I WOULD like to see the day that we have a four-woman team represent Bermuda in a Chess Olympiad — even better, in the next Olympiad in 2008.Not talked about so much in Bermuda is women in chess news. That is because there are none! At least, no longer; although we used to have one. She was an excellent player and I will tell you more about her later in this article.

However a few ladies used to stop by to play with other players at my Harbour Nights’ table — but none who came to the chess club.

Every year in February there is a Bermuda International Open. Even in this tournament we don’t get one Bermudian woman to take part. Yet women from other countries come here to play just for that long weekend. The next Chess Olympiad is going to be in Germany in October 2008 — so how about it, all you lady chess players out there?

Our only female player (whom I mentioned earlier) was Zuzana Kovacova (pictured)<$>. She represented Bermuda in two chess Olympiads — the first being in 2004 in Calvia, Mallorca and was just one game away from a board prize, the other in Turin, Italy this year.

She also held the 2005 Bermuda Championship but had to return home last month, due to her work contract coming to an end.

This week I am showing one of her games which helped her become a Bermuda Championship winner. Ezra Turner is playing white and Zuzana Kovacova black.

I looked at her 28th move Qc6 and wondered why the Knight was unprotected as in Diagram 1. And only after a good look, could I see that this was a trap to get the two Rooks. Ezra saw this and did not fall for it. However as in Diagram 2 she went after them again.

Ezra’s intention was his 32. Nd4 move was to capture her rook. However, because she had already captured his rook on F1, it would have cost him an extra piece. In Diagram 3 she is after his last rook with a pin, and a pawn pin at that. Now he has only a Queen and a Knight to fight with. I do not know why he did not capture the pass pawn on F2 as in Diagram 4. Just the same, this next move did not help him, and with his next move Ng4 he resigned.

We miss Zuzana and her challenging chess play and wish her lots more success.

Ezra Turner White

Zuzana Kovacova Black

Bermuda Championship<$>

1. d4 d5 <$>2. c3 Nf6<$> 3. Bg5 e6 4. Nd2 Be7 <$>5. Ngf3 0-0 6. e3 h6 <$>7. Bh4 Nbd7 8. Bd3 c5 9. dxc5 Nxc5 <$>10. Bc2 Re8 <$>11. 0-0 Qb6 <$>12. b4 Ncd7 <$>13. Bxf6 Bxf6 <$>14. Rb1 Bxc3 15. Bh7+ Kxh7 <$>16. Qc2+ Kg8 17. Qxc3 Nf6 18. Ne5 Rf8 <$>19. a3 Bd7 <$>20. Nxd7 Nxd7 <$>21. Nf3 Qa6 <$>22. Rfd1 Nb6 23. Ra1 Rac8 24. Qe5 Nc4 <$>25. Qg3 Qa4 <$>26. h3 Nb2 27. Rd4 Rc4 <$>28. Rd2 Qc6 <$>29. Re1 Rc2 30. Rd4 Qc7 31. Rf4 Nd3 <$>32. Nd4 Nxe1 33. Qh4 Rc1 <$>34. Kh2 e5 35. Qg4 exf4 36. Nf5 fxe3+ <$>37. g3 g6 <$>38. Nxh6+ Kh7 <$>39. Nf5 Rc4 <$>40. Qe2 exf2 41. Ne3 Rc3 <$>42. Ng4 Qxg3+

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