Independent Pursuits: Chess

FIRST, I must thank Bob Wade for fielding my frenetic reports and analysis during the tense period of the Olympiad, and transmuting them into columns. Olympiads are always special, and while we weren't overly successful this time, we did at least have one medallist: Harriet Hunt, whose excellent 9/12 on second board gained a bronze. Her powerful last-round win appears below.

First, though, a trip backwards to Soviet life. Our treatment was extremely good in Elista, but the journey home had its moments. Roused at 6am, we sat in buses for more than an hour before beginning the four-hour trip to Stavropol.

The charter flight to Paris was due to leave at 1.30pm but by the time the 128 of us had got our boarding passes, had our baggage and currency declarations checked, cleared passport and visa controls and been transported on to the plane, we were an hour late.

Cue the baggage handler. Watched by the lorry-driver and supervised first by a soldier with three stars and a crescent moon on his uniform and then by one with just two stars plus moon, this gentleman now set to work (naturally we couldn't ourselves help for security reasons) - a process which took a further hour and a half. Meanwhile one of the players with a heart condition became slightly distressed. Thankfully he was all right and we were finally able to leave just two-and-a-half hours late. On arrival at Orly, some had missed their connections completely. Most people made the London flight, though I was one of the unlucky ones who had to wait a further two-and-a half hours.

Black played rather passively in the opening and then 10... Nd5?! helped White by unnecessarily clarifying matters. 16 Qf5!? was very interesting but 17... f6? was horrible - 17...Bb4-e7 en route to f6 is much better. 20... Nc6? faciliated 21 c4. In the final position, Black is losing at least the exchange for no compensation.

White: Harriet Hunt

Black: Marina Olbrich

Centre Counter Defence