[Event "4NCL 2010-11"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2011.01.15"]
[Round "3.15"]
[White "Speelman, Jon"]
[Black "Rogers, Jonathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A17"]
[WhiteElo "2524"]
[BlackElo "2338"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2010.11.06"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.09"]

{The second and third weekends of the 4NCL season took place on 16-16 January
and 19-20 February respectively. With the two front-runners of Wood Green
Hilsmark Kingfisher (WGHK) 1 and Pride and Prejudice (P&P) scheduled to face
off at the end of the season, both teams were looking to rack up as many game
points as possible, while the rest of the field battled to finish in the top
half of their respective pools, in order to avoid the dreaded relagation zone.
Without further ado, let's see how the season has been shaping up. WGHK 1
achieved a comfortable win over Barbican 2 in Round 3, although the champions
did not have everything their own way, as you can see from the following game.
} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Be2 d5 6. a3 Bxc3 7. bxc3 b6 8.
cxd5 exd5 9. c4 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nc6 11. Bb2 Na5 12. Be2 Re8 13. O-O Nd5 14. Qc2
Qd6 15. Bd3 h6 16. Rac1 c5 17. Nh4 Qc6 18. f4 c4 19. Be2 Bb7 20. Bf3 Qc5 {
Diagram} 21. Bd4 $1 {Speelman offers a pawn in order to embark on a dangerous
attack.} Qxa3 22. Nf5 Nb3 ({Black can exchange the queens with} 22... Qd3 {,
but after} 23. Qxd3 cxd3 24. Nxg7 {he still faces difficult problems.}) 23. Bb2
{Diagram} Qa2 $6 {This leaves the queen offside.} (23... Qc5 {was stronger and
would have given White some chances to go wrong, for instance:} 24. Nxg7 (24.
Rcd1 $5 {is slightly better for White}) 24... Nxe3 $1 25. dxe3 Rxe3 26. Qf2 (
26. Kh1 $1 {is better and should keep some advantage for White}) 26... Nxc1 27.
Bxb7 Nd3 28. Ba3 $1 Qd4 $1 {with approximately equal chances in this wildly
complicated position.}) 24. Bxd5 {White's attack is based entirely on the dark
squares, so he eliminates an important defender.} Bxd5 25. Qc3 f6 26. Nxg7 $1
Nxc1 27. Rxc1 {For a small material investment White has obtained a powerful
attack on the dark squares.} Qa5 {Diagram Black has to get his queen back into
play without delay.} 28. Qxf6 $4 {Sometimes one bad move is all it takes to
throw the entire game away. White could have kept a serious advantage in one
of two ways:} (28. Qxa5 bxa5 29. Nxe8 Rxe8 30. Ra1 {is a miserable endgame for
Black. With Speelman being a noted endgame specialist, one would have to fancy
his chances of winning this against just about anyone.}) ({White can also
maintain his attack with} 28. Qd4 $5 {, with the possible continuation:} Qc5 {
, otherwise Nh5 will be crushing.} 29. Qxf6 {Thanks to the intermediate queen
moves, the d2-pawn is no longer en prise.} Rxe3 $1 {The best chance, but it is
not quite good enough.} 30. dxe3 Qxe3+ 31. Kh1 Qe2 32. Qg6 $1 (32. Rg1 Bxg2+ {
leads to a perpetual}) 32... Bf7 33. Qb1 $1 {White defends against all threats
and will win with his extra piece.}) 28... Qxd2 {Suddenly the tables are
turned and it is the white king which is desperately exposed.} 29. Qg6 Qxe3+
30. Kf1 Qxf4+ 31. Kg1 Qe3+ 32. Kf1 Qf4+ {Presumably Rogers repeated moves to
get closer to the time control.} 33. Kg1 Qe3+ 34. Kf1 Qd3+ ({The computer
points out} 34... Bf7 {as a more convincing win, but Rogers' choice is
perfectly sufficient.}) 35. Qxd3 cxd3 36. Nxe8 Rxe8 {Diagram The
opposite-coloured bishops offer White little hope of survival here.} 37. Bd4
Re2 38. Bf2 b5 39. Re1 Bc4 40. Rxe2 d2 $1 {A nice flourish to end the game.}
0-1

[Event "4NCL 2010-11"]
[Site "Reading ENG"]
[Date "2011.02.19"]
[Round "5.11"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Slaby, Jerzy"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2723"]
[BlackElo "2481"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "2010.11.06"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.09"]
[WhiteTeam "Pride & Prejudice"]
[BlackTeam "Pandora's Box Grantham"]

{The most eye-catching result of the third weekend, and possibly of the entire
season so far, was Polish IM Jerzy Slaby's defeat of Mickey Adams, with the
black pieces no less! Here is the game.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. O-O
Bd7 5. Re1 Nf6 6. c3 ({Adams chooses the main line; the main alternative is} 6.
h3 {.}) 6... a6 7. Bf1 Bg4 {Black is willing to forfeit the bishop pair in
order to inhibit White's central advance.} 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 g6 10. d3 Bg7 11.
Be3 O-O 12. Nd2 Nd7 {[Diagram]} 13. Qe2 ({Slightly unusual.} 13. Qd1 {is more
common, although the difference is not huge.}) 13... b5 14. a3 a5 15. Nf3 b4 ({
This was the first new move, although it is certainly consistent with Black's
previous play. Previous games have continued} 15... Nde5 16. Nxe5 Bxe5 17. Qd2
Bg7 18. d4 {, with a small edge for White, Lutz - Suran, Germany 2005,}) ({and
} 15... Qb6 16. Red1 e5 $5 {, which was unclear in Nolte - Markos, Beijing
2008.}) 16. d4 ({Adams correctly leaves the a-pawns on the board. In the event
of} 16. axb4 axb4 17. d4 bxc3 18. bxc3 {White's bishop pair does not mean much,
as the battleground is rapidly shrinking to an area that the knights can
easily cover.}) 16... bxc3 17. bxc3 Rb8 18. Qc2 Qc7 19. Rab1 {Diagram} ({At
this stage White enjoys a pleasant edge. The bishop pair is significant,
especially as Black has a slight hole on b5. Another idea was} 19. d5 Nce5 20.
Nxe5 Nxe5 21. a4 {, although Black may be able to get away with} c4 $5 {.
There was no real need for White to block the centre, so Adams' way of
handling the position looks right to me.}) 19... e6 20. Bb5 Ne7 21. Bg5 Nf6 22.
Qd2 cxd4 23. cxd4 Rfc8 24. a4 Ra8 {The fact that Black felt compelled to make
such a move shows that his position is still mildly unpleasant.} 25. Qf4 {
Diagram} ({More accurate would have been} 25. Rec1 $1 Qd8 26. Qf4 {when White
maintains a pleasant edge.}) 25... d5 $1 {Slaby chooses an opportune moment to
block the centre and obtains some squares for his pieces.} 26. e5 Ne4 27. Rec1
Qa7 28. g4 $5 {It is useful to control the f5-square.} Rxc1+ ({Black is too
eager to exchange pieces.} 28... Rab8 $1 {would have kept the position roughly
level.}) 29. Rxc1 Rc8 30. Rxc8+ Nxc8 31. Bd8 $1 {Now White has some pressure
again.} Nb6 {Diagram} 32. Ng5 (32. Qc1 $1 {The threat of a queen invasion with
Qc7 or Qc6 is awkward, and according to the computer it is already time for
Black to jettison a pawn with} Nc4 33. Bxc4 dxc4 34. Qxc4 {and White has a
clear edge.}) 32... Nxg5 33. Bxg5 Nc4 {Now the game is equal again, as the
mutual weaknesses balance each other. White's bishop pair does not mean much,
as the knight on c4 is stable and controls a lot of squares. A draw would be
the natural outcome, but Adams falls into the classic trap of trying too hard
to win against a lower-rated, but still highly capable player.} 34. h4 Bf8 {
Diagram} 35. Bf6 $6 ({It is around this stage that the game starts to turn in
Black's favour. The text move is not a big mistake in itself, but it is
symptomatic of the fact that White was not content with a draw. A natural end
to the game would have been something like} 35. Be8 Bb4 36. Qf6 Bd2 37. Qd8
Bxg5 38. hxg5 Qxd4 {and it is time for White to take a perpetual.}) 35... Na3
36. Bd3 (36. Be8 Nc2 37. Bd8 Nxd4 38. Bxf7+ Qxf7 39. Qxd4 {is equal.}) 36...
Qc7 37. Qd2 Bb4 {Diagram} 38. Qe3 $2 ({Now things start to become awkward for
White.} 38. Qh6 Bf8 39. Qd2 {repeats the position.}) 38... Qc3 39. h5 Nc2 $1 {
Now White must lose a pawn on the queenside.} 40. hxg6 $5 {Cute, but it does
not solve White's problems.} fxg6 ({Black did not come this far to fall for} 
40... Nxe3 $4 41. gxh7+) 41. Bxc2 Qxc2 42. Kg2 (42. Qh6 Bf8 {gets nowhere.})
42... Qxa4 43. Qd3 Qc6 44. Qb3 Qd7 45. Kg3 Kf7 {Diagram} 46. Kh4 $6 ({This
active use of the king only leads to further problems. White should have
preferred} 46. Bg5 {when it is by no means easy for Black to force his a-pawn
down the board while also keeping tabs on the kingside.}) 46... Qc6 47. Bg5 Qd7
48. Bf6 h6 49. Qd3 $2 ({White should have preferred} 49. Kh3 {to get the king
out of harm's way.}) 49... Qc6 $1 {The queen is headed for c3, after which
White will not be able to cope with the threatened queen exchange combined
with the checkmating ideas involving ...g5+.} 50. Qb3 ({White could have
avoided the mating threats with} 50. g5 {, but after} h5 {Black gets a
protected passed pawn and a blocked kingside, so White's drawing chances would
be minimal here too.}) 50... Qc3 0-1

