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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.

It was virtually the ‘full English’ as the 4NCL 2008-9 season climaxed with the final weekend held at Daventry. Guildford A&DC, Wood Green Hilsmark Kingfisher and Pride and Prejudice added the best home grown players to their squads. The destination of the Division 1 title was still at stake after Guildford A&DC’s first team lost to their second team earlier in the season while WGHK remained unbeaten going into the final three rounds.

Guildford A&DC also added Igor Kurnosov, the Russian GM who won the Hastings Masters and was so impressive at two Open tournaments held in Moscow earlier this year. Luke McShane, arguably the world’s strongest amateur player turned out as well for Guildford A&DC on board three with David Howell playing on board two below Kurnosov.

Pride and Prejudice produced a surprise and recruited England number one Michael Adams who outplayed GM Stephen Gordon in the ninth round match against WGHK I but the latter won the contest overall 5-3. Guilford A&DC I demolished Barbican 4NCL I 7-1.

Black chooses the Sicilian Modern Paulsen. Black sets up a solid Hedgehog structure and hopes to break out later. Because the bishop is on g7 and not e7, the d6 pawn needs a lot of looking after.

M Adams - L D'Costa
4NCL Div1 Daventry
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.0-0 Qc7 7.Qe2 d6 8.c4 g6 9.Nc3 Bg7 10.Nf3 0-0 11.h3 Nc6 12.Be3 Nd7 13.Rac1 Re8 (Black needs to put a rook on d8 but now the a8 rook will be too late so 13...b6 seems preferable) 14.Rfd1 (14.Nd5 is calmly met by 14...Qd8) 14...b6 15.Qd2 Nc5 16.Bb1 Bf8 17.Bh6 (Simple chess, to protect d6 Black has to allow the white queen to the kingside) 17...Bxh6 (17...Be7 18.b4 Nd7 19.Nd5!) 18.Qxh6 Bb7 19.Nh2! Rad8 20.Ng4 Qe7 21.f4 (Intending e4-e5 and Nf6+) 21...f6 22.Rd2 b5?! (Black goes down fighting 22...Qg7 23.Qxg7+ Kxg7 24.Rcd1 would be rotten) 23.cxb5 axb5 24.Nxb5 f5 25.exf5 exf5

D'Costa

board

Adams

Position after 25...exf5

26.Bxf5! Ba6 (26...gxf5 27.Nf6+ Kh8 28.Rxc5 dxc5 29.Re2! Qf7 30.Nxe8 Rxe8 31.Nd6) 27.Bxg6 hxg6 28.Qxg6+ Qg7 (28...Kh8 29.Nf6) 29.Nf6+ Kf8 30.Qxg7+ Kxg7 31.Nxe8+ Rxe8 32.Nxd6 1-0

D'Costa

board

Adams

Final position after 32.Nxd6

R Palliser - L McShane
4 NCL Div 1 Daventry
King’s Indian 4 Pawns
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0-0 6.Nf3 Na6 7.Bd3 e5! 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.d5 (9.Nxe5 Qxd4; 9.dxe5 Nc5 10.Bc2 Qxd1+ 11.Nxd1 Ng4=) 9...Ne8 10.0-0 c5 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.Be3 Nec7 13.a3 Ne6 14.b4 Nd4 15.Ne2 Nxf3+ 16.Rxf3 Nc7 17.h3 (17.Qd2!?) 17...Ne6 18.Ra2?! (18.Qc2) 18...f5! 19.Bc2 (19.exf5 e4!) 19...Qxd1+ 20.Bxd1 f4! 0-1 20...f4 21.Bd2 Ng5 wins the e4 pawn and Black has a big advantage.

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