[Event "4NCL Team Rapidplay"]
[Site "Daventry"]
[Date "2013.10.05"]
[Round "1.7"]
[White "Hebden, Mark"]
[Black "Young, Daniel J"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D30"]
[WhiteElo "2548"]
[BlackElo "1755"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "2013.10.05"]
[EventType "swiss (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]
[TimeControl "900+285"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 c6 4. e3 e6 5. Bd3 Nbd7 6. b3 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Bxd2+ 8.
Nbxd2 O-O 9. Qc2 b6 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. Qc6 Rb8 12. O-O Bb7 13. Qa4 a6 14. Qa3 b5
15. Rfc1 Qb6 16. Rc2 Rbc8 17. Rac1 Rxc2 18. Rxc2 {Diagram #} Rc8 19. Rxc8+ Bxc8
20. Qe7 {Diagram #} h6 21. Ne5 Nf8 22. Qxf7+ Kh8 1-0

[Event "4NCL Team Rapidplay"]
[Site "Daventry"]
[Date "2013.10.05"]
[Round "2.4"]
[White "Wall, Gavin"]
[Black "Riley, Adrian K"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2333"]
[BlackElo "1632"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "2013.10.05"]
[EventType "swiss (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]
[WhiteTeam "Guildford"]
[BlackTeam "Oxford"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ENG"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ENG"]
[TimeControl "900+180"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 Nh6 4. Bxh6 gxh6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Qd2 Nd7 7. O-O-O Bg7 8.
Nge2 O-O 9. g4 Qh4 10. Ng3 Bf6 11. e5 Bg5 12. f4 Be7 13. Rg1 Kh8 14. Nh5 f5 15.
h3 Rg8 16. Qe2 a6 17. Rd3 b5 18. Rdg3 Bb7 19. Qf3 Rad8 20. gxf5 Rxg3 21. Nxg3
Rf8 22. f6 Bd8 23. Nh5 {Diagram #} Bxf6 24. exf6 Nxf6 25. Nxf6 Rxf6 26. Ne2
Qe1# 0-1

[Event "4NCL Team Rapidplay"]
[Site "Daventry"]
[Date "2013.10.05"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Merry, Alan B"]
[Black "Hunt, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A36"]
[WhiteElo "2297"]
[BlackElo "2072"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2013.10.05"]
[EventType "swiss (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ENG"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ENG"]

1. e4 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Ne2 d6 5. O-O Nf6 6. d3 Nc6 7. c4 O-O 8. Nbc3
Bd7 9. h3 Ne8 10. Be3 f5 11. exf5 Bxf5 12. d4 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Bd7 14. Qd2 Nf6 15.
Rad1 a6 16. Rfe1 Rc8 17. b3 Nxd4 18. Bxd4 Bc6 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. cxd5 Bd7 21.
Bxg7 Kxg7 22. Re4 Bf5 23. Rh4 Kg8 24. Re1 Rf7 25. Be4 Qd7 26. Qd4 Bxe4 27.
Rhxe4 Qxh3 28. Rh4 Qd7 29. Re6 Rg7 30. Kg2 Qc7 31. Qe4 Qd7 32. Qe3 Rf8 33. Rhe4
Rff7 34. a4 Kf8 35. Qc3 Kg8 36. Rc4 Rf8 37. Rc7 Qe8 38. Rxb7 Qf7 39. Qe3 Qf5
40. Qd4 Rgf7 41. Rexe7 Qxf2+ 42. Qxf2 Rxf2+ 43. Kh3 R2f7 44. Rxf7 Rxf7 45. Rb6
Ra7 46. a5 Kf7 47. Rxd6 Ke7 48. Rb6 Rd7 49. Rxa6 Rxd5 {Diagram #} 50. b4 Rb5
51. Rb6 Rxb6 52. axb6 Kd6 53. b5 Kd7 54. Kg4 h6 55. Kf4 Kc8 56. Ke5 Kb7 57. Kf6
Kxb6 58. Kxg6 Kxb5 59. Kxh6 Kc6 60. Kg6 Kd7 61. Kf7 1-0

[Event "4NCL Team Rapidplay"]
[Site "Daventry"]
[Date "2013.10.05"]
[Round "7.1"]
[White "Pritchett, Craig W"]
[Black "Piper, Matthew"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B37"]
[WhiteElo "2359"]
[BlackElo "2362"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2013.10.05"]
[EventType "swiss (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]
[WhiteTeam "Barbican II"]
[BlackTeam "Barbican"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ENG"]
[BlackTeamCountry "ENG"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 g6 4. e4 d6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Bg7 7. Be2 Nc6 8. Nc2
O-O 9. O-O Nd7 10. Bd2 Nc5 11. f3 a5 12. Kh1 a4 13. Rb1 f5 14. exf5 Bxf5 15. b4
axb3 16. axb3 Nd4 17. Nxd4 Bxb1 18. Be3 Bf5 19. b4 Ne6 20. Ndb5 {Diagram #} Nc7
21. Bb6 Nxb5 22. Qd5+ Kh8 23. Qxb5 Qc8 24. Rc1 Bxc3 25. Rxc3 Ra1+ 26. Bg1 Qe6
27. c5 Re1 28. Bf1 {Diagram #} Qe5 29. Ra3 Qb2 30. Ra7 Qb1 0-1

[Event "4NCL Division 1a"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2013.11.16"]
[Round "1.111"]
[White "Sadler, Matthew D"]
[Black "Ghasi, Ameet K"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2646"]
[BlackElo "2466"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2013.11.16"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]
[WhiteTeam "Guildford 1"]
[BlackTeam "Grantham Sharks 1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 d5 4. e3 a6 5. Nf3 b5 6. b3 Bg4 7. Bd2 Nbd7 8. h3
Bxf3 9. Qxf3 b4 10. Na4 e5 {Black has ceded the two bishops but the point of
his play is this pawn break. He must strike before White's slightly awkward
pieces are able to coordinate. This has all been played before.} 11. Qd1 {Not
the most obvious move perhaps, but the white queen will likely have to retreat
at some point, so it makes sense to do so immediately while awaiting
developments in the centre.} exd4 12. exd4 Ne4 {Diagram #} 13. g3 $5 {g2 is
clearly a desirable post for the bishop, but this might be a litte slow.} (13.
Bd3 {involves a pawn sacrifice, but White seems to be very active after} Qf6
14. O-O Qxd4 15. Bf4 $1 {, even if the queens happen to come off.}) 13... Qf6
14. Be3 Qe6 $1 {Threatening ...Nxg3, so the White queen returns.} 15. Qf3 Bd6
16. Bg2 O-O 17. O-O f5 18. cxd5 cxd5 19. Rac1 Rac8 20. Rfe1 {Black looks more
than comfortable to me here, but Ghasi begins to go astray.} Be7 $6 ({
Presumably preparing} 20... g5 {, which is currently impossible due to} 21.
Rxc8 Rxc8 22. Bxg5 {, but the bishop is clearly already well-placed on d6.}) ({
Perhaps} 20... Qf6 {immediately is less compromising, removing the queen from
the e-file whilst pressurising d4 and lending extra support to the ...f4 break.
}) 21. Qd1 Qf6 {Diagram # The queen moves anyway, and it seems like 20...Be7
was a wasted tempo. [DIAG]} 22. Nc5 $1 Ndxc5 23. dxc5 {Now White's previously
dormant bishop finds an excellent post on d4. My engine still claims Black is
ok here, but I find it hard to believe and the evaluation must be based on
some obscure tactical resource.} Rfd8 24. Bd4 Qf7 25. c6 Bg5 26. Rc2 Rd6 27. c7
Rd7 {Black has to use a huge amount of resources dealing with the c-pawn.} 28.
h4 Be7 29. Be5 {[DIAG]} Qe6 $2 (29... Bf6 {was the last chance to eliminate
the revitalised bishop and subsequently the c7-pawn, but White still retains
an advantage after} 30. Bxf6 Nxf6 31. Qd4 $1 Rdxc7 32. Rxc7 Rxc7 33. Qxb4) 30.
Bf4 Bd6 31. Rc6 $1 {Diagram # This pin on the queen is the problem with
exchanging the bishops this way. Black is completely tied up and unable to
cope with the pressure.} Rcxc7 32. Rxa6 h6 {What else? There are no moves.} 33.
Rxd6 Rxd6 34. f3 Rc3 35. fxe4 fxe4 36. Bxe4 Qf6 37. Bxd5+ Kh8 38. Re8+ {Nicely
played by Matthew Sadler, after not the best opening and only a couple of
small inaccuracies from his opponent which were punished efficiently.} 1-0

