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

Press Release

2002/03 season - Weekend 1
Divisions 1 & 2

The top two Divisions of the 4NCL kicked off at the West Bromwich Moat House on the weekend of November 23rd and 24th.

In Division 1, red-hot favourites Wood Green 1 are off to a flying start with two 7-1 victories. Their formidable team, headed by world ranked number 4 Michael Adams, saw off the challenges of South West Dragons and Wood Green’s own second team. Indeed in this second round match, it looked at one point as if an 8-0 whitewash was on the cards.

Barbican-4NCL 1 can also be delighted with their weekend’s work. They managed to pull off a big surprise with a narrow win over the much-fancied Guildford-ADC 1 outfit. Barbican’s two weekend victories mean that their third round match up against Wood Green 1 in the January weekend will be a crunch encounter.

Also successful were Division 1 debutants Perceptron Youth and newly sponsored Betsson.com, both now standing just half a point behind the leading two teams.

Division 2 saw a lot of very tight matches and there is an early logjam at the top of the table. The leaders are Guildford-ADC 2 and last season’s Division 3 champs, Warwickshire Select. They are closely followed by North West Eagles 1 and Numerica 3Cs 1.

The next 4NCL weekend will see all 4 Divisions competing at Telford on January 18th/19th 2003.

Selected games

James Cobb vs. Michael Adams
South Wales Dragons 1 vs. Wood Green 1, board 1
Division 1, round 1

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. c3 dxc3 7. Qb3 Qd7 8. Re1 - varying from the 8. Qxc3 of Anderssen vs. Eichborn, 1852! - 8... Na5 9. Qxc3 Nxc4 10. Qxg7 f6 11. Qxh8 Qf7 12. b3

Cobb vs. Adams

12... Bg4 13. bxc4 Bxf3 14. Nd2 Bg4 15. Nb3 Bb6 16. Bb2 O-O-O 17. h3 Bd7 18. c5 dxc5 19. e5 c4 20. Nd4 Qg6 21. e6 Ba4 22. Nf3 Bc6 23. e7 Re8 24. Kh1 Ba5 25. Re3 c3 and White resigns.

David Hodge vs. David Collier
Perceptron Youth vs. Bristol 1, board 7
Division 1, round 1

1. e4 c5 2. c3 b6 3. d4 e6 4. Bd3 Ba6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. O-O Bxd3 7. Qxd3 cxd4 8. e5 Nd5 9. Nxd4 Nc6 10. Re1 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 Rc8 12. Nd2 Qc7 13. Ne4 Be7

Hodge vs. Collier

14. Nd6+ Bxd6 15. exd6 Qxd6 16. c4 Qb4 17. Bd2 Qxc4 18. Qxg7 Rf8 19. Rac1 Qa6 20. Rxc8+ Qxc8 21. Bh6 Ke7 22. Qg5+ Nf6 23. Bg7 and Black resigns.

Colin Crouch vs. Richard Webb
North West Eagles 1 vs. Wessex 1, board 2
Division 2, round 1

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e3 Be6 7. Nd2 Nd5 8. Nxc4 c5 9. Qa4+ Nc6 10. Ne5 O-O 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Rd1 cxd4 13. exd4 Rb8 14. Bc1 c5 15. Nb5

Crouch vs. Webb

15... a6 16. Qxa6 Nb4 17. Qa4 Ra8 18. Na7 Qb8 0-1 and White resigns.

Simon Spivack vs. Arnaud Jossien
Athenaeum 1 vs. King's Head, board 3
Division 2, round 1

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Bd3 e5 4. d5 Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. Nc3 Na6 7. Nf3 Nc5 8. Bc2 a5 9. Be3 Nfd7 10. Qe2 g6 11. g4 Bf6 12. O-O-O a4 13. h4 a3 14. b3 Nb8 15. g5 Bg7 16. Rdg1 Nba6 17. h5 Nb4 18. Nh2 c6 19. Ng4 Qa5 20. Bd2 Bxg4 21. Rxg4 f5 22. gxf6 Rxf6 23. hxg6 hxg6 24. Kb1 Raf8 25. Rhg1 Rxf2 - now comes an imaginative long-range queen sacrifice

Spivack vs. Jossien

26. Rxg6 Rxe2 27. Nxe2 Rf7 28. Ng3 Rf6 29. Rg5 Kf7 30. Nh5 Bh8 31. Nxf6 Bxf6 32. Rh5 Nd7 33. Rh7+ Ke8 34. Rg8+ Nf8 35. Rxb7 Qc5 36. Bxb4 Qd4 37. Bxa3 Be7 38. dxc6 Kf7 39. Rxf8+ Kxf8 40. c7 Qg1+ 41. Bc1 and Black resigns.

Last season's awards

Just before the first round started, League Chairman Paul Littlewood presented the awards for last season. And the winners are ...

Team Awards
Division 1 - Beeson Gregory 1
Division 2 - Perceptron Youth
Division 3 - Warwickshire Select

Individual Awards
Top Scorer in Each Division
Division 1 - Alexander Baburin (Wood Green)
Won 9 Drew 2 Lost 0, 10 out of 11

Photo - John Saunders
With the kind permission of the British Chess Magazine

Division 2 - Martin Taylor (Perceptron Youth)
Won 9 Drew 2 Lost 0, 10 out of 11

Photo - John Saunders
With the kind permission of the British Chess Magazine

Division 3 - John Curtis (Bristol 2)
Won 7 Drew 4 Lost 0, 9 out of 11

Photo - John Saunders
With the kind permission of the British Chess Magazine

Captain/Manager of the Year - Chris Howell (Beeson Gregory)

Photo - John Saunders
With the kind permission of the British Chess Magazine

Game of the Season - Ruth Sheldon's win against Harriet Hunt in the decisive Beeson Gregory vs. Wood Green match.

Harriet Hunt vs. Ruth Sheldon
Wood Green 1 vs. Beeson Gregory 1, board 8
Division 1, round 6

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8. Kh1 Nxd4 9. Qxd4 Bc5 10. Qd3 b5 11. f4 Bb7 12. Bf3 h5 13. Bd2 Rc8 14. e5 Ng4 15. Bxb7 Qxb7 16. Ne4 Qc6 17. a3 Be7 18. Bb4 Qxc2 19. Nd6+ Kf8 20. Qxc2 Rxc2 21. Rac1 Rc6 22. Rxc6 dxc6 23. Rc1 g5 24. Rxc6 Kg7 25. fxg5 Bxg5 26. Rc7 Nxe5 27. Bc3 Bf6 28. Ne4 Ng4 29. Nxf6 Nxf6 30. Rc5 Rd8 31. h4 Rd5 32. Rc6 a5 33. Bxa5 Ng4 34. g3 Rf5 35. Rc1 Kg6 36. Bb6 Rd5 37. Rc2 e5 38. Re2 Kf5 39. Kg2 Rd3 40. Rc2 Ke4 41. Re2+ Kd5 42. Rc2 Rb3 43. Kh3 Ke4 44. Ba5 f5 45. Bc3 Kf3 46. Rd2 Nf2+ 47. Rxf2+ Kxf2 48. Bxe5 Rd3 49. Kh2 Kf1 50. Bf4 Rf3 51. Kh1 Rb3 52. Be5 Re3 53. Bd6 Re6 54. Bc5 Rc6 55. Bd4 Rc1 56. Be5 Kf2+ 57. Kh2 Kf3 58. Bd4 Kg4 59. Be5 Rc2+ 60. Kg1 Re2 61. Bd6 Rxb2 62. Kf1 Rd2 63. Be5 Rd3 and White resigns.

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