Controversy has engulfed the local chess community due to the whims of two movie actors.  It seems George Clooney and a woman called Jessica Alba, want to play in the 2013 Ulster Chess Championships which take place in the Europa Hotel in August. Apparently they will be here making a movie project and they are both chess players.

A Rapid play chess tournament was planned to take place on Monday at 12 noon in Ballynafeigh community hall. It now looks like the members of the UCU will have to hold an emergency meeting before the tournament in order to decide what to do.

It is a very perplexing problem, if they let these two characters play who will want to play next?  Before you know it, Kenneth Branagh will want to play, then Liam Neeson will want to play, Uncle Andy will want to play, Red Hand Luke will want to play, Pastor Begbie will want to play,  then they will want to bring all their cronies with them! There will be no end to it, it will turn into a whole media circus.

I would expect some of the very clever local chessplaying  barristers to come up with an ingenious solution which will keep everyone happy.

As far as I know, George Clooney is presently in Berlin,  it is also expected that he will soon be announcing he will be playing the role of  “John  Black”  in a movie called “Killing For Britain.”

He is supposed to be starting the project soon after he finishes the Polar Foil production in August.

The writing is on the wall.

MN MN TKL  UPHRSN

PS Just remembered, when I was in the USA in the early 1980s I actually went to a cinema. This was the movie which was playing. The Pope Of Greenwich Village. I thought the opening theme was really great at the time.

Here is a chess problem. It is white to move, he is being annihilated, how can he miraculously turn the tide?