[Event "4NCL Division 1a"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2013.11.16"]
[Round "1.144"]
[White "Arkell, Keith CC"]
[Black "Smallbone, Kieran D"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D16"]
[WhiteElo "2437"]
[BlackElo "2218"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2013.11.16"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]
[WhiteTeam "Cheddleton 1"]
[BlackTeam "Oxford 1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 c6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bg4 6. e3 e5 7. dxe5 (7. Bxc4 {
is more normal, but as usual Keith prefers to play without the queens.}) 7...
Qxd1+ 8. Nxd1 Ne4 9. Bxc4 Bb4+ 10. Ke2 Nd7 11. h3 {Diagram # [DIAG]} Bxf3+ $2 (
11... Nxe5 $1 {immediately was better.} 12. Bxf7+ Nxf7 13. hxg4 O-O-O {should
be fine for Black, whose activity should at least adequately compensate for
the pawn.}) 12. gxf3 Nxe5 13. Bxf7+ Kxf7 14. fxe4 {Black's problem with taking
on f3 first on move 11 is that White's centre pawns are now extremely mobile,
as Keith demonstrates.} Rad8 15. Nc3 Nd3 16. f4 Nc5 17. e5 Nb3 18. Rb1 Ke6 {
Diagram # [DIAG] Remarkably, despite Black's superficial activity and the fact
that the White bishop and both his rooks are yet to join the game, the central
pawn mass and the squares they control are the only relevant features of the
position. Who needs pieces?} 19. Ne4 h6 20. h4 Kf5 $6 {It's hard to offer
Black good advice here, but forcing the white king to its best square can
hardly help.} 21. Kf3 Rd3 22. Nf2 Nxc1 23. Rbxc1 Rb3 24. Rcd1 Re8 25. Rhg1 Re7
26. h5 $1 {Rg6 followed by a short knight manoeuvre to give mate (personally,
I would prefer to go via the h1-square) is coming, so the king retreats, only
to be soon forced back to meet his fate.} Ke6 27. Nd3 Kf7 28. f5 c5 29. e6+ Kf6
30. Rg6+ Kxf5 31. e4# {It's not often you get to give checkmate with a pawn in
the centre of the board!} 1-0

[Event "4NCL Division 1a"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2013.11.17"]
[Round "2.112"]
[White "Hansen, Eric"]
[Black "Pert, Richard G"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2547"]
[BlackElo "2434"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2013.11.17"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]
[WhiteTeam "Guildford 1"]
[BlackTeam "Wood Green HK 2"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. O-O a6 5. Bd3 $5 {This strange-looking
retreat has been played by Peter Svidler recently. Similar to the line 1. e4
c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 Nf6 4. Bd3, the bishop will find a home on c2. Here though,
the Black knight is already committed to d7 - it would rather be on c6 or
possibly even b8, so as not to obstruct the c8-bishop. 3...Nd7 is hardly
refuted by this idea, but it's certainly an interesting way of playing for
White.} Ngf6 6. Re1 b5 7. c3 g5 $6 {Diagram # Richard Pert borrows an idea
from simlar variations, but I'm not sure it's so effective here with the
knight on d7, as the c8-bishop doesn't have immediate direct access to the
kingside.} 8. Bc2 (8. Nxg5 {It's usually possible to take such pawns, and here}
Rg8 9. Nf3 c4 (9... Ne5 10. Nxe5 dxe5 11. Bf1 {doesn't seem like enough
compensation to me, but I'm no attacking genius.}) 10. Bf1 Nc5 11. d4 cxd3 (
11... Ncxe4 12. Nbd2 Bb7 13. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Qc2 {will force the knight away,
when White's structure is better.}) 12. Bxd3 {is perfectly playable for White,
but Black will claim he has what he wants for the pawn. Hansen prefers to take
the centre.}) 8... g4 9. Nh4 c4 10. a4 Bb7 11. axb5 axb5 12. Rxa8 Bxa8 {I'm
never sure myself which way to capture in these situations, but here taking
with the queen somehow feels more natural.} 13. d4 e6 (13... cxd3 {Black's
problem is that the b5-pawn is very weak after} 14. Bxd3 {, so he has to let
White have his centre.}) 14. g3 {Giving the estranged knight a route back in
to the game via g2.} Be7 ({I wonder if} 14... Bg7 {, so as to get castled was
better, but Pert may have been worried that the d6-pawn would become weak.})
15. Bh6 $1 (15. e5 dxe5 16. dxe5 Nd5 17. Qxg4 Bxh4 18. Qxh4 Qxh4 19. gxh4 {
wins a pawn, but it's not much of a pawn and comes at the cost of activating
Black's pieces.}) 15... Rg8 16. Nd2 d5 17. e5 Ne4 18. Ng2 Nb6 19. Ne3 Bc6 20.
Nxg4 {White wins a pawn anyway, in much better circumstances than 15. e5.} Na4
21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Bc1 ({Taking another pawn immediately with} 22. Bxe4 Bxe4 23.
Rxe4 {was possible, as} Nxb2 {simply fails to, but Hansen prefers to be solid
and take it on the next move.} 24. Qb1) 22... Nb6 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Rxe4 Qa8
25. Qf3 h5 26. Nh6 Rg7 27. Kg2 Bf8 28. Rh4 Nd5 29. Rxh5 {Diagram # [DIAG]
Black is now three (!) whole pawns down but matters are still complicated.} Qa1
{The only chance.} 30. Rg5 $6 (30. Bg5 $1 Qxb2 31. Ng4 $1 {seems to end the
game immediately, as taking on c3 with either piece loses to 32. Nf6+.}) 30...
Rh7 31. Rg8 (31. Ng4 $1 {was more simple. The key to the position is the Black
knight, that once removed from it's post gives the White queen access to the
Black king.} Qxc1 32. Nf6+ Nxf6 33. Qa8+ $1 Ke7 (33... Kd7 34. Qb7+ Kd8 35.
Qb8+ Kd7 36. Qxb5+ Kd8 37. exf6 {is too strong of an attack.}) 34. exf6+ Kxf6
35. h4 Bd6 36. Qd8+ Be7 37. Qb8 $1 {wins. Black is so tied up though, that
even the text is suffiecient.}) 31... Qxc1 32. Ng4 {Diagram # [DIAG]} Ke7 (
32... Rh6 {, trying to prevent Nf6+ at all costs, was probably the best chance,
but after} 33. Qe4 $1 Qd2 34. Nf6+ {this must be played now, else Black has ...
Qd3 next.} Rxf6 35. exf6 {the White queen will now gain access to the
queenside in any case, via e5, on the next move.}) (32... Qa1 33. Nf6+ Nxf6 34.
exf6 Qa6 35. h4 {, and neither Black's rook nor bishop will ever enter the
game.}) 33. Nf6 Qh6 34. h4 Rg7 35. Nxd5+ exd5 36. Qf6+ $1 {Liquidating to a
trivial rook endgame.} Qxf6 37. exf6+ Kxf6 38. Rxf8 b4 39. Re8 b3 40. Kf3 Kg6
41. Re5 f6 42. Rxd5 Ra7 43. Rc5 Ra2 44. Rxc4 Rxb2 45. Rb4 Rb1 46. Rb5 b2 47.
Kg4 f5+ 48. Kf4 Kh5 49. f3 Kg6 50. Rb6+ {I enjoyed this game, especially the
control with which Hansen dealt with Pert's imprudent ...g5 push in the
opening.} 1-0

