Chess

THE opening ceremony of the Khanty-Mansiysk world team Olympiad takes place on 20 September. However, it remains to be seen how many teams turn up after a chaotic series of changes to agreed charter times to the town.

Chess Scotland international director Andrew Muir has been permitted to exceed his budget to compensate players in the Scottish party of 11 whose connecting flights no longer fit with the revised schedules.

GM Alex Baburin will not be returning to his former homeland and has declined his place as top board in the Irish team. Writing in Chess Today, he fears the promised hotel accommodation will not be ready in time and smaller teams will be pushed into sub-standard lodgings.

As well as the playing side of the event, there is the election for FIDE president. The fear is that countries (including the UK federations) that have announced support for challenger Anatoly Karpov rather than incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov may suffer inferior conditions.

Scotland top board GM Colin McNab (Dundee) warmed up for the Olympiad by winning the Jessie Gilbert International in Coulsdon with an unbeaten 6.5/9. White: C McNab (2463), Black: J Hodgson (2179), 1 c4 Nf6 2 g3 c5 3 Bg2 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 Nc3 Nc7 6 Qa4+ Qd7 7 Nf3 Qxa4 8 Nxa4 Nba6 9 d4 cxd4 10 Nxd4 e5 11 Nb3 Bd7 12 Nc3 Nb4 13 0–0 Bc6 14 Bd2 Bxg2 15 Kxg2 Be7 16 Rfc1 0–0 17 Ne4 Nba6 18 Rc4 Ne6 19 Rac1 f5 20 Nc3 Nac7 21 e4 g6 22 Nd5 Nxd5 23 exd5 Nd8 24 Rc7 Bd6 25 Rd7 Nf7 26 Rxb7 Rfb8 27 Rxb8+ Rxb8 28 Rc6 h5 29 Be3 a5 30 Bb6 a4 31 Nd2 e4 32 Nc4 (See diagram) Ne5? 33 Nxd6 1–0.

• This article first appeared in Scotland on Sunday, September 12, 2010