[Event "NA v Teignmouth Div2"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2022.12.15"]
[Round ""]
[White "W Ingham"]
[Black "P Brooks"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2022.12.15"]
[FlipB "1"]
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e3 c5 4.c3 e6 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nbd2 Be7 7.O-O O-O 8.dxc5
Bxc5 9.e4 dxe4 10.Nxe4 Be7 {Paul was expecting a London System from Bill
and plays a less than optimum line which gives Bill the initiative.} 11.
Qc2 h6 12.Bf4 Nh5 13.Be3 Qc7 14.g3 b6 15.Qe2 f5 $6 ( 15...Bb7 {keeping
calm was better, but Paul was worried about his knight on h5, and, if he
retreated it to f6, a sacrifice on h6 eg} ) ( 15...Nf6 16.Nxf6+ Bxf6 17.
Bxh6 gxh6 18.Qe4 {This is good for black as the attack doesn't go
anywhere. Here the cure is definitely worse than the disease.} ) 16.Ned2
Nf6 17.Bf4 Bd6 18.Bxd6 Qxd6 19.Nc4 Qc7 20.Rad1 Re8 21.Nce5 Nxe5 22.Qxe5
Qxe5 23.Nxe5 {We have reached an ending where white has a clear advantage
- defending the weakness on e5 will be a difficult task.} 23...Bb7 24.Bc4
Bd5 25.Rd4 Bxc4 26.Rxc4 Rac8 27.Rd4 Red8 28.Rfd1 Rd5 29.Rxd5 Nxd5 30.c4
Nf6 31.Rd6 Re8 32.f3 Kf8 33.Kf2 Ke7 34.Rd4 Rc8 35.Ke3 Rc5 36.Nd3 $6 {Bill
makes a mistake.} ( 36.Ng6+ {is better as } 36...Kf7 {allows} 37.b4 Rc7
38.Ne5+ Ke7 39.b5 {and the knight gets a great outpost on c6.} ) 36...Rc7
37.b4 Nd7 38.f4 Nf6 39.Nf2 Rd7 40.c5 bxc5 41.bxc5 Rc7 42.Rc4 Nd5+ 43.Kd4
Kd7 44.Nd3 g5 45.Ke5 Ne3 46.Rd4+ Ke7 {Here black is even threatening mate
in one!} 47.h3 g4 {Now black is winning although Paul didn't realise it. }
48.h4 h5 49.Ra4 Nf1 $2 {Aargh! There is an unstoppable mate if black plays
} ( 49...Rd7 50.Rd4 Nc4+ 51.Rxc4 Rd5# ) 50.Ra6 Nxg3 51.Rxe6+ Kf7 52.c6 Ne2
53.Kd6 {The position, although it looks simple, is on a knife-edge. Add to
this that Paul was under 5 minutes on the clock.} 53...Nd4 $4 ( 53...Rxc6+
{wins easily.} 54.Kxc6 Kxe6 {with an extra protected passed pawn.} ) 54.
Kxc7 $4 {Bill returns the favour} ( 54.Ne5+ Kf8 55.Rf6+ Kg7 56.Rg6+ Kf8
57.Kxc7 {just wins the rook for nothing.} ) 54...Kxe6 55.Kb7 Nb5 56.a4
Nd6+ 57.Kb8 Kd5 58.Kc7 g3 59.Ne1 Kc5 {Paul's last chance was } ( 59...Nc4
60.Kd7 Nb6+ 61.Kc7 Nxa4 62.Nc2 Nc5 63.Ne3+ Ke4 64.Kd6 Na6 65.Ng2 Kf3 66.
Ne1+ Ke2 {and the g-pawn will queen.} ) 60.Kd7 a5 $2 {The losing move.} (
60...Nc4 {should still hold.} 61.c7 Nb6+ {and white should play} 62.Ke6 (
62.Kd8 {loses!} 62...a5 63.c8=Q+ Nxc8 64.Kxc8 Kd4 65.Kb7 Ke3 66.Ka6 Ke2
67.Nc2 g2 {and the g-pawn queens.} ) 62...a5 63.Kxf5 Kd6 64.Kg5 Kxc7
65.Kg6 {picking up the pawns.} ) 61.c7 Kd5 62.Nf3 Kc5 63.Ne1 Kd5 64.Ng2
Kc5 65.Ne3 Kd4 66.Kxd6 Kxe3 67.c8=Q Kf2 68.Ke5 g2 69.Kxf5 {Black resigns
as if he queens the pawn, 70.Qc5+ allows white to swap queens and leaves
the f-pawn free to run through. A tough game and an illustration of how
complex simple-looking endings can be.} 0-1
[Event "Autumn Swiss R4"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2022.12.12"]
[Round ""]
[White "P Brooks"]
[Black "A Brusey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2022.12.12"]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.cxd5 Qxd5 4.e3 e5 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 exd4 8.
