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

Press Release

2004/05 season
Final Weekend
Divisions 1 and 2

The final rounds in Divisions 1 and 2 took place at the West Bromwich Moat House on the May Bank Holiday weekend (30th April, 1st and 2nd May).

As anticipated, the destination of the Division 1 title came down to the final round game between Wood Green 1 and Guildford-ADC1. Both teams had won their previous 10 matches, but crucially Wood Green had accumulated more game points, so a 4-4 draw would suffice for the title. With both sides strengthening their teams, the players ratings averaged over 2600, and the match promised to be even more exciting than last season’s contest. As well as spectators at West Bromwich, the match was transmitted live on the internet.

As the match progressed it was obvious that the result was going to be extremely tight … and so it proved. Whilst all the games were hard-fought, there were only two decisive results. On board 4, Guildford’s Emil Sutovsky won a dazzling game against Ivan Sokolov; a game which is sure to end up in the anthologies. But Wood Green also managed a win, with Victor Bologan downing Joel Lautier on board 3; a neat combination concluding the game.

So Wood Green take the Dunworth Trophy on tiebreak – congratulations to Team Manager Brian Smith and his players on an outstanding season.

Photo - Helen Milligan

Boards 3 and 4 - Ivan Sokolov is black against Emil Sutovsky (foreground) and Victor Bologan plays white against Joel Lautier.

The relegation battle was no less exciting. Numerica 3Cs 1 managed a win and two draws in the final weekend to move off the bottom and into safety. The ADs 1 also secured their place in the top flight with a heavy win in the last round against Bristol 1, who are joined by Wessex 1 and Richmond A in next season’s second division. Richmond were particularly unlucky to be relegated on tiebreak.

In Division 2, Hilsmark Kingfisher wrapped up the title with three efficient victories and so take the Furness Trophy. Slough Sharks 1 were comfortably in second place, and these two teams will be formidable competitors in next season’s top division. The battle for the third promotion place went down to the last few minutes of the session, with Wood Green 3 looking like snatching an unlikely third spot. But eventually Barbican 4NCL 2 secured an early return to Division 1. North West Eagles 2 secured their Division 2 place, leaving Kings Head, Mindsportsltd.com and Bristol 2 relegated.

Just in case you’re suffering from withdrawal symptoms already, Divisions 1 and 2 will meet again next season on October 22nd / 23rd at the Paragon Hotel, Birmingham, where Division 3 will also be held.

Selected games

Emil Sutovsky vs. Ivan Sokolov
Guildford-ADC 1 vs. Wood Green 1, board 4
Division 1, round 11

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 Bg4 11. Bc2 Ne6 12. Re1 Bc5 13. Nf1 Bh5 14. b4 Bb6 15. Ng3 Bg6 16. h4 d4 17. Bg5 Bxc2 18. Qxc2 Qd5 19. Nh5 Qc4 20. Nd2 d3 21. Qd1 Qd5 22. Ne4 Kf8 23. Nef6 gxf6 24. Nxf6 Qc4 25. Re4 Ncd4 26. Bh6+ Ke7 27. cxd4 Nxd4 28. Rc1 Qxa2 29. Rxd4 Rhd8 30. Rf4 d2 31. Rc3 Qa4 32. Ng8+ Ke8 33. Nf6+ Ke7

Sutovsky vs. Sokolov

34. Nd5+ Rxd5 35. Rxf7+ Kd8 36. Rf8+ Ke7 37. Bg5+ Black resigns

Victor Bologan vs. Joel Lautier
Wood Green 1 vs. Guildford-ADC 1, board 3
Division 1, round 11

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. h3 Nf6 7. Nc3 Nd7 8. Be3 e5 9. O-O Qe7 10. Nd2 b6 11. a4 O-O 12. a5 b5 13. Nb3 f5 14. exf5 gxf5 15. f4 c4 16. dxc4 bxc4 17. Nd2 e4 18. Qe2 Ba6 19. Rfd1 Rab8 20. Ra2 Nc5 21. Nf1 Ne6 22. Ng3 Rbd8 23. Rxd8 Qxd8 24. Qf2 c5 25. Ra1 Bd4 26. Nge2 Rf7 27. Kh2 Rd7 28. Ng3 Rf7 29. Rd1 Qh4 30. Nce2 c3 31. Nxd4 cxd4 32. Bxd4 Nxf4 33. Bxc3 Ne2

Bologan vs. Lautier

34. Nxf5 Black resigns

Alexander Baburin vs. Laurence Webb
Wood Green 1 vs. Richmond A, board 5
Division 1, round 9

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 e5 7. Nge2 h6 8. Bh4 Qe7 9. a3 Bxc3+ 10. Nxc3 g5 11. Bg3 exd4 12. Nb5 Nc5 13. O-O-O d3 14. Bxd3 a6 15. Nc3 Bd7 16. e4 Bc6 17. Rhe1 Nxd3+ 18. Qxd3 O-O-O 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 Qf8 21. c5 Nd7 22. cxd6 cxd6 23. Kb1 Kb8 24. Rc1 Nb6 25. Qb3 Nc8

