Chess - The Scotsman 20/04/2012

Friday’s puzzle...

THERE have been some memorable simultaneous displays in Scotland by world champions, notably Glasgow 1967 and 1968 with, respectively, Mikhail Botvinnik and Vasily Smyslov; and who could forget Anatoly Karpov coming to Glasgow in 1984 as part of Chess Scotland’s centenary celebrations?

Those simultaneous displays (when one player plays multiple games at a time with other players) not only helped to raise the profile of the game in the national media, but they also helped boost the coffers for chess in Scotland. Now another former world champion, Veselin Topalov, of Bulgaria, is set to raise funds for Chess Scotland (CS) with a simultaneous display in Edinburgh, on Sunday, 29 April, with the intended venue the Scottish Parliament.

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Topalov is managed by new European Chess Union president Silvio Danilov – and he’s been busy touring various ECU member nations and bringing Topolov along with him. In February, Topalov held a successful clock simultaneous display against the Irish chess team.

Scotland’s international arbiter Alex McFarlane is to be thanked for helping co-ordinate such a high-profile visit. If anyone is interested in further details, then contact Alex at [email protected]. The entry fee is £25; and all monies will go towards the CS Sensory Board fund. Entries have to be submitted by e-mail by tomorrow.

V Topalov - V Kramnik

Corus Wijk aan Zee, 2008

Semi Slav, Moscow Anti-Moscow Gambit

1 d4 d5 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 e6 5 Bg5 h6 6 Bh4 dxc4 7 e4 g5 8 Bg3 b5 9 Be2 Bb7 10 0–0 Nbd7 11 Ne5 Bg7 12 Nxf7 Kxf7 13 e5 Nd5 14 Ne4 Ke7 15 Nd6 Qb6 16 Bg4 Raf8 17 Qc2 Qxd4 18 Qg6 Qxg4 19 Qxg7+ Kd8 20 Nxb7+ Kc8 21 a4 b4 22 Rac1 c3 23 bxc3 b3 24 c4 Rfg8 25 Nd6+ Kc7 26 Qf7 Rf8 27 cxd5! Rxf7 28 Rxc6+ Kb8 29 Nxf7 Re8 30 Nd6 Rh8 31 Rc4 Qe2 32 dxe6 Nb6 33 Rb4 Ka8 34 e7 Nd5 35 Rxb3 Nxe7 36 Rfb1 Nd5 37 h3 h5 38 Nf7 Rc8 39 e6 a6 40 Nxg5 h4 41 Bd6 Rg8 42 R3b2 Qd3 43 e7 Nf6 44 Be5 Nd7 45 Ne6 1–0

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