Grandmaster Simon Wiliams has teamed up with the Big Slick Poker Club in Purley and is organising a series of events from 27 June - 5 July. As well as a FIDE rated Open there is a nine player all play all with Grandmaster participation. Five players will be seeking an IM or GM result.

The line up is.

GM Keith Arkell 2517 England

GM Danny Gormally 2487 England

GM Luis Galego 2454 Portugal

GM Alexander Cherniaev 2423 Russia

IM Ansell, Simon 2394 England

Gudmundur Kjartansson, 2388 Iceland

IM Jack Rudd, 2357 England

Robert Eames, 2312 England

Alexei Slavin, 2308 Russia

Peter Poobalasingam, 2240 England

If you would like to enter the Open or spectate please contact Simon Williams via his website http://www.gingergm.com

The Capablanca Memorial is underway at Havana, Lenier Dominguez is the leader. In the following game White plays the English Opening which becomes a Sicilian Accelerated Dragon in reverse. With his extra tempo White is well placed to generate a lot more play.

G Meier - A Timofeev

XLIV Capablanca Memorial Elite Havana (2)

1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Nc7 7.a3 e5 8.b4! f6

(8...cxb4 9.axb4 Bxb4 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Qa4+ Nc6 12.Bxc6+ bxc6 13.Qxb4)

9.Rb1 cxb4 10.axb4 a6 11.0-0 Be7 12.b5 axb5 13.Nxb5 Nxb5 14.Rxb5 0-0

(14...e4 15.Nh4 f5 16.Nxf5 Bxf5 17.Rxf5)

15.d3 Ra5 16.Qb3+ Kh8 17.Be3 Be6 18.Qb1

(18.Qxe6 Rxb5)

18...Ra2 19.Re1

(White has changed the pawn structure favourably and Black has to make concessions in the centre to defend b7)

19...Na5 20.d4!

20...exd4 21.Nxd4 Bg8 22.Rh5!

(Threat Ne6 and if Bxe6 Qxh7 mate)

22...Nc4 23.Be4? h6?

(23...Ra5! 24.Rh3 Nxe3 25.Bxh7 Ng4 miraculously survives)

24.Bxh6 gxh6 25.Qc1 Rf7 26.Qxh6+ Bh7 27.Bxh7 Bf8 28.Qg6 Rg7 29.Ne6 1-0

Sad news from Holland of the death of IM Robbie Hartoch at the age of 62. Robbie was one of the most genial chess professionals on the circuit who I remember as always in the process of either rolling up or lighting a cigarette. I played him once at the Benedictine International in Manchester in the 1980s and he gave me a lesson in how to play the King's Indian Defence. He understood chess very well and was a successful chess trainer in Holland after he wound down his playing career. Here is his best win over the legendary Paul Keres.

R Hartoch - P Keres

IBM Amsterdam 1971

Benko Gambit Declined

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.d5 b5 4.c4 Bb7 5.e3 g6 6.Nc3 b4 7.Ne2 Bg7 8.Ng3 e6 9.e4 exd5 10.exd5 0-0 11.Be2 d6 12.0-0 Nbd7 13.Bf4 Nb6 14.Qd2 Re8 15.Bd3 Ba6 16.Rac1 Rc8 17.b3 Rc7 18.h3 Qe7 19.Rfe1 Qf8 20.Rxe8 Nxe8 21.Ne2 Bc8 22.Nh2 Nd7 23.Be3 a5 24.g4 a4 25.f4 Ra7 26.Nf3 Qe7 27.Kg2 axb3 28.axb3 Ra3 29.Bc2 Ra2 30.Bf2 Nb6 31.Re1 Qd8 32.Bh4 Qd7 33.Qd3 Nf6 34.Ng3 h5 35.f5 hxg4 36.hxg4 Nxg4 37.fxg6 f6 38.Kg1 Ne5 39.Nxe5 dxe5 40.Qf5 Qe8 41.Qh5 Bh3 42.Bxf6 Bxf6 43.Qxh3 Qe7 44.Bf5 Kf8 45.Rf1 Ke8 46.Ne4 Bg7 47.Qh7 Bf8 48.d6 Qg7 49.d7+ Kd8 50.Qxg7 Bxg7 51.Nxc5 Nxd7 52.Rd1 Ra7 53.Rxd7+ Rxd7 54.Nxd7 1-0

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