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.

Nigel Short won the 2008 Commonwealth Championship at Nagpur in India after a last round with black over Arun Prasad. Short was the only world class player at the event which was mainly composed of Indian second string players. Short generally outclassed the field apart from a wobble in round threes and five when lost to Rahul Sangma and then drew with Shashikant Kutwal both rated round three hundred points below him. However after that he pulled himself to together and won six in a row to end with 9.5/11.

N Short - R Bhuvanesh
Commonwealth Chess Championship Nagpur
Sicilian Defence
1.e4 c5 2.b3 Nc6 3.Bb2 e5 4.Bc4 d6 5.f4 (Turning the game into a sort of King's Gambit) 5...exf4 6.Qf3 Nf6 7.Qxf4 Be7 8.Nc3 Be6 9.Nf3 0-0 10.0-0 Nh5 11.Qe3 Bf6 12.Kh1 Re8 13.Bxe6 Rxe6 14.d3 (The knight on h5 is Black's only problem ) 14...b5 15.Qc1 Nd4 16.Nd5 Nxf3 17.Nxf6+ Nxf6 18.gxf3 (We saw Short do this with success against Karjakin in his Rapidplay match. White attacks down the g file) 18...Nh5 19.Rg1 Rg6 20.Rg4 Qe7 21.Qd2 Rf8 22.Rag1 Qe6 23.Rh4 Nf6 24.Rg3 Nd7 25.Qg2 Rxg3 26.Qxg3 f6 27.Rh5! (Black has missed his chance to play d6-d5) 27...Rd8 28.f4 Nf8 29.Rd5 Rd7 30.f5 Qe7 31.h4 (Black has been forced into a passive state in just a few moves) 31...Kh8 32.Bc1! c4 33.Bf4 cxd3 34.cxd3 Rc7 35.Bxd6 Rc1+ 36.Kg2 Qf7 37.Bxf8 Qxf8 38.Rxb5 1-0

Bhuvanesh
board

Short

Final position after 38.Rxb5

My thanks to the British Champion Stuart Conquest for dropping by and showing me his fine win from round 2 of the 4NCL on Sunday. Black concedes time and space in the opening and is allowed no respite.

S Conquest - S Fowler
4NCL Div 1 (2)
Slav Defence
1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.Nc3 c6 4.e4 Bb4 (4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Qxd4 7.Bxb4 Qxe4+ 8.Be2 is the critical line where White gets compensation for the pawn) 5.Bd2 Nf6 6.e5 Nfd7? (6...Bxc3 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Bd3 is pleasant for White but better than the game) 7.Nf3 b6 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Bd3 Ba6 10.Bxa6 Nxa6 11.Qa4 Bxc3 12.Bxc3 Qc8 13.0-0 Nf8? (If 13...Qb7 14.Rac1 0-0-0 15.Nh4! heading for d6 15...g6 16.f4; or 13...0-0 14.Nh4 f5 15.e6 in both cases with a big advantage) 14.Rac1 Qb7 15.Bd2! (Preventing the king's escape by attacking c6, if 15.Nh4 g6 16.f4 0-0-0) 15...Rc8 16.Nh4! g6 17.f4 Ne6 18.Be3 b5 19.Qc2 Qe7 20.g3 (f4-f5 is a crushing threat so Black has no choice but to allow a fatal opening of lines) 20...f5 21.exf6 Qxf6 22.f5 Nxd4 (22...gxf5 23.Nxf5 is equally hopeless) 23.Qd2 Nxf5 24.Nxf5 gxf5 25.Bd4 Qf8 26.Bxh8 Qxh8 27.Qxd5! 1-0

Fowler
board

Conquest

Final position after 27.Qxd5!