MARK RUBERY CHESS

In the 1970’s the American player Ken Rogoff dropped out of school and quickly obtained his grandmaster title, but what was more remarkable was that he later returned to university and embarked on a career in economics that was to dwarf his chess accomplishments. He has since become the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund and the Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Harvard. The true extent of his influence in the business world was revealed in a speech he gave in Singapore in 2008 where he stated: ‘ We’re not just going to see mid-sized banks go under in the next few months, we’re going to see a whopper, we’re going to see a big one-one of the big investment banks’. The next day his remarks were front-page news all over the world. Less than a month later Lehman Brothers collapsed and the world headed into a recession.

Here we see Rogoff upset one of the top players in the world at that time…

Portisch,Lajos (2625) - Rogoff,Kenneth (2480) [E52]

Las Palmas (2), 1976

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0–0 5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 b6 7.0–0 Bb7 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Ne5 Nbd7 10.f4 c5 11.Bf5 g6 12.Bh3 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Nxe5 14.dxe5 Ne4 15.Qc2 Ba6 16.Rd1 Qh4 17.c4?! Bxc4 18.Bb2 b5 19.Bd7 Rad8 20.e6 Qe7 21.exf7+ Rxf7 22.Bh3 Re8 23.g3? Nxg3! 24.Re1 (24 hxg3 Qxe3+ 25 Kh1 Qxg3 is too much for White to bear)…Qe4 25.Qxe4 Nxe4 (Two pawns to the good, the future economist concludes the ending efficiently) 26.a3 g5 27.Be5 Nf2 28.Kxf2 Rxe5 29.Kf3 d4 30.exd4 Rxf4+ 31.Kg3 Rxe1 32.Rxe1 Rxd4 33.Re5 h6 34.Bf5 Kg7 35.Rxc5 Kf6 36.Bc2 Rd2 37.Bh7 Ra2 38.Rc6+ Ke5 39.Ra6 b4 40.Ra5+ Kd4 41.axb4 Rxa5 42.bxa5 Kc5 43.Be4 Kb5 44.Kg4 Be6+ 45.Kh5 Kxa5 46.Kxh6 g4 47.Kg5 Kb4 48.Kf6 Bc8 49.Ke5 a5 50.Kd4 Be6

51.Ke3 Kb3 52.Kd2 Kb2 53.Bc6 Bb3 0–1

WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN

‘While attending a league match for Warwickshire as a spectator I found it necessary to visit the bathroom after my fourth cup of coffee. I was soon joined by a chap with a green tee shirt who I noticed was playing on one of the lower boards and had developed a promising attack. One is not allowed to give advice of course, but a few words of encouragement never go amiss. So I said “You’re looking good”. He did not respond and left the WC in what can only be described as a marked manner. It wasn’t until I returned to the arena that I realised that the guy with the promising attack was wearing a yellow tee shirt. The gent to whom I addressed the incautious remark was from the Computer Skills class down the corridor…’ –Mike Fox