[Event "4NCL 2010-11"]
[Site "Reading ENG"]
[Date "2011.02.19"]
[Round "5.11"]
[White "Capucci, Marcos"]
[Black "Howell, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A05"]
[WhiteElo "2229"]
[BlackElo "2611"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2010.11.06"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.09"]
[WhiteTeam "Pandora's Box Grantham"]
[BlackTeam "Pride & Prejudice"]

{Interestingly, Adams was not the only highly rated P&P player to suffer a dip
in form. Witness the following encounter from board two.} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. b3 g6
3. Bb2 Bg7 4. e3 O-O 5. Be2 b6 6. O-O Bb7 7. c4 c5 8. Nc3 e6 9. d4 {After a
timid-looking opening, Capucci occupies the centre and obtains a relatively
normal-looking position.} a6 $6 ({A slightly odd choice.} 9... Ne4 {and}) (9...
d5 {both look more logical.}) 10. dxc5 bxc5 11. Qd6 $1 {White seizes the
opportunity to create threats against the vulnerable c5 pawn.} Qa5 12. Rad1 Rd8
(12... Ne8 13. Qd2 d6 {was safer.}) 13. Ng5 $1 h6 14. Na4 $1 {Capucci finds a
clever way to create problems by offering a pseudo-knight-sacrifice.} Rc8 $6 (
14... hxg5 $4 15. Bc3 {traps the queen.}) ({The best defence was} 14... Ne8 $1
15. Qxc5 Qxc5 16. Nxc5 Bxg2 $1 17. Kxg2 Bxb2 {when Black is only slightly
worse.}) 15. Bf3 $1 {Again White finds the most incisive continuation.} Bxf3
16. Nxf3 Ra7 17. Qe7 $1 {Another great move! The attack on the knight is hard
to meet.} Qc7 $5 {Howell finds an imaginative defence, but it does not solve
his problems. Most knight moves would have run into Bxg7 followed by Ne5, with
powerful threats.} 18. Be5 Qb7 $2 ({Black should have preferred either} 18...
Qd8 19. Qxd8+ Rxd8 20. Nxc5) ({or} 18... Nc6 19. Bxc7 Nxe7 20. Bd6 {, although
in both cases he is a pawn down for no compensation.}) 19. Nxc5 Qb4 20. Bxb8
Rxb8 21. Qd6 ({The immediate} 21. Ne5 $1 {would have been more accurate.})
21... Rb6 22. Qe7 Rb8 (22... Kh7 {would have given better chances to survive,
but perhaps Howell thought his lower-rated opponent would chicken out and take
a draw.}) 23. Ne5 $1 {No thanks! Capucci corrects his previous inaccuracy and
secures a winning position.} Rf8 24. Nc6 $1 dxc6 25. Qxa7 {Diagram White is
now an exchange and a pawn up, and the rest is easy.} Qa3 26. Qb6 a5 27. Qxc6
Qxa2 28. Qa4 Qb2 29. Qxa5 Kh7 30. Qd2 Qe5 31. Qd4 Qb8 32. Qd6 Qa8 33. Ra1 Qc8
34. Ra7 Ne8 35. Qb6 Nf6 36. Rd1 e5 37. Nd7 Rd8 38. Nxf6+ Bxf6 39. Rxf7+ Kg8 40.
Rxd8+ {A great game by Capucci; once he got the initiative, he never let his
opponent off the hook.} 1-0

[Event "4NCL 2010-11"]
[Site "Reading ENG"]
[Date "2011.02.19"]
[Round "5.11"]
[White "Jones, Gawain C"]
[Black "Burrows, Martin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "2575"]
[BlackElo "2174"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "2010.11.06"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.09"]
[WhiteTeam "Pride & Prejudice"]
[BlackTeam "Pandora's Box Grantham"]

