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Daily Telegraph

Daily Telegraph

Malcolm Pein writes a daily chess column in the Daily Telegraph. This article is used on the 4NCL web site with permission.

The 4NCL rounds 7 and 8 took place at the weekend in the comfortable surroundings of the Barcelo Hotel at Hinckley Island. Division one leaders Guildford A&DC 1 continued their imperious progress in round 7 but came up against some unexpectedly strong resistance from Pride and Prejudice who have made their way up the divisions in recent years while fielding mainly female players.

To cope with the demands of Division 1 some more men and strong junior players have been drafted in to the Pride and Prejudice team but it was Elena Winkelmann rated just 2101 who was the team’s hero as she outplayed GM Daniel King rated 2512.

E Winkelmann - D King
4NCL (8)
English Opening
1.Nf3 b6 2.g3 Bb7 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.c4 e6 5.Nc3 c5 6.0-0 Be7 7.e3 0-0 8.d4 Ne4 9.Qc2 Nxc3 10.Qxc3 Bf6 (White’s seventh move is not the critical test of Black’s setup and Black has equalised) 11.b3 Nc6 12.Bb2 cxd4 13.exd4 Rc8 14.Qd2 d5 15.Ba3 Re8 16.c5!? a5 (16...Ba6 17.Rfe1 Nxd4!? 18.Nxd4 bxc5 19.Ne2 Bxa1 20.Rxa1) 17.Rac1 b5 18.b4 (Black’s light squared bishop is condemned to passivity but his activity on the ‘a’ file more than compensates) 18…Ra8 19.Rfd1 axb4 20.Bxb4 Nxb4 21.Qxb4 Bc6 22.a3 Ra4 23.Qb2 Qd7?! (23...Qa5 24.Rd3 Ra8 25.Rcc3 Rc4 was much more active) 24.Rc3 Rea8 25.Bf1 g6 26.Rb3 R8a5 27.Rb1 Kg7 28.Bxb5 Bxb5 29.Rxb5 Rxa3 (29...Rxb5 30.Qxb5 Qxb5 31.Rxb5 Rxa3 32.c6 Rc3? 33.Rc5 Rxc5 34.dxc5 Bd8 35.Nd4 Kf8 36.Nb5 wins) 30.Rxa5 Rxa5 (White’s protected passed pawn on c5 is a huge asset but she finished the game with an attack on the black king) 31.Qb6 Ra3 32.Kg2 Rc3 (32...Qa4) 33.Qa6 Rc4 34.Rb7 Qe8 35.Qd6 (Black's position is infiltrated there is no defence) 35...h6 (35...Bxd4 36.Nxd4 Rxd4 37.Qe5+ wins) 36.Ne5 Bxe5 37.Qxe5+ Kh7 38.Rb8 1-0

Another game from the match. Susan Lalic’s direct attack is underestimated by her opponent.

S Lalic - E Auckland
4NCL Div (7) Hinckley
Closed Sicilian

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 a6 3.g3 b5 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.d3 e6 6.f4 Nf6 7.Nf3 d5 (7...d6 8.0-0 Be7) 8.e5 Nfd7 9.0-0 Be7 10.Ne2 Nb6 (10...Nc6) 11.d4 c4?! (Gives White a free hand on the kingside by releasing the tension in the centre) 12.c3 b4 13.g4! g6 14.Ng3 Bc8 [14...Kd7] 15.Qc2 h5 16.h3 Nc6 17.Be3 a5 (17...hxg4 18.hxg4) 18.gxh5 gxh5 19.Ng5! Bxg5? 20.fxg5 h4 21.g6! hxg3 22.Rxf7 Ne7 23.Bg5 Ba6 24.Raf1 (24.Rxe7+ also wins) 24...Nbc8 25.g7 Rg8 26.Qa4+ 1-0

Elena Winkelmann
Elena Winkelmann, a few minutes after her victory against Danny King, just as she was about to phone her Dad to tell him that she'd won. (Photo - Claire Summerscale)

Division 1

WGHK 1
Pride and Prejudice
Barbican 4NCL 1
White Rose 1
WGHK 2
Guildford-A&DC 1
Cambridge Univ. 1
The ADs
Betsson.com
Barbican 4NCL 2
Oxford 1
Pandora's Box Grantham
S. Wales Dragons
Guildford-A&DC 2
Poisoned Pawns 1
Jutes of Kent

Division 2

Sambuca Sharks
Cheddleton
Warwickshire Select 1
e2e4.org.uk 1
Barbican 4NCL Youth
AMCA Dragons
Kings Head
Poisoned Pawns 2
Anglian Avengers
Wessex 1
Celtic Tigers 1
Bristol 1
White Rose 2
Brown Jack
Guildford-A&DC 3
FCA Solutions 1

Division 3

Rhyfelwyr Essyllwg
Sambuca Black Sheep
3Cs
Cambridge Univ. 2
Wessex 2
Warwickshire Select 2
KJCA Kings
FCA Solutions 2
The Full Ponty
Sussex Smart Ctls.
e2e4.org.uk 2
Iceni
Nottinghamshire 1
Nottinghamshire 2
Oxford 2
AMCA Rhinos
Braille Chess Assoc.
AMCA Hippos
Glos. Gambits
Bristol 2
KJCA Knights
Guernsey Mates
Bristol 3
SCS
Hackney
e2e4.org.uk 3
Beauty and the Beasts
Celtic Tigers 2
Oxford 3
Halesowen
Guildford-A&DC 4
AMCA Cheetahs