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.

White Rose emerged the winners after a hard fought season in the 4NCL Division 2. In view of a restructuring of the 4NCL which will see Division 1 expand to 16 teams, there were four promotion places and many teams recruited new players.

White Rose fielded a titled player throughout the season with GM Colin McNab, GM Peter Wells or IM Jan Teplitzky on top board. The team from Yorkshire lost just one match, to Pride and Prejudice and conceded just one 4-4 draw to South Wales Dragons.

4NCL Division 2 table

Team	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points
White Rose	9	1	1	19
Bristol 1	8	1	2	17
Pride and Prejudice	8	1	2	17
South Wales Dragons 1	6	2	3	14
Guildford-A&DC 3	6	2	3	14
Oxford 1	6	0	5	12
Poisoned Pawns 1	5	2	4	12
Wessex 1	4	3	4	11
Cheddleton-Pointon	3	1	7	7
Kings Head	3	0	8	3
Barbican 4NCL Youth	1	1	9	3
Hilsmark Kingfisher 2	0	0	11	0

S Barrett - C Morris
4NCL Div 2
Tarrasch Defence
White Rose v South Wales Dragons
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.e3 Nf6 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.a3 (This waiting move plans to take on c5 and play b2-b4 should Black move his king's bishop) 6...a6 7.b3 Be7 8.Bb2 cxd4 9.exd4 0-0 10.Bd3 b6 (10...dxc4 11.bxc4 Nxd4 12.Nxd4 Qxd4 13.Bxh7+) 11.0-0 Bb7 12.Re1 Rc8 13.Rc1 Na5 (13...Re8 14.Na4 Bf8 15.c5) 14.Ne5 Bd6 15.c5 bxc5 16.dxc5 Bxe5 17.Rxe5 Rxc5 (17...Nc6 18.Re1 e5 19.Na4 with the plan of f2-f3, Na4-b6 and b3-b4 when White looks somewhat better) 18.Rg5! Rc8 (18...Rc6 which deprives the knight of a retreat and blocks the bishop would not normally occur to a human player but it would have stopped what follows) 19.Nxd5!

Morris
board

Barrett

Position after 19.Nxd5!

19...Rxc1 (19...Bxd5 20.Rxg7+ Kxg7 21.Qg4+ Kh8 22.Rxc8 Qxc8 23.Bxf6 mate) 20.Qxc1 Qxd5 (20...exd5 21.Rxg7+ Kxg7 22.Qg5+ Kh8 23.Bxf6+ Qxf6 24.Qxf6+) 21.Rxd5 (A queen is always hard to resist but 21.Bxf6 would end the game right away) 21...Nxd5 22.b4 (22.Bxg7 Kxg7 23.Qg5+ Kh8 24.Qh6) 22...Nc6 23.Bxa6 Ba8 24.b5 Nce7 25.Be5 Rd8 26.h3 Rd7 27.Qc5 1-0

Morris
board

Barrett

Final position after 27.Qc5

A lovely game, after Black loses a pawn in the opening he is never given the chance to organise and even with most f his pieces on the back row White creates strong threats.

I Gourlay - A Therrien
4NCL Div2
White Rose vs. Hilsmark Kingfisher 2
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Bg4 4.c4 c6 5.Ne5 Bf5 6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Nc3 e6 8.g4 Bg6 9.Qa4+ Nfd7 10.h4 Bc2? (If 10...Be7 11.h5 but 10...f6 11.Nxg6 hxg6 12.Qc2 f5 was playable) 11.Nxf7! Kxf7 12.Qxc2 Nc6 13.d3 Rc8 14.Kf1 Nce5 15.Qa4! Bd6 16.g5 Rf8 17.Bh3 Nc5 18.Qd1 d4 19.Nb5 Bb8 20.b4! Ncxd3 (20...Ncd7 21.Nxd4 is ruinous and if 20...Qd7 21.bxc5 Qxb5 22.Ba3) 21.Qb3! Rxc1+ 22.Rxc1 Nf4 23.Rd1 d3 24.e3 Nd5 25.Nd4 Ke7 26.Rxd3! Nxd3 27.Qxd3 Bg3 28.f3 Nxb4 29.Qb3 Qb6 30.Kg2 Be5 31.Nxe6 Rc8 32.Nd4 Rc7 (32...Bxd4 33.Bxc8) 33.Rd1 Nc2 34.Nf5+ 1-0