Round 5 (av. 2157)
| 14 Jan 06 | Rd 5 | Wessex 1 (av. 2206) | LOSS | 3½ - 4½ |
A round in which no one seemed entirely comfortable, and results were accordingly mixed, with a striking number of results hinging on the weakness (or otherwise) of the traditional weak squares: f2 / c2
On top board, Ben had already played 18 or so rapid-fire 'laboratory' moves in the Tromp before falling into a mate (or worse): all this before the spectators had settled into their rooms, but the rot only set in when 3 other boards turned against us from favourable positions: Ian Webster (6) had the better two bishops in an ending, but wrongly picked up a pawn by transposing into a drawn opposite bishop ending; Kieran's queen for a rook and minor looked like it was worth a full point until a surprise pseudo-sac on f7, while Alex (game below) took a series of wrong views to spoil a decent if difficult position.
With Kemal's position taking a mashing along the c-file against Rawle Allicock (2309), and Tim holding the draw against another 2300 in the strong line-up, this effectively decided the match score in favour of Wessex, leaving David Shaw and newcomer Nicola Mangion to score a couple of fighting wins from dubious positions.
Khoo,S (1997) - Mangion (1750)
Nicola ends up playing against a former schoolmate, and a tight struggle ensues, at the end of which Selina seems to be in control. As the game enters the 7 th hour, White wins a bishop, but allows Black too many tempi in so doing and the lowly h-pawn decides the game.
53.a5 Kxg2 54.a6? White's plan is too slow; by allowing Black to sacrifice the bishop for a pawn on a7 sacrifices 2-3 tempi. Instead 54.Nd4 threatens a5-a6 etc, which forces Bxa5, or: 54. . Bf2 55.Kc4 Bg3 56.a6 Bb8 57.Nc6 Kxh3 58.Nxb8 White can still draw however, but: 54…Bf2 55.a7 Bxa7 56.Nxa7 Kxh3 57.Ka6 57.Kc4 g4 58.Nc6 g3 59.Nd4 g2 60.Ne2 Kg4 61.Kd3 h5 62.Ke3 is probably good enough to draw 57…g4 58.b4 g3 59.b5 g2 60.b6 g1Q 61.b7 Qg6+ 62.Ka5 Qd6 63.Nc8 Qb8 64.Kb6 h5 65.Na7 Kg2 66.Nc6 Qd6 67.b8Q Qxb8+ 68.Nxb8 h4 0-1
Milovanovic,Aleksander (2220) - Upton,Ian J (2259) [D30], 14 Jan 06
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 e6 4.e3 Bd6 5.b3 Nf6 6.Bd3 Nbd7 7.Bb2 Qe7 8.Ne5 c5 9.Nd2 0-0 10.0-0 b6 11.e4 cxd4 12.Nc6 Qe8 13.exd5 Nc5
White gets an easy game from the opening but a curiosity from the post-mortem was how neither side felt they had a good position during the opening phase (or to the extent that White did, he nonetheless felt uncomfortable). In the diagram position, I prefer the simpler if riskier-in-the-longer-term 14. Nf3 to Bb1, (which isn't itself bad, although the follow-up isn't played with any great conviction).
14.Bb1 14.Nf3 Bd7 (or 14…exd5 15.cxd5 Nxd3 (15…Nxd5 16.Bxh7+) 16.Qxd3) 15.Ncxd4 15…Nxd3 16.Qxd3 exd5 17.cxd5 Nxd5 18.Ng5 g6 14…exd5 15.Nxd4 Nce4 16.N4f3 Just to show how contrary this game is, Fritz approves of this, but rates the other knight move, 16.N2f3 to be better for Black: dxc4 17.bxc4 Qd7. 16…Bc5 17.Nxe4 17.cxd5 Nxd2 18.Qxd2 Ne4 19.Bxe4 Qxe4 20.Rfe1 Qg6 21.Ne5 Qd6 22.Nc4 1.22/11 17…dxe4 18.Bxf6 gxf6 19.Qd5
19…exf3 20.Qxa8 White temporarily nets an exchange here, and he might also consider the draw by perpetual that was available with 20.Qh5 Bxf2+ 21.Kh1 f5 22.Qg5+ 20...Bxf2+ 21.Kh1 Bd4 22.Be4 The decisive error: 22.Bd3 Bxa1 23.Rxa1 Qe5 24.Rf1 is Fritz's suggestion, while; 22.Bxh7+ Kxh7 23.Rae1 Qd8 24.Qxf3 also suggests itself. 22…Bxa1 23.Rxa1 Qe5 24.Rg1 f2 0-1
Something goes amiss with the Savage opening prep, as his better pawn structure is overshadowed when a snap mate comes to town.
