BEFORE starting on my usual post-mortem of Bermuda’s performance in the latest Olympiad, I suppose I have to mention the incident in Turin which the world’s press appears to consider far more important than anything which took place at the chessboard.It is absolutely true that the Bermuda team is famous for putting on by far the best party of the event, generally on the evening before the final rest day. Indeed, the question on the lips of most of the grandmasters we met on our arrival was not “What’s the time control in this tournament?” or “Is there any soap in your bathroom?” — both very live issues — but “Is the Bermuda party on?”

Despite having to deal with Italian night club operators who were more than usually obstreperous, the party did take place, and a good time was had by all. Well, nearly all.

I can confirm that there was a fracas when the England fourth board, Danny Gormally, observed the top Armenian, Lev Aronian, dancing with the lady Danny considered to be his girlfriend, and reflexively attacked him.

The matter was quickly defused and no major damage was done, although Gormally did not play again and flew home shortly afterwards. International journalists have naturally concentrated their attention on the lady at the centre of the dispute, and I shall do the same.

Arianne Caoili is 19 years old, and represents Australia. It is fair to say that she has a flair for self-publicity, and has her own web site, which you can search out yourself if you want to badly enough. There are many photographs of her on the web, but since this column is (I like to think) read by young players I have selected one of the more modest examples. She has a rating of 2179, which is slightly higher than that of Bermuda’s two top-rated players.

We shall now leave the well-beaten path and take a look at her chess talents, something that to my knowledge no other chess column has done. According to the online database, since the Olympiad she has already played a tournament held in Lodi, just down the road from Turin. In the final round she took the black pieces against the local player Paolo Vessozi.

White: P. Vessozi

Black: A. Caoili

1. d4, d5 2. Nf3, Nf6 3. c4, c6 4. e3, e6 5. Nbd2

With this seemingly unadventurous move White avoids the many well-analysed lines of the Slav Defence.

Nbd7 6. Bd3, Bd6 7. 0-0, Qe7 8. Re1

See Diagram 1.

c5?!

Probably a bit optimistic, given that Black has yet to get her king into safety.

9. cxd5, Nxd5 10. Nc4, cxd4 11. e4!, Nb4 12. e5!, Bc5 13. Bg5

In Diagram 2 Black is a pawn ahead, but already in trouble.

f6 14. exf6, gxf6 15. Bf5, Nf8 16. Nfe5!

his position is worth another diagram, No. 3.

fxg5 17. Qh5+, Kd8 18. Nf7+, Kc7 19. Nxh8, Qf6 20. Re5, Bd6 21. Nxd6

White can now win in any way he chooses, but amusingly he decides to go after the queen rather than the king.

Qxe5 22. Nhf7, Qf4 23. g3, Qd2 24. Nc4

In Diagram 4 the queen is trapped, and Black resigned.