Exeter Chess Club:

For:	Fri. 7 ^th Jan. 2000

The attention of the chess world in the 1 ^st week of January is usually drawn to Hastings, the oldest established chess event in the world. First held in 1895, when the winner of a super-strong tournament was the rank outsider, the American Harry Nelson Pillsbury, Hastings has now taken place in 3 different centuries.

Soon after his victory, Pillsbury developed strong contacts with Devon, and attended the new DCCA's first two AGMs in 1902 & 03, where he was the star attraction, giving several simultaneous displays, mostly blindfold. But more of him another time.

The line-up in this year's Hastings, the 75 ^th , is not quite so exotic, but still extremely strong. The Premier, a 10 man all-play-all, consists of Dreev (Russia), Sokolov (Bosnia), Sutovsky (Israel), Bischoff, (Germany), Irina Krush (US) and the 'Anglos' Jon Speelman, John Emms, Bogdan Lalic, Murray Chandler and Luke McShane, with the school pupils Krush and McShane looking for GM norms.

Even the Challengers Section has 8 GMs vying for 1 ^st place and an automatic place in next year's Premier. These include Plaskett, Hebden, Arkell and McDonald. So even the Challengers will be no place for the feint-hearted - competition will be fierce indeed.

The solutions to the 2 Christmas problems will be given next week. There is still time to send solutions in to the paper marked "f.a.o. Julie Chapman". Closing date Tues. 11 ^th Jan.

Meanwhile, here is an early Mansfield position from 1917, when he was still a lad in Witheridge.

White to mate in two.