[Event "Competitors' League"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2024.02.22"]
[Round ""]
[White "M Abbott"]
[Black "J Blackmore"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2024.02.22"]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Ne2 c6 8.O-O
Nbd7 9.a3 Bd6 10.f3 c5 11.Qc2 a6 12.Bd2 Re8 13.Rae1 Qc7 14.f4 {This move
stabilises Mark's pawn structure but leaves it static.} 14...Nb6 ( 14...c4
{looks good. After} 15.Bf5 {, Joshua could aim to swap off light squared
bishops leaving him with the better bishop.} ) 15.Ng3 Bd7 16.dxc5 Bxc5 17.
b4 Bd6 18.Nf5 Bf8 19.Rf3 Rac8 20.Rc1 Ne4 {Joshua thinks he's bringing real
pressure to bear on the c-file but he misses a tactic.} 21.Nxe4 {Mark
doesn't find the best move order.} ( 21.Nh6+! gxh6 22.Nxe4 Qxc2 23.Nf6+
Kh8 ( 23...Kg7 24.Nxe8+ {wins the exchange.} ) 24.Rxc2 Rxc2 25.Bxc2 Rc8
26.Bb3 Bc6 27.Nh5 Bg7 28.Nxg7 Kxg7 29.Bc3+ Kf8 30.Bd4 {gives Mark a
significant positional advantage. (2 bishops and the better pawn
structure).} ) 21...Qxc2 22.Nf6+ gxf6 23.Rg3+ Kh8 24.Rxc2 Bxf5 25.Bxf5
Rxc2 26.Bxc2 d4 ( 26...Nc4 {would lead to an equal position. eg} 27.Bc3
Bg7 28.Bb3 Nxe3 29.Kf2 d4 30.Bd2 f5 31.Bxe3 dxe3+ 32.Ke2 Bb2 33.Bxf7 Rf8
34.Bd5 Bxa3 35.Bxb7 Bxb4 36.Bxa6 Bd6 37.Rxe3 Bxf4 {and the players could
shake hands. Instead Joshua makes a mistake....} ) 27.exd4 {and Mark
replies with a mistake of his own!} ( 27.Bb3 Re7 ( 27...dxe3 {is a
disaster} 28.Bxe3 {and black has to give up his rook or knight. eg} 28...
Nd7 29.Bxf7 {has a one-move mate threat.} ) 28.exd4 {leaves white a pawn
up with 2 bishops and the better structure.} ) 27...Re2 {Now white will
lose a piece.} 28.Rd3 Nc4 29.Bb3 Nxd2 30.Bxf7 Re7 31.Bd5 Ne4 32.f5 Nd6 33.
Be6 Bh6 34.Rg3 Bg7 35.h4 Nb5 36.Rd3 h6 37.g4 Bf8 38.Kg2 Kg7 39.d5 Rc7 40.
Kf3 Rc3 41.Rxc3 Nxc3 42.g5 {Mark decides to try to swap off all the pawns,
hoping that Joshua won't be able to win with the reduced material.} 42...
fxg5 43.hxg5 hxg5 44.Bc8 Nxd5 45.Bxb7 Nc7 46.Ke4 Kf6 47.Bc8 Bd6 48.Kd3 g4
49.Kc4 g3 50.Bb7 Kxf5 51.a4 Ke5 52.Bg2 Ne6 53.b5 axb5+ 54.Kxb5 Nf4 55.Bf3
g2 56.Bxg2 Nxg2 {Now it's a question if Joshua can mate with just bishop
and knight - not an easy task. Maybe Mark might have been better to play
57.Kc4 abandoning the pawn and keeping his king in the centre. It would be
harder for Joshua to mate him with a centralised king. Bravely, he tries
to push the a-pawn.} 57.a5 Kd5 58.Kb6 Ne3 59.a6 Nc4+ 60.Kb7 Na5+ 61.Kb6
Nc6 62.a7 Bc5+ 63.Kb7 Nxa7 {The pawn is gone and Mark's king is near the
edge. Joshua plays the next few moves in exemplary fashion. He knows he
has to drive Mark's king to a1 or h8, and mate him there.} 64.Kc7 Ke6 65.
