Chess: Youngest grandmaster beaten

JUDIT POLGAR, at 16 the world's youngest grandmaster, suffered her first loss in the Hastings Chess Tournament yesterday, when she was beaten by Jonathan Speelman. After three rounds Speelman shares the lead with Yevgeny Bareyev on 2 1/2 points.

The game was effectively decided by an intelligent choice of opening variation by the English grandmaster. Against Polgar's favourite King's Indian Defence, he chose an old but sharp variation. Unprepared, she played one over-cautious move, then a series of over-ambitious ones. The result was disaster.

Bareyev was another to profit from a relatively inexperienced opponent's opening play when Colin Crouch's pawns boldly went charging down the board. Crouch has a wide repertoire of curious, aggressive systems which are lethal against anything less than top-class opposition. Bareyev, however, is top class.

Matthew Sadler played a Sicilian Defence against John Nunn, the author of a series of books entitled Beating the Sicilian. He withstood the attack and seemed to have the better endgame before a draw was agreed. With Gurevich and Polugayevsky drawing, scores after three rounds are: Speelman and Bareyev 2 1/2 ; Nunn 2; Polgar and Sadler 1 1/2; Polugayevsky 1; Gurevich and Crouch 1/2.