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

Daily Telegraph

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

Although Barbican no longer compete in the London League the team remains a force in the 4NCL. In the London League some Barbican players have joined Cavendish to form a very strong team that threatens the hegemony of Wood Green and King’s Head.

King’s Head have already won five matches out of five this season so Wood Green’s run of four consecutive London League titles will be under threat.

Cavendish and Wood Green met last week in a match that should also have a major bearing on the final standings. Wood Green lead 6-4 but stand worse in both adjourned games. The match was very close with many draws although GM Bogdan Lalic for Wood Green and GM William Watson for Cavendish heroically defended awful positions against GM Jonathan Parker and GM Chris Ward respectively.

Cavendish	4-6	Wood Green
GM J Parker	draw	GM B Lalic
IM B Kelly	draw	GM J Emms
GM W Watson	draw	GM C Ward
IM M Ferguson	draw	GM R Pert
IM J Cox	draw	IM B Rechel
M Piper	0- 1	IM M Pein
J Merriman	adj	C Hasman
P Taylor	draw	GM N McDonald
A Jackson	draw	D Tan
K Harman	0-1	C Maduekwe
Z Harari	draw	T Farrand
BN Green	adj	D Cutmore

The only publishable decisive game was played by your correspondent but if my opponents thought a defeat at my hands meant publication in this column they would all fight like maniacs so instead a swift finish from weekend three of the 4NCL.

M Turner - J Richardson
4NCL Div1 Birmingham
English Opening

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e3 Bb4 5.Qc2 0–0 6.Nd5 Bc5 7.Ng5 ( Threatening mate in 2 beginning Nxf6+ ) 7...g6 8.Nxf6+ (8.h4!?) 8...Qxf6 9.Ne4 Qe7 10.a3 a5 11.b3 d6 12.Bb2 Bf5 13.Bd3 Ba7 14.h4 (Black has no counterplay in the centre and all White's pieces point towards the black king.) 14...Nd8 15.f4 Bxe4 16.Bxe4 Ne6 (16...exf4 17.h5! fxe3 18.hxg6! exd2+ 19.Kd1! fxg6 20.Bd5+ Rf7 21.Qxg6+ hxg6? 22.Rh8 mate) 17.h5 Nc5 18.hxg6 hxg6 19.d4 (19.0–0–0 was also good but Turner wants to open the long diagonal) 19...Nxe4 20.Qxe4 Rfe8 21.dxe5 dxe5 22.Rd1 (22.Bxe5 f6 23.Qxg6+ Qg7 24.Rh8+! was quicker) 22...Kg7 23.Rd5 Qf8 24.Rd7 Re7 25.Qxe5+! 1–0

Richardson

board

Turner

Final position after 25.Qxe5+! and its mate after 25…Rxe5 26.Bxe5+ Kh8 27.Rh8