Chess may be a cerebral pursuit of strategy and tact, but Microsoft has just managed to make it plumb new depths of dreariness. It wants Net users to play chess champion Garry Kasparov. The catch is that this group of Net chess stallions will have 24 hours to send in their suggested moves. (d4) Kasparov with then have 24 hours to reply. (d5) Then the Net people will get another go. (c4) Then Kasparov (c6) Netties. (Nf3) Kasparov. (Nf6) Netties. (Nc3) Kasparov. (dxc4) And so it goes on and on and on and on (BTW you've just witnessed the opening salvos of the "Slav Defence") for the whole summer. Kasparov -- the man who lost to Big Blur's chess-playing computer a couple of years back and then whinged it was too competitive -- reckons this stunt will pull people to the "sport" like bees round a honey pot. Of course they will, Garry, of course they will. ®