21…Rc8+ 22.Kb3 Bc2+ 0-1
Savage - Simons
Saturday, 14 Jan 06
While here, an empty-square sacrifice on f7 helps White to hold onto his extra material and force Kieran to accept a draw.
29.Be6+ Kh8 30.Bf7 Qxd3+ 31.Kg4 Qe2+ 32.Kg3 Qd3+ ½-½
Tunks - Smallbone
Saturday, 14 Jan 06
Dave Shaw's season started its about-turn with this victory against Michael Yeo, which avenged in part the spectacular mating combination unleashed against him by the same opponent in the 2003-04 season
Shaw - Yeo
4NCL, May 2004
24…Qd4+ 25.Kg5 h6+ 26.Kg6 Qg4+ 27.Kf7 Qf5+ 28.Kg8 Qf8+ 29.Kh7 Be4+ 0-1 30. Ng6 Nf6 is a pretty mate
Shaw - Yeo
Saturday, 14 Jan 06
57.Rg7+ Kh4 58.Kf4 not the Fritz recommendation, which is: 58.Nf5+ Kh5 59.Kf4 Rf1+ 60.Ke5 Ng4+ 61.Rxg4 Kxg4 62.Ne3+ but Black had given up hope by this stage. 58…Rxb2 59.Nf5+ Kh5 60.Rg5# 1-0
Round 6 (av. 2219)
| 15 Jan 06 | Rd 6 | Guildford ADC 3 (av. 2119) | WIN | 5 - 2 |
The final score somewhat flattered the victors, after the game was reduced to 7-a-side status when Oxford -initially informed that Guildford were missing one player, told Jeffrey Levicky not to turn up, and then could not re-raise him when an 8th player materialised for the opposition. An easy win for Ian on board 7 against the hyperactive youngster, Stephanie Hale gave Oxford a good start and the lead was doubled after Ben's quick win on top board.
These two wins cancelled out a long-term loss by Kieran and a difficult looking position for Kemal on board 2, which eventually he ground down to a draw on move 30. A longer draw by Tim, once again showcasing the 2. Na3 variation of the Sicilian, left the result of the match depending on Alex and Dave Shaw.
Allinson (2121) - Shaw (2200)
White to move
An unnerving game for the spectator; especially for one who supports Black, but has the feeling that White has the better position! By the diagram position I felt the position was adequately blockaded by the Knights, a view which Fritz seems to confirm with his assessment of (+ 0.97).
Fritz now suggests 22. Nhg6 but not 22.f3 Nxe3 23.Qxe3 Qxg3 24.Nfg6 Ng4 25.Qg1 Bxh4 but it's not clear where this is going; and it may be that this is the sort of position that Fritz can't evaluate properly and / or explain it to the average player in the time I've allowed it! My guess though is that White's opportunities for a plus were squandered a few moves earlier.
White seems to have shared these views, and he folded planlessly after: 22…Ne4 23.Bc1 Ngxf2+ 24.Rfxf2 Nxg3+ 25.Kh2 Bxh4 26.Qd1 Qh6 27.Rf3 Ne4 28.Rh3 Bg3+ 0-1
Ben's whispered assessment around move 33 "… an edge here", spoken with an apologetic shrug: two moves later, it's 0-1 against former Oxford Univ team-mate, Paul Cooksey.
Cooksey - Savage
Sunday, 15 Jan 06
28.b4 Nc2 29.Nc6 Kf8 30.Kf1 Ke8 31.Be2 Kd7 32.Ne5+ Ke7 33.Nd3 33.Nc6+ Kd6 34.Na7 Na3 35.Bd3 Kc7 is a better grovel, but it's Sunday. 33…Kd6 34.Bf3 e5 35.e4 f5 0-1
Game of the day was Alex's win against Matthew Anderton, a speculative pawn sac leading to a queenless middle-game hack and a final blunder by Black on his 40 th time-troubled move.
Milovanovic - Anderton (M)
Sunday, 15 Jan 06
40…Bxb5 41.axb5 Be5 42.b6 and now 42.Nxe5+ Kg7 (if 42…dxe5 43.Rh7+) 43.Nc6 is the simpler, Fritz-preferred option. 42…Rb7 43.Rh7+ Bg7 44.Nxd6+ Kg6 45.Nxb7 Kxh7 46.Nd6 1-0