{And there was more! One board further down, Gawain Jones got into terrible
trouble against a player rated more than 400 points beneath him.} 1. e4 c5 2.
Nc3 Nc6 3. Nge2 e5 4. Nd5 d6 5. Nec3 Be6 6. a3 a6 7. b4 Nf6 8. Nxf6+ Qxf6 9.
Nd5 Qd8 10. Rb1 Be7 11. bxc5 dxc5 12. Nb6 Rb8 13. Bc4 Bxc4 14. Nxc4 b5 15. Ne3
O-O 16. d3 Bg5 17. O-O Bxe3 18. Bxe3 Qe7 19. f4 exf4 20. Rxf4 Rfd8 21. Qh5 Ne5
22. Rh4 h6 {Diagram} 23. Bxh6 $5 ({This certainly looks dangerous, but Black
seems to have just enough defensive resources. If White plays more slowly with
} 23. Rf1 {then} Rb6 $1 {is a good reply, combining defence with activity.})
23... gxh6 24. Qxh6 Ng6 ({According to the computer, Black could even have got
away with the suicidal-looking} 24... f6 $5 25. Qh8+ Kf7 {, for instance} 26.
Rh7+ Kg6 27. Rh6+ Kg5 28. Rh5+ Kg6 {with a possible perpetual. White has a few
other ways of continuing the attack, but nothing decisive that I can see.}) 25.
Qh7+ Kf8 26. Rf1 Ke8 27. Rh5 {Diagram} Nf8 (27... Rb6 $5 {also deserved
attention.}) 28. Qh8 Rb6 29. Rhf5 (29. Re5 Re6 30. Rff5 Rc8 31. Rxe6 fxe6 32.
Qh5+ Kd8 33. Rf7 Qd6 34. Qg5+ Ke8 {White can force a draw but nothing more.})
29... Rd7 $1 30. h4 ({After} 30. Rxf7 Qxf7 31. Rxf7 Rxf7 {Black will be the
one trying to win the ending.}) ({Best may have been} 30. Qh5 $5 {, intending
to meet} c4 {with} 31. d4 {.}) 30... c4 $1 31. d4 {Diagram} Qxa3 $1 ({Burrows
correctly judges that he can get away with this cheeky pawn grab.} 31... Re6 $1
{was also promising for Black.}) 32. Rc5 Qe3+ 33. Kh1 {Diagram} Qh6 $1 {
Black's queen has taken a most unusual route around the board, but it has
certainly proven effective. By now White's attack has almost run out of steam.}
34. Qe5+ (34. Rc8+ Rd8 35. Rxd8+ Kxd8 36. Qg8 Rg6 $5 37. Qxf7 Nd7 {Black's
king is safe and his queenside pawns should carry the day.}) 34... Re6 35. Rc8+
Rd8 36. Rxd8+ Kxd8 37. Qb8+ Ke7 {Diagram Black has done the hard work, and the
win is within his grasp. But Gawain is a tricky customer and he keeps fighting.
} 38. d5 Nd7 39. Qg8 (39. Rxf7+ Kxf7 40. dxe6+ Qxe6 {is nothing.}) 39... Rf6
40. d6+ $1 {Gawain desperately gives up two more pawns in order to open as
many lines as possible. It should not be enough to save the game, but it
proved to be the best practical chance.} Kxd6 41. e5+ {Diagram} Nxe5 (41...
Kxe5 $1 {was enough to win comfortably, despite the odd-looking king position.}
) 42. Qd8+ Nd7 (42... Ke6 $1 {was more accurate, but to play it Black would
have had to foresee the line} 43. Qb6+ Ke7 44. Qc5+ Kd8 $1 45. Rd1+ Nd3 $1 46.
cxd3 Qxh4+ 47. Kg1 c3 $1 {winning.}) 43. Rd1+ Kc5 44. Qc7+ $6 ({White cannot
take the knight due to ...Qxh4+ followed by ...Qf2+ and ...Rh6+ winning, but} 
44. g3 $1 {would have posed more problems. The best reply looks to be} Re6 45.
Qxd7 Qf6 $1 {When Black controls enough of the important squares to maintain
decent winning chances.}) 44... Kb4 45. Rb1+ Kc3 46. Qg3+ ({If} 46. Qa5+ Kd4
47. Rd1+ Ke4 $1 {the king escapes.}) 46... Kxc2 47. Qe1 {Diagram According to
the game score Black now played} Rf1+ $2 {and a draw was agreed, as after} ({
Nevertheless the truth is that, despite Black's freakish king position, White
had no immediate threats, and any sensible move would have led to an easily
winning position, for instance} 47... Re6 48. Qd1+ Kc3 {when White can do
nothing.      Gawain must have breathed a sigh of relief at the end, and
Martin must have been kicking himself after checking the final position with a
computer, but still, a draw with the black pieces against one of the country's
top players is not all doom and gloom.     Fortunately for P&P, the remaining
results were heavily in their favour. On the Sunday they overcame their
sternest test of the season so far in Barbican, thus maintaining their 100%
record of match wins this season.    Most other matches went according to
seeding, with few upsets occurring. One of the most impressive results came
from Cheddleton, who scored an impressive four wins and four draws against the
ADs, despite an almost identical average rating.}) 48. Qxf1 Qxh4+ 49. Kg1 Qd4+
{Black has a perpetual. (He can actually play for more, but if this was his
intention there was no point in giving up his rook...)} 1/2-1/2

[Event "4NCL"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2011.02.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Greet, Andrew"]
[Black "Jirka, Jiri"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2451"]
[BlackElo "2424"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.09"]

{Pool A of division 1 features a tight battle for the fourth championship spot.
After six rounds P&P, Barbican 1 and Betsson have all qualified comfortably,
leaving WGHK 2 and Cheddleton fighting for the remaining space. At this stage
in the competition the latter is one point in front, but faces tougher
opposition in the crucial seventh round.  WGHK fought to a tough 4-4 draw with
the ADs in round 6. The match looked as if it might go either way at various
times, and a draw was probably fair to both teams in the end. Along the way I
was able to win a nice game on board two, which featured an interesting, and
completely accidental, new approach in a topical opening.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3.
Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 {This took me by surprise.} ({According to the
database Jirka usually plays} 5... a6 {, and most of my rushed preparation
time was devoted to this.}) 6. Nh4 Be4 (6... Bg6 {is the other big main line.})
7. f3 Bg6 8. Qb3 Qb6 9. Nxg6 {White is more or less forced to exchange now,
otherwise ...Qxb3 followed by ...Bc2 might prove troublesome.} hxg6 10. Bd2 Bd6
{Diagram} ({Another surprise. I assumed my opponent would opt for the main
line of} 10... Nbd7 {, and was doing my best to recall what little I knew
about this position when the bishop eagerly emerged.     At this point I was
completely 'out of book'. I knew that the bishop development was slightly
unusual at this stage, so I asked myself what possible drawbacks my opponent's
last move might entail. The obvious point that sprang to mind was that the
bishop is stepping into a potential fork. Thus after checking a few variations
and satisfying myself that everything was in order, I contentedly played...})
11. c5 $5 ({This pawn sacrifice gives White promising compensation and
relatively easy play in the queenless middlegame. Therefore I was more than a
little shocked when a post-game database search revealed that the idea was
almost completely new!} 11. f4 {is the normal move, when c5 remains a
positional threat which will no longer entail a pawn sacrifice.} Nbd7 ({but
the more recent idea of} 11... Be7 $5 {looks like a better try}) 12. c5 Qxb3
13. axb3 Be7 14. b4 {gives White a clear plus,}) (11. O-O-O $5 {has been
played in a few games, but I wanted to have my rook on the a-file after the
queen exchange.}) 11... Qxb3 12. axb3 Rxh2 (12... Bxh2 $5 {would have given me
a difficult choice.} {The simple option is} 13. Kd1 {, sidestepping the
potential bishop check and preparing b4-b5 with compensation, much like the
game.} ({The more ambitious and riskier option is} 13. Ne2 $5 {, with ideas of
g3 trapping the bishop. Black should respond with} g5 $1 {, leading to a
strange situation where White cannot win the bishop by force, but Black
equally has a hard time freeing it.})) 13. Rxh2 Bxh2 {Diagram} 14. b4 ({
Funnily enough, the only other game to feature 11 c5!? took place just three
weeks before this one.} 14. Bd3 $5 Bc7 15. b4 a6 16. b5 e5 17. g4 $5 g5 18. Kf2
cxb5 19. e4 $6 (19. Nxb5) 19... Nbd7 $2 (19... dxe4) 20. Nxd5 Nxd5 21. exd5
exd4 22. d6 Nxc5 23. Bxb5+ Kd8 24. Bxg5+ f6 25. dxc7+ Kxc7 26. Bf4+ Kb6 27. Be2
{White went on to win with his extra piece, Markus - Simonian, Nova Gorica
2011.}) ({Another possibility is} 14. Kf2 {, threatening g3 while preventing
the bishop check, and intending to meet} Bc7 {with} 15. b4 {with similar play
to the game.}) 14... Bg3+ 15. Kd1 e5 {Black wants to generate some counterplay,
but he risks allowing the d5 pawn to become weak.} 16. b5 exd4 17. exd4 cxb5 $6
({Black must have been concerned about b6, but it feels wrong to allow a white
piece to develop with gain of tempo.} 17... a6 {was more resilient.}) 18. Bxb5+
Nc6 19. Na2 $5 {Diagram} ({This tricky move was the product of a long period
of thought. Although it feels as though White should have promising
compensation, it is not easy to breach Black's defences, for instance: The
direct} 19. Bxc6+ bxc6 20. Ra6 {achieves nothing:} Kd7 21. Na2 Ng8 {Black
defends successfully and will soon turn his attention to the kingside, where
he has an extra pawn.}) (19. Bg5 {can be met by} a6 ({or} 19... Nh7 $5 20. Be3
Nf6)) 19... O-O-O $2 ({Black overlooks a crucial tactic. The position is
tricky for him, but if he plays accurately he should be OK.} 19... Ke7 $6 20.
Bxc6 bxc6 21. Nb4 Kd7 22. Ra6 Rc8 23. Rxa7+ {Black is in trouble.}) (19... Kd7
20. Nb4 {White wins a pawn on the queenside, as} Kc7 21. Bxc6 bxc6 22. Ra6 Kb7
23. Rxc6 a5 $6 {fails after} 24. Rb6+) ({The best defence was} 19... Ng8 $1 {
when the knight will shore up Black's weak points from e7. In this case White
keeps a pawn's worth of compensation, but nothing much beyond that.}) 20. Bxc6
bxc6 ({Oddly enough, the computer points out that there is still an
extraordinary way for Black to keep himself in the game:} 20... Rh8 $3 {Now
after} 21. Bxb7+ ({, or} 21. Nc1 bxc6 22. Rxa7 {, White has a clear advantage
but no direct win.}) 21... Kxb7 22. Ke2) 21. Nb4 {Diagram} Kd7 ({After my last
move my opponent's head sank into his hands as he realised that his intended} 
21... Kb7 {is refuted by} 22. Rxa7+ $1 {when White wins the house. His chosen
move is not much better, and allows a cute finish.}) 22. Rxa7+ Bc7 23. Na6 Rc8
24. Ba5 Ne8 25. Nxc7 Nxc7 26. b4 {Black is paralysed, as his knight will
remain trapped in a permanent pin from either the rook or the bishop.} g5 27.
Kc2 1-0

