Total recall

Memory is vital in chess, not least because modern opening theory has expanded in such a daunting way. I was, therefore, interested to observe the results of the UK Memory Championship which took place last month at the London Science Museum and resulted in victory for Katie Kermode. In the course of the championship Katie bested second-placed Dominic O’Brien, the eight-times World Memory Champion. It was a sensational performance. Events included the memorisation of names and faces, recall of 620 numbers and, in the final showdown which clinched her victory, the accurate memorisation of a shuffled deck of cards in two minutes and 0.93 seconds.

Katie is 34 years old, from Cheshire, married, and expecting her second child in December. By profession she is a translator of Dutch, French and German and has an MA in computer science from Churchill College, Cambridge. Tony Buzan, the organiser and founder of the championships, said, ‘This is proof that the old canard about decline of memory during pregnancy must now be discarded. Katie’s achievement in coming ahead of an eight-times world champion is a beacon to future contestants.’

In chess, Judith Polgar and Hou Yifan are the dominant female players, blessed with phenomenal memories and able to point to many victories against top male opponents.

Polgar–Anand: Dos Hermanas 1999; Sicilian

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Be3 e6 7 g4 One of the sharpest lines in modern chess and one that commits White to the sacrifice of a piece in order to gain a mighty phalanx of central and kingside pawns in compensation. 7 … e5 8 Nf5 g6 9 g5 gxf5 10 exf5 10 gxf6 f4 is unimpressive for White, hence she is committed to the piece sacrifice. 10 … d5 The point of Black’s defence. Black has no intention of moving his threatened knight but the counter-ploy … d4 will harvest some material. 11 Qf3 d4 12 0-0-0 White stakes everything on rapid development. 12 … Nbd7 13 Bd2 dxc3 Here perhaps Anand errs in being too eager to snatch material. An intriguing alternative is 13 … Qc7. 14 Bxc3 Bg7 15 Rg1 0-0 16 gxf6 Thus White regains one of the sacrificed pieces and meanwhile her attack in the g-file persists. 16 … Qxf6 17 Qe3 Preparing to add more fuel to the flames by advancing the f-pawn. 17 … Kh8 18 f4 Qb6 19 Qg3 Qh6 (see diagram 1) However, White now hurls a thunderbolt which disrupts the black camp. 20 Rd6 If now 20 … Qxd6 21 Qxg7 checkmate or 20 … Qxf4+ 21 Qxf4 exf4 22 Bxg7+ and wins. 20 … f6 21 Bd2 e4 22 Bc4 b5 23 Be6 Ra7 24 Rc6 a5 25 Be3 Rb7 26 Bd5 Rb8 27 Rc7 b4 28 b3 It is a striking testimony to the paralysis to which Black has been reduced that White can allow herself this quiet consolidating move even though a piece in arrears. 28 … Rb5 29 Bc6 Rxf5 (see diagram 2) Exhausting and enervated by the constant harassment, Black finally caves in and loses material. 30 Rxc8 Rxc8 31 Bxd7 Rcc5 32 Bxf5 Rxf5 33 Rd1 Kg8 34 Qg2 Black resigns