| Colin McNab | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Colin McNab |
| Country | Scotland |
| Born | 3 February 1961 Scotland |
| Title | Grandmaster |
| FIDE rating | 2475 (November 2009) |
| Peak rating | 2500 (January 1998) |
Colin A. McNab (born 3 February 1961) 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 Olympiads between 1980 and 2008.[1] He was also the Commonwealth Champion in 1992, and won the Scottish Chess Championship in 1983, 1991, 1993 and 1995.[2] 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.