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.
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