4NCL - The Four Nations League

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Four Nations Chess League

Press Release

2005/06 season
Weekend 3
Divisions 1,2 & 3

The 4NCL season reached its halfway stage when Divisions 1, 2 and 3 played rounds 5 and 6 at the Paragon Hotel, Birmingham. The promotion and relegation issues in all three divisions are very close this season … indeed I can’t remember a more competitive season.

In Division 1, the two "Usual Suspects" Wood Green 1 and Guildford-ADC 1 have opened up a gap at the top the table. Wood Green have the narrowest possible lead … just half a game point splits the two. With both teams having played most of their main rivals, it is probable that rounds 7 to 10 will see the leaders trying to rack up the game points before their last round encounter. Barbican 4NCL 1 are in a clear third place, and can hope for a higher finish particularly if they can defeat Guildford in Round 7.

At the wrong end of Division 1, it’s beginning to look like 3 of the bottom 5 teams will be facing relegation. With plenty of matches still to be played between teams in the bottom half of the table, the situation probably won’t be clarified until the final round.

If anything, the position at the top of Division 2 is even tighter. Bristol 1’s shock loss to Perceptron Youth ruined the former’s 100% record and let Warwickshire Select 1 join Bristol on 5 wins out of 6. Round 7 will see the two leaders square up … but both will have to watch out for the chasing South Wales Dragons 1.

Slough Sharks 2 have a very healthy lead at the top of Division 3, but the Sharks were shocked by bottom-markers Hilsmark Coventry, who held them to a 4-4 draw. Promotion prospects also look good for Hilsmark Kingfisher 2 and Wessex 2.

Rounds 7 and 8 will again take place at the Paragon on March 4th and 5th.

Selected games

James Plaskett vs. Alexei Shirov
Guildford-ADC 2 vs. Wood Green 1, board 1
Division 1, round 5

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. Nxe5 Nxe5 8. d4 Bxd4 9. Qxd4 d6 10. c3 c5 11. Qd1 O-O 12. Re1 Re8 13. Bc2 d5 14. Be3 Neg4 15. Bf4 Nh5 16. Qf3 dxe4 17. Bxe4 Ngf6 18. Bg5 h6 19. Bxf6 Nxf6

Plaskett vs. Shirov

20. Nd2 Qxd2 21. Re2 Qxe2 22. Qxe2 Rxe4 White resigns

Matthew Turner vs. John Richardson
Wood Green 2 vs. The ADs 1, board 3
Division 1, round 5

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Bb4 5. Qc2 O-O 6. Nd5 Bc5 7. Ng5 g6 8. Nxf6+ Qxf6 9. Ne4 Qe7 10. a3 a5 11. b3 d6 12. Bb2 Bf5 13. Bd3 Ba7 14. h4 Nd8 15. f4 Bxe4 16. Bxe4 Ne6 17. h5 Nc5 18. hxg6 hxg6 19. d4 Nxe4 20. Qxe4 Rfe8 21. dxe5 dxe5 22. Rd1 Kg7 23. Rd5 Qf8 24. Rd7 Re7

Turner vs. Richardson

25. Qxe5+ Black resigns

John Naylor vs. Glenn Flear
Betsson.com vs. Guildford-ADC 1, board 6
Division 1, round 5

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Nd7 12. Nbd2 exd4 13. cxd4 Nc6 14. Nf1 Bf6 15. d5 Nd4 16. Nxd4 Bxd4 17. Rb1 Qf6 18. Qe2 Re8 19. Nd2 Bb7 20. Nf3

Naylor vs. Flear

20... Bxd5 21. Nxd4 cxd4 22. Qg4 Ne5 23. Qg3 Bxa2 24. Ra1 Bc4 25. f4 Nc6 26. Bd2 d3 27. Bc3 Qg6 White resigns

Gary Quillan vs. Stephen Gordon
N.W. Eagles 1 vs. 3Cs Oldham 1, board 2
Division 1, round 5

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Nxd7 5. c4 Ne5 6. d3 e6 7. O-O Be7 8. Nc3 Bf6 9. Nxe5 dxe5 10. Qa4+ Qd7 11. Nb5 Kf8 12. Qa3 b6 13. f4 Ne7 14. Be3 exf4 15. Bxf4 Ng6 16. Bg3 Kg8 17. Rad1

Quillan vs. Gordon

17... h5 18. h3 h4 19. Bh2 Rh5 20. Kh1 Rg5 21. b4 a6 22. bxc5 bxc5 23. Nc7 Ra7 24. Rxf6 gxf6 White resigns

Richard Bates vs. Neil McDonald
Richmond A vs. Wood Green 3, board 2
Division 2, round 5

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Qc2 g6 5. g3 Bg7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O a5 8. Bf4 Na6 9. Rd1 Nb4 10. Qc1 dxc4 11. Ne5 Bf5 12. Nxc4 Bc2 13. Rd2 Be4 14. Nc3 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Nfd5 16. Rd1 Nxc3 17. Qxc3 Qd5+ 18. f3 Qe6 19. e4

Bates vs. McDonald

19... c5 20. Be5 cxd4 21. Bxd4 Rfc8 22. Rdc1 b5 23. Bxg7 Rxc4 24. Qe5 Qxe5 25. Bxe5 Rxc1 26. Rxc1 Nd3 White resigns

Natasha Regan vs. John Curtis
Cambridge Univ. 1 vs. Bristol 1, board 5
Division 2, round 5

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Nf3 Nbd7 5. Bc4 Be7 6. Bxf7+ Kxf7 7. Ng5+ Kg8 8. Ne6 Qe8 9. Nxc7 Qg6 10. Nxa8 Qxg2 11. Rf1 exd4 12. Ne2 Ne5 13. Nxd4 Bg4 14. f3

Regan vs. Curtis

14... Nxe4 15. Qe2 Bh4+ 16. Kd1 Nf2+ 17. Kd2 Bh3 18. Re1 Nfg4 19. fxg4 Bxe1+ 20. Kxe1 Qg1+ 21. Kd2 Qxd4+ 22. Ke1 Qg1+ 23. Kd2 Bxg4 24. Qb5 Qd4+ 25. Ke1 Nf3+ 26. Kf1 Qg1+ White resigns

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