Setting up a pecking order

THE ELO rating system, named after Professor Arpad Elo, has been used by FIDE, the world controlling chess body, for several years now. The advantages of a rating system are that it provides a fairly accurate estimate of a player's strength and it enables players who have never met to compare their respective abilities. It is an invaluable guide for deciding which tournaments should have international master or grandmaster title status. Elo rated players are in demand for tournaments which would allow players to gain a grading or even an international master norm. Usually two such norms are required to be awarded the title. To play in some tournaments an Elo grade is sometimes necessary. Special tournaments to give players opportunities for Elos are commonplace in London - often the unrated player will pay a high entry fee.

Max Fuller organised such a tournament recently. The five unrated players contributed towards the prize money and sponsorship was given by The London Chess Congress, The Friends of Chess, The London Chess Club and Charlton Chess Club. London Central YMCA donated the use of their premises.

I chose the right event to do well in and finished first equal. This could give me a grade that will be very helpful in international tourneys. It was estimated I scored around 2530.

Littlewood, P - Fuller, M. - Maxelo 1976

Although, as he himself said, he played like a rabbit, Max did learn from this brevity. This particuiar session was played before the Guernsey International, in which Max won the brilliancy prize for his game against K. B. Richardson. (See last week's column.) He used his pieces superbly with the same isolated "e" pawn theme used · against him in this game.

Paul Littlewood is a young player in his second year at Cambridge University. He specialises in sharp, tactical games and has had some good results recently. He is one of England's young hopes and has good prospects in the chess world - particularly with games like that.

Not many New Zealand players have FIDE ratings. The top few that do are 0. Sarapu many times New Zealand champion (2320), E. Green (2265) playing captain of the Olympiad team, P. Garbett (2290) former New Zealand champion and W. Fairhurst (2205) many times Scottish champion.

---

BLACK FINDS the most sensational move in the "Match of the Century". USSR-World, Belgrade 1970.

This is from It's Your Move by Teschner and Miles. Larsen's Elo is 2625 and Spassky's 2630. The English GM Tony Miles is 2510.

Larsen, Bent - Spassky, Boris - USSR v World 1970