I PREDICTED last week that the final round of the 2006 Bermuda Closed Championship could prove exciting — and that is how it turned out with Nick Faulks pipping Zuzana Kovacova by half a point. The results of the three games were as follows:

Zuzana Kovacova 1/2 Phil Shadick

Sami Lill 1-0 Bobby Miller

Ezra Turner 0-1 Nick Faulks

My own game finished quite early — not because it was at all one-sided, but when the position became critical, after a very sharp opening, my opponent started to play very quickly, and after finding several good moves he eventually fell into a trap. I was therefore able to watch the other games more closely than usual.

Bobby Miller played in his usual sacrificial style but, as happened to him several times in this event, his attack came up just short and he was left with a hopeless ending.

It was the last game that had great significance for the final standings, with Kovacova, playing her fourth game in eight days, needing one more win to share the title.

She did appear to have a clear advantage for some time, but it was never overwhelming. Phil Shadick defended with great care and, much to my delight, managed to escape with a draw. This left the final result looking like this.

1. Nick Faulks 8

2. Zuzana Kovacova 7 1/2

3. Phil Shadick 5 1/2

4. Sami Lill 3

5= Bobby Miller and Ezra Turner 2

I shall return to this tournament with some more detailed comments next week, but for some light relief will now show you a game from the prestigious World Open, held every year around the July 4 holiday in Philadelphia.

This year’s winner was the 21-year-old Polish grandmaster Kamil Miton, who played here in 2003. Here is how he finished his game against Joel Benjamin, himself a veteran of many Bermuda Opens and for years a stalwart of US Olympiad teams.

In diagram 1 Miton, playing White, looks as if he may have some winning chances because of his powerful central pawns, but the black a-pawn will need to be watched very closely. The players had just reached the first time control, and now had an hour each to complete the game. This is what happened.

1. e5 Rb2 2. Qc4+ Kh7 3. e6

After long thought my computer has concluded that 3. Qd3+ was the only route to a forced win, but the lines are far too complicated to go into here. Miton’s try looks very reasonable.

Qa7+ 4. Qd4 Qb7

Benjamin did well to avoid 4. . . . Qxd4+ 5. Rxd4, a2 6. Ra4, when White will win.

5. Qd3+ g6 6. Qf1 a2 7. e7<$>

See diagram 2. International Master Ben Finegold, who was himself a leader in the event but had finished his own game, was now watching and commenting online. He showed the following incredible line that his computer had noticed, in which Black sacrifices both of his pieces to force perpetual check. It goes 7. . . . Qe4! 8. d7, Rxg2!! 9. Qxg2, Qd4!!! 10. Rxd4, a1Q 11. Qf1, Qxd4+ and there is no escape. Benjamin unsurprisingly missed this — the move he played instead does not lose, but leaves work to do.

Rb1 8. e8Q a1Q 9. d7<$>

See diagram 3 for the game’s last critical position. Black must play 9. . . . Qba7+ 10. Kh1, Rxd1, forcing White to take perpetual check.

Qb6+? 10. Kh1 Rxd1 11. Qe7+ Kg8 12. d8Q+<$>

You don’t often see five queens on the board in a grandmaster game. Larry Ebbin always carries a set with an extra queen of each colour, a very sensible precaution, but even that wouldn’t have been good enough here.

Qxd8 13. Qxd8+ Rxd8 14. Qxa1<$>

Suddenly the position, shown in diagram 4, looks far more sensible. White has a few technical problems to solve, but he should be able to overcome these and he did indeed win comfortably

Following a disappointing turnout this Tuesday, the chess club will not be meeting at the Chamber of Commerce for the next two weeks. However, there will be a special evening of friendly competition on July 26, featuring a handicapped blitz tournament, some bughouse (if you haven’t tried that you must! ) and possibly other variations on the theme. Please make a note to be there.