[Event "Challengers' League"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2023.03.30"]
[Round ""]
[White "R Brenton"]
[Black "B Stephens"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2023.03.30"]
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.e4 {In his usual style, Richard gambits a pawn.} 3...
dxe4 4.Bg5 Bf5 5.f3 exf3 ( 5...Nbd7 {is safer.} ) 6.Qxf3 {Now it's
definitely tricky for black. } 6...Bc8 {The computer suggests} ( 6...e6 7.
Qxb7 Nbd7 8.Bb5 Rb8 9.Qxa7 Qc8 {leading to an equal position. Black is
threatening to trap white's queen, so the best might be } 10.Ba6 Qd8 11.
Bb5 Qc8 {with a repetition of moves.} ) 7.O-O-O g6 ( 7...Nbd7 {again.} )
8.Bxf6 exf6 ( 8...Bh6+ {first making a hole for the king on f8 is a bit
better.} ) 9.Re1+ Be7 10.Qxf6 Rg8 11.Nd5 Be6 12.Nxe7 Nd7 13.Qh4 g5 14.Qxh7
Nf6 15.Bb5+ c6 16.Nxc6 Qb6 ( 16...Nxh7 {was mandatory, although after} 17.
Nxd8+ Kxd8 18.Nf3 {white is a clear 2 pawns ahead.} ) 17.Rxe6+ $1 fxe6 18.
Qe7# {A smashing attack from Richard.} 1-0
[Event "KO Cup Final B2"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2023.03.30"]
[Round ""]
[White "G Darling"]
[Black "C Howard"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2023.03.30"]
1.a3 d5 2.f4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.e3 Nf6 5.Be2 c5 6.O-O Nc6 7.d3 O-O 8.b4 Nd7 9.
d4 cxb4 10.axb4 e6 11.b5 Ne7 12.Ba3 Re8 13.g4 Nf6 14.Ne5 Ne4 15.Bf3 {The
game so far has been downright weird - a cross between a Polish Opening
and a Bird. It's about even now according to the computer, but who
knows???} 15...Nd6 16.Qe2 f6 17.Nd3 Nc4 {I'm not sure why Charlie didn't
just take the b-pawn.} 18.Nd2 Qc7 19.Nc5 Nxa3 20.Rxa3 e5 21.c4 b6 {Charlie
opens the long diagonal and allows George to play a combination.} 22.cxd5
bxc5 23.d6 Qxd6 24.Bxa8 ( 24.dxe5 {first is better according to the
computer.} 24...fxe5 25.Bxa8 {and white's pieces will quickly find good
squares.} ) 24...cxd4 25.Rd3 Bd7 26.Ne4 Qb8 ( 26...Qb6 {allowing black to
block checks with Be6 keeps black in the game.} ) 27.Qa2+ Kh8 28.fxe5 Qxa8
29.Rxd4 {Now black is in danger!} 29...Bxb5 30.Nd6 {This isn't the most
accurate move, but it has a big threat....} 30...Bxf1 {which Charlie
misses!} ( 30...Rf8 {would have kept him alive, although George remains
much better.} ) 31.Nf7+ Kg8 32.Nh6+ Kh8 33.Qg8+ {A classic smothered mate.
If 33...Rxg8 34.Nf7#} 1-0
[Event "Competitors League"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2023.03.30"]
[Round ""]
[White "P Brooks"]
[Black "M Abbott"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2023.03.30"]
1.d4 g6 2.Nf3 Bg7 3.c4 c5 4.d5 b5 5.e4 d6 6.Qc2 Nf6 7.cxb5 O-O 8.Nc3 Nbd7
9.Be2 a6 10.a4 axb5 11.Bxb5 Ba6 12.Qe2 Bxb5 {Mark misses a tactic.} (
12...Nxe4 13.Qxe4 ( 13.Nxe4 {is worse.} 13...Qa5+ 14.Bd2 Bxb5 15.Bxa5 Bxe2
16.Kxe2 Rxa5 17.Nc3 Rb8 18.Ra2 Rb4 {with a perfect benko gambit position.}
) 13...Bxc3+ 14.bxc3 Bxb5 {leaves him better} ) 13.Nxb5 Ng4 14.O-O Nb6 15.
Nd2 Qd7 16.h3 Nf6 17.a5 Rfb8 18.Nc3 Qa7 19.Ra3 Nbd7 20.f4 Qa6 21.Re1 Qxe2
22.Rxe2 Nh5 23.Nf3 Rb4 {The computer recommends} ( 23...Bxc3 24.bxc3 Rb1
25.Re1 Rb5 {when black should win back the pawn with a fairly equal game,
but, understandably, Mark doesn't want to give up his bishop.} ) 24.Kh2
Bh6 {But now the bishop gets sidetracked and Paul has a significant
advantage.} 25.g3 c4 {This is the big misjudgement. Mark sees he can
activate his knight, but forgets that, equally, he is allowing Paul to do
the same, in a much more threatening manner.} 26.Nd4 Nc5 27.Nc6 Rb7 28.Be3
Nd3 {Mark's knight has reached d3, but now Paul's other knight joins the
party.} 29.Na4 Nf6 30.Nb6 Ra6 31.Nxc4 Nb4 ( 31...Nc5 {is no better.} 32.b4
Ncd7 33.Rb2 Rb5 34.Nd4 Rb8 35.b5 {and white's pawns will power through.} )
32.Rb3 {This wins the exchange and the game.} 32...Nxc6 33.Rxb7 Nxa5 34.
