Scotsman.com - Chess & Bridge Feed

Chess - The Scotsman 18/06/13

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:12:50 GMT

SPEED chess has long been a recreational activity for professionals and amateurs alike, but the introduction of separate rating lists last year for rapid and blitz by FIDE, has made the fast and furious form of the game a less frivolous affair.

Bridge - The Scotsman 18/06/13

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:11:27 GMT

DEFENCE is surely the most difficult part of the game, but there are times when defenders have more information than declarer, and can take advantage of that knowledge.

Bridge - The Scotsman 17/06/13

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 17:55:15 GMT

EARLY in the play the defenders are at a disadvantage: they cannot see their combined assets, so if you give them a guess they will often guess wrong.

Chess - The Scotsman 17/06/13

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 17:53:47 GMT

IN A tip of the hat to Mikhail Tal’s over-fondness for playing blitz chess, a couple of years ago, at his memorial tournament in Moscow, a new tradition started (that has now carried over to other elite events) of an opening ceremony blitz tournament to determine a player’s pairing order rather than the lottery of drawing of lots.

Chess - The Scotsman 12/06/13

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:25:48 GMT

LE Quang Liem’s World Blitz victory in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, completed the world twin-speed competition, the Vietnamese star scoring 20.5/30 in the double-round event to claim the crown by a half point ahead of the chasing pack of Alexander Grischuk, Ruslan Ponomariov and Ian Nepomniachtchi.

Bridge - The Scotsman 12/06/13

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:25:06 GMT

ANOTHER example of a finesse technique that not everybody knows. North raises South’s 1NT rebid to 3NT on the strength of his working tens. West leads his fourth highest heart, and East produces the king.

Chess - The Scotsman 11/06/13

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 17:56:48 GMT

CHESS, it turns out, is three games. Last year, the world chess federation (FIDE) began the process of rating players in three categories of games rather than one: those played with traditional time limits, such as 40 moves in two hours; those played at a “blitz” speed, such as five minutes per player per game; and those played at a “rapid” tempo, somewhere in between.

Bridge - The Scotsman 11/06/13

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 17:55:38 GMT

Players in Individual events run by the SBU are given a set convention card.

Bridge - The Scotsman 10/06/13

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:08:29 GMT

This year’s Benjamin, the Grand Masters Invitational Individual, was won by Iain Sime with Tim McKay in second place.

Chess - The Scotsman 10/06/13

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 17:07:07 GMT

BRITISH No 1 Michael Adams and Germany’s Arkadij Naiditsch – the current world number 33 – head an impressive line-up for the second Scottish Blitz Championship, sponsored by Walkers Shortbread, which takes place at Surgeon’s Hall in Edinburgh this coming Saturday, 15 June.

Chess - The Scotsman 04/06/2013

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:31:49 GMT

THE comeback trail continues for former prodigy Gata Kamsky, as he celebrated his 39th birthday in style on Sunday by demolishing Russia’s Alexander Morozevich in the penultimate round of the Fide Thessaloniki Grand Prix in Greece to hold onto his lead over the field going into the final round.

Bridge - The Scotsman 04/06/2013

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:29:54 GMT

It IS quite unusual to have seven-card support for partner’s opening bid. When you do it is easy to overvalue your hand, particularly when you have 7-3-3-0 distribution – three-card holdings often contain losers.

Chess - The Scotsman 03/06/2013

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 17:34:15 GMT

IN the past several years, American grandmaster Gata Kamsky has acquired the nickname of “The Comeback Kid” – and he’s more than living up to his nickname at the FIDE Thessaloniki Grand Prix in Greece, with a third straight win giving him the sole lead and a dramatic return to the Top 10 in the world rankings.

Bridge - The Scotsman 03/06/2013

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 17:33:52 GMT

On this deal from the Teltscher Trophy (Senior Camrose) most teams, including Scotland, reached 6C by West. North led the king of hearts to the ace and Bernard Teltscher, the sponsor, showed good technique.

Chess - The Scotsman 01/06/13

Fri, 31 May 2013 17:29:40 GMT

AMATEUR chess players frequently ask grandmasters: “What should I do to improve?”

Bridge - The Scotsman 01/06/13

Fri, 31 May 2013 17:28:19 GMT

Sometimes we react to a line of defence in reflex fashion. Reflex is not always a good thing – can you

avoid it here?

Bridge - The Scotsman 31/05/13

Thu, 30 May 2013 17:05:45 GMT

THIS deal from the Senior Camrose proved very difficult to bid to a making spot. A combined 30 count with nice distributional features is often enough for slam, but not this time.

Chess - The Scotsman 31/05/13

Thu, 30 May 2013 17:04:06 GMT

COULD we soon be checkmating Alzheimer’s? There is a growing body of medical evidence that playing board games such as chess to keep the mind sharp is an effective way of reducing the risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s and other mental illnesses.

Bridge - The Scotsman 28/05/13

Mon, 27 May 2013 17:21:37 GMT

SCOTLAND’S Senior Camrose team improved as the weekend progressed. This board contributed to a draw in their second match against Ireland.

Chess - The Scotsman 28/05/13

Mon, 27 May 2013 17:20:59 GMT

FANTASY author Sir Terry Pratchett once remarked “Most gods throw dice, but Fate plays chess, and you don’t find out till too late that he’s been playing with two queens all along.” Two queens is bad enough, but what if it were more?