Daily Telegraph Monday 7 September 2015

Italian chess player, Arcangelo Ricciardi entered the International Chess Festival of Imperia ranked 51,366 in the world, but astonished rivals as he breezed through the early stages of the competition to reach the eighth and penultimate round.

Jean Coqueraut, who refereed the tournament in Liguria, northern Italy, said “I kept on looking at him. He was always sitting down, he never got up. It was very strange; we are taking about hours and hours of playing. But most suspicious of all, he always had his arms folded with his thumb under his armpit. He never took it out.” He was also “batting his eyelids in the most unnatural way”. “Then I understood it,” he said. “He was deciphering signals in Morse code.”

Tournament organisers asked the 37-year old to pass through a metal detector and a sophisticated pendant was found hanging around his neck underneath a shirt. The pendant contained a tiny video camera as well as a mass of wires attached to his body and a 4cm box under his armpit. Mr Ricciardi claimed they were good luck charms. It is thought the camera was used to transmit the chess game in real time to an accomplice or sophisticated computer, which then suggested moves for Mr Ricciardi through a series of signals received in the box under his arm.

An investigation has been launched and the Italian Chess Federation is deciding whether to press charges for sports fraud.

Hi all
I have been reviewing the Richardson Cup and Spens cup and would like to implement the following:
A registration form should be filled out for all players intending to play in either the Richardson or Spens cup and sent to me. I intend to publish team lists on the Chess Scotland website , possibly on the forum
Bona Fide players should be registered in the grading list as being members of that club, or demonstrate either club membership or participation in a graded club championship or played for the club in a regional league although I will accept additional players who are registered with me up to one week before the tournament deadline, providing a reasonable explanation of club affiliation. After that players must be registered up to week before each round by sending an email to me, subject to my approval of bona fide membership.
These players should not be registered for the Richardson cup for any other club this year.
The 30 mile limit is scrubbed.
As both tournaments are FIDE rated it is essential that national affiliation is sorted out. If a player for example is a foreign national and wish to play they must be registered with their national chess body. Domestic (Scottish) players must be registered with the SCO affiliation with the chief grader.

If anyone has any thoughts, please let me know

Venue/Date: Liverpool College on the 5th-- 6th December 2015.
Travel: from Scotland (by coach) on the 4th, returning 6th.
Cost: £50/head
Age cutoff: 1st sept
Gradings used: Aug FIDE and CS live at Aug 16th (all via CS website)

This is primarily considered a “Developmental” tournament, so initial shortlists have been established on that basis – invites should be arriving now via email ; final teams will be posted over the next week or so as individual availability is confirmed. It is also our intention to take 1 or 2 reserves for the lower boards to ensure as many as possible gain some initial experience.

Notes:
This is the first event that Mark (Sanger), Alex (Gillies), David Congalton and I have arranged together, so we will no doubt already have made some mistakes. We would all very much have preferred to publish a clearer selection process in advance, for example, but felt in this instance the main consideration was to give parents and players early notice at this busy time of year.

Latest hotel-chain prices at 4th September:

Premier Travel Inn (<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.premierinn.com">www.premierinn.com</a><!-- w -->):
All their hotels are expensive.

Travelodge (<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.travelodge.co.uk">www.travelodge.co.uk</a><!-- w -->):
Dundee Central - £36, £44
Strathmore Ave - £28, £44
Dundee (Kingsway West) - £36, £43

For a bargain price try the Dundee Backpackers hotel in Dundee City Centre (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.hoppo.com/dundee/">http://www.hoppo.com/dundee/</a><!-- m -->) - private rooms from £17pn, beds in a dorm from £17 pn

As usual if you don't have your own transport we offer lifts to/from City Centre/venue. Contact <!-- e --><a href="mailto:director@dundee-congress.co.uk">director@dundee-congress.co.uk</a><!-- e -->

This is a really good read

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://narrative.ly/games-children-play/the-super-bowl-of-elementary-school-chess/">http://narrative.ly/games-children-play ... ool-chess/</a><!-- m -->

The Wolf of Badenoch tournament will he held at the Edinburgh Chess Club again this year, on the weekend of the 7th and 8th of November.

It will be open to all players graded under 1600. Participation is limited to 24 players due to the size of the venue.

More information will appear on the Chess Scotland website when the calendar is updated.

Two unique books

(Before I too get corrected, I'm borrowing Alan Tate's flexible use of the word 'unique' .)

The Encyclopaedia of Chess Games Vol. 1

And a rip off book from 1972.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.redhotpawn.com/blog/blogread.php?blogpostid=263">http://www.redhotpawn.com/blog/blogread ... postid=263</a><!-- m -->

First of all can I thank all those who took the effort to take part in the AGM process and also a mention to thank those who voted for the Presidential vote. I found the day very enjoyable and congratulations to Jim Webster who is now our new leader and thoroughly deserves all our support.

secondly I will be asking shortly for entries to the Spens, Nancy Elder, Macisaac Richardson tournaments. Please bear with me for a week or so until I get settled in and take counsel from a few people.

Thirdly can all regional secretaries or presidents get in touch with me asap. I have a couple of ideas I want to discuss with of you. I would appreciate feedback from all interested parties with any ideas and suggestions

Be aware that if you get an email from <!-- e --><a href="mailto:'homedirector@chessscotland.com">'homedirector@chessscotland.com</a><!-- e -->' with the subject 'Attachement' (note the spelling) and which carries an attachment, it is not from me.

Keith

It's So Aronian ...

From John Henderson's blog
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.1stmove.org/2015/08/27/levon/">http://www.1stmove.org/2015/08/27/levon/</a><!-- m -->

Got to admire Black's brilliant sacrificial play against White's oppressive but slow pawn centre.