Nxa5 Rxa5 35.Bd4 Ra4 36.Bxf6 {Simple chess. Paul sees that Mark will
struggle to activate his bishop.} 36...exf6 37.Rb8+ Bf8 38.b4 Kg7 39.b5
Rb4 40.b6 f5 41.exf5 gxf5 42.h4 {Paul creates a little space so that Mark
has only one check. Black can't save his bishop, so he resigned.} 1-0
[Event "KO Cup Final B4"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2023.03.30"]
[Round ""]
[White "J Wills"]
[Black "T Lopez"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2023.03.30"]
1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 d6 3.exd6 Bxd6 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.e4 Nc6 6.Be2 Qe7 7.Nc3 O-O-O 8.
O-O {Jack misses a tactic.} 8...Bxh2+ 9.Kxh2 Rxd1 10.Rxd1 Nf6 11.Bg5 Qe6
12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.a3 Rg8 14.b4 f5 15.b5 Ne5 16.Nd4 Qg6 17.Nd5 {Jack's
position has been technically lost for several moves, but he is fighting
hard.} 17...Qh6+ 18.Kg1 Qh4 19.g3 Bxe2 20.Nxe2 Nf3+ 21.Kg2 fxe4 22.Rh1 Qg5
23.Rad1 h5 24.Nec3 Qe5 25.Rxh5 Qxh5 26.Ne7+ Kb8 27.Nxg8 {Now there are
back rank threats. Black must be careful.} 27...Qg5 ( 27...b6 {is much
better.} 28.Nxe4 Nh4+ 29.gxh4 Qg4+ 30.Ng3 Qxd1 {and black should win
comfortably.} ) 28.Nh6 Qf6 ( 28...b6 {again.} ) 29.Nxe4 $1 {Black's queen
can't protect the knight and the back rank.} 29...Nh4+ 30.gxh4 Qxh4 31.f3
Kc8 32.Nxf7 Qe7 ( 32...c6 {is slightly better.} ) 33.Rd8+ Qxd8 34.Nxd8
Kxd8 35.Kg3 Ke7 36.Kf4 c6 37.bxc6 bxc6 38.Ke5 Kd7 39.f4 {A fighting
performance from Jack.} 1-0
[Event "KO Cup Final B1"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2023.03.30"]
[Round ""]
[White "M Goldschmidt"]
[Black "A Brusey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[EventDate "2023.03.30"]
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.O-O
Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4 10.Nc3 a6 11.Qe2 Rc8 12.Kh1 Bc5 13.f4 Nh6 14.h3 Nf5 15.
Bxf5 exf5 16.Rd1 Qf2 17.Qxf2 Bxf2 18.Nxd5 Bc6 19.Be3 Bxe3 20.Nxe3 Be4 21.
Rac1 Ke7 22.Nc4 Rhd8 23.Nd6 Rxc1 24.Rxc1 f6 25.Rc7+ Rd7 26.Rxd7+ Kxd7 27.
Nxe4 fxe4 28.exf6 gxf6 29.Kg1 Ke6 30.Kf2 f5 31.g4 Kf6 32.Ke3 Kg6 33.gxf5+
Kxf5 34.h4 a5 35.b3 {The losing move. Now Alan is able to blockade
Martin's pawns and force him to abandon the f-pawn.} ( 35.h5 a4 36.h6 b6
37.b4 $1 b5 38.a3 {forces Alan to move and the game is drawn.} ) 35...h5
36.a3 b5 37.b4 a4 {Another chapter labelled 'extremely tricky pawn
endings'. My advice is never swap down to a pawn ending unless you are
certain of the result.} 0-1
[Event "KO Cup B5"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2023.03.30"]
[Round ""]
[White "C Liggatt"]
[Black "S Howard"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2023.03.30"]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.a3 Bd6 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.c5 Be7 8.e3 O-O
9.Bd3 Re8 10.b4 b5 11.O-O h6 12.Bh4 Bb7 13.Qc2 Nf8 14.Ne5 N6d7 15.Bg3 Bf6
16.f4 Nxe5 17.fxe5 Bh4 18.Rf3 Bxg3 19.Rxg3 a5 20.Rf1 Re7 21.Rgf3 axb4 22.
axb4 Ra3 23.Qb2 Qa8 24.e4 Nh7 25.exd5 exd5 26.Bxh7+ ( 26.Nxd5 {is a nice
sacrifice.} 26...cxd5 27.Bxh7+ Kxh7 28.Rxa3 {leaves white the exchange and
a pawn up.} ) 26...Kxh7 27.Qf2 ( 27.Rxf7 {keeps Clive well ahead. Now it's
much more even.} ) 27...Ra1 28.Qb2 Rxf1+ 29.Rxf1 Bc8 30.Ne2 Kg8 31.Nf4 Qa7
32.Qb3 Be6 33.Qg3 Qa8 34.Nh5 g6 35.Nf6+ Kg7 36.Qh4 Ra7 37.Qe1 Bf5 38.Qd1
Ra2 39.g3 Qa3 40.Qf3 {In the end position Simon is winning - he can take
the black pawns on b4 (and d4) and there's nothing much Clive can do, but
given the match situation, Simon agreed a draw.} 1/2-1/2