4NCL - The Four Nations League - www.4ncl.co.uk/pre2010

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 second 4NCL weekend was held at the Barcelo Hotel, Hinckley Island. The two strongest teams, Wood Green/Hilsmark Kingfisher and Pride & Prejudice met on the Sunday in a match that could have settled the destination of the title but after a tense struggle the result was 4-4 which leaves the two teams still tied for the lead and all to play for.

Mickey Adams was impressive in his last outing at the London Chess Classic and his return to form continued as he defeated Wood Green’s Etienne Bacrot with black on board 1. Adams may well go back above 2700 in the next rating list. Despite Adams’ win Pride and Prejudice looked set to lost the match before Mark Hebden managed to hold a draw two pawns down in the endgame against Alexander Baburin.

Pride & Prejudice lead league 1A on game points and there is a distinct possibility both teams will win all their remaining matches although Barbican and Guildford both have strong squads. The sixteen team first division is split into two groups of eight. WGHK 2, Barbican, Guildford and White Rose head league 1B and each team has lost once.

After seven rounds the top four from 1A and 1B will qualify for the championship pool and the bottom four go to the relegation pool. Four teams will be relegated.

Another player who prospered at the London Chess Classic was Jon Ludvig Hammer of Norway who won the Open and he defeated Stewart Haslinger with Black to score Wood Green’s first win.

White’s fifth move is not a serious attempt to refute Black’s fourth. Bent Larsen reintroduced the Vienna at the top level in the 1960s. He favoured 5.Nge2, see below.

S Haslinger - JL Hammer
Vienna Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Na5 5.Bb3 Bb4 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nge2 c6 9.0-0 0-0 10.f4 Nxb3 (10...exf4 11.Rxf4 Qe7 = Mieses - Jaffe 1907) 11.axb3 exf4 12.Rxf4 Qg5 13.d4 d5 14.Qd3 Bxc3 15.bxc3 Bg4 16.Rf2 dxe4 17.Qxe4 Rfe8 18.Qd3 Re3 19.Qd2 Rae8 20.Ng3 a6 21.Nf1 Re2 22.Rxe2 (22.Qxg5 hxg5 23.Ng3 Re1+ 24.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 25.Rf1 Rxf1+ 26.Nxf1 Bf5 27.Ne3 Be4 28.Kf2 f5 is also better for Black) 22...Rxe2 23.Qxg5 hxg5 24.c4 Be6 25.Ra5 f6 26.Ra2 Bf5 27.Ng3 Rxc2 28.Rxc2 Bxc2 29.b4 Bd3 30.c5 f5 31.Kf2 f4 32.Ne2 Bxe2 33.Kxe2 g4 34.Kd3 Kf7 35.Ke4 g5 36.h3 f3 0-1

Hammer

board

Haslinger

Final position after 36...f3

After 37.gxf3 gxh3 wins

B Larsen - L Portisch
Candidates QF game 10 1968
Vienna Game

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Na5 5.Nge2! Nxc4 6.dxc4 Be7 7.0-0 d6 8.b3 0-0 9.Ng3 c6 10.Bb2 Qa5? 11.Qe1! (Threat Nd5) 11...Qc7 12.a4 Be6 13.Rd1 a6 14.Qe2 Bg4 15.f3 Bd7 16.Kh1 Rab 17.Nf5 Bxf5 18.exf5 Rfe8 19.Rd2 Rbd8 20.Rfd1 Nh5 21.Ba3! Nf4 22.Qf2 Qa5 23.Ne4! d5 24.Bxe7 Rxe7 25.Qh4! Red7 26.g3 Ne2 (26...dxe4 27.Qxd8+!! Qxd8 28.Rxd7 wins but not 27.Rxd7? Rxd7 28.Rxd7?? Qe1#) 27.f6! Qb4 28.Qg4! 1-0 After 28...g6 29.Rxe2 wins as the d5 pawn is pinned

Portisch

board

Larsen

Final position after 28.Qg4!