This is the first instalment of the experiment in which we will be giving two unusual puzzles, the ones from our December 31st puzzle article, to (1) a young super-talent in chess; (2) a very strong grandmaster who is a former world champion of chess solving; and (3) a chess amateur who happens to be an advanced quantum physicist.
We begin with the 17-year-old super-talent.
Leon Luke Mendonca gained his title of grandmaster in January 2021, at the age of 14. He has triumphed in several international competitions, a notable example being the 2023 HIT GM Open in Slovenia, which he won with a flawless score of 9/9 and an Elo performance of 3196! On a non-chess side, Leon is also a violinist: when he was stranded in Budapest, he gave a concert in the Budapest cathedral.
I would like to thank Leon for joining our problem-solving experiment – solving unorthodox chess puzzles with all to see. Without further ado, here is the video of him doing it:
Perhaps our Christmas Puzzles will encourage you to venture into the fascinating world of chess composition. We have already received a couple of dozen entries by readers over Christmas, and I am in touch with some of the submitters. The competition will close on January 21, so you still have some time to construct your chess puzzles – mates, helpmates or anything else.
There will be four prizes: three copies of the latest ChessBase Magazine – in the completely new design and interactive format. And a copy of the first ChessBase eBook "Frederic's Chess Tales". Here are descriptions of the prizes.
After solving all these puzzles, are you also interested in trying to compose some yourself? If so, send us your progress and process to us and get a chance to win prizes!
