4NCL - The Four Nations League - www.4ncl.co.uk/pre2010

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.

Wood Green maintained their slender lead of the 4NCL Division one in the fourth round played at the Paragon Hotel in Birmingham. The title holders dismissed the challenge of Barbican 4NCL 1 who have caused them problems in the past. Wood Green 1 won 6-2 conceding just four draws although the match could have been a little closer had Kanwal Bhatia closed out her winning position against WGM Ketevan Arakhamia who is rated over 300 points higher.

Wood Green I lead Guildford ADC 1 on board points after the latter struggled to defeat newly promoted Slough Sharks who fielded three GMs to Guildford’s 8. European Individual Champion David Navara, a Czech GM, defeated French international Laurent Fressinet on top board but the British champion Jonathan Rowson defeated Nick Pert on board 2.

Slough Sharks 1	3.5-4.5	Guildford-ADC 1
GM Navara	1 – 0	GM Fressinet
GM Pert	0 - 1	GM Rowson
IM Erdos	draw	GM Gallagher
IM Schenk	draw	GM Hebden
IM G Jones	draw	GM King
GM McNab	1 - 0	GM Plaskett
IM Radziewicz	0 - 1	GM Conquest
Martyn	0 - 1	WGM Ciuksyte

Barbican 4NCL 1	2-6	Wood Green 1
GM Parker	draw	GM Lalic
IM Kelly	0 - 1	GM Emms
IM Pallise	0 - 1	GM Speelman
Rogers	0 - 1	GM Gormally
Collins	draw	GM Baburin
Devereaux	draw	GM Ward
IM Knott	draw	GM Turner
K. Bhatia	0 - 1	WGM Arakhamia-Grant

Guildford-ADC 2	3.5-4.5	Hilsmark Kingsfisher 1
IM Howell	0 - 1	GM Wells
GM Cherniaev	draw	IM Greet
IM Shaw	1 - 0	GM Williams
GM Flear	0 - 1	GM Arkell
IM JP Wallace	draw	IM Trent
IM G Buckley	0 - 1	IM Berzinsh
IM Povah	1 - 0	WGM J Houska
WGM S Lalic	draw	IM Crouch

Wood Green 2	4.5-3.5	3Cs Oldham 1

The ADs 1	3 - 5	Betsson.Com

N.W. Eagles 1	4.5-3.5	Barbican 4NCL 2

	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points
Wood Green 1	3	1	0	7
Guildford-ADC 1	3	1	0	7
Hilsmark Kingfisher 1	2	2	0	6
Barbican 4NCL 1	3	0	1	6
Slough Sharks 1	2	1	1	5
Guildford-ADC 2	2	0	2	4
Wood Green 2	2	0	2	4
The Ads 1	1	1	2	3
Betsson.Com	1	0	3	2
N.W. Eagles 1	1	0	3	2
Barbican 4NCL 2	0	1	3	1
3Cs Oldham 1	0	1	3	1

J Shaw – S Williams
4NCL (4.3)
Pirc Defence

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.g3 Nf6 5.Bg2 Bd7!? (Simon Williams is a marvellously creative player. Who else I wonder could have come with a concept like this?) 6.e5 Ng8 (6...Ng4 Simon assumed this was not possible but maybe.. 7.Bxb7 Nc6 8.Bxa8 Qxa8 9.f3 0–0 10.d5 Ngxe5 11.dxc6 Bxc6 12.Kf2 d5!? with one pawn, two diagonals and the initiative for the rook) 7.Nf3 (Shaw prefers not to test the idea and turns down exchange and pawn ! after 7.Bxb7 Nc6 8.Bxa8 Qxa8 Black has some development, two great bishops and some chances on the white squares then if 9.f3 dxe5 is far from clear) 7...Nc6 8.Bf4 Bg4 (Black must attack e5 or he will be slowly pushed off the board) 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Bxf3 Rb8 (10...dxe5 11.Bxc6+ bxc6 12.Bxe5 Nf6 13.Qf3 is slightly better for White) 11.b3 Qd7 12.0–0! (Shaw offers a pawn to enhance the scope of his bishop pair) 12...dxe5 (12...Qxh3?? 13.Bg4; 12...Nh6!?) 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Bg2 Nc6 (14...Rd8 15.Qe1 Nc6 16.Nd5!) 15.Qxd7+ Kxd7 16.Rad1+ Kc8 17.Na4 e5!? ( Better 17...Nf6 18.Nc5 e6 when White has compensation but Black should be alright 18...Rd8 19.Rxd8+ Nxd8 is also playable) 18.Bxc6 bxc6 19.Rfe1! f6 (19...exf4 20.Re8+ Kb7 21.Nc5+ Kb6 22.Nd7+) 20.Be3 Ra8 21.f4 Ne7 22.fxe5 fxe5 23.Nc5 Nf5 24.Bf2 h5 25.Rd7 (Computer evaluations of this position are misleading. Black is in difficulties, his Ra8 is out of play) 25...Bf8 26.Rf7 Bxc5 27.Bxc5 Kb7 (27...Re8 28.Rf6 Nxg3 29.Rxg6 Nf5 30.Rg5 and Black should lose e5 and h5) 28.Rxe5 Rad8 29.Bf2 Rd1+ 30.Kg2 Rd2 31.g4? hxg4 32.hxg4 Nh6 33.Rf4 Rf8?? (A typical accident in time pressure Black gets his moves in the wrong order. After 33...Nxg4! 34.Rxg4 Rf8 35.Kg3 Rfxf2 Black can even go for a win) 34.Rxf8 Nxg4 35.Ra5 c5 36.Rb5+ Kc6 37.Rxc5+ Kd6 38.Rd8+ 1–0

Williams

board

Shaw

Final position after 38.Rd8+