Chess

THE ANNUAL match between the House of Commons and the House of Lords took place on Wednesday, on the House of Commons terrace overlooking the Thames. The last with the Lords in its present form, it consisted of two rounds over five boards with each player having 20 minutes on the clock per game.

Traditionally, the Lords have always tended to win these contests but this year it was the Commons's turn with a final decisive tally of 7 - 3. With one substitution for the second round the results were:

Evan Harris (Lib Dem) vs Viscount Hardinge: 1-0, 1/2-1/2.

David Kidney (Lab) vs James Vallance White (Clerk of the House of Lords): 1-0, 1-0.

Sir Teddy Taylor (Con) vs Viscount Gage: 0-1; Tam Dalyell (Lab) vs Viscount Gage: 1/2-1/2.

Nigel Griffiths (Lab) vs Baroness Hilton: 0-1, 1-0.

Tam Dalyell (Lab) vs The Earl of Erroll: 1-0; Nick Palmer (Lab) vs The Earl of Erroll: 1-0.

Apart from the friendly combat, the match also served as a focus for the campaign to get chess recognised as a sport - a move that now has support in principle from the Prime Minister down, but still requires valuable parliamentary time. The Culture Secretary, Chris Smith, popped in, and Charlotte Atkins (Lab, Staffordshire Moorlands) attended. Ms Atkins's Early Day Motion No 507 has now gathered 99 signatures and readers who approve may help by writing to their MP and asking whether he or she has signed, will sign, or, in the case of ministers who can't sign EDMs, whether they approve.

Players and spectators alike then went to a dinner in the Churchill Room, sponsored by The Spectator, where Ray Keene presented Dr Harris with the trophy - or rather, since together with the Commons' chess sets it unfortunately seems to have evaporated (Chess and Bridge supplied these, though the Commons still have boards), the Commons' one remaining set was given as the prize.

This quite beautiful metal one wasn't used for combat during the match, but was much enjoyed by the spectators for friendly use (indeed, some of the analysis in Friday's article was made upon it).

Last year, Dr Harris got slaughtered by Lord Hardinge in a Pirc. This time he fought back excellently and after 11 ...b4! was already better. At the end 27 ...Qc4 wins easily, but with a big-time advantage Dr Harris exchanged queens and, although Lord Hardinge outplayed him in the ending, White's flag soon fell.

White: Viscount Hardinge

Black: Dr Evan Harris

Pirc Defence