Apparently on this mornings show is a Grandmaster who is going to explain why women can't play chess! No there wasn't - it was the panel briefly discussing a headliner in the Dail Telegraph where apparently Nigel Short has said that they can't play as they don't have the brains!

Many of you may be saddened to hear of the death of IM Colin Crouch. Colin was a regular on the Scottish circuit in the 1980s.

Further details are not available as I write but may be available at:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=7336">http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=7336</a><!-- m -->

Photos (updated periodically during the competition)



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Only 13 days until we start the 2015 EK Open. Can I remind everyone please to get their entries in. I can take entries up to noon on 30th April (if you are calling me, please leave a message as I will be travelling back from the Netherlands that day)

Hoping to get 4 live boards going at the event (I can't do all 8 as I don't have enough setup time).

I will publish the entry list Next Thursday evening and update it as I can

Hi Guys
with the issue of cheating coming to the fore, I'm wondering what if anything we should be doing if and when cheating comes to Scotland. I would like the following questions discussed

Would the standards committee be involved and what degree of powers should be involved or should it be down to the arbiters committee

How do we define cheating ? its more than the obvious attempt to win a game. I've seen players using bad gamesmanship to try and get an advantage. I've witnessed teams "telegraph" their appraisal of a player's position, and now we've seen in an international tournament a grandmaster use a phone outside of the playing area and another GM write notes down. The two GM's were subject to FIDE but most tournaments in Scotland are not FIDE rated, so who decides who is cheating and who decides the punishment
Does alleged cheating have to be reported at the time. I myself have been badgered during a tournament but I was so thick I didn't realise it at the time. I've seen a player write a move down on a scoresheet but inadvertently played another, however the opponent tried every means to force the player to play the move written down, in my opinion crossed the line in gamesmanship.
I know how important it is to follow the rules and regulations but humans make human error and sometimes a minor infringement can be blown up out of proportion.
There are players out there who sometimes rely on knowing the latest rules and regulations. I know of two instances where a player promoted to a queen but hit the clock before placing the queen on the board. In one instance the player was told by his opponent he played an illegal move and the opponent created as much noise as he could to try and put the opponent off. In another occasion a player playing me did the same but I waited until after the match when I explained in a light hearted way the correct procedure.
I played in a team tournament recently where a player twice (in my opinion because I saw and heard it) deliberately dropped pieces on the floor because the player dropped his pen. What I'm trying to say is that there are different forms of cheating , and for the cheat to get away with it he has to be clandestine about it.
We've all seen league events where the draw claim is at best misunderstood and at worst abused. The most common one is where one player claims a draw and both teams weigh in with opinions. Also the "no practical winning chances" claim seems to invite team wide discussion. Here's another - a player has King Knight and Bishop v King and the opponent stops the clock stating that the player has no knowledge of winning that type of END game. How does he know that especially if its a known type of endgame.

Rant over, The bottom line is that should we have an anti-cheating officer to deal with all this

full story at <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32294465">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32294465</a><!-- m -->

A chess grandmaster has been expelled from an international tournament after he was discovered using a smartphone in the toilet to check his moves.

Gaioz Nigalidze could face a three-year ban if the complaint against him is upheld.

The reigning Georgian national champion was playing Armenian Tigran Petrosian in the sixth round at the Dubai Open.

Hi,

Been ages since I've been on here but I just had to share.
(and it's not the famous Nezhmetdinov Queen sac game. )

Not one, but two See-Saw combinations that both kick off with a Queen Sacrifice (today is Monday.)

I've been floating on cloud 9 since I discovered these wee hidden gems
that lay buried in a 1948 game waiting for me to bring them to the surface.

http://www.redhotpawn.com/blog/blogread....postid=231

If you are a teacher/coach looking for a game to show the class. Here it is.

Good players knowing when to break the rules of thumb.

The Material v Activity argument. Queen winning traps and Queen sacrifices.

Then you hit the See-Saws. One Mates one wins a piece in a very instructive way.

When you show them the See-Saw their eyes will sparkle, their hearts will lift...Don't forget to go Wheeee when See-Sawing with the Rook.

Article also features The Rubik Cube, The Simpsons, Bela Lugossi and a pack of Hunagarian playing cards.

(After the lecture you can teach them how to play poker!)

Entries are coming in OK for the Poly Quickplay on Thursday but we are still happy to receive more. Details on Calendar and at Poly website <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~daw/Poly/">http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~daw/Poly/</a><!-- m -->

I was just wondering if anyone plays chess up there in the Orkneys? I've been contacted by their library saying that nobody uses the copy of Scottish chess we send up

The draw for the first round of the Summer Cup is:

Corstorphine 1 vs Wandering Dragons 2
Tiger Cubs vs Wandering Dragons 3
Corstorphine 2 vs Civil Service
Balerno vs Edinburgh
Sandy Bells vs Musselburgh
Wandering Dragons 1 vs Badgers Brook 2
Edinburgh West vs Badgers Brook 1

Bank of Scotland will have a bye in the first round.