[Event "4NCL 2010-11"]
[Site "Reading ENG"]
[Date "2011.02.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "McShane, Luke"]
[Black "Palliser, Richard"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2445"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2010.11.06"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.09"]
[WhiteTeam "Wood Green, Hilsmark Kingfisher 1"]
[BlackTeam "White Rose"]

{WGHK 1 continued to keep pace with P&P, defeating White Rose by a comfortable
margin. They were helped by the presence of an in-form Luke McShane, who has
produced a couple of truly world-class performances in recent months in London
and Wijk aan Zee. Here is Luke's game from Round 6.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3.
Nge2 Nf6 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. a3 $5 {With this rather unusual move Luke
avoids most theory and aims to set his opponent some unusual problems.} d6 7.
Rb1 Nd4 8. O-O {Diagram} ({If} 8. b4 {Black may have been tempted to try} Bg4
$5) 8... h5 $5 {Richard is a Sicilian expert and he decides to embark on this
double-edged pawn thrust.} 9. h4 {It remains to be seen which side is more
likely to benefit from the inclusion of the last two moves.} Ng4 ({Another
idea was} 9... Bg4 $5 10. f3 Bd7) 10. d3 e6 11. Nf4 Bd7 12. Nh3 $5 {Luke
brings his knight closer to the g5 square. In a closed position the players
can afford the time for such manoeuvres.} Qc7 13. Bd2 Bc6 14. Ne2 b6 {Diagram}
({With hindsight,} 14... Nxe2+ 15. Qxe2 O-O {would have given Black a bit more
breathing space and avoided the problems that occurred in the game.}) 15. Nef4
$1 {Avoiding the knight exchange and preparing to push Black back in the
centre.} Bb7 16. c3 Nc6 17. Ng5 Qd7 18. Bh3 $1 {Gradually all White's
manoeuvres are beginning to make sense. Now he takes aim at the e6 square.} Nd8
{Diagram} 19. f3 ({Luke decides to play in the centre. White could have taken
a pawn with} 19. Bxg4 hxg4 20. Qxg4 {, but his weakened light squares would
have offered Black some compensation.}) ({Another idea was} 19. b4 $5 {, when
Black must pay attention to the queenside as well.}) 19... Nf6 (19... Ne5 $2 {
is asking for trouble due to} 20. d4 {followed by d5.}) 20. d4 cxd4 21. cxd4 d5
({Black's choices were limited, as d5 was a serious threat.} 21... Nh7 {may
have just been playable, although after} 22. d5 (22. Nxh7 $2 Bxd4+) 22... Nxg5
23. hxg5 h4 24. Kg2 $1 {Black is under some pressure.}) 22. e5 Nh7 23. Nxh7
Rxh7 24. Be3 Nc6 {Diagram} 25. b4 $1 {White has a comfortable space advantage
and Black's king lacks a safe haven. White already has good control over the
kingside, and now he increases his influence on the opposite flank.} Ne7 26.
Qd3 a6 27. Ne2 $1 {The knight has done its work, so Luke prepares to find a
new role for it, while also opening the path for the bishop to go to the
kingside.} Bh6 {The dark-squared bishop had few prospects, so Black decides to
exchange it. On the other hand his kingside dark squares now become weak.} 28.
Bxh6 Rxh6 29. Rfc1 Bc6 30. Nc3 {Diagram} Nf5 $6 ({Black should not have
allowed this knight to be exchanged for White's worst minor piece, especially
as it involves some damage to his pawn structure. The best defence was} 30...
Rh8 {intending ...Kf8-g7, when Black is worse but still in the game.}) 31. Kf2
Qe7 32. Qd2 Rh8 33. Bxf5 $1 {Now White gets everything he could wish for: a
good knight versus a bad bishop, and enemy weaknesses on both sides of the
board.} gxf5 ({After} 33... exf5 {White has several tempting continuations
including} 34. b5 (34. Ne4 $5) (34. a4) 34... axb5 35. Nxb5 Bxb5 36. Rxb5) 34.
a4 (34. Ne4 $5 {is the computer's top choice, but White is already
strategically winning so there was no need for such shenanigans.}) 34... Kf8
35. b5 axb5 36. axb5 Be8 {Diagram} 37. Ne2 $1 {The knight vacates the c-file
and prepares to take up residence on the ideal f4 square.} f6 ({This creates
additional weaknesses and leads to a quick end, but the position was already
beyond repair. In the event of a quieter move such as} 37... Kg7 {, White can
simply play} 38. Rc2 {and prepare an invasion at his leisure.}) 38. exf6 Qxf6
39. Rc7 Kg8 40. Rb7 {White wins a pawn and keeps his huge positional advantage.
} Rh7 41. Rxb6 Rha7 42. Rb2 Bd7 43. Nf4 Ra4 44. Nxh5 Qh8 45. Rb7 {This was a
fine game from Luke, who defeated a tough opponent in a manner that appeared
almost effortless. WGHK 1 won the match convincingly.      Most other matches
in Pool B went according to seeding, although e2e4.org.uk 1 and Oxford 1
deserve a mention for their defeats of the higher-rated Guildford 1 and
Barbican 2 respectively.     A glance at the score-tables reveals that the
season is shaping up to be a two-horse race, as expected. So far the only
thing seperating WGHK and P&P is a few extra game points in favour of the
former, but I hardly need state that this could easily change. Round 7 and 8
take place later in March. For more information visit: www.4ncl.co.uk} 1-0