[Event "4NCL Division 1b"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2013.11.16"]
[Round "1.161"]
[White "Bisby, Daniel L"]
[Black "Zhou, Yang-Fan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B49"]
[WhiteElo "2311"]
[BlackElo "2486"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2013.11.16"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]
[WhiteTeam "Cambridge University 1"]
[BlackTeam "Guildford 2"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Be2 Nf6 8. a3
({Avoiding the heavy theoretical lines after} 8. O-O Bb4) 8... Be7 9. f4 d6 10.
g4 Nd7 $6 {This seems slightly accommodating to me, but is certainly a way of
keeping the position complicated.} (10... Nxd4 11. Qxd4 e5 {is the usual
recipe.}) 11. g5 b5 12. Nxc6 Qxc6 13. Qd2 O-O 14. O-O-O Nc5 {Diagram #} 15. h4
{Direct, but} (15. Rhf1 $1 {indirectly defending the e4-pawn and lending extra
support to f4-f5 might have been even stronger.}) 15... Rb8 (15... Nxe4 16.
Nxe4 Qxe4 {was possible, but risky.} 17. Rhf1 Qf5 {leaves the queen with few
squares, but it's not clear how White exploits this.}) 16. f5 exf5 17. h5 {
Even more, perhaps too, direct!} (17. exf5 Bxf5 18. Rhf1 Be6 19. Bf3 {followed
by Nd5 is very nice for White.}) 17... b4 $6 (17... Nxe4 $1 18. Nd5 {was
presumably the idea, but Black should survive after} Bd8 19. Qd4 Qc5 $1 (19...
Ng3 20. Bf3 Qc4 21. Qa7 {is ridiculously complicated, and I leave it as an
exercise for the reader to work out what's going on!}) 20. Qd3 Qc4 $1 21. Qxc4
bxc4 22. Bxc4 Nxg5 23. Rhg1 {when White still has an attack of sorts, but
whether it's worth two pawns with the queens off the board is not clear.}) 18.
axb4 Rxb4 19. h6 Be6 $2 (19... g6 $1 20. Bxc5 (20. Nd5 $4 Nb3+ {wins the White
queen.}) 20... Qxc5 21. Nd5 Rxe4 22. Bf3 Re5 23. Nxe7+ Rxe7 24. Qxd6 Qxd6 25.
Rxd6 {leaves Black with all the chances.}) 20. hxg7 Rfb8 {Diagram # [DIAG]} 21.
Bb5 $1 {White gains a vital tempo for the queen transfer to the h-file.} ({By
way of contrast,} 21. Bf3 Rxb2 22. Qh2 Nb3+ {is only a draw after} 23. Kxb2
Na5+ {with perpetual check.}) 21... Nd3+ 22. Bxd3 fxe4 23. Rxh7 $1 {Obvious,
but deserving of an exclamation mark in any case.} Bf5 24. Qh2 f6 (24... Bxh7
25. Rh1 {is mate in two.}) 25. Rh8+ Kf7 26. Rxb8 Rxb8 27. Qh8 Rg8 28. Be2 Qc8
29. Rh1 d5 30. Nxd5 Bd6 31. Nxf6 1-0

[Event "4NCL Division 1b"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2013.11.17"]
[Round "2.166"]
[White "D'Costa, Lorin AR"]
[Black "Gantner, Matthias"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A20"]
[WhiteElo "2406"]
[BlackElo "2247"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "2013.11.17"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]
[WhiteTeam "Barbican 4NCL 1"]
[BlackTeam "White Rose 1"]

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Nd5 Bc5 6. e3 O-O 7. Ne2 Re8 8. O-O
a5 $2 {A surprisingly serious inaccuracy.} (8... d6 {is usually played, when
if White continues as in the game with} 9. f4 {, Black can answer} Nxd5 10.
cxd5 Ne7 {and will be more than happy.}) 9. f4 $1 {Diagram #} exf4 ({Now} 9...
Nxd5 10. cxd5 Nb4 {is impossible due to} ({or} 10... Ne7 11. fxe5) 11. fxe5 Nd3
12. Qc2 {winning, so Black must cede the centre.}) ({and} 9... d6 {allows} 10.
fxe5 dxe5 11. Nxf6+ gxf6 12. Nc3 {ruining the Black pawn structure.}) 10. Nexf4
Nxd5 11. cxd5 Nb4 {The knight gets kicked offside here, but} (11... Ne7 12. d4
Bb6 13. d6 $1 cxd6 14. Nd5 {was even worse. f7 is horribly weak and Black will
never develop his queenside.}) 12. a3 Na6 13. b3 Bf8 14. Bb2 d6 15. Qc2 Bd7 16.
Be4 {White's pieces are pointed ominously towards the Black king. [DIAG]} h6 (
16... g6 {was no better. There are various ways to break through the defences
here, the most brutal being} 17. Ne6 $1 fxe6 18. Bxg6 $1 e5 19. Bxh7+ Kh8 20.
Qg6 Bg7 21. Rf7 {with mate to follow shortly.}) 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Nh5 Re7 {
Diagram # [DIAG]} 19. Rf6 $1 Bg4 20. Rxh6 f6 21. Qg6 {Simon Wiliiiams often
says you need a minimum of three pieces in the attack to give checkmate. Here
White has five attacking!} Bf3 22. Bg8+ gxh6 (22... Kxg8 23. Nxf6# {is mate.})
23. Bxf6+ 1-0

