I AM currently in the US, and did not expect to be writing this week’s column. However, I have discovered that my colleague Nigel Freeman, who I had hoped would cover for me, is even less conveniently placed. He is en route to Elista, the capital of the Russian republic of Kalmykia and of world chess, where the World Championship match between Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov is set to start this week.

In his capacity as treasurer of FIDE, the sport’s governing body, he will be there to attend the opening ceremonies and to ensure the the prize fund is intact — a controversial issue in the past but not, I am assured, on this occasion! We wish him well with his onerous duties.

Meanwhile, another World Championship, the senior version which is restricted to players over the age of 60, is taking place in the charming Italian town of Arvier.

One of the oldest participants is the 75-year-old Swiss grandmaster Viktor Korchnoi, but despite this is he is the clear favourite. He did not start to play serious chess at the traditional early age — when he was 12, and might have been expected to be testing his mettle against top players, he was instead engaged in the even tougher challenge of surviving the siege of Leningrad — he has certainly made up for this loss of time at the other end of his career and continues to win tournaments on a regular basis.

A crucial game took place in round six, when he faced the second seed, the Croat Miso Cebalo, a relative youngster who was eligible to play in this event for the first time. Korchnoi, with the advantage of the white pieces, turned in a typically ruthless performance to take the sole lead in the event.

I apologise for the lack of diagrams this week, and recommend even more strongly than usual that readers should play through the game on a chessboard.

White: V. Korchnoi

Black: M. Cebalo

1. d4, Nf6 2. c4, e6 3. Nf3, c5 4.d5

My own interest increases at this point, since the game has moved into one of my favourite systems, the Modern Benoni Defence.

d6 5. Nc3, exd5 6. cxd5, g6 7.Bg5

I have to say that I have not found this to be one of White’s more challenging approaches, but then I have never had to face it in the hands of such a fearsome opponent.

h6 8. Bh4, Bg7 9. Nd2, g5 10. Bg3, Nh5 11.Qa4+

White throws in this annoying check in several Benoni lines.

Kf8

Of course, Black didn’t really want to move his king, but the alternatives all have drawbacks.

12. Qc2, Nxg3 13. hxg3, Nd7 14. e3, Ne5 15. Be2, a6 16. a4, Rb8 17. a5, b5 18. axb6

Both sides have followed routine plans so far.

Qxb6?

This harsh annotation is based on Cebalo’s own comments after the game, he wished he had played 18. . . . Rxb6 followed by . . . h6-h5, . . . g5-g4 and . . . Qd8-g5. Of course, White is also allowed to move, but this plan does look promising.

19. Ra2, f5?!

The consistent follow-up, but it weakens his own king too much.

20. f4!

The correct exploitation.

gxf4 21. gxf4, Ng4 22. Bxg4, fxg4 23. 0-0, Qd8 24. f5!

Suddenly this looks very nasty.

h5 25. f6!, Bh6

Not 25. . . . Bxf6? Qg6! winning outright.

26. Nc4, Rb4 27. Ne4, Bb7 28. Nexd6, Bxd5 29. Rxa6, g3

Hoping for 30. Ne5??, Bxe3+ 31. Kh1, Rh4 mate? Unlikely!

30. Rd1!, Bxc4

This is already resignable, but Cebalo was probably too short of time to be sure of that.

31. Nxc4, Qe8 32. Qd3, Rxc4 33. Qxc4, Bxe3+ 34. Kh1, Rg8 35. f7!, Qxf7 36. Rd8+, Kg7 37.Qxf7+

My computer says that 37. Ra7 was more accurate, with a forced mate in 7, but it didn’t matter since Black resigned here.<$>

I very much regret that I have lost touch with events at the local club. However, I am confident that a meeting will take place next Tuesday, at the Chamber of Commerce, starting at the usual time of 7.45 p.m.

Everyone is particularly encouraged to attend this week, since this is likely to be the final appearance of Zuzana Kovacova, Bermuda’s top board for the past two Olympiads, who leaves the island at the end of the month after brightening our club for four seasons. I’m sure all readers will join me in sending her our best wishes for the future.