[Event "Abbots v Bishops B1"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2024.01.25"]
[Round ""]
[White "P Brooks"]
[Black "A Brusey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2024.01.25"]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 {Alan is trying to play the Ragozin
variation of the Queen's Gambit declined. The danger is that the bishop on
b4 might be misplaced.} 5.e3 O-O 6.Qb3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 c6 8.Nf3 h6 9.Bh4 g5 {
This advance is quite common in the Ragozin - here it seems to be too
loosening. Development with 9...b6 and 10...Bb7 seems more sensible.} 10.
Bg3 Ne4 11.Bd3 f5 {This is a mistake which allows Paul to get a real
stranglehold on the position. 11...Nxg3 or 11...Nd7 were the only viable
moves although white is still better.} 12.Bxb8! Rxb8 13.Bxe4! fxe4 14.Ne5
{The exchanges have left Paul with an impregnable knight on a dominant
outpost against a bishop which is restricted by its own pawns.} 14...Qc7
15.O-O b5 {Trying to attack on the queenside but Paul keeps things
blocked.} 16.c5 a5 17.Qd1 {Now white is going to target the holes on
black's kingside.} 17...Rf6 18.f3 exf3 19.Rxf3 Rxf3 20.Qxf3 {There's not
much Alan can do against the coming onslaught.} 20...b4 21.Qf6 bxc3 (
21...Qg7 {is the best move but it's still totally lost for black after }
22.Qd8+ Qf8 23.Qxa5 bxc3 24.Qxc3 ) 22.Rf1 c2 ( 22...Qg7 {isn't any help.}
23.Qd8+ Kh7 24.Rf7 Qxf7 25.Nxf7 c2 {trying to queen the pawn, fails to }
26.Qh8+ Kg6 27.Ne5+ Kf5 28.Qh7+ Kf6 29.Ng4# ) 23.Qf8+ Kh7 24.Rf7+ Qxf7 25.
Qxf7+ Kh8 26.Ng6# {An model 'good knight v bad bishop' attack. Alan was
feeling under the weather which probably contributed to his below par
performance.} 1-0
[Event "Abbots v Bishops B2"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2024.01.25"]
[Round ""]
[White "T Thynne"]
[Black "A Kinder"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2024.01.25"]
1.e4 a6 2.d4 b5 {The St George defence whose main claim to fame is that it
was used by British Grandmaster Tony Miles to defeat World Champion
Anatoly Karpov in the 80s. Since then it hasn't been too popular as it
gives white a free hand in the centre.} 3.Nf3 Bb7 4.Bd3 e6 5.O-O c5 6.c3
Nf6 7.Qe2 Be7 8.Bg5 c4 9.Bc2 d5 {A very commital decision - Andrew's white
squared bishop is severely restricted by his own pawns.} 10.e5 Nfd7 11.
Bxe7 Qxe7 12.Re1 Nc6 13.Nbd2 {The position now looks like a French defence
which has gone a bit wrong. At the moment, it looks very dangerous to open
the centre with 13...f6. The computer suggests the standard French
approach of attacking on the queenside with ...b4 and ...a5. Andrew, in
typical style, decides to throw his kingside pawns forward.} 13...g5 14.
Nf1 h5 15.N3d2 O-O-O 16.b4 {Trefor counterattacks on the queenside.} 16...
Rdg8 ( 16...Rde8 {is an alternative hoping to meet the coming queenside
attack with counterplay in the centre. eg} 17.a4 f6 18.exf6 Qxf6 19.axb5
axb5 20.Qf3 Qxf3 21.Nxf3 e5 22.Bg6 Ref8 23.Nxe5 Ndxe5 24.dxe5 Rh6 25.Bb1 (
25.Bc2 {is no better.} 25...d4 26.cxd4 Nxd4 27.Be4 Bxe4 28.Rxe4 Rf4 29.Ng3
Re6 30.Rxf4 gxf4 31.Nxh5 f3 32.gxf3 Rxe5 33.Nf6 Nxf3+ 34.Kf1 Nxh2+ {and
it's level.} ) 25...Re6 26.Ng3 Rxe5 27.Rxe5 Nxe5 28.Nxh5 d4 29.cxd4 Nc6 {
and black will regain the pawns with an acceptable game.} ) 17.a4 g4 {Now
Trefor makes progress on the queenside while Andrew's attack doesn't
really go anywhere.} 18.Nb1 h4 {This loses a key pawn.} ( 18...Na7 {looks
passive but was better.} ) 19.axb5 axb5 20.Na3 Na7 21.Nxc4! {This is what
Andrew missed.} 21...dxc4 22.Rxa7 Nb6 23.Be4 Nd5 {The bishop is pinned so
this is forced. Andrew's position is very unpleasant and Trefor plays the
next few moves well.} 24.Bxd5 exd5 25.Ne3 Qe6 26.f4 gxf3 27.Qxf3 Rg5 28.