[Event "4NCL Division 1b"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2013.11.17"]
[Round "2.172"]
[White "Ashton, Adam G"]
[Black "Flear, Glenn C"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C50"]
[WhiteElo "2379"]
[BlackElo "2475"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "2013.11.17"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]
[WhiteTeam "3Cs 1"]
[BlackTeam "Guildford 2"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. c3 a6 6. Bb3 Ba7 7. h3 d6 8. Nbd2
O-O 9. Nf1 h6 10. g4 $5 {Diagram # An interesting, but standard, way of
starting a kingside attack. White can play similarly in the Worrell Attack
variation (the 'slow' lines with an early Qe2 and usually d2-d3) of the
Spanish Game and I have done so myself on several occasions, winning some nice
games - but also losing a couple. The problem is that if the attack doesn't
succeed, White's king can become exposed in the centre of the board.} Nh7 (
10... d5 {immediately challenging the centre, is the standard response and one
that follows the rule 'an attack on the flanks should be met with activity in
the centre'. White contines with} 11. Qe2 {, keeping the queens on the board
and trying to keep the centre closed. The text attempts to stop g4-g5 at all
costs, but has it's drawbacks, namely easing the pressure on the White centre.}
) 11. Rg1 Na5 (11... Be6 {, eliminating the dangerous b3-bishop was an
alternative.}) 12. Bc2 d5 13. Qe2 dxe4 14. dxe4 Qd6 $2 {The queen will be hit
here by a future Nf5 and there was no need to defend the e5-pawn in any case.}
({, completing development was better. After} 14... Be6 15. Nxe5 ({, while} 15.
Ne3 Ng5 16. Nxg5 hxg5 {is much better for Black than the game continuation.})
15... Re8 {Black's play along the e-file should be sufficient compensation for
the pawn.}) 15. Ne3 Ng5 16. Nxg5 hxg5 17. Nf5 {Diagram #} Qd8 {[DIAG]} ({The
g5-pawn needs defence, and} 17... Bxf5 18. gxf5 {is just horrible for Black,
as after} f6 19. h4 {he will very likely get mated. The consequences of the
bishop returning ti the a2-g8 diagonal do not bear thinking about!}) 18. h4 $1
gxh4 19. g5 {The attack is too strong already. White's ideas include g5-g6,
Qh5 and also b2-b4 followed by Bb3, when the White-squared bishop will join in.
} Re8 20. Qh5 Bxf5 21. exf5 Qd5 22. f6 e4 23. fxg7 f5 24. g6 {It's unusual to
see a grandmaster lose in such fashion, but credit for a well-played game is
due to Adam Ashton.} 1-0

[Event "4NCL Guildford I-Blackthorne Russia"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Edouard, R."]
[Black "Hunt, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E84"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. f3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nc3 O-O 6. Be3 Nc6 7. Nge2 a6 8. Qd2
Rb8 9. Rc1 $5 {First played by Averbakh, it took a long time for this approach
to catch on. However, it is now popular at grandmaster level and arguably the
critical test of the Panno set-up.} Bd7 10. Nd1 e6 {The Woodbridge teacher and
dangerous IM counters White/^s flexible approach with some flexibility of his
own.} ({Black has also been known to try: -- a)} 10... e5 $6 {looks natural,
but White is in time to unravel his strangely placed pieces and take over:} 11.
d5 Ne7 12. Nf2 Ne8 13. g3 c5 14. b4 b6 15. Bg2 f5 16. O-O Nf6 17. Rb1 {was
pleasantly better for the first player in Rowson-Arakhamia Grant, British
Championship, Scarborough 2004 - see the September 2004 'CHESS'.}) ({b)} 10...
b5 11. c5 {reveals one of White/^s main ideas, but after} Re8 $5 12. Nf2 (12.
d5 Ne5 13. c6 $6 {isn't so effective:} Bc8 14. Nf4 e6 {sees Black breaking to
take over the centre}) 12... dxc5 13. Rxc5 e5 14. d5 Ne7 15. Nd3 c6 {, Black
enjoyed decent counterplay in Caruana-Jones, European Championship, Plovdiv
2012.}) 11. Nf2 b5 12. c5 Re8 13. Nd3 b4 {Seizing space like this fails to
give Black enough counterplay, but perhaps he/^s already worse in any case.} ({
Indeed, the} 13... e5 14. d5 Nd4 {of Zaja-Armanda, Sibenik 2009, also looks in
White/^s favour after, say,} 15. Nb4 {.}) 14. g3 a5 15. Bg2 Ne7 16. O-O Bb5 17.
Rfd1 {White/^s early manoeuvres were time-consuming, but his position now
presents a model of harmony and Hunt is unable to find a good plan.} Nd7 18. b3
Nc6 19. h3 dxc5 ({White would have enjoyed a free hand to gradually expand on
the kingside after} 19... d5 $5 20. e5 f6 21. f4 f5 {, but perhaps this was
still the lesser evil.}) 20. Nxc5 Nxc5 21. Rxc5 Bxe2 $2 {A serious
misjudgement.} (21... Bf8 22. Rc2 Bg7 23. Rdc1 Qd7 24. f4 {looks pretty nice
for White, but much better this for Black than grabbing a pawn.}) 22. Qxe2 Nxd4
23. Qc4 e5 24. f4 Qe7 25. Bxd4 exd4 26. e5 {Black is a pawn up, but White will
win it back and continues to dominate the board. That may sound obvious, but
Edouard had to correctly assess this position back on the 19th move.} Red8 27.
Rxc7 Qe6 {There was nothing better than this plan of trading queens, hoping
that the opposite-coloured bishops would offer some drawing chances.} 28. Rxd4
Qxc4 29. Rcxc4 g5 30. Kf2 Rxd4 31. Rxd4 Rc8 32. Bf1 $1 {Further fine judgement
from Edouard. Black will regain his pawn, but only while White improves his
coordination. Moreover, never forget that opposite-coloured don/^t spell an
easy draw when other pieces are present, but rather their presence favours the
attacking side.} Rc2+ 33. Kf3 gxf4 34. gxf4 Rxa2 35. Bc4 Rh2 36. Rd7 Rxh3+ 37.
Kg4 (37. Ke4 $1 {would have been even more precise, keeping the black rook out
of play:} h5 ({or} 37... Rc3 38. Bxf7+ Kf8 39. Bc4 Rxc4+ 40. bxc4 b3 41. Rb7 a4
42. c5 {, when only White/^s pawns are running}) 38. Rxf7 Bf8 39. e6 {and the
e-pawn will cost Black his bishop.}) 37... Rc3 38. Bxf7+ Kf8 39. Bd5 Rc5 40.
Kf5 Bh6 41. Kf6 {It may be an endgame, but that doesn/^t mean that one can/^t
attack.} Ke8 42. Rd6 Rc8 43. e6 $1 Bxf4 44. Bc6+ 1-0

[Event "4NCL Cheddleton-King's Head"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Williams, S."]
[Black "Spivack, S."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A01"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]

