Chess genius faces action over jealous move

A British chess grandmaster may face action from the game's ruling body for making a jealous move against a top player for dancing with a stunning Australian contestant, the team captain said today.

In a surprise manoeuvre in the seemingly-sedate world of chess, Danny Gormally's behaviour towards Levon Aronian at the World Chess Olympiad in Turin seems to have been sparked by the Armenian star's jiving with Arianne Caoili.

The Briton was said to have previously met and been emailing Caoili, the 19-year-old Australian number three, but his dancefloor antics at the tournament's Bermuda Party led to retaliation from Aronian's teammates.

The World Cup winner's supporters hit Gormally when he popped out for a coffee the following day before they knew an apology had been proffered, English team captain Allan Beardsworth confirmed.

Gormally, 30, from Durham, is ranked sixth in Britain, and subsequently left the Olympiad early of his own volition.

Mr Beardsworth said: "The bottom line is this is just a little incident in a nightclub where unfortunately Danny probably had a drink too many and obviously saw someone dancing with a girl he liked and either hit or tried to hit them.

"The guy he tried to hit was the world number three."

The British player, he said, was "gutted" when he awoke the following morning to realise what he'd done: "He knows he shouldn't have done it and knows he wouldn't have done it normally.

"Danny is a nice, normal guy. When he woke up and realised he'd done something really stupid, he knew he had to leave. We didn't get into any debate about what we wanted to do. He said 'I must leave'. He was so upset and I then arranged it all."

Apology

Mr Beardsworth subsequently apologised to the Armenian delegation and their star player the morning after the incident at the Hiroshima Mon Amour nightclub.

"I found the head of the delegation and the translator and had a good chat. He was fine with it, he rang Aronian up and he was glad I had been in touch.

"We apologised then and the next day when I saw Levon we shook hands and he was great. He realised it was just a drinking incident," he said.

However, while the apologies were being accepted, Aronian's teammates spotted Danny and "unfortunately gave him a punch or two", said Mr Beardsworth.

But he added: "Once they knew I had already apologised they came to find me to apologise back to me. It was all very friendly."

The English team subsequently came 19th in the biennial tournament, up from 2004's 30th place. The Armenian team won the Olympiad.

A captain's report would be sent to the the English Chess Federation, he said, and he would be "surprised if the ECF didn't do something".

"I think something has to be done. In two years' time and four years' time, people will remember this happened... but what's needed, who knows?"

Mr Gormally - described by the team as "England's newest Grandmaster" and a "welcome addition to the Olympiad team" - declined to be interviewed when contacted by the Press Association.

A spokesman for the Chess Federation in the former Soviet republic said: "The Armenian Chess Federation does not want to give any details on the subject. You must refer all inquiries to the British Chess Federation. Goodbye."

Denis Jessop, president of the Australian Chess Federation, said: "If the Australian Chess Federation were to receive an adverse report about the incident, the ACF Council would consider it but I do not see it likely that any action would be taken in the absence of such a report."

A spokesperson for the World Chess Federation (FIDE) said: "FIDE has not received any official report of such an incident. Therefore we cannot

comment on this matter."