4NCL - The Four Nations League

The Four Nations Chess League does not accept responsibility for the content of other websites, to which this site links.

This website includes information on participants in the Four Nations Chess League in respect of name, grade, title, nationality and sex (team registration lists), as well as telephone number(s), email address(es) and postal address(es) in certain circumstances (team captains/managers, management board members, arbiters etc). Participants wishing this information not to be included on the website should contact the webmaster to have it removed, but should be aware that in this event they will not be permitted to play in the league.

Press Release

2004/05 season
First weekend
Divisions 1 and 2

A new 4NCL season kicked off at the West Bromwich Moat House on the weekend of 18th and 19th September.

Already the Division 1 table has a familiar look, with last season’s leading contenders Wood Green 1 and Guildford-ADC 1 having a 100% record. Wood Green were particularly severe on their opponents, Bristol 1 and their own second team, only conceding 4 draws in the entire weekend. Elsewhere there were quite a few close matches, but perhaps the most eye-catching result was Barbican 4NCL 1’s defeat of last season's contenders Betsson.com.

At the other end of the table, newly-promoted Bristol 1 and Wessex 1 will be encouraged by their starts, but Guildford-ADC 2 and Richmond A will be hoping to chalk up their first match points next weekend.

Division 2 saw the emergence of two heavyweight teams in Hilsmark Kingfisher 1 and Slough Sharks 1, who enjoy a considerable rating advantage over the rest of the field. In a weekend that saw quite a few lopsided results, these two share the lead with Barbican 4NCL 2 and Warwickshire Select 1 – all with 100% records.

The first weekend of the season usually features the prize-giving ceremony for the previous season, but this has been held over. A new trophy in memory of Richard Furness has been commissioned and will be presented to Bristol 1 (who won last season’s Division 2) in due course.

Divisions 1 and 2 will meet again at West Bromwich on November 20th / 21st for Rounds 3 and 4.

Selected games

Simon Williams vs. Rawle Allicock
Betsson.com vs. Wessex 1, board 3
Division 1, round 1

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qc2 Nc6 9. a3 Be7 10. O-O-O a6 11. h4 Qa5 12. Ng5 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Qc5 14. Ba2 Rd8 15. b4 Qb6 16. Nce4 h6 17. Nxf6+ Bxf6

Williams vs. Allicock

18. Rd6 a5 19. Qh7+ Kf8 20. Rhd1 Qb5 21. Qh8+ Ke7 22. Rxd8 Nxd8 23. Qxd8 mate.

David Buckley vs. Chris Ward
Bristol 1 vs. Wood Green 1, board 5
Division 1, round 1

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 b5 5. dxe6 fxe6 6. cxb5 d5 7. Nc3 Be7 8. e4 d4 9. e5 Nfd7 10. Na4 Bb7 11. Bc4 O-O 12. Bxe6+ Kh8 13. Bg4 Qa5+ 14. Kf1 Qxb5+ 15. Kg1 Qc6 16. h3

Buckley vs. Ward

16... Nxe5 17. b4 c4 18. b5 Qe4 19. Bb2 c3 20. Bxc3 Nxg4 21. hxg4 dxc3 and White resigns.

Stuart Conquest vs. Thomas Nixon
Guildford-ADC 1 vs. Richmond A, board 5
Division 1, round 1

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qe7 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Bxc3 8. bxc3 O-O 9. c5 Ne4 10. Qc2 f5 11. Ba3 Kh8 12. Bb5 exd4 13. cxd4 Nd8 14. Ne5 b6 15. Rac1 bxc5 16. f3 Nf6 17. Bxc5 d6 18. Ba3 Nd5 19. Rfe1 f4 20. e4 Ne3 21. Qxc7 Qg5

Conquest vs. Nixon

22. Rxe3 fxe3 23. Qxd6 Rf4 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. Qd7 Black resigns.

Eric Prie vs. Lukas van der Linden
Hilsmark Kingfisher 1 vs. N.W. Eagles 2, board 2
Division 2, round 1

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 d5 3. e3 c5 4. Bxf6 gxf6 5. dxc5 Nc6 6. Nd2 Qa5 7. c3 Qxc5 8. Ngf3 e6 9. e4 dxe4 10. Nxe4 Qe7 11. Bb5 Bd7 12. b4 O-O-O 13. Nc5 Be8 14. Qe2 Qc7 15. O-O Bxc5 16. bxc5 Rd5 17. Rfd1 Rxc5 18. a4 Rg8 19. Nd4 Rxc3 20. Qd2 Nxd4 21. Qxd4 Bc6

Prie vs. van der Linden

22. Qxc3 Rxg2+ 23. Kf1 Bxb5+ 24. axb5 Qxc3 25. Rac1 Black resigns.

Gawain Jones vs. David James
Slough Sharks 1 vs. S. Wales Dragons 1, board 5
Division 2, round 1

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. Nf3 a6 4. e5 e6 5. g3 Nc6 6. exd6 Bxd6 7. Bg2 Nf6 8. O-O O-O 9. d4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 Qc7 12. Be3 Be5 13. Qc5 Qxc5 14. Bxc5 Re8 15. f4 Bxc3 16. bxc3 Nd7 17. Bd4 Nb8 18. Rab1 Nc6 19. Bc5 Rd8 20. Rfd1 Rxd1+ 21. Rxd1 f6 22. Rd6 Kf7 23. Kf2 Ke8

Jones vs. James