English Chess Forum

We don't often see chess problems mentioned on here, but as it happens, never having paid much attention to the field before, I've found myself working through the two-movers ("Merediths", it says here) of which there are two hundred in this book



(albeit not that edition, I have this one here).

Although I've only looked at a few, I've really enjoyed myself and when I finish I think I will want to look at more. So I would like to ask - where can I find them? Are there good, available collections in book form, and are there any good online collections? At this stage I'm basically asking about problems of this type, two-movers and maybe three, not helpmates and the like, standard pieces etc, and I'm not asking about studies (perhaps in the future).

Of the few I've done so far, here's the one (Guest, 1897) I - for whatever reason - liked the most



and the one (Downer, 1941) I solved the fastest.



(No, I haven't got them all right,and no, I am not generally quick!)

I like this mate in two, posted by a friend on Facebook:

2N1R3/3b4/R2N1p2/Q1pk3n/5PP1/BPP2K2/7p/2n3bB w - - 0 1

JustinHorton wrote: ↑

Sun May 16, 2021 10:11 am

... So I would like to ask - where can I find them? Are there good, available collections in book form, and are there any good online collections?...

Did you see: https://twitter.com/Berlin_Endgame/stat ... 7346208772?

No I didn't, thanks.

Pick of the Best Chess Problems by Barry Barnes was one of my first proper chess problems books, it is excellent. I can also highly recommend Chess Wizardry: The new ABC of chess problems by John Rice (who was a teacher at my secondary school!).

Christopher Kreuzer wrote: ↑

Mon May 17, 2021 1:40 am

...
I can also highly recommend Chess Wizardry: The new ABC of chess problems by John Rice (who was a teacher at my secondary school!).

...

Yes, that is a very good book, from which I learn that a Meredith is a problem with at least eight and not more than twelve units.

John Nunn's "Solving in Style" is also excellent, covering problems, studies, helpmates, selfmates, series problems and retrograde problems.

Purists would disapprove of the first position I gave, because of all the unnecessary pieces on the board, which also makes it obvious that the solution is not a waiting move.

Edit - OK I've deleted it now. It's probably not appropriate here.

Max Illingworth & Cyrus Lakdawala run a Facebook group: Chess Endgame Studies and Compositions:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/544412592978833

JustinHorton wrote: ↑

Sun May 16, 2021 10:11 am

... Of the few I've done so far, here's the one (Guest, 1897) I - for whatever reason - liked the most

I also liked this puzzle but isn't the Black pawn on a6 superfluous?

I too have the B P Barnes book - I believe I bought it as it was one of the few available chess books at my local WH Smiths.

My favourite is on studies rather than problems and it is:

Its a cracking book, and contains some problem-type positions as well as "pure" studies.

You do wonder how many have been cooked/busted when subjected to our remorseless silicon friends, though.

Yes, "Test Tube Chess" is a great book.

If we are talking about studies now, then "Endgame Challenge" by John Nunn is absolutely fantastic. He takes 250 studies and analyses them thoroughly. The selection of material and analysis is exactly what you would expect from John Nunn.

I also have Lommer's "1234 Modern End-Game Studies" and "1357 End-Game Studies" and Kasparyan's "Domination in 2545 Endgame Studies" which are all worth having if you are looking for large collections of studies.

Pawn on a6 means there is only 1 mate after Nc7 Bxe7.

Nick Ivell wrote: ↑

Mon May 17, 2021 6:37 pm

Pawn on a6 means there is only 1 mate after Nc7 Bxe7.

Ah, yes!