE, its French acronym.
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
Answer: B
The British Chess Championship was first held in Hastings in 1904 and was won by William Ewart. Henry Atkins then won it for seven consecutive years from 1905 to 1911. The Ladies champion in 1904 was Kate Finn who also defended her title in 1905.
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
Answer: A
The Purbeck Chess Club members were invited to play in Derek Mount’s back garden. Initially face masks were worn!
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
Answer: D
There are 347 different ways for White to mate in 3 moves! The solution to this is likely to be shown in a future puzzle or bulletin.
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.
Answer: C
B&DCL Rule No.3 – Eligibility – Should an ineligible player be played in a League match, the penalty for the infringement shall be the automatic loss of the game concerned plus, if the Controller so determines, the loss of one additional game point.
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
Answer: E
Sergey Karjakin is known for his defensive skills, which has earned him an informal nickname as Russia’s “Minister of Defence”. He successfully defended inferior positions against World Champion Magnus Carlsen – himself known for grinding out wins from slightly superior positions – in the World Chess Championship 2016, especially games 3 and 4. Karjakin has no qualms about entering an endgame with a small disadvantage if he deems it his best option, as opposed to playing for complications.
CC BY-SA 3.0
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
Answer: A
Nigel (pictured below) explained at the time he was dissatisfied with the way English Chess was being run. Nigel was eligible as his grandfather lived in Wales.
This caused a massive stir and was even reported on the BBC TV!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-wales-34815812/chess-player-switches-sides-to-play-for-wales
Allan Pleasants is not a Grandmaster but does play for Wales and has been a past Welsh National champion!
GNU 1.2
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
Answer: D
Well known for plum coloured cycling attire, Greville Marples was also rumoured to have cycled down the aisle when he got married in 1990 and lost his bike in Rouen on a Poole Club Chess International trip!
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.
Answer: C
B&DCL League Club Tournament Rule No.11 – Notification of Results – Match results should be entered on LMS by the home team within 24 hours and verified by the opponents. Match result cards should be completed and signed by both captains, and then retained by the home captain in case of subsequent queries.
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.
Answer: E
B&DCL League Club Tournament Rule No.7 – Time of Matches (c) – Any eligible player may be substituted for an absent player before the hour has elapsed, but subject to the 10 grade points condition. However, due to the possible extenuating circumstances, the 10 grade points rule can be overridden, but only providing both captains agree.
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.
Answer: A
He became the second youngest grandmaster in history of chess (at 13 years, 4 months and 27 days in 2004), though currently he is the third youngest. Sergey Karjakin is the youngest (at 12 years, 7 months and 0 days in 2002) – see question 29.
He is the youngest player in chess history to be ranked no.1 (19 years, 1 month) in 2010.
CC BY-SA 4.0
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
Answer: B
The first mechanical clocks was introduced in 1883 in England by Thomas Wilson. It was known as the ‘tumbling’ chess clock. It consisted of two balanced clocks on a seesaw beam. When one was tilted downward, it stopped while the other clock started. Below is a historical 1919 chess clock.
CC BY-SA 4.0
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
Answer: E
James Forster scored 3 out of 4 and is possibly the youngest Dorset Chess Champion as he was 19 when he won it in 2019. He may also be known as the player who has held the trophy for the longest given the current COVID 19 circumstances but we hope not!
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)
Answer: B
Although we are sure the League Controller is a nice man and may show some flexibility!