1. b3 e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bd6 5. g4 $5 {Typical Williams,
countering Black/^s 21st century set-up with another modern idea and a move
which is arguably Simon/^s favourite pawn advance.} ({Instead, the futuristic
main line runs} 5. Na3 Na5 {,} ({while here} 5... e4 6. Ne2 Be5 7. Qc1 Qe7 8.
Bxc6 dxc6 9. Nc4 Bxb2 10. Qxb2 Be6 11. Ng3 O-O-O 12. Qa3 Qxa3 13. Nxa3 Rd6 14.
f3 Rhd8 15. O-O-O {gave White an edge which he eventually and instructively
converted in Nakamura-Jones, London (rapid) 2013.})) 5... a6 {This feels
sensible, since an exchange on c6 would develop Black/^s dormant bishop.
Williams prefers to undertake something of a whacky fianchetto.} 6. Bf1 Be7 {
This feels very sensible;} ({although so too does} 6... h6 7. Bg2 Be7 8. d3 d5
{, as in Vitor-Oral, Ortigueira 2005, where} 9. h3 Be6 10. Ne2 Qd7 11. Nd2
O-O-O 12. a3 {left White with a Grob or reversed Hippo set-up and Black rather
comfortably placed.}) 7. g5 Ne4 8. h4 {White has been provoked, but Black too
can fight on the kingside.} h6 $5 9. d3 Nd6 10. Bg2 $1 hxg5 $6 {It/^s always
risky to grab pawns against Williams.} ({Moreover, there was nothing wrong
with the sensible} 10... Nf5 {followed by ...d5.}) 11. hxg5 Rxh1 12. Bxh1 Bxg5
13. Qh5 Bh6 14. Nc3 Nb5 {By placing his knight on d6, rather than c5, the
strong Middlesex amateur has got into a bit of pickle. Spivack elects to have
the knight sulk on a7 instead;} ({but even} 14... Qg5 15. Qh2 {would have left
White with good compensation, as shown by the possible continuation} f6 16.
O-O-O Nf7 17. Nd5 Kd8 18. f4 $1 {.}) 15. Nd5 d6 16. a4 Nba7 17. Ne2 Ne7 {
Spivack/^s play has certainly been extremely principled. Now one might expect
White to push his f-pawn in a bid to open lines for his dark-squared bishop,
but Williams prefers not to exchange and throws his knight even further into
the fray.} 18. Nf6+ $5 Kf8 19. Ng3 c6 20. Nge4 Nd5 $2 {Williams excels in
those chaotic, unusual positions where most find themselves rather groping
about in the dark.} ({Indeed, Spivack overlooks a tactic, rather than grab
hold of the kingside and mount a fairly sturdy defence with} 20... Nf5 21. Ng4
g6 22. Qh2 Bg7 {.}) 21. Nxd5 cxd5 22. Nxd6 $1 {Oh dear. The knight is taboo
due to Ba3.} Be6 23. Nxb7 Qb6 24. Nc5 {White is not only a pawn up, but Black/
^s position is in tatters. Just compare the difference between the two sides/^
minor pieces.} Rc8 25. Nxe6+ fxe6 26. a5 $1 Qb4+ 27. Kd1 Kg8 28. Qxe5 Qg4+ 29.
Kd2 Nb5 30. Ra4 {Black has tried to thrash, but by now might have thrown in
the towel rather than overlook a further blow.} Qh3 $2 31. Rh4 ({Even more
clinical would have been} 31. Bg2 {, but in any case Black is doomed.}) 31...
Qxh4 32. Qxe6+ Kf8 33. Qxc8+ Ke7 34. Qb7+ Kf8 35. Qb8+ Ke7 36. Qe5+ 1-0

[Event "4NCL Wood Green-White Rose"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shaw, J."]
[Black "Townsend, MP."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C07"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "4r3/pp2P3/2k2B2/2Pb2p1/3R1pBp/4p1nP/PP4P1/6K1 b - - 0 41"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]

{After many adventures in this extremely unbalanced game, Shaw has just
blundered (with 41 Rc4-d4), and allowed a nasty blow.} 41... f3 $1 {A neat,
little interference tactic. White is forced to give up the exchange to halt
the black pawns.} 42. gxf3 Ne2+ 43. Kf1 Nxd4 44. Bxd4 Rxe7 45. b3 e2+ {This
restricts the white king, but does also tie down Black/^s rook, so we should
check too the alternatives.} ({a)} 45... Kb5 46. Ke2 Be6 47. Bxe3 Bxg4 48. fxg4
Kb4 {attempts to generate a passed pawn on the queenside, but White has
sufficient counterplay after} 49. Kd3 {, and if} Re5 (49... Rxe3+ 50. Kxe3 a5
51. Ke4 Ka3 52. Kf5 {resolves to a draw}) 50. Bd4 {.}) ({b)} 45... Be6 $5 {
(simplifying Black's task)} 46. Ke2 ({underpinned by the point} 46. Bf6 $2 Rf7)
46... Bxg4 47. fxg4 Kd5 48. Bxe3 Re6 {has similar aims and may be enough to
win: for example,} 49. Kd3 (49. Kf3 Re5 50. Bf2 {is an attempt to avoid what
follows, but Black can gradually edge forward, such as with} a6 51. Be3 a5 52.
Bf2 Kc6 53. Be3 Kb5 {, when he appears to be just in time in a line like} 54.
Bd4 Re1 $1 55. Be3 Rh1 56. Kg2 Ra1 57. a4+ Kb4 58. Bxg5 Kxb3 59. Bxh4 Rxa4 60.
Bf6 Kc4 61. h4 Kxc5 62. Kg3 Kd5) 49... Ra6 50. Bxg5 Rxa2 51. Bxh4 Rh2 52. Be7
Rxh3+ 53. Kc2 Re3 54. Bf6 Kxc5 55. g5 Rg3 {, when Black equalises the pawn
score and may be able to gradually engineer a breakthrough on the queenside.})
46. Ke1 Be6 {After this White/^s dark-squared bishop becomes quite useful.} ({
Instead,} 46... Kb5 47. Bf6 Rf7 48. Bxg5 Bxf3 49. Bxh4 Bxg4 50. hxg4 Rf4 51.
Kxe2 Rxg4 52. Bf2 Rg6 {would still have retained good winning chances.}) 47.
Bf6 Re8 48. Bxg5 Bxg4 49. fxg4 Kxc5 50. Bxh4 Kb4 $2 ({White/^s king fends off
its opposite number after} 50... Kd4 51. Kd2 {, when again it looks like it
will be a draw, such as after} Re3 ({however, as indicated by John Shaw on the
Quality Chess website, here} 51... Re4 $1 {is a surprisingly useful move:
after, say,} 52. Bg3 a6 53. g5 Re3 $1 54. Bf2 e1=Q+ 55. Bxe1 Rxh3 {, Black
retains definite winning chances}) 52. Bf2 e1=Q+ 53. Bxe1 Rxh3 54. Bf2+ Ke4 55.
Bxa7 {.}) 51. Bf6 $1 {An excellent location for the bishop, assisting its own
pawns while covering the queening square on a1.} Re4 52. g5 Rh4 53. g6 Rxh3 54.
g7 Rg3 55. Kxe2 Ka3 56. Kf2 Rg6 57. Ke3 Kxa2 58. Ke4 Kxb3 59. Kf5 Rxg7 60. Bxg7
{At first one might think that Black still has some chances to win, but the
reality is that White/^s king is close enough.} b5 61. Ke4 a5 62. Kd5 {The
Scottish Grandmaster chooses a clean path to force the draw.} (62. Kd3 {would
also have done the trick in view of} a4 63. Bf6 b4 64. Be7 $1 a3 65. Bd6 a2 66.
Be5 Ka3 67. Kd2 b3 68. Kc1 {(Shaw).}) 62... a4 63. Kc5 b4 64. Kb5 a3 65. Bf6 a2
66. Ba1 Ka3 67. Kc4 b3 ({The pawns most certainly aren/^t going anywhere after
} 67... b3 68. Kc3 {.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "4NCL Barbican-Guildford II"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ferguson, M."]
[Black "Smerdon, D."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B01"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/2k5/p7/1pp2pK1/7P/1P3Pn1/3N4/8 w - - 0 41"]
[PlyCount "16"]
[EventDate "2014.??.??"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]

