Colin McNab
Encyclopedia
Colin A. McNab was Scotland
's second chess
Grandmaster
, fulfilling the requirements for the title in 1992 just after Paul Motwani
. After achieving his three norms, he strained to get his rating up to the required 2500 level, and is possibly unique among Grandmasters in only achieving a published rating of 2500 some six years after being awarded the title. The FIDE regulations in force at the time stated that an 'intermediate' rating at any stage during an event would suffice, and that ratings between 2498.5 and 2500 would be rounded up, which is indeed what happened in 1992. On the November 2009 FIDE list McNab's Elo rating is 2475. He is also an International Master of chess problem
solving.
McNab played for Scotland 11 times in Chess Olympiad
s between 1980 and 2008. He was also the Commonwealth Champion in 1992, and won the Scottish Chess Championship
in 1983, 1991, 1993 and 1995. His opening repertoire is noted for its seemingly quiet fianchetto
systems, and he has written a book on the Fianchetto King's Indian, and co-authored The Ultimate Pirc with John Nunn
. He is renowned as an expert on the endgame and has written a regular column for Scottish Chess magazine for a number of years. He is also a doctor of mathematics
, having studied for a DPhil
at Oxford University under the supervision of Peter Neumann
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
's second chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
Grandmaster
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
, fulfilling the requirements for the title in 1992 just after Paul Motwani
Paul Motwani
Paul Motwani is of Scottish/Indian descent and was Scotland's first chess Grandmaster . Born in Glasgow but growing up in Dundee , he became World Cadet Champion in 1978, and won the first of his seven Scottish Championship titles that year...
. After achieving his three norms, he strained to get his rating up to the required 2500 level, and is possibly unique among Grandmasters in only achieving a published rating of 2500 some six years after being awarded the title. The FIDE regulations in force at the time stated that an 'intermediate' rating at any stage during an event would suffice, and that ratings between 2498.5 and 2500 would be rounded up, which is indeed what happened in 1992. On the November 2009 FIDE list McNab's Elo rating is 2475. He is also an International Master of chess problem
Chess problem
A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by somebody using chess pieces on a chess board, that presents the solver with a particular task to be achieved. For instance, a position might be given with the instruction that White is to move first, and checkmate Black in two...
solving.
McNab played for Scotland 11 times in Chess Olympiad
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
s between 1980 and 2008. He was also the Commonwealth Champion in 1992, and won the Scottish Chess Championship
Scottish Chess Championship
The Scottish Chess Championship is organised by Chess Scotland, formerly the Scottish Chess Association. It has been running since 1884, and nowadays takes the form of a nine round tournament played over two weekends and the week in between...
in 1983, 1991, 1993 and 1995. His opening repertoire is noted for its seemingly quiet fianchetto
Fianchetto
In chess the fianchetto is a pattern of development wherein a bishop is developed to the second rank of the adjacent knight file, the knight pawn having been moved one or two squares forward....
systems, and he has written a book on the Fianchetto King's Indian, and co-authored The Ultimate Pirc with John Nunn
John Nunn
John Denis Martin Nunn is one of England's strongest chess players and once belonged to the world's top ten. He is also a three times world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician....
. He is renowned as an expert on the endgame and has written a regular column for Scottish Chess magazine for a number of years. He is also a doctor of mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, having studied for a DPhil
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at Oxford University under the supervision of Peter Neumann
Peter M. Neumann
Peter Michael Neumann OBE is a British mathematician. He is the son of the mathematicians Bernhard Neumann and Hanna Neumann and, after gaining a B.A. from The Queen's College, Oxford in 1963, obtained his D.Phil from Oxford University in 1966...
.
Notable games
- Garry Kasparov vs Colin Anderson McNab, Cagnes sur mer 1977, Modern Defense: Suttles Variation (B06), 1/2-1/2
- John Nunn vs Colin Anderson McNab, Marbella zt A 1982, Pirc Defense: Classical Variation (B08), 0-1
- Colin Anderson McNab vs Murray Chandler, Bath (England) 1987, English Opening: King's English (A28), 1-0
- Colin Anderson McNab vs Mika Karttunen, EU Union Ch 2006, Formation: King's Indian Attack (A07), 1-0