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Daily Telegraph

Daily Telegraph

Malcolm Pein's daily chess column is available at the Telegraph's web site. You need to register, which is free. The daily chess column can be found by clicking the "Chess Club" link in the Arts section.

This article is used on the 4NCL web site with permission.


There was a surprising result in round two of the 4Nations Chess League division one as Barbican's second team managed to hold their first team to a 4-4 draw thanks to this sacrificial win by Dave Coleman. This is one of the games of the year in my view and White makes five sacrifices in all. The first two are known to opening theory and third apears to be a new idea.

The first offer 13.Nf5 is very dangerous to accept because 13...exf5 14.gxf5 intends Nd5 and the open 'g' file gives White a huge attack. If the bishop is taken with 14...exd5 15.Nxd5 Qb7 16.e5! is very dangerous because taking the pawn loses a piece eg 16...dxe5 17.Ndxe7+ and Bxc5. After 16.e5! White will capture on d6 and Black is in a tangle although my database shows that the late GM Edmar Mednis held this position against GM Ferdinand Hellers.

The third sacrifice 16.Nxg7! seems to be an inspired novelty because in that position White has usually played 16.Rg3 intending Qh5 and Rh3. Black has little choice but to accept since taking the Bd5 instead gives a much worse version of the line above. Black might have tried 17...Ne5 intending a quick ...b4, 17...Rg8 looks like a serious concession since moving the rook from c8 deprives him of counterplay against c2. The final sacrifice with 20.Nd5! cannot be accepted because 20...exd4 21.Qh6+ Kh8 22.Bd4+ wins. Black is still a piece up and 23...Rg7 and if 24.Qh8+ Rg8 25.Qh6+ Ke8 looks a better defence because after 23...exd5 24.f5 the attack is too strong. Black maintained his defence of f5 for a long time and the loss of this square opens up new lines of attack for White.

D.Coleman - L.D'Costa
4NCL Division 1 (2.7) West Bromwich Barbican II v Barbican I
Sicilian Sozin Velimirovic Attack

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 d6 4 d4 cxd4 5 Nxd4 Nf6 6 Bc4 e6 7 Be3 Be7 8 Qe2 Qc7 9 0-0-0 0-0 10 Bb3 a6 11 Rhg1 Nd7 12 g4 Nc5 13 Nf5 b5 14 Bd5 Bb7 15 g5 Rfc8 16 Nxg7! Kxg7 17 Qh5 Rg8 18 f4 b4 19 Bxc6 Bxc6 20 Nd5! Bxd5 21 exd5 Rac8 22 Rg2 Kf8 23 Qxh7 exd5 24 f5 Ne4 25 g6 Bf6 26 Bh6+ Bg7 27 gxf7 Qxf7 28 Rxg7 Rxg7 29 Rg1 Rc7 30 Rxg7 Qxg7 31 Qh8+ 1-0

Position after 14.Bd5

board

Final position after 31.Qh8+

board

Division 1

WGHK 1
Pride and Prejudice
Barbican 4NCL 1
White Rose 1
WGHK 2
Guildford-A&DC 1
Cambridge Univ. 1
The ADs
Betsson.com
Barbican 4NCL 2
Oxford 1
Pandora's Box Grantham
S. Wales Dragons
Guildford-A&DC 2
Poisoned Pawns 1
Jutes of Kent

Division 2

Sambuca Sharks
Cheddleton
Warwickshire Select 1
e2e4.org.uk 1
Barbican 4NCL Youth
AMCA Dragons
Kings Head
Poisoned Pawns 2
Anglian Avengers
Wessex 1
Celtic Tigers 1
Bristol 1
White Rose 2
Brown Jack
Guildford-A&DC 3
FCA Solutions 1

Division 3

Rhyfelwyr Essyllwg
Sambuca Black Sheep
3Cs
Cambridge Univ. 2
Wessex 2
Warwickshire Select 2
KJCA Kings
FCA Solutions 2
The Full Ponty
Sussex Smart Ctls.
e2e4.org.uk 2
Iceni
Nottinghamshire 1
Nottinghamshire 2
Oxford 2
AMCA Rhinos
Braille Chess Assoc.
AMCA Hippos
Glos. Gambits
Bristol 2
KJCA Knights
Guernsey Mates
Bristol 3
SCS
Hackney
e2e4.org.uk 3
Beauty and the Beasts
Celtic Tigers 2
Oxford 3
Halesowen
Guildford-A&DC 4
AMCA Cheetahs