Chess

THE WAITING for results from the Elista Olympiad is almost over. Play got under way yesterday only 25 minutes late

Seemingly the building site, despite being dominated by cranes, is being used.

Top pairings in the main Olympiad, which includes 110 teams, are Russia vs Austria, Bangladesh vs England, Ukraine vs Tajikistan, Iran vs USA (!) and Armenia vs Egypt. Also Scotland is paired with Holland, Wales with Estonia, Ireland with Germany, Guernsey with India and Jersey with Iceland.

In the 72 team Women's Olympiad seeds China, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine are paired respectively with Latvia, Finland, Venezuela and Switzerland. Home country pairings are Italy vs England, Moldavia vs Wales, Ireland vs India and Scotland vs Croatia.

Today's game, which is played in deepest Asia, would be pored over by those who are running into the Scotch Game (3 d4) popularised by Kasparov. They would not expect the exact moves to be repeated, nor 17 g3 to be reached.

Defenders should have made some improvements. Where? Home computers may have helped with analysis. Black's plan, 13... d5 and 14... d4 might be queried.

White: M Magomedov

Black: J Isayev

Tajikistan 1998, Scotch Game

jspeelman@compuserve.com

1 e4 e5

2 Nf3 Nc6

3 d4 exd4

4 Nxd4 Nf6

5 Nxc6 bxc6

6 e5 Qe7

7 Qe2 Nd5

8 c4 Ba6

9 b3 g6

10 f4 f6

11 exf6 Nxf6

12 Bb2 0-0-0

13 Nd2 d5

14 0-0-0 d4

15 Nf3 c5

16 Ne5 Bb7

See diagram

17 g3 Bxh1

18 Bh3+ Kb7

19 Rxh1 c6

20 Re1 Qc7

21 Bg2 Rd6

22 Nd3 Nd7

23 b4 cxb4

24 c5 Rd5

25 Bxd5 cxd5

26 Kb1 Bg7

27 Qe6 Rd8

28 Qxd5+ Kc8

29 Re7 Bf8

30 Rxh7 Bxc5

31 Qa8+ Qb8

32 Qc6+ 1-0