The 2009 Scottish Championships will be one of the strongest ever as it will be run as an International Open with Grandmasters from as far afield as India. Three-time British Champion and Scottish No.1 GM Jonathan Rowson will be the top seed and nine other Grandmasters are already confirmed including another former British champion Jacob Aagaard and British Women's champion Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant.

The tournament runs from 11th-19th July and thanks to the support of Edinburgh City Council, play will take place in the splendour of the Edinburgh City Chambers. There are competitions for all levels please see www.chessscotland.com.

Jaan Ehlvest was the winner of the Chicago Open but the game that caught my eye there was this King's Indian Defence demolition of the 2008 US champion Yuri Shulman. Any King's Indian adherent will tell you that although White is often objectively better he is usually attacking the queenside and may win a pawn or two whereas if Black can make the most of his chances on the other wing he will deliver checkmate.

Y Shulman - F Felecan

Chicago Open Chicago

King's Indian Classical

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.Be3 h6 8.0-0 Ng4 9.Bc1 Nc6 10.d5 Ne7 11.Nd2 h5 12.b4 f5 13.h3 Nf6 14.exf5 Nxf5

(Every Russian schoolboy knows it is best to take on f5 with a pawn here but it allows 14...gxf5 15.Bxh5 Nxh5 16.Qxh5)

15.Nde4

(With control of e4 and c4-c5 arriving White should be better but he completely loses control)

15...Nh7 16.c5 a6 17.b5 Rf7 18.Rb1?!

(18.bxa6 bxa6 19.Rb1 Qh4 20.Bd3 keeps it solid. I wondered if the black queen could be ejected with 18.bxa6 bxa6 19.Rb1 Qh4 20.Kh2 but Nf6 21.Bg5 Nxe4 22.Bxh4 Nxc3 is good for Black and 21.g3 Nxg3 22.fxg3 Qxh3+ 23.Kg1 Bf5 far from clear)

18...axb5 19.Nxb5 Rxa2 20.Na3?

(White abandons all his sound positional plans to try and capture the rook. Black responds by feeding more pieces into the attack)

20...Qh4 21.Bd3 Nd4

(It may already be over)

22.cxd6 cxd6 23.Nc4

(23.Nxd6 Rfxf2)

23...Bxh3! 24.Rb2 Rxb2 25.Bxb2 Ng5 26.Nxg5

26...Bxg2

(26...Qxg5 also wins 27.Be4 Bxg2 28.Bxg2 Nf3+ 29.Kh1 Qh4+)

27.f4 Qh1+ 28.Kf2 Rxf4+ 29.Nf3 Qh4+ 30.Ke3 Rxf3+ 0-1

Black overreacts to White's 6.g4. 6...Nxg4 7.Rg1 is good for White but 6...h6 or d6 were possible.

N Firman - V Meleshko

Ukrainian Team Ch Alushta

Sicilian Defence

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Bc4 Be7 5.d3 Nf6 6.g4 d5?

7.exd5 Bxg4 8.dxc6 e4 9.Nxe4 Nxe4 10.Bxf7+ Kf8 11.h3 Bh4 12.Be3 1-0

Stuart Conquest was the victor at a strong open in Sardinia as he finished at the head of a 178 player field which included 33 Grandmasters and International Masters. Conquest, the reigning British champion was the only player to reach 7/9 after a wild last round game against Tiger Hillarp-Persson of Sweden. The Tiger sacrificed two exchanges in and with two bishops and a kingside pawn phalanx coming down the board Conquest's position looked desperate but he kept his cool in the time scramble and cleverly exploited the error when it came in a long tactical sequence during which he allowed his opponent to promote a pawn with check.

S Conquest - T Hillarp Persson

Porto Mannu Open (9)

The decisive moment. Black's pawns can hardly be stopped but White appears to threaten Re8-e7 winning the bishop on g7 and creating strong threats

36...Kh6?

(Ignoring the threat wins as the pawns romp home after 36...g3!! 37.Ree7 Bxh5 38.Rxg7+ Kh6 39.Rh7+ Kg5 40.Rd2 Bf3 41.Re7 (41.c4 e3) 41...f4 42.c4 g2 43.Rxg2+ Bxg2 44.c5 f3 45.Rf7 e3 46.Kc2 f2)

37.Re6! Bc3

(37...g3 38.Rxg6+ Kxh5 39.Rgxg7)

38.hxg6 Bg7

(The last two moves have not been very good for Black but even now it seems that Black's 'g' pawn must promote)

39.Ree7! g3

(39...Bc3 40.g7)

40.Rxg7 g2 41.Rh7+ Kg5 42.g7 g1Q+ 43.Kb2 Kf6 44.Rh6+!

(44.Rh8 Qxg7!)

44...Ke5 45.Rh8 Ke6 46.Rb7 Qd4+ 47.Ka2 Ke5 48.g8Q Kf4 49.Qb8+ Ke3 50.Qg3+ Kd2 51.Qf4+ Kxc2 52.Rc7+ Kd3 53.Rh3+ 1-0

S Conquest - Y Pelletier

Porto Mannu Open (2)

Ruy Lopez

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a3 0-0 9.Re1 Bg4 10.Be3 d5 11.h3 Bh5 12.Nbd2 h6 13.c3 Qd6 14.Qc2 Bg6 15.Rad1 Qd7 16.Qc1 Rfe8 17.Nf1 Bf8 18.Ng3 Na5 19.Ba2 dxe4 20.Nxe4 Qc6 21.Ng3

(Black's last few moves have only served to misplace his queen and knight)

21...Rad8 22.b4 Nb7 23.d4! exd4 24.Nxd4 Qb6 25.Ne6 Rxd1 26.Rxd1 Qc6 27.Nxf8 Rxf8 28.Bxh6! Nd6

(28...gxh6 29.Qxh6 Threat Qxg6+ 29...Nh7 30.Nh5 Bxh5 31.Qxc6)

29.Qg5 1-0

in view of 29.Qg5 Nc4 30.Bxg7 Kxg7 31.Nf5+ Kg8 32.Ne7+

UK Shop - US Shop

• All material © The Week In Chess
• Email Mark Crowther - TWIC
• Email London Chess Centre