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.

While the world championship was underway the 4NCL final weekend took place at Sunningdale.

Wood Green Hilsmark Kingfisher I retained the Division One title and gave their captain Brian Smith his fifth triumph and he announced his retirement as the most successful captain in the history of the competition. However, in the tenth and penultimate round the competition was opened up when Barbican 4NCL I upset one of the favourites Pride and Prejudice despite being outrated by over 100 points per board. The average rating of the teams is in brackets.

Pride and Prejudice (2521) 2-6 Barbican 4NCL 1 (2398)

1 GM Michael Adams, 2704 draw IM Lorin D'Costa, 2466

2 GM David Howell, 2612 0 - 1 GM Jonathan Parker, 2523

3 GM Mark Hebden, 2548 draw GM Matthew Turner, 2515

4 GM Glenn Flear, 2517 0 - 1 IM Mark Ferguson, 2393

5 GM John Emms, 2484 0 - 1 IM Sam Collins, 2401

6 WGM Harriet Hunt, 2452 0 - 1 IM John Cox, 2389

7 GM Chris Ward, 2431 draw IM Simon Knott, 2342

8 IM Florian Grafl, 2421 draw WIM Ingrid Lauterbach, 2158

J Emms - S Collins

4NCL (10)

Giuoco Piano

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Bc5 5.c3 a6 6.Bb3 Ba7 7.0-0 d6 8.Re1 (8.Nbd2 does not allow Black to become so active) 8...Ng4 9.Re2 Qf6! 10.Nbd2 g5! (Threat Nxf2 followed by g5-g4)

Collins

board

Emms

Position after 10...g5!

11.d4 Bd7 12.Nf1 Rg8 (Covering g5) 13.Ne3 0-0-0 14.Nd5 Qh6 15.Be3 f5! 16.h3 (16.exf5 e4 wins) 16...Nxe3 17.fxe3 g4 18.hxg4 fxe4 19.Nh2 Bxg4 20.Qd2 (Giving up material but 20.Nxg4 Rxg4 21.Qd2 Rh4 wins immediately) 20...Bxe2 21.Qxe2 Rg5 22.Rf1 Rf8 23.Ng4 Qg7 24.Nh2 Rg8 25.Rf2 exd4 26.exd4 Nxd4 27.cxd4 Bxd4 28.Nf4 Rxg2+ 0-1

Collins

board

Emms

Final position after 28...Rxg2+

As Pride and Prejudice slipped up WGHK marched on with a 6-2 win over White Rose

K Arakhamia - M Grigoryan

Ruy Lopez Schliemann

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 4.d3 fxe4 5.dxe4 Nf6 6.Qd3 Bc5 7.Nc3 Qe7 8.Bg5 Bb4 9.0-0 Bxc3 10.Bxf6 gxf6 11.Qxc3 Qb4 12.Qd3 Ne7 13.a3 Qc5 14.b4 Qb6 15.Bc4 d6 16.a4 a5 17.Rfb1 axb4 18.c3 d5 19.Bxd5 Nxd5 20.exd5 b3 21.Nd2 b2 22.Ra2 Ra6 23.Raxb2 Qa7 24.Qc4 Kd8 25.Rb4 h5 26.Ne4 Rh6 27.d6 1-0