The foreword to the first issue, written by the editor T. R. Dawson, begins: "This little journal, bringing Happy New Year Greetings to every member of the B. C. P. S., will be to most of you a surprise calling for explanation.
Its origin lies in the desire to have a medium in which the Society, as a collection of units and as a unity, may give expression to its thoughts and life.
Following a suggestion from Mr F. F. L. Alexander, at the last annual general meeting, I obtained quotations for printing this periodical which enabled me to formulate a practical scheme for its continuance within the limits of our income.
T. R. Dawson continued as editor of The Problemist until May 1931 when he resigned to devote more time to The Problemist Fairy Chess Supplement which he had begun in August 1930 (in 1936 it was renamed the Fairy Chess Review).
In January 1997, as a result of modern computer production methods, the page-size of the magazine was reduced from the traditional quarto size to A5, though with more pages.