‘Gordon Stuart Green: A Brilliant All-Rounder’ and ‘Some Mosely Material’

Gordon Stuart Green (1906-1981) was an Indian-born British problem composer who settled in Australia from 1966. “As GSG lived in Australia for 15 years we can claim him as ours!” writes Bob Meadley, who has put together an e-book about this “mental giant,” entitled Gordon Stuart Green: A Brilliant All-Rounder. Compared with earlier books in the series about more prominent composers, this is a relatively small collection of materials, totalling 30 pages. An introductory article provides some background information on Green – an accountant by profession and also a first-class sportsman – and indicates his strengths as a problem solver and composer, with two of his directmates examined. While he wasn’t prolific, the excellent quality of his problems makes up for the quantity, and the next chapter features eight of his compositions that I had selected. A “Scans and Notes” section follows, comprising a biographical piece by an Indian problemist, and various letters and articles by Green. Some non-chess related materials are included as well to show his wide range of interests, such as his technical notes on a Scientific American article and two of his brain-teasers. This free e-book can be downloaded using the link above.

Here is one of Green’s best problems, a four-mover that delivers a startling number of classical themes. The key 1.Bh7! vacates b1 to threaten 2.Bxa7 and 3.Qb6 – a Bristol manoeuvre – followed by 3…B~ 4.Qb1. If 1…g3, aiming for stalemate after 2.Bxa7?, then 2.Bb6 axb6 3.Qxb6 Bf2 4.Qb1. After 1…gxh3 (which cleverly defeats the threat by exploiting the white king’s position: 2.Bxa7? hxg2 3.Qb6 g1=Q+), White executes another Bristol on the g-file with 2.Rg7 h2 3.Qg6, and then 3…Bxf2 4.Qb1. This variation reveals that the bishop-key is a clearance move that allows the queen to travel on the same diagonal line but in the opposite direction – a Turton doubling. Finally, 1…gxf3 is answered by 2.Rg6, which interferes with the key-bishop and forces 2…Kc2 3.Rb6+ Kd1 4.Rb1. Thus the key is also a critical move going across g6, and with the subsequent interference on that square to avoid stalemate and the firing of the created battery, the Indian theme is effected.

Just over a decade ago, Geoff Foster and Bob Meadley collaborated on an important two-part article, ‘Arthur Mosely and the Brisbane Courier’ (accessible from the Chess Problemists section of this site). Bob has now produced a document about the research process that lies behind the article, named ‘Some Mosely Material’. It includes correspondence between Geoff and Bob detailing their thoughts on the project, preliminary versions of the article, and additional scans of Mosely-related images that didn’t make the final version. This interesting “behind the scenes” look at a great Australian problemist is available upon request.