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.

Three teams were relegated from Division one of the 4NCL after the final three rounds were played over the Bank Holiday weekend at the West Bromwich Moat House. South Wales Dragons I, Bristol I and Perceptron Youth will all play in Division two next season.

Perceptron were very unlucky as Barbican 4NCL II pulled off a last minute escape for the second season running and survived by a single game point. Perceptron defeated South Wales Dragons 1 in the final round but Barbican just made it despite losing to Slough thanks to wins from Lawrence Trent, David Coleman and John Cox the latter triumphing in a chaotic game against GM Colin McNab. Trent's win secured him an IM norm, one of his fine wins from the weekend's play is below.

There was more good news for Barbican as their first team pipped Betsson.com for third place and hopefully they will continue their exploits in the European Club Cup in September. Last year Barbican's top board GM Jonathan Parker drew with 1999 Fide champion Alexander Khalifman.

4NCL Division 1 final scores

	+	=	-	Points
Wood Green I	10	1	0	21
Guildford-ADC I	9	1	1	19
Barbican 4NCL I	9	0	2	18
Betsson.Com	7	1	3	15
Wood Green II	6	0	5	12
Richmond	5	1	5	11
The Ads I	5	0	6	10
Slough I	4	1	6	9
Barbican 4NCL II	3	0	8	6
Perceptron Youth	2	2	7	6
S. Wales Dragons	1	1	9	3
Bristol I	1	0	10	2

Black is a little too casual with his development witness the first diagram but the way White takes advantage is direct and aesthetic. Lawrence Trent made an IM norm as did the loser in the following game Desmond Tan.

Trent,L - Tan,D [A45]
4NCL WG II - Barbican II (10), 05.2003

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.e4 h6 4.Bxf6 Qxf6 5.Qd2 d5 6.Nc3 c6 7.0-0-0 Bb4 8.e5 Qd8 9.a3 Be7 10.f4 a5 11.Nf3 b5 12.a4 Bb4 13.Qe3 Bxc3 14.Qxc3 bxa4

board

15.h4 Qb6 16.Rh3 Ba6 17.Rg3 0-0 18.f5 exf5 19.Qe3 Kh8 20.e6 f6 21.e7 Re8 22.Ne5!

board

22...Ra7 [ 22...fxe5 23.Qxe5 with the threat of Qg7 mate to follow.] 23.Rxg7!! Kxg7 24.Qg3+ Kh8 25.Nf7+ Kh7 26.h5 Rg8 27.e8Q

board

Overloading the Rg8, which can take either queen but the reply is mate on g6 or h8. 1-0