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.

Round four of the 4 Nations Chess League saw a match between Northwest eagles and Barbican 4NCL two of the main challengers to the hegemony of Guildford ADC. Despite being out-rated by an average of nearly 80 points per board Northwest Eagles drew 4-4 to stay second in the table with 7/8 match points.

Barbican won on top and bottom board thanks to GM Jonathan Parker and Ingrid Lauterbach while Northwest Eagles kept the match level with wins on boards five and six where Stefan Macak and John Carleton overcame higher-rated opposition.

John Carleton is one of the founder members of Atticus Chess Club in Liverpool and achieved great success in Correspondence Chess. In the following game he outplays an International Master and Irish International.

J Carleton – S Collins
4NCL Div1 Coventry (4.5)
NWE1–Barb 1

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.Bf4 Nc6 6.e3 a6 7.Bd3 (Just because White plays the Exchange Slav creating a symmetrical pawn structure does not mean he wants a draw. This prevents Bf5 and is more accurate that Nf3) 7...Bg4 8.f3 Bh5 9.Nge2 Bg6 10.e4! e6 (10...dxe4 11.fxe4 Nxd4 12.Nxd4 Qxd4 13.Bb5+) 11.e5 Nd7 (Although White has an advantage in space Black's position is fine, he has the 'bad bishop' out of the pawn chain on g6 while the Bf4 is misplaced and the c file should give him counterplay) 12.Be3 Be7 13.f4 Bxd3 (13...Nb4 14.Bxg6 hxg6 15.a3 Nc6 16.0–0 Rc8) 14.Qxd3 f5 (Otherwise f4-f5 could be awkward) 15.exf6 Nxf6 16.0–0 g6 (16...0–0 17.f5 exf5 18.Qxf5 and d5 is weak but there is also 17...Nb4 18.Qd2 Ng4!?) 17.Nd1 0–0 (17...Ne4=) 18.Nf2 Rc8 19.a3 Qb6 (19...Na5 20.b3 Qb6 was also reasonable) 20.b4 a5?! (This leads to the Nc6 being misplaced) 21.b5 Na7 22.a4 Rc4 23.g4! (The manoeuvre Nd1–f2 prepared this possibility a long way back) 23...Ne8 (23...Nc8 24.f5 gxf5 25.gxf5 Kh8 26.Kh1) 24.f5! (Carleton times this break well, the Na7 and Qb6 are needed on the kingside) 24...gxf5 25.gxf5 Ng7 (If 25...exf5 26.Nf4 Qd6 27.Kh1 with good play or 25...Rxf5 26.Ng4! Rxf1+ 27.Rxf1 and Black is defenceless) 26.Ng4! exf5 (26...Nxf5 27.Nh6+ Nxh6 28.Bxh6 Rxf1+ 29.Rxf1 wins) 27.Ne5 Rcc8 28.Kh1 Rcd8 29.Rf3! (This is one of those rare positions where an attack can be conducted with all the pieces) 29...Nc8 30.Rg1 Bf6 31.Nf4 (Now the possibility of an attack on h7 with Rh3 and Qd1–h5 overwhelms Black's defences) 31...Kh8 32.Rh3 Bxe5 33.Ng6+ Kg8 34.Nxe5 Rde8 (34...Nd6 35.Rxg7+ Kxg7 36.Bh6+ Kh8 37.Qg3 Ne8 38.Bxf8) 35.Bh6 Re7 36.Bxg7 Rxg7 37.Rxg7+ Kxg7 38.Qg3+ Kh8 39.Ng6+ Kg7 40.Nxf8+ Kxf8 41.Qe5 1–0

Collins

board

Carleton

Final position after 41.Qe5

S Gordon – T Rendle
4NCL Div1 Coventry (4.2)
Slough Sh.1 – 3Cs 1
Classical Dutch

1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 0–0 6.0–0 d6 7.b4 Ne4 8.Qc2 Nd7 9.Bb2 a5?! 10.b5 a4 11.a3 Qe8 12.Nc3 Nxc3 13.Bxc3 Qh5 14.Bb4 Nf6 15.Rfd1 g5 16.Nd2! Rf7 17.Nf1 f4 18.c5 d5 [18...Nd5 19.b6!?] 19.c6 Bd8 (19...b6 20.Bxe7 Rxe7 21.Rab1) 20.Bf3 Qh3 (20...g4 21.Bh1) 21.Rac1 bxc6 22.Qxc6 Rb8 23.b6! cxb6 (23...Rxb6 24.Qa8 e5 25.dxe5 Ra6 26.Qb8 Rb6 27.Qa7 c5 28.Qxa4 cxb4 29.exf6 Bxf6 30.axb4 with advantage but not 25.g4 e4! 26.Qxc8 exf3 27.Qxd8+ Kg7 28.exf3 Qxf3 29.Nd2 Qh3! 30.f3 Nxg4!) 24.Qd6! Nd7 25.Qxb8! Nxb8 26.Rxc8 Nc6 27.Rxc6 1–0