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.

In March I featured the ground-breaking Pride and Prejudice team who were competing in the 4th Division of the 4 Nations Chess League. 4NCL rules state that teams must contain players of both sexes. In practice this has nearly always led to teams including a ‘token’ female player but Pride & Prejudice has turned this on its head and are made up of female players, with a ‘token’ male player.

The team has just taken the Division 4 title and will play in Division 3 next season after winning ten and drawing one of their matches. Cheddleton, Brown Jack and Guildford ADC 4 were also promoted.

The team is captained by Claire Summerscale the English Chess Federation’s Director of Women’s Chess who plays on bottom board. The other team members include:

Dr. Harriet Hunt – An International Master and England’s top female player, currently ranked in the world’s top 50 female players.

Ruth Sheldon - A former World Champion at under 12 and under 18.

Cathy Warwick Three times British Women’s Champion.

Dr. Heather Lang – A Member of both the Scottish Chess and Scottish Cricket teams.

Rosalind Kieran – A former women’s amateur chess champion and member of the Cambridge University team.

A devastating game by Harriet Hunt who was sorely missed from the Olympiad team this year. Black’s pawn grab is suicidal but retribution is swift.

H Hunt – M Crichton
4NCL Div 4 (11.2) West Bromwich
Cavendish – P&P
Caro Kann Defence Advance Variation

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 c5 6.Be3 Nd7 7.0–0 Ne7 8.c4 dxc4 9.Na3 cxd4 (9...Nc6 10.Nxc4 Be7 11.Nd6+; 9...Nd5) 10.Nxc4! Nc6 (10...dxe3?? 11.Nd6#) 11.Nxd4 Ndxe5? (11...Nxd4 12.Qxd4 Bc5 13.Nd6+ Bxd6 14.Qxd6 Qe7 15.Rac1) 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.Bb5+ Nd7 14.Nxf5 exf5 15.Re1 1–0

Crichton

board

Hunt

Final position after 15.Re1

If you thought that was a bit drastic, Pride and Prejudice board one Aaron Summerscale won even quicker in the following game.

A Rawlinson - A Summerscale
4NCL Div 4 (6.1) Nottingham
Oxford 2 – P&P
Owen’s Defence

1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.Bd3 Nf6 4.Nd2 Nc6 5.c3 e5 6.Ne2? d5! 7.exd5 Qxd5 8.0–0? Nb4 9.Nf3 Nxd3 10.Qxd3 e4 0–1

Summerscale

board

Rawlinson

Final position after 10...e4