41. Kf4 $2 {Mistakes on move 41 are almost as common as on the notorious move
40, as, indeed, we/^ve already seen in these pages. Now the Australian
Grandmaster is able to save himself;} ({which he wouldn/^t have been able to
after} 41. h5 $1 Nxh5 ({the white knight also halts Black/^s pawns after} 41...
c4 42. bxc4 Nxh5 43. Kxh5 b4 44. f4 a5 45. Kg5 a4 46. Kxf5 b3 47. Ke6 b2 48.
Nb1) 42. Kxh5 Kd6 43. Kg5 Ke5 44. f4+ Ke6 {. There/^s little doubt that
Ferguson got to this point in his calculations and couldn/^t find a win, but
one exists:} 45. b4 $3 {, when Black finds his pawns stymied and White/^s
f-pawn set to queen after} cxb4 ({or} 45... c4 46. Nb1) 46. Nb3 {.}) 41... Ne2+
42. Kxf5 Kd7 43. Ke5 ({Black/^s king is also just in time after both} 43. h5
Ke7 44. h6 Kf7) ({and} 43. Kg6 Ke6 44. h5 Nf4+ 45. Kg5 Nxh5 46. Kxh5 Kf5 {.})
43... a5 44. Kd5 a4 $1 {The simplest way to draw.} 45. bxa4 bxa4 46. Nc4 Ke7
47. Kxc5 Ng1 48. f4 Ne2 1/2-1/2

[Event "4NCL Cheddleton-Blackthorne Russia"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Williams, SK."]
[Black "Ledger, D."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A03"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]

1. f4 d5 2. e3 $5 ({Williams has dabbled in Bird/^s Opening throughout his
career, so we should take seriously this attempt to avoid} 2. Nf3 Bg4 {, as
advocated in a certain 'Beating Unusual Chess Openings'.}) 2... Nc6 3. Bb5 Qd6
4. Nf3 Bg4 {This all feels very natural from both sides by analogy with the 2
Nc3 Dutch.} 5. b3 (5. O-O a6 6. Bxc6+ Qxc6 7. b3 e6 8. Bb2 f6 $1 9. d4 $6 (9.
Nc3 Bd6 10. Qe1 $5) 9... Bd6 10. Nbd2 Qd7 11. e4 e5) 5... Nh6 $5 6. Bb2 f6 7.
O-O {Play has long left the theoretical high- and even by-ways, but Black/^s
play may be just a little too creative. Williams is quick to mount a central
challenge;} ({and} 7. h3 $5 {also looks a little better for White, since} Bh5
8. g4 $1 {leaves Black/^s kingside pieces tripping over each other and his
position a little jammed-up following} Bf7 9. Ba3 Qd7 10. Nc3 O-O-O 11. Qe2 {.}
) 7... O-O-O 8. c4 $1 Nf5 {As can be seen, Dave Ledger can be a pretty
creative player, but so too, of course, is Simon Williams, a man who must have
enjoyed the early imbalance. Ledger hopes to trouble White with ...Nh4;} ({but
perhaps he would have done better with the simple} 8... a6 9. Ba3 (9. Ba4 dxc4
$1 10. bxc4 Na5 {leaves White a little weak on c4 and d3}) 9... Qd7 10. cxd5
axb5 11. dxc6 Qxc6 12. Nc3 Kb8 13. Rc1 Qa6 {. Black should be OK here with ...
e5 on its way, but then again one might prefer not to voluntarily weaken one/
^s king/^s pawn shield when up against the Ginger GM.}) 9. Nc3 dxc4 10. bxc4 $1
(10. Bxc4 {would have saved the d-pawn, but allowed Black some chances with}
Nh4 {followed by ...e6. Instead, Williams fights for the initiative in typical
fashion.} (10... Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Qxd2 $2 12. Be6+ {wins the knight.})) 10... Bxf3
$6 {Taking up the challenge, but this entails grabbing a rather hot pawn.} ({
However, it seems that things have already gone wrong for Black, with} 10...
Nh4 11. d4 {leaving White looking quite strong in the centre and on the
queenside. Moreover,} a6 12. Ne4 Qe6 13. Bxc6 Qxc6 14. Ne5 $1 Bxd1 15. Nxc6 Bc2
16. Nxd8 Bxe4 17. Ne6 {would be a tactical line for Black to avoid.}) ({
Likewise,} 10... Bh5 11. Qa4 e6 12. Rab1 {would have left only one side
attacking.}) 11. Qxf3 Qxd2 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Qxc6 Rd6 $2 {This just loses,
although I dare say by this point Ledger was rather regretting not choosing a
quieter customer for his early experimentalism.} ({He had to find} 13... Qxe3+
14. Kh1 Qb6 {, although} 15. Qa8+ Kd7 16. Qd5+ Nd6 17. Na4 Qb4 18. Nc5+ Ke8 19.
Ne6 {does, quite frankly, look pretty disgusting for Black.}) 14. Qa8+ Kd7 15.
Ne4 {Not the most common fork of queen and rook, but hardly a bad one at that.}
Qxe3+ 16. Kh1 Qb6 17. Ba3 {It/^s fast turning into a massacre.} Rc6 18. Rad1+
Nd6 19. c5 Qa5 20. cxd6 1-0

