The 2009 British Chess Championships in Torquay should have a more representative field than last year thanks to sponsorship from Liverpool based Accelerated Bridging Finance Limited, a specialist lending company who are supporting the fees paid to titled players. Already two of England's leading GMs David Howell and Gawain Jones have entered as well as defending champion Stuart Conquest.

Leading entries as at June 18th

GM David Howell, 2613; GM Gawain Jones, 2550; GM Stephen Gordon, 2540 - Stephen's GM title was ratified by FIDE last week; GM Keith Arkell, 2517; GM Simon Williams, 2512; GM Mark Hebden, 2510; GM Peter Wells, 2489; GM Danny Gormally, 2487; IM Lawrence Trent, 2466; GM Aaron Summerscale, 2453;

The championship runs from July 26th to August 8th and has tournaments for all ages from under eight to veterans. Please see the English Chess Federation website for more information. Spectators will be welcome.

It was not exactly a changing of the guard but the French number one Etienne Bacrot who has been in excellent form of late was brilliantly defeated by the young pretender of French chess, Maxime Vachier Lagrave, in the finals of the French League.

E Bacrot - M Vachier Lagrave

TOP 16 French League Mulhouse

Sicilian Najdorf Perenyi Attack

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.g4 e5 8.Nf5 Nc6

(Novel, usually Black plays 8...g6 9.g5 with huge complications)

9.Bg2 g6 10.g5 gxf5 11.exf5 Rg8!

12.Bd5

(12.gxf6 Rxg2 13.Nd5 Qa5+ 14.Kf1 Bxf5 15.Kxg2 Be4+ 16.f3 Bxd5 with a big advantage; If 12.Bxc6+ bxc6 13.gxf6 d5 dominates the centre with Qxf6 and Bxf5 next)

12...Nxd5 13.Nxd5 Bg7 14.f6

(Bb6 looks like a serious threat but Black cooly sacrifices his queen)

14...Be6!! 15.Bb6

(15.fxg7 Qa5+ 16.Nc3 d5 17.0-0 0-0-0 18.Bd2 Rxg7 and Black has much the safer king)

15...Bxd5! 16.Bxd8 Bxh1 17.Bb6 Bxf6! 18.Ke2 Bd8! 19.Bxd8

( After 19.Qxh1 Bxb6 20.Rg1 0-0-0 rook bishop and knight overpower the queen)

19...Nd4+ 20.Ke3

(20.Kd2 Bf3!)

20...Rxd8 21.Qxh1 Nxc2+ 22.Kd2 Nxa1 23.h4 d5 24.Qxa1 Rg6 25.b3 Re6

(Queen and king cannot stop a passed pawn supported by two rooks)

26.f4 d4 27.fxe5 d3 28.Qf1 Rxe5 29.Qf6 Re2+ 30.Kd1 Re6 31.Qh8+ Ke7 0-1

White plays totally sensible moves and is soon lost, a very odd game.

E Blomqvist - E Rozentalis

Taby (1)

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 g6 4.h3 Bg7 5.Nf3 Nh6 6.Bd3 0-0 7.0-0 f6 8.Re1 Nf7 9.Bf1 b6 10.b3 Bb7 11.Ba3 Re8 12.Qd2 e6 13.Rad1? Bh6!

14.Re3 (1

4.Qe2 Ba6)

14...Ba6 15.Bxa6 Nxa6 16.Qe2 Bxe3 0-1