4NCL - The Four Nations League

Press Release

2001/02 season - Weekend 4

The fourth weekend of the 2001/02 4NCL season took place in Birmingham on 23rd and 24th March.

With 8 out of 11 rounds completed, all three divisions remain very close. In Division 1, Beeson Gregory are the clear leaders, although they have now dropped their first match point in a 4-4 draw with Wood Green II. Beeson Gregory now need to win their final three matches against Barbican 4NCL 2, Wessex and Slough 1 to be sure of retaining their title. The chasing pack, headed by Wood Green's first string, can only hope that Beeson slip up.

At the wrong end of the Division 1 table it looks like Wessex 1 and Beeson Gregory II are doomed to relegation. But the third remaining slot in the drop zone is too close to call, with any one of 6 teams nervously looking at falling into Division 2.

In Division 2, Perceptron Youth continue to set the pace, though Richmond are edging closer with two big wins over the weekend. It looks like the round 10 clash between these two will decide the division. South Wales Dragons are the favourites for the remaining promotion spot. At the bottom, Witney & Swindon are now deep in trouble, but a good win by Athenaeum has given them some hope of retaining Division 2 status.

The Division 3 championship looks like a two way battle between Warwickshire Select and South Wales Dragons II, with the Midlands outfit having a slender lead. At the other end of the table, the battle is to avoid having to compete in the June qualification weekend. This one looks like going right down to the last game!

Selected games

Keith Arkell vs. Simon Williams
Thistle White Rose vs. Midland Monarchs, board 1
Division 1, round 7

1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 f5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.Nbd2 Nc6 7.a3 a5 8.b3 Qe8 9.Bb2 Qh5 10.e3 d6 11.Ne1 Qh6 12.Nd3 e5 13.dxe5 dxe5 14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.Bxe5 Rd8

Arkell vs. Williams

16.Bxf6 Bxf6 17.Ra2 Bc3 18.Qe2 Be6 19.Nb1 Qf6 20.Bxb7 Rab8 21.Ba6 a4 22.Bc4 axb3 23.cxb3 Rxb3 24.Bxb3 Bxb3 25.Nxc3 Qxc3 26.Qb2 Qd3 27.Raa1 f4 28.Rab1 Ba4 29.exf4 Qf3 30.Rfc1 and Black resigns.

Murray Chandler vs. Matthew Turner
Beeson Gregory I vs. Wood Green II, board 2
Division 1, round 7

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.Bb5 a6 6.e5 axb5 7.exf6 Nc6 8.Qe3 e6 9.Nc3 b4 10.Nb5 Ra5 11.Qd3 d5 12.0-0 Qxf6 13.a4 bxa3 14.Bd2 Bb4 15.Bxb4 Nxb4 16.Nd6+ Kd7 17.Qd2 Nc6 18.b4 Ra8

Chandler vs. Turner

19.Nxf7 Qxf7 20.b5 Qf6 21.bxc6+ bxc6 22.Rfe1 e5 23.Nxe5+ Kc7 24.Qb4 Bf5 25.Nf7 Rhe8 26.Qf4+ Kd7 27.Ne5+ Rxe5 28.Rxe5 Re8 29.Rxa3 Qxe5 30.Ra7+ Kc8 31.Ra8+ Kb7 White resigns

Glenn Flear vs. Bjorn Tiller
Beeson Gregory I vs. Wood Green II, board 4
Division 1, round 7

1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.e4 d6 4.Nc3 e5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.d5 Nce7 7.Be2 f5 8.exf5 Nxf5 9.g4 Nh4 10.Nxh4 Qxh4 11.Ne4 h6 12.c5 Nf6 13.cxd6 Nxe4 14.Qa4+ Bd7 15.Qxe4 0-0 16.Be3 cxd6 17.Qxg6 Rac8 18.0-0 Kh8 19.Rac1 Rg8 20.Rxc8 Bxc8 21.f3

Flear vs. Tiller

21...e4 22.Qxe4 Be5 23.Rf2 Bd7 24.Bd4 Bxd4 25.Qxd4+ Rg7 26.Qf4 Kg8 27.Qxd6 h5 28.Qb8+ Kf7 29.Qxb7 Qe7 30.Qxa7 Kg8 31.Qb8+ Kh7 32.Bd3+ Kh6 33.Qf4+ and Black resigns.

Nigel Povah vs. David Shaw
Guildford-ADC I vs. Beeson Gregory II, board 7
Division 1, round 8

1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 f5 3.e4 fxe4 4.Ng5 Nf6 5.f3 exf3 6.Qxf3 h6 7.Qh3 Bd6 8.Bd3 0-0 9.0-0 Qe8 10.Nc3 Nc6

Povah vs. Shaw

11.Rxf6 Rxf6 12.Nge4 Be7 13.Nxf6+ Bxf6 14.Nb5 Qf8 15.c3 e5 16.Qf5 exd4 17.Bxh6 d6 18.Qh7+ Kf7 19.Bc4+ Be6 20.Bxe6+ Kxe6 21.Nxc7+ Kd7 22.Nxa8 dxc3 23.bxc3 Bxc3 24.Rd1 Bf6 25.Qf5+ Kd8 26.Bg5 Qe7 27.Bxf6 gxf6 and Black resigns.

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