Kb7 Kd6 66.Ka6 Be3 67.Kb7 Kd7 68.Ka8 Kc6 69.Kb8 Bc5 70.Ka8 Nb5 71.Kb8 Nc7
72.Kc8 Ba7 73.Kd8 Nd5 74.Kc8 Ne7+ 75.Kd8 Kd6 76.Ke8 Ke6 77.Kd8 Bb6+ 78.Ke8
Bc7 79.Kf8 Nf5 80.Ke8 Ng7+ 81.Kf8 Kf6 82.Kg8 Kg6 83.Kf8 Bd6+ 84.Kg8 Nf5
85.Kh8 Ba3 86.Kg8 Nh6+ 87.Kh8 Bb2# {Well played Joshua.} 0-1
[Event "Challengers' League"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2024.02.22"]
[Round ""]
[White "R Ballantyne"]
[Black "R Hammond"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2024.02.22"]
[FlipB "1"]
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 Nc6 4.c3 Bg4 5.Be2 e6 6.Nbd2 a6 7.O-O b5 8.a3 Bd6
9.h3 Bxf3 10.Bxf3 a5 11.c4 bxc4 12.Nxc4 O-O 13.Nd2 e5 14.dxe5 Bxe5 15.g3
Qd6 16.Bg2 d4 17.exd4 {Richard missed a chance.} ( 17.Nc4 {wins the
exchange.} 17...Qe6 18.Nxe5 Nxe5 19.Bxa8 Rxa8 20.exd4 Qxh3 {and if he is
careful white should win.} ) 17...Bxd4 18.Ne4 {This is a mistake.} 18...
Nxe4 19.Qc2 {Richard probably saw that } ( 19.Bxe4 {allows} 19...Qxg3+ 20.
Bg2 Rad8 {with an attack. But now Rhys blows Richard out of the water.} )
19...Nxg3! 20.Rd1 Rae8 21.Be3 Rxe3! 22.fxe3 Bxe3+ 23.Kh2 Nf1+ {It's mate
in one!} 0-1
[Event "Bishops v Teignmouth B3"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2024.02.22"]
[Round ""]
[White "I Henry"]
[Black "J Wills"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2024.02.22"]
[FlipB "1"]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 h6 6.h3 O-O 7.O-O d6 8.Re1 a6 9.
a4 Be6 10.Bxe6 fxe6 11.Be3 Bxe3 12.Rxe3 Rb8 13.b4 Qd7 14.Nbd2 b5 15.axb5
axb5 16.Nb3 Ra8 17.Re2 Ra4 18.Rea2 Rfa8 19.Qc2 Nh5 20.g3 Nf6 21.Na5 Rxa2
22.Rxa2 Nxa5 23.bxa5 Qc6 24.Qb3 Kf7 25.Nd2 Ra6 26.c4 bxc4 27.Qxc4 Qxc4 28.
Nxc4 Nd7 29.f4 exf4 30.gxf4 Nc5 31.Ra3 d5 32.exd5 exd5 33.Ne5+ Ke6 34.Kf2
Nb7 35.d4 ( 35.Nc6! {holds the balance.} 35...Kd6 ( 35...Rxc6 36.a6 {loses
as black can't stop the pawn.} ) 36.Nd4 g6 37.f5 g5 38.Rb3 Nc5 39.Ra3 )
35...Rxa5 36.Rc3 c5 37.dxc5 Rxc5 38.Rb3 Nd6 39.Rb6 g5 ( 39...d4 {is
better. Now white can equalise.} ) 40.Ng6 Rb5 41.Rxb5 Nxb5 42.fxg5 hxg5
43.Nf8+ Kf5 44.Nd7 d4 45.Nc5 Nc3 46.Kf3 Nd5 47.Kg3 Nf4 48.h4 {The losing
move!} ( 48.Nb3 d3 49.Nd2 {keeps things level.} 49...Nh5+ 50.Kf3 Ke5 51.
Ke3 Nf4 52.Nf3+ Kf6 53.Nd2 {and there's no way to make progress. If Jack
takes the h-pawn, Ian takes the d-pawn then sacrifices his knight for the
g-pawn.} ) 48...Nh5+ 49.Kh3 g4+ {Ian can't stop both passed pawns.} 50.Kg2
Kf4 51.Nd3+ Ke3 52.Ne5 g3 53.Nc4+ Ke2 0-1
[Event "Bishops v Totnes B1"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2024.02.22"]
[Round ""]
[White "W Ingham"]
[Black "P Brooks"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2024.02.22"]
[FlipB "1"]
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.dxc5 e6 5.b4 b6 6.Bb5+ Bd7 7.Bxd7+ Nfxd7 8.Bb2
bxc5 9.b5 {Bill decides to push his b-pawn. } ( 9.bxc5 {was safer.} ) 9...
