Chess - The Scotsman 25/06/2012

Published on 25/06/2012 00:00

A NEW highlight on the domestic calendar this year was the first Scottish Blitz Championship in Edinburgh this month. The championship was run in association with Skyscanner.net and a slew of other local sponsors, and attracted a strong international field headed by Germany’s Arkadij Naiditsch, the world No 46.

Naiditsch, the top seed, could only manage third on 8.5/11 with the title going to GM Sabino Brunello, of Italy, who scored an unbeaten 10/11 to finish a full point clear of GM Danny Gormally, of England, on 9/11. The top Scot in the competition was Neil Berry, of Edinburgh, on 8/11, who took the Scottish Blitz Trophy.

The next big event on the domestic calendar is the 119th Scottish Championships in Glasgow, running 7-15 July – and that too promises to be one of the best in recent years, thanks to the donation of an anonymous benefactor. So far, the International Open boasts an impressive cosmopolitan field of 10 Grandmasters and 12 International Masters, headed by GM Deep Sengupta of India.

The venue of the Robert Adams-designed Trades Hall in the heart of the Merchant City also provides a spectacular and historic backdrop to the championship. It’s one certainly not to be missed; and it is still not too late to enter, with full details available at the championships’ excellent website at www.chessscotland.com/scottishchampionship2012.

M Armstrong - N Berry

e2e4 Diamond Jubilee Premier, (5)

Slav Defence

1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 g3 c6 4 Bg2 Bg4 5 Nbd2 e6 6 0–0 Nbd7 7 Re1 Be7 8 e4 dxe4 9 Nxe4 Nxe4 10 Rxe4 Bf5 11 Re1 0–0 12 c3 a5 13 a4 h6 14 b3 Re8 15 Ba3 Bxa3 16 Rxa3 Qc7 17 Ra2 Rad8 18 Rd2 Bg4 19 Qc2 Bxf3 20 Bxf3 Nf6 21 Re5 Qb6 22 Kg2 Rd6 23 h4 Red8 24 Rd1 Nd7 25 Re3 Nf8 26 Red3 Ng6 27 Bh5 Ne7 28 Bf3 R8d7 29 R1d2 Qd8 30 Be2 Nd5 31 Rd1 Nf6 32 R1d2 h5 33 f3 g6 34 Qd1 Nd5 35 f4 Ne7 36 Bf1 Nf5 37 Qf3 Qb6 38 Rb2 c5 39 dxc5 Qxc5 40 Rbd2 Ne3+! 0–1