[Event "4NCL Guildford-King's Head"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Edouard, R."]
[Black "Wallace, JP."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E84"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 Nc6 7. Nge2 a6 8. Qd2
Rb8 9. Rd1 ({Suffering from a sense of déjà vu? Yes, it was only last month
that we saw Edouard score a powerful victory with} 9. Rc1 {(see the March
'CHESS'). Presumably he deviated to avoid preparation, but the rook looks
better on c1, thereby keeping d1 free for a key Nd1-f2 regrouping.}) 9... Re8
$5 {Black again decides to wait.} ({Instead,} 9... b5 10. cxb5 axb5 11. d5 Ne5
12. Nd4 {is complicated, but possibly slightly in White/^s favour.}) 10. d5 {
Rather ambitious;} ({but} 10. Nc1 e5 {also seems fine for Black, especially if
he follows up with} 11. dxe5 ({or} 11. d5 Nd4) 11... Nxe5 $1 12. Be2 b5 {, as
recommended by David Vigorito in 'Attacking Chess: The King/^s Indian'.}) 10...
Ne5 11. Nd4 {It/^s worth pausing at this moment and slipping into <->How Good
is Your Chess?/^ mode.} ({Black would like to hit back with} 11. Nd4 c5 {but,
after} 12. dxc6 bxc6 {, is} 13. f4 {a problem? See how far you can calculate.})
11... c5 $1 12. dxc6 {The critical test, if new, which is testament to the
ineffectiveness of 9 Rd1 as much as anything else.} ({Previously,} 12. Nc2 Bd7
13. a4 e6 14. dxe6 Bxe6 15. Na3 Qb6 $1 {had left Black calling the shots in
Formanek-W.Watson, London 1982.}) 12... bxc6 {Six points.} (12... Nxc6 {was
possible, but fails to challenge White who must be slightly for choice with
his Maroczy Bind after} 13. Be2 {.}) 13. f4 c5 {The only consistent follow-up.
Deduct your score if you let the knight hang or moved it to g4 and saw c6 fall.
} 14. fxe5 cxd4 15. Bxd4 Ng4 {The most aggressive square for the knight;} ({
although even in the event of} 15... Nd7 16. exd6 Bxd4 17. Qxd4 Rxb2 18. dxe7
Qxe7 {, Black must have pretty decent compensation for the pawn.}) 16. exd6
Bxd4 17. Qxd4 {Take two bonus points if you visualised this far and a further
four if you analysed Wallace/^s next, as most impressively he had back on move
12.} Rxb2 $5 {Continuing in aggressive vein;} ({although the simple} 17... exd6
{wasn/^t so terrible, and if} 18. Rd2 Bb7 {, followed by ...f5.}) 18. dxe7 {
Sensibly Edouard decides to catch up in development.} ({The critical line was} 
18. d7 $1 Bxd7 19. Qxd7 Qa5 $1 (19... Qb6 20. Qd4 $1 {defends}) 20. Qxe8+ Kg7 {
, when Black is attacking but is a rook and piece in arrears. It was this
position that Wallace was trying to visualise back at move 12. He had decided
that} 21. Rd3 Rb1+ (21... Qb6 {also comes up just short:} 22. Be2 Qf2+ 23. Kd1
Ne3+ 24. Kc1 Rxe2 25. Nxe2 Qxe2 {, and now} 26. Qa4 $1 Qxd3 27. Qb3 {denies
Black even perpetual chances}) 22. Kd2 Qb4 {should give Black enough
counterplay . It/^s hard to fault such an assessment and evidently Edouard
agreed, but the ice-calm silicon may be correct that} ({whereas if} 22... Qg5+
23. Ke2 Rb2+ 24. Ke1) 23. Qa4 Rb2+ 24. Kc1 Rb1+ 25. Nxb1 $1 Qxa4 26. Rd2 Ne3
27. Be2 {doesn/^t give Black enough.}) 18... Qxe7 19. Be2 Qh4+ 20. g3 Qh3 21.
Rd2 Rxd2 22. Kxd2 {After a few fairly logical moves, my engine assures me that
the position is <->0.00/^, which might be true if you have no sense of fear,
but it/^s very hard to believe Edouard was enjoying himself. Quite simply,
White/^s position contains a number of weaknesses and his king will do well to
find a safe home.} Qh6+ 23. Kc2 (23. Kd3 $5 Ne5+ 24. Kc2 Nc6 25. Qc5 {is just
the sort of line which only a computer could proclaim to be in White/^s favour.
Probably this should have been tried, but even here <->unclear/^ will be this
annotator/^s cop-out.}) 23... Ne3+ 24. Kb1 $6 {It/^s instructive that running
the king towards the corner doesn/^t help White.} ({He would also have been in
trouble after} 24. Kb3 Be6 {: for example,} 25. Qb6 Qg5 26. a3 Rc8 {, and if}
27. Nd5 Bxd5 28. exd5 Qe5 {, followed by ...Rb8.}) ({However, remarkably,
there was a defence:} 24. Kd3 $1 {(yes, this bold advance again - if this
whets your appetite for some active play with the king, then you should enjoy
Carl Strugnell/^s piece later in this pages)} Nf5 25. Qf2 $1 {, when I haven/
^t managed to find a blow for Black. He can go} Be6 26. Bf3 Nd6 {, but after}
27. Nd5 Bxd5 28. cxd5 f5 29. exf5 Qg5 30. Bg2 $1 Qg4 31. Rc1 {, White should
be able to escape with a draw.}) 24... Bg4 $1 {It/^s always nice to develop a
bishop late and with a threat.} 25. Qd2 ({Suddenly White realises that} 25.
Bxg4 Rb8+ {would leave his king without a good square, but in any case it/^s
about to feel the heat.}) 25... Bxe2 26. Qxe2 Qg5 {Wallace is still a pawn
down, but is going to regain it on c4 and only the one king is in trouble.} 27.
Re1 Nxc4 $1 28. Ka1 {The king desperately tries to hide.} ({Instead,} 28. Qxc4
$2 Qd2 {would have been an immediate killer.}) 28... Qc5 29. Rd1 $6 (29. Qd3 {
looks like a stouter defence, and if} Rb8 30. Rb1 {.}) 29... Rb8 30. Rb1 $2 Rc8
({After such a complex game, the players were by now relying on just the
30-second increment each move, but even so one might have expected Black to
have found the terminal} 30... Rxb1+ 31. Kxb1 Na3+ 32. Kb2 Qb4+ {.}) 31. Rc1
Qd4 32. Qd1 Qf6 ({And here there was} 32... Nd2 {, but it/^s not easy with a
hanging flag and with the psychological pressure generated by facing an
opponent some 250 points higher.}) 33. Qf1 Qb6 34. Qe2 Qd4 35. Qd1 Qf6 36. Qf1
Qb6 37. Qe2 Ne5 38. Qd2 Qb4 $2 39. Nb1 $1 Qb8 40. Rxc8+ Qxc8 {Somehow Edouard
has survived and, with the time control reached, must have been feeling much
more confident, although Black can continue to press, thanks to his better
structure and safer king.} 41. Qc3 Qb8 42. Nd2 Qb5 43. Qd4 h5 44. a4 Qe2 $2 {
The queen ending is just a draw.} ({As such, Black should have preferred} 44...
Qa5 {, and if} 45. Kb2 Nc6 $1 46. Nb3 Nxd4 47. Nxa5 Nf3 48. h3 Ng5 49. Nc6 Nxh3
50. a5 g5 {, retaining some chances in the knight endgame.}) 45. Qxe5 Qxd2 46.
Qe8+ Kg7 47. Qe5+ Kg8 48. Qe8+ Kg7 49. Qe5+ Kh7 50. Qf6 Qc1+ 51. Ka2 Qc4+ 52.
Ka3 a5 53. Qe7 {Keeping everything under control. Wallace is able to win a
pawn, but only at the cost of allowing a perpetual.} Qc3+ 54. Ka2 Kg7 55. Qe8
Qc2+ 56. Ka3 Qxh2 57. Qe5+ Kh7 58. Qf4 Kg7 59. Qe5+ f6 60. Qc7+ Kh6 61. Qf4+
Kg7 1/2-1/2

[Event "4NCL Guildford-Cheddleton"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Jones, GC."]
[Black "Eggleston, D."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B51"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "4r3/4P2R/p4rk1/7R/b2N1p2/2p5/5P1P/7K b - - 0 47"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]

{Suffice to say that play has been quite scrappy, and the position is still
very complex with White having just doubled rooks. Will Black perish due to
the passed e-pawn and his exposed king, or might the c-pawn tip the balance in
his favour?} 47... c2 $2 {Very natural;} ({but Eggleston had to find} 47...
Rxe7 $1 {, when} 48. R5h6+ Kg5 {leaves White with nothing better than
perpetual, as} 49. h4+ $2 Kg4 50. Rxf6 $2 {can now be met by} Rxh7 {.}) 48.
R5h6+ Kg5 49. Rh5+ Kg6 {A little repetition to emphasise who/^s boss whilst
gaining an extra 60 seconds of thinking time, but Jones already had in mind
the following stunning blow.} 50. R5h6+ Kg5 51. h4+ $1 Kg4 52. Rxf6 $1 c1=Q+
53. Kh2 {Black is queen for rook ahead, but his king is stuck in a mating net
with 54 f3# and 54 Rg6# the immediate concerns.} f3 54. Rg7+ Kh5 55. Nxf3 {
Keeping it simple.} ({"I thought} 55. Ne2 $3 {to be too flashy, but the engine
shows that it leads to mate,[+] rued Jones after the game. Indeed, this
further sacrifice would have aesthetically concluded a wonderful late attack.
Black is absolutely defenceless, in view of} fxe2 ({and} 55... Qd2 56. Kg3 $1)
56. Rh7+ Kg4 57. f3# {.}) 55... Bc2 56. Kg3 Be4 57. Rg5+ Qxg5+ 58. hxg5 $2 {
Eggleston has done well to find the only moves to stay on the board and now
the game will continue.} ({Instead,} 58. Nxg5 $1 Rxe7 59. Ne6 {would have
continued to pursue the mating attack to win the exchange and the game.}) 58...
Bxf3 59. Kf4 $1 Kh4 60. g6 {Fortunately for Jones, he still has some chances
thanks to his g-pawn and the position of the black king.} Rxe7 61. Rf7 $1 {
Continuing to play for the win.} ({I/^m sure that your engine will prefer the
mundane} 61. Kxf3 {, but after} Kg5 62. Rxa6 Kf5 {, the England no.4 was
rather concerned that this was just a dead drawn rook endgame, since the white
rook is tied to the defence of g6.}) 61... Re8 $2 {Now White wins by a tempo.}
({Material is not for once the overriding concern in this endgame and, as such,
} 61... Re1 $1 62. Kxf3 Kh5 63. g7 Rg1 {would have drawn.}) 62. Rh7+ Bh5 63. g7
Rg8 64. Kf5 {Black is a piece for a pawn ahead, but his bishop and king aren/
^t playing, and the a-pawn is just too slow to save him.} a5 65. Kf6 a4 66. Rh8
Rxg7 67. Kxg7 Kg4 68. f3+ $1 Kh4 69. f4 {The f-pawn decides.} a3 70. Kf6 Kg4
71. f5 Kh4 72. Ra8 Bg4 73. Rxa3 Kh5 74. Rg3 Be2 75. Kg7 Kh4 76. Rg6 1-0