Rf1 Rh7 29.Nf5 Kb8 30.Ra5 Qg6 31.Rxb5 Kc7 32.Nd6 Bc6 33.Rc5 h3 34.g3 Rg7
35.Ne8+ {and the loss of material together with a continued attack forced
Andrew to resign.} 1-0
[Event "Abbots v Bishops B3"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2024.01.25"]
[Round ""]
[White "P Ruszelak"]
[Black "J Blackmore"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2024.01.25"]
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4.Bc4 g6 5.f4 Bg7 6.Nf3 e6 7.O-O Ne7 8.Ne2 d5
9.Nexd4 dxc4 10.Ne2 b5 11.d3 cxd3 12.cxd3 Nc6 13.Be3 {A clever move which
puts Piotr on the front foot.} 13...Nb4 14.Bxc5 Nxd3 15.Bd4 Bxd4+ 16.Nfxd4
Nxb2 17.Qb3 Na4 18.Qxb5+ Bd7 19.Qe5 {As usual Joshua has defended well,
and although white's position looks better, there's really nothing in it.}
19...O-O 20.f5 {Piotr tries to be aggressive....} 20...exf5 21.exf5 Re8
22.Qg3 Qb6 23.Qg5 {....but this is a miscalculation.} ( 23.Kh1 {unpins the
knight and keeps things balanced. eg} 23...Nc5 24.fxg6 fxg6 25.Qf3 {and
black will need to keep defending carefully.} ) 23...Rxe2 24.f6 {The
attack just doesn't work.} 24...Qxd4+ 25.Kh1 Qe3 26.Rf4 {This is what
Piotr was counting on, but....} 26...Re1+ {.... it's checkmate or white
loses his queen.} 0-1
[Event "Abbots v Bishops B4"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2024.01.25"]
[Round ""]
[White "E Manning"]
[Black "J Wills"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2024.01.25"]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nge7 4.O-O g6 5.c3 Bg7 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 O-O 8.Nc3
d5 9.e5 Bg4 10.Be3 Nf5 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.h3 Bxf3 13.Qxf3 {Jack has played
the opening well and has the advantage - his minor pieces are better than
white's. 13...f6 is the best move here, aiming to open the f-file and the
long diagonal.} 13...c5 14.Nxd5 cxd4 15.Bf4 c5 16.Rac1 Rc8 17.Rfd1 Re8 18.
Re1 Re6 19.Re2 Nh4 20.Qb3 g5 21.Bh2 Ng6 {Now the pressure on the e-pawn is
becoming unbearable.} 22.f4 gxf4 23.Nxf4 Rxe5 24.Rxe5 Bxe5 25.Ne6 {Ellis
succumbs. This drops a piece. Both 25.Nd3 and 25.Nxg6 are better.} 25...
Bxh2+ 26.Kh1 fxe6 27.Qxe6+ Kg7 28.Kxh2 Qc7+ 29.Kh1 Rf8 30.b4 c4 31.Qe4 Qe5
32.Qg4 Qf4 33.Qxf4 Rxf4 34.Rxc4 d3 35.Rc7+ Rf7 36.Rc1 d2 37.Rd1 Rd7 38.Kg1
Ne5 39.Kf1 Nc4 40.Ke2 Re7+ 41.Kd3 Nb2+ {This wins the rook. A nicely
played ending by Jack.} 0-1
[Event "Challengers "]
[Site ""]
[Date "2024.01.25"]
[Round ""]
[White "R Hammond"]
[Black "S Howard"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2024.01.25"]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.a4 Bd6 6.c4 c6 7.b3 O-O 8.Ba3 Re8+
9.Be2 Qa5+ 10.Nbd2 Bxa3 11.Rxa3 Ne4 12.Kf1 Nxd2+ ( 12...Nc3 {attacks the
queen and the bishop. The best white can do is } 13.b4 Qxb4 14.Rxc3 Qxc3 {
when black emerges the exchange up.} ) 13.Qxd2 Qxd2 14.Nxd2 Be6 15.a5 a6
16.h3 ( 16.f3 {was better, intending 17.Kf2 to activate the rook along the
first rank.} ) 16...Nd7 17.Bg4 f5 18.Bh5 g6 19.Bf3 Nf6 20.cxd5 Bxd5 21.
Bxd5+ Nxd5 22.f3 ( 22.g3 {might have been better although the position is
difficult for Rhys.} ) 22...Re7 23.g4 Rf8 24.Nc4 fxg4 25.Kg2 gxf3+ 26.Kf2
Re2+ 27.Kf1 Ne3+ 28.Nxe3 Rxe3 29.Kf2 Re2+ 30.Kf1 Rb2 31.Ra1 Re8 32.Rg1
Ree2 33.Rc1 Rf2+ 34.Ke1 Rbe2+ 35.Kd1 Rd2+ 36.Ke1 Rfe2+ 37.Kf1 Ra2 38.b4
Rf2+ 39.Ke1 Rh2 {Simon finds the right way - the threat of 40.f2+ is
decisive.} 40.d5 f2+ 41.Kf1 fxg1=Q+ 42.Kxg1 cxd5 43.Rc8+ Kg7 44.Rc7+ Kh6
45.Rxb7 Rhc2 46.Rf7 d4 47.Rf1 d3 0-1