[Event "4NCL"]
[Site "Barcelo Hotel, Daventry, ENG"]
[Date "2010.11.07"]
[Round "2.15"]
[White "Tissir, Mohamed"]
[Black "Bisby, Daniel L"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2474"]
[BlackElo "2306"]
[Annotator "Greet, Andrew"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Wood Green Hilsmark 1"]
[BlackTeam "Cambridge University 1"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 b6 7. Ne2 Ba6 8. Bxa6
Nxa6 9. O-O g6 $5 {Bisby opts for a rare and provocative line.} (9... Nc7 {and}
) (9... Be7 {have been seen more frequently.}) 10. c4 $5 (10. Nf3 {is also
quite playable, but the text is a logical attempt to exploit Black's slow
development.}) 10... Bg7 11. cxd5 exd5 12. f4 (12. Nf3 O-O 13. Nc3 Nc7 {looks
solid enough for Black.}) 12... O-O 13. f5 $5 {This aggressive move sets the
tone for what is to come.} ({White could have obtained a modest edge with the
more restrained} 13. Nf3 $5 Nc7 14. Nc3 $14) 13... Re8 14. e6 $2 {This is
asking too much of the white position.} ({A previous game continued} 14. f6 Bf8
15. Nf3 cxd4 (15... Nc7 $5 {may well be an improvement. The position is rather
unclear but I think Black should be holding his own.}) 16. Nexd4 Nxe5 17. Nxe5
Rxe5 18. Nc6 Qe8 19. Nxe5 Qxe5 {Black had some compensation for the exchange
and managed to draw in Miroshnichenko-Savon, Ordzhonikidze 2001.}) ({The best
move may well be} 14. Nf4 $5 {lending further weight to the potential
breakthrough with e6.}) 14... fxe6 15. fxg6 hxg6 16. Nf4 cxd4 ({Black could
have seized the advantage with} 16... Bxd4+ $1 17. Kh1 Nf8 {. The critical
line runs as follows:} 18. Qg4 Qd7 $1 19. Nf3 (19. Nxg6 Qg7 20. Rxf8+ Rxf8 21.
Qxe6+ Rf7 22. Nf3 Bf6 $19) 19... e5 $1 20. Qxd7 Nxd7 21. Nxd5 e4 $17 {Black is
a pawn up in the ending, with active pieces and a strong passed pawn.}) 17.
Nxg6 Qg5 18. Nf4 e5 $5 {Bisby does not hesitate to counterattack. The players
are heading for a jungle of complications.} 19. Nf3 ({Possibly more critical
was} 19. Nxd5 $5 Qg6 (19... e4 20. Qb3 $1 Nac5 21. Nf6+ Kh8 22. Qh3+ Qh6 23.
Qxh6+ Bxh6 24. Ndxe4 $1 {White emerges with an extra pawn.}) 20. Qb3 (20. Nf3
Qe6 {transposes to 20...Qe6! in the note to Black's 20th below.}) 20... Qe6 21.
Qc4 Ndc5 22. b4 b5 23. Qxb5 Qxd5 24. bxc5 Nxc5 25. Ba3 Rec8 {The resulting
position is double edged, but about equal according to the computer.}) 19...
Qf5 (19... Qh6 20. Nxd5 Qe6 $1 {transposes to the next note.}) 20. Nxd5 e4 $2 (
20... Qh5 $6 21. Qb3) (20... Qe6 $1 {This leads to some amazing possibilities.}
21. Nh4 $5 (21. Qb3 $2 Nac5 22. Qc4 b5) (21. Ng5 Qxd5 22. Qh5 {looks scary,
but it looks like Black has enough defensive resources:} Nf8 {Black seems to
be defending, for instance} 23. Bd2 ({or} 23. Rf7 Red8 $1 24. Bd2 Rd7 25. Raf1
Nc5) 23... Re7 24. Rf5 Rc8 25. Raf1 Rc6 {Black has good chances to convert his
extra material, if his nerves are strong enough!}) (21. Ne3 dxe3 22. Ng5 Qc4
23. Qh5 Qd3 {should lead to a perpetual} (23... Nf8 $2 {is too risky and can
be punished by} 24. Rxf8+ $1 Kxf8 25. b3 $3 Qf4 26. Ba3+ Nc5 27. Rf1 Re7 28. g3
Qxf1+ 29. Kxf1 {White should win.})) 21... Rf8 $1 (21... Qxd5 22. Qg4 Nf8 23.
Bh6) 22. Ng6 Rxf1+ 23. Qxf1 Bf8 $1 {By preventing the fork on e7, Black
threatens both knights!} 24. Qxa6 Qxd5 25. Qd3 {The computer has this as dead
equal, although in practice it could still go either way.}) 21. Ng5 $1 Qxd5 22.
Qh5 {The position is the same as line a) in the above note, except that the
black pawn is on e4 instead of e5. Ironically this 'free' move helps White by
exposing the black queen along the fifth rank.} Nf6 23. Rxf6 Bxf6 24. Qg6+ Bg7
25. Bd2 $4 (25. Bf4 $1 {Black has no good defence against Rf1 with a mating
attack.}) 25... Re7 $4 (25... e3 26. Qh7+ (26. Rf1 Qxg5 27. Qxg5 exd2 {White
has nothing better than} 28. Qd5+ {with a perpetual.}) 26... Kf8 27. Rf1+ Ke7
28. Qxg7+ Kd6 29. Be1 Kc6 $1 {In practice the game could go either way, but
according to the computer Black is on top.}) (25... Re5 $1 26. Qh7+ Kf8 27.
Rf1+ Ke8 28. Qg6+ (28. Qxg7 Re7) 28... Kd8) 26. Rf1 1-0

[Event "4NCL"]
[Site "Barcelo Hotel, Daventry, ENG"]
[Date "2010.11.07"]
[Round "2.16"]
[White "Gourlay, Iain"]
[Black "Conquest, Stuart C"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2367"]
[BlackElo "2529"]
[Annotator "Greet, Andrew"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "White Rose 1"]
[BlackTeam "Guildford A&DC 1"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Bg4 3. Bg2 Nd7 4. c4 e6 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Nc3 Ngf6 7. O-O Be7 8.
d3 O-O 9. Bf4 c6 10. Qc2 Nc5 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 Ne6 13. Qc1 Re8 14. Re1 Bc5
15. Bd2 Qc7 16. Kf1 Rad8 17. Rb1 Bd6 18. b4 $2 (18. Kg2) 18... Bxg3 $1 19. fxg3
Qxg3 20. Bg2 $2 (20. b5 $1 Qxh3+ (20... c5 {is possible, but the inclusion of
the last two moves definitely helps White as the d5-pawn might become
vulnerable in certain variations.}) 21. Bg2 Qg3 22. Bf3 (22. Rb4 Ng4 23. Rxg4
Qxg4 24. bxc6 bxc6) 22... Ng4 23. Bxg4 Qxg4 24. bxc6 bxc6 25. Nd1) 20... Nh5 $1
21. e3 (21. e4 Nef4 22. Bxf4 Nxf4 23. Qd2 d4 24. Na4 Rd6) 21... Ng5 22. Qd1 (
22. Nd1 {does not help, as after} Nxh3 {Black threatens a beautiful mate with .
..Qf2+ followed by Ng3, not to mention a rook lift to f6.}) 22... Nxh3 23. Qf3
Rd6 $1 24. Ke2 (24. Qxg3 Nxg3#) 24... N3f4+ 25. Kf1 (25. Kd1 {drops the bishop
on g2.}) 25... Nxd3 26. Ne2 (26. Qxg3 Nxg3+ 27. Kg1 Nxe1 28. Rxe1 {White can
struggle on for a while, but the ending offers him little hope.}) 26... Qh2 27.
Bc3 Rg6 {With the terrible threat of ...Rg3.} 28. Red1 Rxe3 29. Qxe3 Qxg2# 0-1

[Event "4NCL"]
[Site "Barcelo Hotel, Daventry, ENG"]
[Date "2010.11.06"]
[Round "1.16"]
[White "Rose, Matthew"]
[Black "Dearing, Edward J"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2276"]
[BlackElo "2412"]
[Annotator "Greet, Andrew"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Oxford 1"]
[BlackTeam "Cambridge University 1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 a6 3. Nge2 e6 4. g3 b5 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Nf6 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4
d6 9. Re1 Qc7 (9... Qc8 $5) 10. Bg5 (10. a4 b4 11. Nd5 $1 exd5 12. exd5+ Kd8
13. Bg5) 10... Be7 $6 (10... Nbd7) 11. Bxf6 gxf6 $2 (11... Bxf6 $1 12. Ndxb5 $1
axb5 13. Nxb5 Qb6 14. Nxd6+ Ke7 15. Nxb7 Be5 $1 {This untested move is the
only one that keeps Black in the game.} (15... Bxb2 16. Rb1 Rxa2 17. e5 Nd7 {
Baran - Tulacz, Zamosc 1999. Here the swiftest route to victory would have been
} (17... Rc8 18. Nd6 $18 {Marrero Falcon - Olabe Odriozola, Padron 2008}) 18.
c3 $1 Rc8 19. Qd6+ $1 Qxd6 20. exd6+ Ke8 21. Re2 {and White emerges with an
extra piece.}) (15... Qxb7 16. e5 {1-0 Jaracz,B (2202)-Glaser,A (2025)/Germany
1998/EXT 2000}) 16. c3 Qxb7 (16... Ra7 $5)) 12. Qh5 $1 {After this White is
already winning.} Bc8 (12... O-O $2 13. Nd5 $1 Qd8 14. Nf5 $1 exf5 15. exf5 Nc6
16. Re4 {1-0 Preissmann - Manouck, Issy les Moulineaux 1983.}) (12... Qc5 $2
13. Nxe6 $1 (13. e5 $1) 13... Qxh5 14. Ng7+ {Murillo - Charpentier, San Jose
1994.}) (12... Qc4 13. Rad1 Nc6 14. Bf1 Qc5 15. Nxe6 $1 {Hosek - Soukal, Czech
Republic 2006.}) (12... Kf8 $5 13. Bh3 $1 Bc8 14. Nd5 $1 exd5 15. Bxc8 Qxc8 16.
exd5) 13. Nf5 $1 exf5 (13... Nc6 14. Ng7+ Kd8 15. Qxf7) (13... b4 {gives White
a choice of powerful replies, the strongest of which seems to be} 14. e5 $1)
14. Nd5 Qc5 15. Nxe7 {This simple capture does the trick. Interestingly White
does not win by checkmating directly, but can instead exploit his opponent's
exposed king to force huge material gains.} Kxe7 16. exf5+ Kd8 17. Qxf7 Ra7 (
17... Nd7 18. Bxa8) 18. Qxf6+ Kc7 19. Qxh8 Bxf5 20. Rad1 {Black is the
exchange and two pawns down, yet it is White who has about a rook's worth of
'compensation'.} Nd7 21. Re3 b4 22. c3 1-0