[Event "4NCL Guildford II-Wood Green"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Wall, G."]
[Black "Houska, Jo"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B12"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. f3 e6 ({Instead,} 3... dxe4 4. fxe4 e5 5. Nf3 Bg4 {was
recommended in Houska/^s popular 'Play the Caro-Kann', but a new edition is
currently in the works and perhaps the text will be the move of choice there.})
({Yet another option is} 3... Qb6 $5 {, which became quite trendy after games
like Ivanchuk-Jobava, Khanty-Mansiysk Olympiad 2010, although there} 4. a3 (4.
Nc3 e6 {would transpose to our main game}) 4... e5 5. exd5 Nf6 $5 6. dxe5 Bc5
$2 7. exf6 Bf2+ 8. Ke2 O-O 9. Qd2 Re8+ 10. Kd1 {did see Black coming up short.}
) 4. Nc3 Qb6 $5 ({Black usually pins with the Winaweresque} 4... Bb4 {or
fianchettoes the queen/^s bishop, but once again the queen can also move.}) 5.
Nge2 $5 {Gavin Wall is a very creative player who tends to have his own
systems quite well worked out. The knight is bound to f4 to press on d5,
hoping to dissuade both ...c5 and ...Bb4, and to leap to h5 at a timely moment.
} ({This looks more challenging than} 5. a3 {, which has been more popular,
and can lead to a rather French-like scenario after} Nf6 6. e5 Nfd7 7. Nce2 c5
8. c3 Nc6 9. f4 {.}) 5... Nf6 6. Nf4 dxe4 {The ...Qb6 lines are full of
fertile territory and, indeed, this is already a novelty.} ({Previously,} 6...
a6 7. Be2 Be7 8. Qd3 O-O 9. exd5 $2 (9. a4 c5 $1 10. a5 Qc7 {appears to open
the position in Black/^s favour}) ({so perhaps White should prefer} 9. Be3 $5)
9... cxd5 10. Rb1 Nc6 11. Be3 Ne8 $1 12. O-O Nd6 {had left Black in control in
the game Cabanas Jimenez-Almagro Llamas, Madrid 2010.}) ({Keeping the centre
closed so until after castling makes good sense for the second player,
although it is possible to open the position too, whether à la Houska, or with
} 6... c5 $5 {. A sample line runs} 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Na4 Bf2+ 9. Ke2 Qd4 10.
Qxd4 Bxd4 11. c3 Be5 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 exd5 {, when the IQP may be offset
by the small loss of time White must incur bringing his knight back into play.}
) 7. fxe4 Bb4 $6 ({Even those used to leading the England women/^s team don/^t
find new, slightly irrational positions easy to navigate over the board. White
takes control after the text, so Black might prefer the thematic counterstrike
} 7... e5 $1 8. dxe5 Ng4 9. Nd3 Na6 10. Be2 h5 $5 {with a complex struggle
ahead.}) 8. e5 Nd5 9. Qd3 {Perhaps this position is playable for Black, but g7
is going to be hit and the lack of queenside development is also a cause for
concern.} c5 $1 {Black absolutely must develop some counterplay, and Houska is
up to the task.} 10. a3 {Another very natural move;} ({but one might also make
a decent case for} 10. Nfxd5 $5 exd5 11. a3 {, with the idea of} Bxc3+ 12. Qxc3
$1 {.}) 10... Bxc3+ 11. bxc3 Nc6 {After some highly-creative if also
principled play from both sides, we/^ve reached a critical position. White/^s
centre is under some pressure, but will he be able to strike on the dark
squares before it collapses?} 12. Nh5 $1 cxd4 $1 ({Much better to flee with
the king to relative sanctuary on the queenside than face} 12... g6 13. Ng7+
Kf8 14. Bh6 Kg8 15. Nh5 $1 {.}) 13. Nxg7+ Kd8 14. Bg5+ $6 {Wall is after the
black king;} ({but it was time for White to switch goals, complete development
and be happy with a pleasant edge after} 14. cxd4 $1 Qxd4 (14... Nxd4 $2 15. c4
{will win material down the d-file}) 15. Qxd4 Nxd4 16. Bd3 {. Even here Black/
^s king might well feel the pressure, so perhaps she would have had to grab
with} Nc6 17. O-O Nxe5 {, but clearly} 18. Be4 Rg8 19. Bb2 Rxg7 20. Bxe5 {
would grant White excellent compensation with those dominant bishops.}) 14...
Kc7 15. c4 $2 {The problem with closing the centre is that it helps the black
king become much safer.} ({Once again,} 15. cxd4 {was indicated, even if} Rg8
$1 {may now be OK for Black as} 16. Qxh7 {no longer threatens to capture the
rook with check.}) 15... Qa5+ 16. Kf2 Ne3 $1 {Good pragmatic play from Houska.
Black is happy to see an exchange on e3 as then e5 would fall, leaving her
with much the better endgame.} 17. Bf6 $2 {White had to go in for the
exchanges. Now it will be his king which finds itself in something of a firing
line.} Nxe5 18. Qxd4 {This drops a piece;} ({but} 18. Bxe5+ Qxe5 {would have
corralled that once great attacker on g7.}) 18... N3g4+ 19. Kg1 Nxf6 20. c5
Nfd7 21. Qd6+ Kd8 22. Rd1 {Black is tied down thanks to the pin, but she is
just a piece up and Houska had no difficulties wrapping up proceedings.} Qc3
23. Bb5 Rg8 24. h4 Qe3+ 25. Kf1 Qf4+ 26. Kg1 Nf3+ $1 0-1

[Event "4NCL Barbican-e2e4"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2014.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Ferguson, M."]
[Black "Mladenov, P."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C55"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "4r3/2p3k1/2Pp3R/3P2p1/1PP2pP1/8/8/5K2 w - - 0 48"]
[PlyCount "19"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2007.03.30"]

{White might calmly retreat his rook to h2, but Ferguson found something much
stronger, trusting in the power of connected passed pawns on the sixth.} 48.
Rxd6 $1 cxd6 49. b5 Kf6 ({There/^s absolutely no stopping the pawns, as shown
too by} 49... Re4 50. b6 Rxc4 51. b7 Rb4 52. c7 {.}) 50. b6 Ke5 51. b7 Rb8 52.
c7 Rxb7 53. c8=Q Rb3 54. Qf5+ Kd4 55. Qxg5 Ke4 56. Qf5+ Kf3 57. Qc2 1-0

