If you’ve read my latest Minor Piece you’ll know that, many years ago, there was a team from Fulwell Bus Depot in the Thames Valley League.

A magazine, the Busmen’s Chess Review, ran from 1957 into the 1970s. Who knew that Stan, Olive and Blakey were chess enthusiasts?

The magazine’s problem section, run by Jim Cresswell, a busman based at Willesden Depot as well as a prolific problemist, attracted contributions from many of the world’s leading composers. There’s an article in the November 2022 edition of The Problemist Supplement demonstrating some of the problems they published, from which I took this example.

This week’s problem is a prize-winning mate in 2, published under the name ‘Wartocress’, a collaboration between Jim Cresswell Joe Warton, another prolific composer, often with his older brother Tom. They were often known as the Wangling Wizards. Another Warton brother, not a composer, had the name Adonis!

White to play and force mate in 2 moves against any black defence. (‘Wartocress’ 1 Pr Busmen’s Chess Review 1968-69)

Observant readers will spot that the bishop on h5 is a promoted piece as the original light-squared bishop was captured on its starting square. You might or might not see this as a constructional fault.

I’ll publish the solution on Friday, but do try to solve it yourself first.