[Event "4NCL"]
[Site "De Vere, Staverton Park, ENG"]
[Date "2011.03.26"]
[Round "7.15"]
[White "Gordon, Stephen J"]
[Black "Slavin, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2528"]
[BlackElo "2411"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2011.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Wood Green Hilsmark 1"]
[BlackTeam "e2e4.org.uk 1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 Nc6 {Slavin opts for a slightly offbeat
but still fairly respectable sideline, which is sometimes reached via a
"Knights' Tango" move order.} 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bd2 O-O 7. a3 Bxc3 8. Bxc3 {In such
positions White's bishop pair should give him a slight plus, but he must take
care not to open the position too quickly when behind in development.} Qe7 {
Preparing ...e5. [diagram]} 9. e3 ({This is the main line, although} 9. g3 {is
also quite popular.}) 9... a5 $5 ({The main line is} 9... e5 10. d5 Nb8 {when}
11. Nd2 {is similar to the game, except for the mutual pawn moves on the
queenside. To tell the truth, I am not sure which side is more likely to
benefit from the difference.}) 10. b3 ({A sensible reply, although several
strong players have simply ignored the advancing a-pawn with} 10. Be2) 10... e5
11. d5 Nb8 12. Nd2 $5 ({Despite being one of the main lines in the position
without the moves ...a7-a5 and b2-b3, in this exact situation it has almost
never been played.} 12. Be2 {and}) (12. h3 {have been more common.}) 12... c6 {
[Diagram]} ({This seems to be the first new move.} 12... Nbd7 {and}) (12... Ng4
$5 {have been tried previously.}) 13. dxc6 (13. e4 $5 {is possible, even if it
looks a little strange to move the pawn for the second time.}) 13... bxc6 $6 ({
This seems to be the root of Black's troubles. I think he should have played
more dynamically with:} 13... Nxc6 $1 14. Bd3 h6 (14... Nd4 $5 15. Qb2 {is
slightly better for White}) 15. O-O d5 16. cxd5 Nxd5 17. Bb2 Be6 {when White's
bishop pair remains a valuable asset, but Black's pieces work well together
and he only stands slightly worse.}) 14. Bd3 d5 ({In the game Lev-Kosashvili,
Israel 1990, which reached this position via a different move order, Black
preferred} 14... c5 $5 {. This keeps the position more closed and the pawns on
dark squares complement Black's bishop nicely, although his position remains
somewhat worse overall.}) 15. O-O Bg4 16. Rfe1 {Creating an escape square on
f1 for the bishop.} Nbd7 17. b4 Rfc8 {Diagram} 18. c5 $5 ({Gordon commits his
pawns to a rigid formation. This purposeful move keeps the advantage, although
White was somewhat spoiled for choice as} 18. h3 {and}) (18. bxa5 $5 {also
look promising.}) 18... axb4 ({Perhaps Black could have considered the
immediate} 18... Bh5 $5 {to avoid simplifications on the queenside.}) 19. axb4
Bh5 20. Rxa8 Rxa8 {Diagram} 21. Qb2 $1 {With this dual-purpose move Gordon
develops pressure on the a1-h8 diagonal while also safeguarding his
light-squared bishop from being exchanged.} Bg6 (21... Rb8 22. Qa1 {keeps
control.}) 22. Bf1 {White's bishop is the more useful as it exerts an
influence over the queenside, so Gordon quite rightly avoids exchanging it.} h6
23. Ra1 $1 {Posing an awkward problem for Black.} Rb8 {This allows an invasion
on the seventh rank, but exchanging would have enabled White's queen to take
up a threatening position.} 24. Ra7 (24. Nf3 {was also very strong.} {Gordon
may have been reluctant to allow the disruptive} d4 $5 (24... e4 {allows} 25.
Nd4 ({or} 25. Ne5 {, with positional domination in both cases.})) 25. exd4 e4 {
, but after} 26. Re1 {White is a pawn up for very little.}) 24... Qe6 25. Nf3
Re8 {Diagram} 26. b5 $1 {Having improved all his pieces, Gordon opens up the
position for his bishops.} Nxc5 27. Nxe5 (27. bxc6 Qxc6 28. Nxe5 {leads to
similar play.}) 27... cxb5 28. Nxg6 fxg6 29. Qxb5 Nce4 $2 {[Diagram]} ({This
natural move allows an instant refutation.} 29... Rc8 $1 {would have kept
Black in the game, although with two bishops, a better pawn structure and more
active major pieces, White has a big advantage.}) 30. Bxf6 $1 {One of the
biggest advantages of the bishop pair comes from having the ability to
exchange one of them at an advantageous moment.} Nxf6 31. Qb7 $1 {The pressure
along the seventh rank is enough to decide the game.} Nh5 {In view of Black's
temporary lack of coordination, this is the only defence available. But now
the knight becomes a target.} 32. Be2 {Diagram} ({The computer prefers} 32. h3
$5 d4 33. g4 (33. exd4 Rf8 {keeps Black alive for the moment}) 33... dxe3 34.
gxh5 exf2+ 35. Kh1 {which it evaluates as winning for White, but I doubt that
any human player would choose this over the game continuation.}) 32... Rc8 $2 (
{This final error leads to a swift end to the proceedings.} 32... Qf6 {was a
bit more resilient although, after} 33. Qxd5+ Kh8 34. Bxh5 gxh5 35. Qxh5 {,
White's two-pawn advantage should enable him to win without too much trouble.})
(32... Qc8 $1 {was the last chance; Black is still in trouble but at least he
would have avoided losing a piece.} 33. Qf7+ Kh7 34. g4 Rf8 35. Qxd5 Nf6 {
Black is a clear pawn down but he can resist for a while longer.}) 33. g4 Rc1+
34. Kg2 Qe4+ 35. Bf3 {Black's brief counterattack comes to an end, and with it
the game.} Rg1+ 36. Kxg1 Qxf3 37. Qc8+ Kh7 38. Ra8 g5 39. gxh5 Qd1+ 40. Kg2
Qxh5 41. Qg8+ 1-0

[Event "4NCL 2010-11"]
[Site "Daventry ENG"]
[Date "2011.03.26"]
[Round "7.15"]
[White "Lalic, B."]
[Black "Arutyunova, D."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A96"]
[WhiteElo "2492"]
[BlackElo "2304"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5rk1/pp1b2pp/n3p3/2P3N1/2P5/6P1/q3P1BP/1R1Q3K w - - 0 20"]
[PlyCount "11"]
[EventDate "2010.11.06"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.28"]
[WhiteTeam "Wood Green, Hilsmark Kingfisher 1"]
[BlackTeam "e2e4.org.uk"]

