Several westcountry players took part in the South Wales International Congress that finished last weekend. Of these Jack Rudd (Bideford) did best, coming 6^th= out of the 42 contestants with 5½/9 pts, followed by Jeremy Menadue (Truro) on 5 with Brian Gosling (Exmouth/Sidmouth) scoring 3½ points.

This weekend sees the Steve Boniface Memorial Congress being held at Jury's Hotel, alongside the waterside at Bristol Docks, which started last evening and finishes tomorrow afternoon. Steve was a popular player and arbiter at events throughout the westcountry until his sudden and untimely death three years ago.

In this game, he is facing Major Anne Sunnucks in the 1979 Guernsey Open. She had been awarded the Women's International Master title in 1954 after which she won the British Ladies Championship three times, and had beaten several men masters in her heyday. She was 81 earlier this year.

See link above for games.

Although last week's new position by David Howard was very different from the previous one, the key move was the same, i.e. 1.Na5! threatening Nc4 mate, and if 1…Kxe5 then 2.Qh2 mate. (don't forget the rook is pinned, so can't interpose).

This week we go back 52 years to the British Boys' Championship at Blackpool, when Plymouth schoolboy John Wheeler (George's brother) fought it out with other lads like Stewart Reuben and Phil Meade, the new WECU President. Wheeler is White and in spite of Black's growing Queen-side pressure has a winning attack. What did he play?

There are plenty of opportunities this month for the chess-playing addict. On the weekend of 11^th - 13^th July the Steve Boniface Memorial Tournament will take place at a splendid harbourside venue in Bristol - Details available from Graham Mill-Wilson on 07765-139-540. The following weekend sees the 2^nd Bideford Congress organised by Spectrum - details obtainable from Norman Went on 01708-551617.

For the more adventurous, there is the ECF Congress from 27^th July - 8^th August. This year it will be held at the newly-refurbished St. George's Hall, Liverpool, probably the finest neo-classical building in the world, where the event will be part of that city's European Capitol of Culture activities. Apart from the British Championship itself, there are 25 other sections catering for all ages and abilities. Details are available from Neville Belinfante, 10, Ostlers Court, Old Coach Drive, High Wycombe, HP11 1AR or on the ECF website.

By the end of May, the Championship had 28 entries of whom 10 are Grandmasters and 8 International Masters, so a high standard of play is guaranteed. The others include Bideford's Jack Rudd and former Plymothian Steve Dilleigh. If Rudd can do as well as he did in last year's event, he may obtain a third title norm, which will elevate him to that eminent group of IMs.

He doesn't get that standard of opposition at his local club of Barnstaple - recently, in their summer tournament one opponent had a grade of 70 - and while it can be argued the result is a foregone conclusion, the way this is done need not be without interest.

See link above for games.

The solution to last week's problem was 1.Na5! and whichever Black knight moves, White will have a mate at hand.

This week's 2-mover is a hitherto unpublished composition by WMN reader David Howard of Somerset, though it does have a certain similarity to last week's problem.