My latest Minor Piece tells the story of a group of chess problemists from Broadmoor, in the terminology of the times a criminal lunatic asylum, in the 1920s.
You’ll find several problems there for you to solve: here’s another one, composed by the rather mysterious LC Hallam.
The Referee 29-04-1929
Although positions like this would never occur in a game, many chess teachers believe that solving problems of this nature is a great way of improving your tactical skills, powers of calculation, creativity and imagination.
When they were learning chess the Polgar sisters, for example, solved many hundreds of composed problems of this nature.
Can you find the solution to this one? It’s White to play and mate in 2 moves against any Black defence.