{[Diagram]} {After a dubious opening Black's position is already hanging by a
thread, and Lalic mops up efficiently.} 20. c6 $1 {There were other ways to
win, but Lalic's choice is the prettiest as well as the most effective.} Bxc6 (
20... bxc6 21. Ra1 {wins a piece.}) 21. Bxc6 bxc6 22. Qd3 $1 g6 {[diagram]} ({
After} 22... Rf5 23. Nxe6 {Black can resign.}) 23. Nxe6 (23. Nxh7 $1 {is
crushing, but the game continuation is also more than good enough.}) 23... Ra8
({Black could have set one final trap with} 23... Nb4 $1 {, with the point that
} 24. Rxb4 $2 {allows} ({However, White can still win comfortably enough with} 
24. Qd1 $1) ({or} 24. Qe4 $1) 24... Qa1+ 25. Rb1 Rf1+ 26. Kg2 Qxb1 27. Qd8+ Kf7
28. Ng5+ Kg7 29. Qe7+ Kg8 30. Qxh7+ Kf8 {when there is no mate and a draw is
the most likely outcome.}) 24. Rf1 Qb2 25. Qf3 {Black resigned, as mate is
imminent.} 1-0

[Event "4NCL"]
[Site "De Vere, Staverton Park, ENG"]
[Date "2011.03.26"]
[Round "7.11"]
[White "Thomas, Nicholas"]
[Black "Howell, David W L"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2286"]
[BlackElo "2612"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1r4k1/b4ppp/2p3q1/p1P1p3/P1BrPnb1/B7/Q4PPP/2R1NRK1 b - - 0 26"]
[PlyCount "29"]
[EventDate "2011.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "Warwickshire Select 1"]
[BlackTeam "Pride & Prejudice"]

{[Diagram]} {David has steadily outplayed his opponent and the time has come
to move in for the kill...} 26... Rxc4 $1 ({This should win comfortably,
although there were at least two other decisive continuations as well.} 26...
Be6 $5 {seems rather prosaic compared with the text move, but after} 27. Bxe6
Qxe6 {Black's position is utterly dominant and White will not be able to avoid
a loss of material in the near future.}) (26... Nxg2 $1 {is much more fun:} 27.
Nxg2 (27. Kxg2 Bf3+ $1 {leads to mate}) 27... Rxc4 $1 {With this move Black
eliminates the possibility of Bxf7+, thus making ...Bf3 into a genuine mating
threat. For this reason White cannot take the rook, and must remain a pawn
down with a rotten position.}) 27. Rxc4 Bf3 ({According to the computer} 27...
Bd1 $5 {was even more effective, but there is nothing at all wrong with
Howell's move.}) 28. Rc3 Ne2+ 29. Kh1 Nxc3 30. Qc2 {Thanks to Black's clever
combination White is temporarily a whole piece down, but the game is not
completely over as Black has two pieces under attack.} Be2 ({More
straightforward would have been} 30... Bxg2+ 31. Nxg2 Nxe4 {when Black is two
pawns up while the c5-pawn is also weak.}) 31. Rg1 {White remains a piece down,
but Black's minor pieces are still unstable.} Nb1 ({Another route to victory
was} 31... Nxe4 $5 32. Qxe2 Rb3 33. Nc2 (33. Bc1 Bxc5 {wins}) 33... Rxa3 $1 34.
Nxa3 Bxc5 {when White can almost resign.}) 32. Bb2 {[Diagram]} Ba6 $2 ({Having
an extra piece on the board is a slightly surreal situation, and sometimes a
great abundance of promising continuations can serve to confuse and
disorientate the player with the advantage. Black could have practically
guaranteed the win by means of} 32... Rxb2 $1 33. Qxb2 Qxe4 34. f3 {. With
this move White exploits his opponent's lack of coordination to win back some
material, but it is not enough to save the game.} Qc4 $1 35. Qb7 $1 (35. Qxb1
Qxc5 {wins}) 35... Bxc5 36. Qb8+ Bf8 37. Qxb1 Qxa4 {. With three pawns for the
exchange and two rampant bishops, Black should not have too much trouble
winning the game.}) 33. Qxb1 $6 (33. Nf3 $1 {would have led to a position in
which Black has no material advantage and would effectively have had to win
the game all over again.}) 33... Bxc5 34. Qc2 Qd6 {The dust has settled, and
Black has emerged with an extra pawn and a seemingly dominant position. One
would expect the rest to be a formality, but the drama is not yet over.} 35.
Nf3 Bd3 36. Qc3 Bb4 $2 {[Diagram]} (36... Bxe4 {would have kept a decisive
advantage.}) 37. Qxe5 $2 ({White misses his final opportunity. After the
correct} 37. Qb3 $1 {Black lacks a convincing discovered attack with his
bishop, and the e5 pawn is doomed. Black must also take the time to do
something about the potential skewer  of his queen and rook. From this
position any result would have been possible.}) 37... Qxe5 38. Nxe5 Bxe4 {Now
Black is simply a pawn up with better pieces, and White has no realistic
prospects of saving the endgame.} 39. f3 Bd5 40. Nd3 Bf8 0-1

[Event "4NCL 2010-11"]
[Site "Daventry ENG"]
[Date "2011.03.26"]
[Round "7.18"]
[White "Morrison, G SCO."]
[Black "Bisby, D."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A77"]
[WhiteElo "2340"]
[BlackElo "2306"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1r2r1k1/1p3p1p/p2p3q/PbpPPP2/2N4p/2Q1R3/1P4PP/5RK1 w - - 0 27"]
[PlyCount "19"]
[EventDate "2010.11.06"]
[EventType "team"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "ENG"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2011.03.28"]
[WhiteTeam "Barbican 4NCL 2"]
[BlackTeam "Cambridge University"]

{Diagram} 27. Nxd6 $1 {Sacrificing the exchange is not a difficult decision
here, but it is nice all the same.} Bxf1 28. Kxf1 (28. Nxe8 Rxe8 29. Kxf1 Qf4+
30. Kg1 Qxf5 31. d6 {also gives excellent winning chances, but quite frankly
it would be too generous of White to sacrifice his mighty knight for one of
Black's pitiful rooks.}) 28... Red8 29. Ne4 Qf4+ 30. Kg1 Qxf5 {White's pawns
were too strong to be left on the board, but now the open f-file enables White
to carry out a lethal attack.} 31. Nf6+ (31. e6 $5 fxe6 32. Nf6+ Kf7 33. Rf3 {
was also winning.}) 31... Kf8 (31... Kg7 32. Rf3 {does not change much.}) 32.
e6 fxe6 33. Rf3 Qg6 {Diagram} 34. dxe6 $1 Rd1+ 35. Kf2 {Black's counterattack
is over as quickly as it started.} Rbd8 36. Nd5+ 1-0

[Event "4NCL"]
[Site "De Vere, Staverton Park, ENG"]
[Date "2011.03.26"]
[Round "7.14"]
[White "Snape, Ian L"]
[Black "Bates, Richard A"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2241"]
[BlackElo "2383"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1r1rb1k1/1pq2ppn/pn1Np2p/4P3/3N3P/5BQ1/PPP3P1/2KR1R2 w - - 0 21"]
[PlyCount "21"]
[EventDate "2011.??.??"]
[WhiteTeam "The AD's"]
[BlackTeam "Betsson.com"]

{[Diagram]} {After a lacklustre opening Black has quickly slid into a
miserable position, and Snape smashes through in style.} 21. Bh5 $1 g6 $6 ({
Allowing a swift demolition. The only way to prolong the game was} 21... Rxd6
22. exd6 Qd7 {although I hardly need state that Black is losing this position.}
) 22. Bxg6 $1 ({According to the computer this is the best choice, although
White's position is so good that just about any sacrificial continuation would
have won - apart from 22 Qxg6+, which really would have been too optimistic!} 
22. Rxf7 {,}) (22. Nxf7 {and}) (22. Nxe6 {were all good enough.}) 22... fxg6
23. Nxe6 Qc6 24. Nxd8 Rxd8 {Diagram} 25. Qb3+ $1 ({The most accurate, although
} 25. Nxe8 Rxd1+ 26. Rxd1 Qxe8 27. Qb3+ {was also winning easily.}) 25... Kg7
26. Nxe8+ Rxe8 27. Qf7+ Kh8 {Diagram} 28. Rd6 ({If White had really wanted to
show off then he might have chosen} 28. Rf6 Qb5 29. Rd5 $3 {for the cameras.})
28... Qc8 (28... Qb5 29. Rxb6 {is the end.}) 29. Rxg6 Rg8 30. Rxh6 Rg7 31. Qf8+
1-0

