5th & final weekend 5th-7th May, Hinckley Island Hotel by Lawrence Cooper

9th May 2012

The final weekend of the 2011-12 season was hosted by the Hinckley Island Hotel who provided good playing conditions and accommodation.

Wood Green Hilsmark Kingfisher 1 powered to the Division One Championship Pool title finishing with maximum points and five points clear of second place. Round 9 saw them demolish Jutes of Kent 7½-½, Cheddleton only managed one game point in round 10 whilst Barbican managed a creditable five draws in round eleven but wins for Michael Adams, Nick Pert (who scored 8/9 overall) and Pia Cramling ensured their one hundred per cent record was maintained. Luke McShane, David Howell and Jonathan Rowson were among the many other grandmasters that contributed to the team’s success.

Guildford 1 finished in second place with nine points from fourteen, White Rose were placed ahead of Cheddleton on game points both having eight match points. There followed Barbican 1 with seven, Jutes of Kent 5, Barbican 2 (IM norm for Sam Franklin) scored three and e2e4.org.uk two.

Notable results were White Rose defeating Guildford in round nine with wins for Richard Palliser (GM norm), Colin McNab, Iain Gourlay and Jean-Luc Weller against Antoaneta Stefanova, David Smerdon, Stuart Conquest and James Plaskett. Guildford recovered with a 5-3 victory over Barbican in round ten, there were six draws with Antoaneta Stefanova and Stuart Conquest securing victory.

Individually, Ingrid Lauterbach had a fine weekend, drawing with David Eggleston (2327), Marcos Camacho Collados (2422) and GM Alexander Baburin (2535).

The three European Club places went to White Rose, Jutes of Kent and e2e4.org.uk as the higher placed Championship Pool teams declined a place.

Cambridge University 1 topped the Demotion Pool with maximum points but Oxford 1 with seven points, The ADs six, Bristol 1 two and Anglian Avengers 1 one were all relegated. Blackthorne Russia survived on game points ahead of Oxford, largely due to their 7-1 victory in their match in round nine. Harriet Hunt scored two out of two to help them to safety. Michael White, of Oxford, made an IM norm.

Olivia Smith had draws with IMs Malcolm Pein (2382) and Gavin Wall (2330) and a win against Nicole Miranda Gonzalez (2027).

AMCA Dragons won the Division Two Promotion Pool with twelve points and were therefore promoted along with Warwickshire Select on ten and South Wales Dragons and Sambuca Sharks on nine. Pandora’s Box narrowly missed out with eight points.

Significant results included South Wales Dragons 4-4 draw with Pandora’s Box with John Cooper and Sven Zeidler defeating much higher rated IMs on the top two boards and Sambuca Sharks 4½-3½ win against Kings Head with wins for GM Robin Van Kampen on board one and Chris Russell on board eight in round nine. Sambuca then beat Pandora’s Box 4½-3½ with wins for Tom Rendle, Peter Roberson and Sam Williams in round ten whilst in round eleven SW Dragons, Sambuca and Warwickshire all won meaning that Pandora’s Box 5½-2½ win against AMCA was insufficient to secure them promotion.

Barbican Youth won the Division Two Demotion Pool with Cambridge University 2, Bradford DCA Knights A, Brown Jack and FCA Solutions all being relegated. Important results included Rhyfelwyr Essyllwg defeating Bradford 4½-3½ in round nine, Spirit of Atticus 6½-1½ win over Bradford in round ten and 3Cs victories over FCA Solutions and Bradford (4½-3½). Cambridge could only draw with Brown Jack in round eleven whereas an extra half point would have meant they stayed up by one game point ahead of 3Cs!

e2e4.org.uk 2 were champions of Division 3 with 18 match points and were promoted along with KJCA Kings and North East Eagles on seventeen and Wessex on sixteen. Three victories for e2e4, 5-1 against AMCA Rhinos followed by 3½-2½ against North East England and 4-2 against Wessex saw them take the title. KJCA Kings and North East England drew in round nine before round ten defeats meant they had to win in the last round, which they both did. Wessex won in round, nine and ten which proved sufficient for them to take fourth place. Hackney, AMCA Rhinos and Guildford 3 on fifteen points were among the many frustrated teams that missed out on the top four.

Various links to the results and league tables can be found as follows:

• Results: www.4ncl.co.uk/resdiv1.htm | www.4ncl.co.uk/resdiv2.htm | www.4ncl.co.uk/resdiv3s.htm

• FIDE Crosstables: www.4ncl.co.uk/fide_crosstables.htm

• Games for download: www.4ncl.co.uk/downloads.htm

• Dates 2012-13: www.4ncl.co.uk/2012_13_dates.htm

In closing I would like to thank the many people who help towards the continuing success of the league including Mike Truran, Claire Summerscale and all of the arbiters and game inputting team.

Photos © John Upham [more here]