Moscow Aeroflot, one of the world’s great opens, reaches its critical rounds this weekend (noon GMT start, free and live online viewing) at the Cosmos Hotel. Aeroflot vies with Tradewise Gibraltar for premier status and the differences between them are interesting.

Gibraltar boasts GMs from the world top 10, almost all the best women players, a wide mix of nationalities and a fine offboard social programme. Aeroflot targets the GMs from the top 50-200 with ambitions to reach the elite and has an impressive array of junior talent, though its geographical mix is narrower.

Aeroflot’s players come from the old Soviet Union and from the new powers India and China, with only a sprinkling of entrants from the West. There are no British players in any of the three sections and just a handful of Americans led by Gata Kamsky, who emigrated as a child from the old USSR. Gibraltar’s first prize is £25,000 (€28,400), Aeroflot’s is €18,000 plus a place in the next Dortmund elite event.

Andrey Episenko, 15, has qualified as one of the youngest GMs, shone at the world rapid/blitz and drew his first two games at Aeroflot against top seeds. The blitz specialist Vladislav Artemiev, 19, began with two wins.

There was less favourable news for Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, who became the youngest ever IM at 10 and has since had his eyes on Sergey Karjakin’s record as the youngest ever GM at 12 years 7 months.

The Indian prodigy still has only one of the three required GM results, time will run out for him on 10 March, and he lost in round two to Russia’s Igor Lysyj.

North-East England is enjoying a sudden chess boom. Its team in the UK 4NCL tops its section of Division Two after six rounds and will qualify for the promotion pool where it will have good chances to qualify for the top division in 2018-19 along with the powerful Manx Liberty squad.

Last week Heaton, Newcastle, staged the Northumbrian Masters, the first international tournament in the region for many years. Backing from Capital Bridging Finance Solutions meant a prize fund of over £3,000 which attracted 18 GMs and IMs. There was almost a dramatic English success as Ravi Haria, 18, reached a won ending in the final round which could have earned the Elstree teenager outright second place. He only drew, so shared third with the winner of this week’s game and two others.

Danny Gormally’s victory looks smooth, but it was aided by Black’s passive strategy. White’s gambit 5 Nc3 (Bd2 is normal) could have been dubious if Black had countered actively by 7...Bd7! or c5 at moves 8-9. As played, White regained the pawn with a big space advantage, and concluded forcefully with the star move 23 Nd7!

Danny Gormally v Iain Gourlay, Northumbrian Masters 2018

1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 c4 e6 4 g3 Bb4+ 5 Nc3?! dxc 4 6 a3 Bxc3+ 7 bxc3 O-O 8 Bg2 Nd5 9 Qc2 f6 10 Nd2 Nb6 11 O-O Nc6 12 a4 a5 13 e4 Bd7 14 Ba3 Ne7 15 Bc5 Bc6 16 Rfb1 Rc8 17 Bxb6 cxb6 18 Nxc4 Be8 19 Nxb6 Rc6 20 Qb3 Bf7 21 d5 exd5 22 exd5 Nc8 23 Nd7! Qxd7 24 dxc6 bxc6 25 Qb7 1-0

3555 1 f7+ wins. If Kf8 2 Rh8+ Ke7 3 Re8+ Kd6 4 f8Q+ and Black will soon be mated. If Kg7 2 Rh7+! Kxg6 (if Kf6 3 f8Q+) 3 f8N+! Kf6 4 Rxd7 ends it.