Christmas Quiz

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(Newcastle Chronicle, 20 December 2024)

Q1: Christmas Tree. White to play. Mate in 2.

Q2: Silent Knight. White to play. Mate in 5.

Q3: Santa’s Chimney. White to play. Mate in 8.

Q4: Dracula (White) to play. Mate in 4. Why didn’t he play the last move?

Q5: Which piece always moves to a different colour square?
a) King
b) Knight
c) Bishop
d) Pawn

Q6: Which club won the 2024 Northumbria Summer Knockout?
a) Morpeth
b) Gosforth
c) Newcastle
d) Forest Hall

Q7: How old is new World Champion D. Gukesh?
a) 16
b) 18
c) 22
d) 64

Q8: Name the commentator at this year’s British Championships.
a) Jonathan Hawkins
b) David Eggleston
c) Danny Gormally
d) Charlie Storey

Q9: What can a king, rook, bishop, knight and pawn all do, but a queen can’t?
a) Be promoted
b) Discover check
c) Castle
d) En passant

Q10: Which chess award depicts a Viking warrior?
a) Louis Zollner Trophy
b) Prince Bishops Cup
c) Harry Clasper Shield
d) Lindisfarne Horn

Q11: Why did GM Vladeslav Tkachiev lose his 2009 game in Kolkata after 11 moves?
a) His mobile phone alarm went off
b) His pacemaker set off the metal detector
c) He fell asleep drunk
d) He got locked in the bathroom

Q12: Which chess master represented a North East parliamentary constituency?
a) Jonathan Arnott MEP
b) Rachel Reeves MP
c) Joyce Quin MEP
d) Guy Opperman MP

Q13: Name Alexander Alekhine’s annoying habit.
a) Blowing cigar smoke at his opponent
b) Peeling oranges over the pieces
c) Pulling out his gun during the game
d) Letting his cats roam over the board

Q14: Which chess-mad British monarch was a regular at Newcastle Chess Club’s venue, The Old George Inn?
a) Henry VIII
b) Mary Queen of Scots
c) Charles I
d) Lady Jane Grey

Q15: Whose title was inspired by chess?
a) Archbishop of Canterbury
b) Chancellor of the Exchequer
c) Shah of Iran
d) Knights of the Round Table

Q16: Which celebrity was a member of Durham City Chess Club?
a) George Lazenby
b) Nish Kumar
c) Dominic Cummings
d) Gabby Logan

Q17: Who wrote the novel ‘The Queen’s Gambit’?
a) Walter Tevis
b) George RR Martin
c) Vladimir Nabokov
d) Jovanka Houska

Q18: How many queens can you have on the board at the same time?
a) 2
b) 4
c) 9
d) 18

Q19: Which is not a famous checkmate pattern?
a) Anastasia’s Mate
b) Back Rank Mate
c) Cluedo Mate
d) Damiano’s Mate

Q20: Which venue hosted the 2012 British Championships?
a) Alnwick Castle
b) The Parks, North Shields
c) Newcastle City Hall
d) Baltic Art Gallery

ANSWERS:

1) 1 Qc5! If 1…dxc5 2 Re5 mate, 1…Rxc5 2 Nd4 mate, 1…Kxf5/Rxe4 2 Qxd5 mate, 1…Bxe4 2 Nf4 mate.
2) 1 Ka1! Ba5 2 Nc7+ Kb8 3 Nxa6+ Ka8 4 Qb8+ Rxb8 5 Nc7 mate.
3) 1 0-0-0! Kxa7 2 Rd8! Kxa6 3 Rd7 Kxa5 4 Rd6 Kxa4 5 Rd5 Kxa3 6 Rd4 Kxa2 7 Rd3 Ka1 8 Ra3 mate.
4) 1 Nd4+ Kd6 2 Rxd5+ Nxd5 3 Qxd7+ Nxd7 4 Re6 mate. The last move completes the sign of the cross.
5) b
6) d
7) b
8) c
9) b
10) a
11) c
12) a
13) d
14) c
15) b
16) c
17) a
18) d
19) c
20) b