Qa5+ 10.Nc3 Nb6 11.O-O Nc4 12.Qc1 Nxb2 13.Qxb2 Nd7 14.Ne2 Be7 15.Rad1 (
15.Qxg7 {is not good because of } 15...Bf6 ) 15...Bf6 16.Qb3 Rb8 ( 16...
Nb6 {is better. The rook doesn't do much on b8.} ) 17.Rb1 O-O 18.c4 Nb6
19.cxd5 exd5 20.Rfc1 {Bill has fought back well and the position is
balanced.} 20...Rbc8 21.Nf4 Rfd8 22.Nh5 Be7 23.Qb2 Bf8 24.Ne5 Qa4 25.Nc6
Rd7 26.Ne5 Rdd8 27.Nd3 Qg4 ( 27...d4 {was good.} 28.exd4 Qxd4 29.Qxd4 Rxd4
30.Ne1 ( 30.Ne5 {loses to} 30...Rd5 31.f4 f6 ) 30...g6 31.Ng3 ( 31.Nf6+
Kg7 {also loses a knight.} ) 31...Ra4 {leaves black with the more active
pieces.} ) 28.Ng3 Nc4 29.Ne5 Nxb2 30.Nxg4 Nd3 31.Rd1 c4 {We have reached
an ending where Paul should have the advantage.} 32.h3 Bc5 33.Ne2 f5 34.
Nh2 g6 35.Nf3 Rd7 36.Ned4 Re8 37.a4 Rb7 {Here and in the last few moves }
( 37...f4 {has been best, trying to undermine the blockade on d4 and
activate white's pieces.} ) 38.Ne1 Nxe1 39.Rxe1 Bxd4 ( 39...f4 {was again
the best move.} ) 40.exd4 Re4 41.Rxe4 fxe4 {The ending is now equal.}
42.Kf1 Kf7 43.Ke2 Ke6 44.Kd2 Kd6 45.Ke3 Ke6 {The game continued for
another 20 moves with some ups and downs and eventually a draw was agreed.
} 1/2-1/2
[Event "Bishops v Teignmouth B4"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2024.02.22"]
[Round ""]
[White "R Brenton"]
[Black "J Smith"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2024.02.22"]
1.b3 e5 2.g3 d5 3.Bb2 Bd6 4.d3 c5 5.Bg2 Be6 6.e3 Nc6 7.Nd2 Nge7 8.a3 O-O
9.Ne2 Rc8 10.h3 {This set-up is called the Hippopotamus. Theory doesn't
like it, but it can be difficult to break down.} 10...Qd7 11.e4 d4 12.Nf3
f5 13.Ng5 fxe4 14.Nxe6 Qxe6 15.Bxe4 Qf6 16.f3 Nf5 17.Bc1 Kh8 18.h4 Bc7 19.
Bg5 Qe6 20.O-O Bd8 21.Bxf5 Qxf5 22.Bxd8 Nxd8 {Richard has played things
fairly well but black still has the advantage here.} 23.Kg2 Ne6 24.Ng1 Nc7
{Black is aiming to get his knight to e3.} 25.Rf2 Nd5 26.Kh2 Ne3 27.Qe2
Ng4+ {This wins the exchange.} 28.Kg2 Nxf2 29.Qxf2 Rce8 {Jack moves his
rook to a file where it will be difficult to break through.} ( 29...b5 {
was much better, aiming to crash through with his c-pawn.eg} 30.Qe2 c4 31.
bxc4 bxc4 32.Nh3 Rc6 {and Richard will find it difficult to hold this
position.} ) 30.Re1 g5 31.g4 Qf6 32.h5 h6 33.Qe2 Re6 34.Nh3 b6 35.Nf2 a5
36.Ne4 Qe7 {Jack might still be better - but he hasn't given the
impression that he knows how to win this position. He has to try to break
through on the queenside.} 37.a4 Kg7 38.Ng3 Kh8 39.Ne4 Rf4 40.Nd2 Qb7 41.
Rb1 Rf8 {Jack misses a chance.} ( 41...Rxg4+ 42.Kf2 Rh4 {and both the g
and h-pawns will be lost.} ) 42.Ne4 Qc6 43.Qd2 Re7 44.Rf1 Ref7 45.Qe1 Kg7
46.Nd2 Qd5 47.Qe2 Kf6 48.Nc4 Rb8 49.Na3 Ke6 50.Nb5 Rf4 {A horrible
blunder!} 51.Nc7+ {and wins the queen.} 1-0