cxd4 Nf6 9.Nf3 O-O 10.Rb1 a6 11.Be2 Ne4 12.Qb3 {This line gives white a
small advantage, and here Alan typically keeps queens on, where a safer
line would be to play 12...Be6.} 12...Qa5+ 13.Bd2 Nxd2 14.Nxd2 Re8 15.Qb2
Bf5 16.Rc1 Bg6 17.Rc5 Qb6 18.Nc4 Qxb2 19.Nxb2 Re7 20.Kd2 Rd8 21.Bd3 Bxd3
22.Nxd3 Rd6 23.h4 b6 24.Rc3 Na5 25.Rhc1 c5 $6 ( 25...g6 {safeguarding the
king is better, though white is still on top. However, } 26.Rxc7 {is
impossible, because of } 26...Nb3+ {so white will have to be patient.} )
26.dxc5 bxc5 27.Ke1 $6 {Paul misses a chance.} ( 27.Rb1 {causes problems
on the back rank.} 27...Nb7 28.Ke2 g6 29.Nxc5 Nxc5 30.Rxc5 {wins a pawn,
although there would be plenty of work still to do to make it into a win.}
) 27...c4 28.Nb2 {It's dead equal.} 1/2-1/2
[Event "Autumn Swiss R4"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2022.12.15"]
[Round ""]
[White "T Thynne"]
[Black "J Blackmore"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2022.12.15"]
[FlipB "1"]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 {Josh surprises Trefor with the Grunfeld defense
and he plays a quiet variation which allows Josh to equalise easily.} 4.
Nf3 Bg7 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e3 O-O 7.Be2 c5 8.O-O Nc6 9.dxc5 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Qa5
11.Bb2 Qxc5 12.Rc1 Bg4 13.Qa4 Ne5 14.Ba3 Qc7 15.Nd4 Bxe2 16.Nxe2 Rfe8 17.
Rb1 Nc4 ( 17...a6 {aiming to establish an outpost on c4 is better eg} 18.
Qb3 b5 19.Rbd1 Rac8 20.h3 Nc4 {and black can continue to target the weak
pawn on c3.} ) 18.Rfd1 Nxa3 19.Qxa3 e6 20.Nd4 a6 21.Qb4 b5 22.Rbc1 Rec8
23.a4 Rab8 ( 23...Bf8 {is more incisive.} 24.Qb3 bxa4 25.Qxa4 Qc4 26.Qxc4
Rxc4 {and black can aim to push his a-pawn while keeping the c-pawn under
lock and key.} ) 24.axb5 Bxd4 25.Rxd4 Rxb5 26.Qa4 Ra5 27.Qd1 Rc5 28.c4 a5
29.g3 h5 30.Qa4 Qc6 31.Qxc6 R8xc6 {Now it's equal and the game drifts to a
draw.} 32.Rd8+ Kg7 33.Ra8 Rc8 34.Ra7 Kf6 35.Kg2 Rxc4 1/2-1/2
[Event "Rated Classical game"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/WZtWeWBR"]
[Date "2022.12.14"]
[White "A Kinder]
[Black "J Wills"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. f4 exf4 4. d4 Bb4 5. Bd3 O-O 6. Bxf4 d5 7. e5 Ne4 8. Ne2 Bg4 9. O-O Nxc3 10. bxc3 Bxc3 11. Rb1 Bxd4+ 12. Kh1 Bb6 13. Qe1 Nc6 14. Qg3 Qd7 15. Bg5 Rae8 16. Qh4 h6 17. Bxh6 gxh6 18. Qxh6 f5 19. exf6 Ne5 20. Qg5+ Kf7 21. Qg7+ Ke6 22. Qg5 Kd6 23. c4 Qf7 24. Nc3 dxc4 25. Be4 c6 26. h3 Be6 27. Rbd1+ Nd3 28. Bxd3 cxd3 29. Rxd3+ Kc7 30. Rg3 Bxa2 31. Nxa2 Qxa2 32. Qf5 Rf7 33. Rg7 Rxg7 34. fxg7 Rg8 35. Qf8 Be3 36. Rf7+ Kb6 37. Qxg8 Qa1+ 38. Kh2 Qe5+ 39. Kh1 Qa1+ 40. Kh2 Qe5+ 41. Kh1 Qa1+ 1/2-1/2