Baburin vs. Webb

26. Rc6 Qg7 27. Rec1 Rhe8 28. Rxa6 Qg6+ 29. Ka1 f5 30. f3 f4 31. Bf2 Rd7 32. Qa4 b5 33. Ra8+ Black resigns

Simon Ansell vs. Andrew Martin
Betsson.com vs. Wood Green 2, board 3
Division 1, round 9

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 a6 6. Bd3 Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O-O 10. O-O-O Nb4 11. a3 Nxd3+ 12. Rxd3 e6 13. Re1 Qd7 14. Bg5 Be7

Ansell vs. Martin

15. d5 Ne8 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. Qe3 Nd6 18. dxe6 Rhe8 19. Qa7 Qg5+ 20. Kb1 Rxe6 21. Rxe6 fxe6 22. Ne4 Qe5 23. Nc5 c6 24. Rb3 Qd5 25. Rxb7 Black resigns

Craig Pritchett vs. David James
Barbican-4NCL 2 vs. South Wales Dragons 1, board 4
Division 2, round 9

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 d6 4. d4 Bg4 5. d5 Bxf3 6. gxf3 Nce7 7. f4 exf4 8. Bxf4 Nf6 9. Qa4+ Qd7 10. Nb5 Kd8 11. h4 Nh5 12. Bh3 f5 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bxe7+ Bxe7 15. Qc2 g6 16. Nd4 Bf6

Pritchett vs. James

17. Ne6+ Ke7 18. O-O-O c6 19. e4 cxd5 20. exf5 g5 21. Qe2 Black resigns

Alexei Shirov vs. Glenn Flear
Wood Green 1 vs. Guildford-ADC 2, board 2
Division 1, round 10

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 Bg4 11. Re1 d4 12. h3 Bh5 13. g4 Bg6 14. Nxd4 Nxd4 15. cxd4 Qxd4 16. Qf3 Rd8 17. Nf1 Nxb3

Shirov vs. Flear

18. e6 Bb4 19. axb3 Bxe1 20. Qc6+ Kf8 21. Be3 Qd6 22. Bc5 Bb4 23. Bxd6+ Bxd6 24. exf7 h5 25. Rxa6 hxg4 26. hxg4 b4 27. Ne3 Bxf7 28. Ra8 Re8 29. Nf5 Bh2+ 30. Kg2 Rxa8 31. Qxa8+ Be8 32. Qd8 Black resigns

Nigel Davies vs. Gavin Wall
Numerica 3Cs 1 vs. Richmond A, board 1
Division 1, round 10

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Be7 6. g3 O-O 7. Bg2 Bg4 8. Qd2 Qc8 9. h3 Bd7 10. g4 Re8 11. O-O h5 12. f3 Nc6 13. Nf5 Bxf5 14. gxf5 Nd7 15. Kh1 Nb6 16. Ne2 d5 17. Ng3 h4 18. Nh5 Qd8

Davies vs. Wall

19. Nxg7 Bg5 20. f4 Kxg7 21. fxg5 dxe4 22. Qf4 Qd6 23. Qxh4 Rh8 24. f6+ Kg8 25. Qxe4 Qd7 26. Bf4 Re8 27. Qd3 Black resigns

Peter Chaplin vs. Paul Kelly
Bristol 2 vs. Mindsportsltd.com 1, board 5
Division 2, round 10

1. Nc3 g6 2. h4 Nf6 3. e4 d6 4. d4 Bg7 5. Be2 a6 6. h5 Nxh5 7. Bxh5 gxh5 8. Be3 b5 9. Qxh5 Qd7 10. Rh3 Nc6 11. Rg3 Bxd4 12. Bxd4 Nxd4

Chaplin vs. Kelly

13. Qxh7 Rf8 14. O-O-O c5 15. Nd5 Rb8 16. Rxd4 cxd4 17. Rg8 Qg4 18. Rxg4 Bxg4 19. Qh4 Black resigns

Gawain Jones vs. Li Wu
Slough Sharks 1 vs. Warwickshire Select 1, board 1
Division 2, round 10

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 Nf6 4. Be2 Bg4 5. d3 Nc6 6. Nbd2 e6 7. Nf1 Be7 8. Ng3 O-O 9. O-O Nd7 10. d4 cxd4 11. cxd4 d5 12. exd5 exd5 13. h3 Be6 14. Bd3 Nb6 15. Re1 Re8 16. Ne5 Nxd4 17. Qh5 h6

18. Bxh6 Bf6 19. Bd2 Bxe5 20. Qh7+ Kf8 21. Rxe5 Nc6 22. Nf5 Black resigns

Peter Wells vs. Peter Gayson
Hilsmark Kingfisher 1 vs. White Rose, board 2
Division 2, round 10

1. d4 f5 2. Nc3 e6 3. e4 fxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ Qxf6 6. Nf3 Bd6 7. Bg5 Qf7 8. Bd3 O-O 9. Qe2 Bf4 10. g3 Bd6 11. Be4 Nc6 12. O-O-O Be7 13. d5 Nb4 14. dxe6 dxe6 15. h4 h6

Wells vs. Gayson

16. Ne5 Bxg5+ 17. hxg5 Qxf2 18. Qxf2 Rxf2 19. Rd8+ Rf8 20. Bh7+ Black resigns

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