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.

Wood Green Hilsmark Kingfisher and Pride and Prejudice remain neck and neck after six rounds of the 4NCL Division 1. Both sides scored two more wins at the third weekend held at the Barcelo Hotel, Hickley Island. Pride and Prejudice’s top board GM Jonathan Rowson succumbed to some nice tactics from Simon Williams in his favourite King’s Indian but Pride and Prejudice’s three other GMs proved too strong for the Jutes of Kent. Wood Green fielded three GMs against Barbican 4 NCL2 and won comfortably although Matthew Piper held Jon Speelman to a draw.

Scores:

Pool A

Pride and Prejudice & WGHK 1 11/12; Cambridge University 8; Barbican 4NCL 2 & The Ads 5; Oxford 1 4; Guildford- A&DC 3; Jutes of Kent 1;

Pool B

Barbican 4NCL l & White Rose 1 10/12; Guildford- A&DC 1 & WGHK 2 8; Betsson.Com 6; Pandora's Box Grantham 4; South Wales Dragons 2; Poisoned Pawns 1 0;

After 7 rounds, the top 4 teams in Pool A and B qualify for the championship and the remaining eight fight to avoid relegation. At the end of the season 4 teams will be relegated.

L McShane (2616) - G Morrison (2328)
Sicilian Defence

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 d6 6.g4 a6 7.Be3 Nge7 8.Nb3 b5 9.f4 Bb7 10.Qe2 Na5 11.Nxa5 Qxa5 12.Qf2 Nc8 (12...Qc7 13.Bg2 Rc8; 12...Bxe4 13.0-0-0 Bxh1 14.Bb6 Qb4 15.a3 traps the queen and if 15...Qxc3 16.bxc3 Bd5 17.f5 gives White a strong initiative) 13.Bg2 Be7 14.f5 b4 15.Ne2 (Black has problems with his knight) 15...e5 (Preventing fxe6 and Nd4 or f4) 16.0-0 Bd8 17.Kh1 Bb6 18.Ng3 f6 (Black's position is already difficult after 18...0-0 19.f6 g6 the white queen heads for h6 ) 19.g5 h5 20.Bf3 h4 (20...Bxe3 21.Qxe3 Qc5 22.Qb3!) 21.Nh5 fxg5 22.Rg1 Bxe3 23.Qxe3 1-0

Morrison

board

McShane

Final position after 23.Qxe3; After Qxg5 or Rxg5 the g7 pawn goes and Black’s king is defenceless

Slow lines of the Ruy Lopez still demand great accuracy from Black and he was struggling a little before he decided to open the game with 18…d5

J Emms (2484) - A Mack (2213)
Ruy Lopez

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.a4 Bb7 9.Re1 d6 10.Nc3 b4 (10...Na5) 11.Nd5 a5?! (11...Na5 12.Nxe7+ Qxe7 13.Ba2 c5 is possible; If 11...Nxd5 12.Bxd5 Na5 13.Bxb7 Nxb7 14.d4 with advantage) 12.c3 bxc3 13.bxc3 Nb8 14.Nxe7+ Qxe7 15.Nh4! Bc8 (15...Nxe4 16.Nf5) 16.d4 Be6 17.Nf5 Qd7 18.Bc2 d5? 19.Ng3 (19.Nxg7 Kxg7 20.exd5 Qxd5 21.Bh6+ Kxh6 22.Qc1+ Kg7 23.Qg5+ Kh8 24.Qxf6+ Kg8 25.Re3) 19...exd4 20.e5 Ne4 21.Nxe4 dxe4 22.Bxe4 Nc6 23.Qh5 h6 (23...g6 24.Qh6 Bd5 25.Bg5) 24.Bxh6! gxh6 25.Qxh6 f6 26.exf6 Ra6 27.Rad1 Bg4 (27...Rf7 28.Rd3) 28.Bd5+ 1-0

Mack

board

Emms

Final position after 28.Bd5+

The 19th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament is underway in the opulent surroundings of the Palais de la Mediterranée on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. The event is organized by the Association Max Euwe and supported by chess maecenas Joop van Oosterom. World number one Magnus Carlsen is the top-seed but as ever the field is world class and includes Levon Aronian, the winner of the past two Amber tournaments, and Vladimir Kramnik, who won the Amber tournament a record six times. Alexander Morozevich withdrew just a week ago and has been replaced by the Russian champion Alexander Grischuk.