THE last round of the 2005 Bermuda Open was played this week. A full report will appear in next Friday’s column, but meanwhile I would like to return to a very interesting game from round five, which may have a significant effect on the final table.Raymond Trott played the white pieces against Phil Shadick, and after only four moves they reached the very interesting position shown in diagram 1. Black has just played 4. . . . Nb8-d7, which turns out to be a terrible mistake because White can reply with the devastating 5. Bxf7+.

In fact, Trott did not find this remarkable shot, although he correctly focused on the weakness at f7 and played the second best move, 5. Ng5, which should also be good enough to win. However, Shadick defended ingeniously and, after surviving some tricky moments, eventually secured the full point.

It turns out that the move 4. . . . Nd7?? has a considerable history. According to the online database www.chesslive.de, it has been played at least 47 times, and on 15 of these White did find the bishop sacrifice. Some of the more notable occurrences are:

1. English Grandmaster David Norwood, who has been a regular visitor to Bermuda, reveals in his book on this opening that years ago he played 4. . . . Nd7??. His opponent blindly continued with 5.0-0?, and Norwood went on to win the game and the tournament. Yet people say there’s no luck in chess!

2. Noah Belcher, another Bermuda visitor, made this mistake in a 1998 game and was duly punished. Noah was only nine years old at the time, but even so he was the US under ten champion and really should have known better.

3. In the same year Vladimir Zhelnin made this mistake against GM Ildar Ibrahimov, with the game continuing 5. Bxf7+, resigns. Zhelnin is a Russian International Master and should most certainly have known better.

4. The earliest victim I can find is the biggest name of all, and yet another who has featured in several Bermuda Open tournaments. This game was played in the 1946 US Open Championship, when Robert Byrne was 18 years old and already a strong master — he went on to compete at the candidates level in the World Championship. Playing White was Anthony Santasiere, one of the strongest American masters for several decades and a legendary attacker. The manner in which he forced a quick win cannot be improved.

White: A. Santasiere

Black: R. Byrne

1. Nf3 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. d4 d6 4. Bc4 Nd7??<$>

We have reached diagram 1.

5. Bxf7+! Kf8

Of course, the vicious point was 5. . . . Kxf7 6. Ng5+, Ke8 7. Ne6 winning the queen.

6. Ng5!

6. Bb3 has also been played, when White is a good pawn up, but this is much better.

Nb6 7. Qf3 Nf6 8. e5<$>

See diagram 2. The position is turning very ugly.

dxe5 9. dxe5 Bg4 10. exf6 Bxf3 11. fxg7+ Kxg7 12. Ne6+ Kf6 13. Nxd8 Bxg2 14. Rg1 Bf3 and in diagram 3 Byrne resigned without waiting for his opponent’s reply. He obviously realised that he was two pieces down and was not going to get either of them back.

Another news item to be covered in next week’s column is the October FIDE rating list, which confirms that we now have six active rated players on the island, an excellent development.

In an effort to speed through a few more, a second all-play-all FIDE rated tournament will start next week. However, there does seem to be sufficient interest to hold a parallel event for those not taking part in the round robin. Since ten of the island’s top rated players will be missing, this should give a chance for a new name to appear on one of the club’s trophies.

Anyone wishing to play should be at the Chamber of Commerce no later than 7.45 p.m. on Tuesday or, better still, give me a call on 238-2313 before then.