• The British Chess Magazine 2020-2021
• Award by Hans Gruber (D–Regensburg),
• International Judge of the FIDE

List of participating problems

I/2020 Russ, Rice, Rice, Keller [4]. II/2020 Lipton, Makaronez, Cefle, McDowell (black pawn e5, not white) [4]. III/2020 Moen, Lyubashevsky & Makaronez (anticipated), Cook, Ugren [4]. IV/2020 Akimov, Keller, Michelet, Moen [4]. V/2020 Michelet, Pitkanen, Jones, Ugren (H#5 3 solutions, not H#3) [4]. VI/2020 Moen, Keller, Onkoud, Onkoud [4]. VII/2020 Rice, Moen, Barnes, Onkoud [4]. VIII/2020 Moen, Shire, McDowell, Pitkanen [4]. IX/2020 — (Award 2018/2019). X/2020 Barnes, Shire, Makaronez, Keller [4] XI/2020 Lipton, Onkoud, Michelet, Moen [4] XII/2020 Moen, Shire, Lipton, Dowd & Wiehagen [4] I/2021 Shire, Makaronez & Volchek, Jonsson, Ugren [4] II/2021 Russ, Keller, Michelet, Ugren [4] III/2021 Moen, Shire, Rice & Lipton, Jonsson [4] IV/2021 Dowd, Lyubashevsky & Makaronez, Onkoud, Ugren [4] V/2021 Moen, Barnes, Onkoud, Jones [4] VI/2021 Shire, Akimov, Dowd, Ugren [4] VII/2021 Shire, Keller & Jones, Michelet, Ugren [4] VIII/2021 Lipton, Makaronez, Ložek, Zamanov & Jones [4] IX/2021 Makaronez, Michelet, Jones, Jones [4] X/2021 Akimov, Moen, Dowd & Prentos, Ugren [4] XI/2021 Moen, Lipton, Onkoud, Makaronez [4] XII/2021 Michelet, Marks, Jones, Ugren [4]

It is a pleasure to observe the continuous stream of good original problems being published in this traditional magazine which is devoted to all parts of the game of chess. Certainly a merit of the problem chess editor, Christopher Jones! Although I am afraid that composers may believe that I am already part of the inventory of this journal (who remembers who else last acted as a judge and when?), I am still enjoying studying the problems. (By the way, I searched my archives to find out when I lastly published in the BCM: In fact it was only one problem, a joint H#4 with the late Denis Blondel and with Hilmar Ebert, in January 1986!) In this tournament, a total of 92 problems (of which one was anticipated) had to be considered, four problems every month except IX/2020, when the previous award was published. As in previous tournaments, I am grateful to Wieland Bruch who checked the originality of the twomovers, and to Ulrich Ring with whom I had inspiring conversations about some of the helpmates.

• 1st Prize: Abdelaziz Onkoud, BCM V/2021
• 1.Rd3 [2.Qe6 [3.Q×f5#] Rd4/Rf4 3.R×d4/N×g3#]
• 1.– Rb4 2.Re3+ B×e3 3.Nd×c3#
• 1.– Bc1 2.Rd4+ R×d4 3.Ne×c3#
• 1.– Nf1 2.Ne×c3+ R×c3,B×c3 3.Bf3#
• 1.– c5 2.Nd×c3+ R×c3,B×c3 3.Qd5#

The good key activates an excellent quiet threat. In the two main variations, Black’s defences are threatening a check, but Black loses one of two controls of the square c3. This is utilised by a white sacrifice which removes the second control and provides a black self-block so that a knight (the right one!) can mate on c3. In the other variations, again care is required in selecting which knight captures at c3, but now in the second white move! This is a highly intricate scheme with thematic action both in the second and third white moves. This saves the top place in the tournament, although Rf6 and Bd1 are not much used.