[Event "4NCL"]
[Site "Barcelo Hotel, Hinckley Islan"]
[Date "2011.05.02"]
[Round "11.11"]
[White "Howell, David W L"]
[Black "Hammer, Jon Ludvig"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2612"]
[BlackElo "2606"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2011.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2011.04.28"]
[WhiteTeam "Pride & Prejudice"]
[BlackTeam "Wood Green Hilsmark 1"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Be3 Qb6 5. Qc1 e6 6. c4 dxc4 7. Nd2 Qa5 8. Bxc4
Ne7 9. Ne2 Nd5 10. Ng3 Bg6 11. O-O Nd7 {[Diagram]} 12. Nde4 (12. h4 h6 13. h5
Bh7 14. a3 {led to a double-edged game which was, after many adventures,
eventually won by White in Grischuk-Anand, Mainz Rapidplay 2005.}) 12... h5 $5
{Black's position is healthy enough, and Jon Ludvig strives to take over the
initiative.} 13. h4 $5 {Blocking the h-pawn is an obvious candidate, although
White would have had to be sure that his own h-pawn would not become too weak.
When I spoke to Jon Ludvig after the game, he said that he felt extremely
confident about his position at this point, especially as David had already
used a considerable amount of time. Although Black is certainly doing alright,
it is perhaps too early to speak of him taking over the advantage, and the
Norwegian number two probably overestimated his chances.} ({White had a number
of playable alternatives, including} 13. Bd3) (13. Qc2) ({and} 13. Ng5 h4 14.
N3e4) 13... Qd8 {Provoking a change in the pawn structure.} ({It was well
worth considering the following alternative:} 13... Nxe3 $1 {Preventing the
bishop from coming to g5, as occurs in the game.} 14. Qxe3 ({or} 14. fxe3 Be7
15. Rf4 Nb6 16. Bb3 Nd5 {(Black can also castle on either side) with a nice
position for Black.}) 14... Nb6 15. Bd3 Be7 {The position is double-edged, but
it seems to me that Black should be at least equal. In the long run the d4-
and h4-pawns could easily turn out to be weak, especially with White's
dark-squared bishop absent from the board.}) 14. Bg5 f6 {Opening the centre is
risky, but by now Black was committed.} 15. exf6 gxf6 16. Re1 $5 {[Diagram]
Howell decides to tempt his opponent with a bishop sacrifice.} (16. Bd2 {and})
(16. Bf4 $5 {were the safer options.}) 16... Be7 (16... fxg5 $5 17. Nxg5 {
looks dangerous, but according to the computer Black could have survived with
the help of the following defence:} e5 $1 18. Ne6 ({After} 18. dxe5 Nc5 {the
e-file is blocked and the e6-square is covered, so Black will have reasonable
chances to consolidate with his extra piece.}) 18... Bh6 $1 19. Qd1 {Now after
both} Qb6 ({and} 19... Qxh4 {the position is highly unclear, and any result
would be possible.})) 17. Bd2 Kf7 (17... Bf7 {was worth considering, in order
to defend the e6-pawn more securely.}) 18. Qd1 $1 {The queen was doing nothing
on c1, so Howell re-routes her to a more purposeful square. By this stage
White's position is preferable thanks to his safer king.} Qb6 19. Bc3 Kg7 20.
Qf3 Raf8 $4 {[Diagram] For a player of Hammer's class this must be considered
an outright blunder.} (20... Rae8 {was better, for reasons that will soon
become obvious.}) 21. Nd2 $1 {Suddenly Black has a serious problem with the e6
pawn, and the e-file in general.} Bf7 (21... Kf7 {loses to the simple} 22. Qe2
({, or even the flashy} 22. Rxe6 $5 Kxe6 23. Bxd5+ cxd5 24. Re1+ {when Black
has no good defence.})) 22. Bxd5 cxd5 23. Nf5+ $1 exf5 24. Qg3+ $1 {With this
small finesse Howell improves his queen and takes control over some important
dark squares.} ({The immediate} 24. Rxe7 {is less convincing due to} Qd6 25.
Rae1 Re8 {, although White is of course better here too.}) 24... Bg6 25. Rxe7+
Rf7 26. Rae1 {[Diagram] Material is equal, but Black suffers from a putrid
pawn structure.} Nb8 27. Nb3 ({White could have put the result beyond doubt by
means of} 27. R1e6 $1 Nc6 28. Rxf7+ Kxf7 {[Diagram]} {(analysis diagram)} 29.
Nc4 $3 dxc4 (29... Qd8 30. Rd6 $1 {and 31 Ne5+! is the big threat}) 30. d5 {
and the threats of 31 dxc6 and 31 Rxf6+ are crushing.}) 27... Qd8 28. R7e6 $6 {
Having built up a winning position, Howell fails to finish the game in the
most effective manner.} (28. Rxf7+ Kxf7 29. Nc5 {would have left Black facing
too many threats, including Ne6, Re6-d6, not to mention the simple Nxb7.})
28... b6 29. Bb4 Qc8 30. Nc1 Nc6 31. Nd3 Nxb4 {[Diagram]} 32. Nxb4 ({The
computer points out the attractive winning line} 32. Nf4 Rh6 33. Re8 Qd7 34.
Ne6+ Kh7 35. Qb8 $1 {, although one can hardly blame David for failing to find
this, especially with time running low.}) 32... f4 33. Qxf4 Be4 34. Rc6 Qg4 35.
Qh2 $6 ({A more pragmatic, and probably just a stronger winning line would
have been} 35. Qxg4+ hxg4 36. g3 {intending Nc2-e3.}) 35... Rd8 ({In the event
of} 35... Rg8 {the pressure on the g-file would have left White with nothing
better than admitting the error of his last move with} 36. Qg3 {.}) 36. Rc3 Kh7
{[Diagram]} 37. Nc6 $2 {This is a more serious error, which gives Black a
golden opportunity to get back into the game.} (37. Qg3) (37. Rg3) ({and} 37.
Kh1 {(threatening f3) were all superior alternatives.}) 37... Rg8 38. Rg3 Qe6
$2 {Hammer misses his chance.} ({After} 38... Qd7 $1 39. Rxg8 Kxg8 {White's
task is not easy, as his knight is attacked while ...Rg7 is a source of
concern on the kingside.  The game continuation is a fatal error, from which
there will be no further chance of recovery.}) 39. Rxg8 Kxg8 40. Nd8 1-0

[Event "4NCL"]
[Site "Barcelo Hotel, Hinckley Islan"]
[Date "2011.05.02"]
[Round "11.11"]
[White "Jones, Gawain CB"]
[Black "Petrov, Marijan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2578"]
[BlackElo "2534"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2011.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2011.04.28"]
[WhiteTeam "Pride & Prejudice"]
[BlackTeam "Wood Green Hilsmark 1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. h3 b6 7. Nc3 Nh6 8. a3
O-O 9. Be3 f6 10. O-O Nf7 11. Nd2 f5 12. exf5 gxf5 13. Qh5 Qd6 14. f4 Qg6 15.
Qh4 Bf6 16. Qf2 Kh8 17. Nf3 Rg8 18. Rae1 Qh5 19. Kh1 Bb7 {[Diagram]} {Black
has countered his opponent's Rossolimo anti-Sicilian in a slightly unorthodox,
though not necessarily bad way. With correct play the position should be
dynamically balanced, although it could be argued that Black has less of a
margin for error, and in the game he soon falls into difficulties.} 20. d4 {It
is difficult to criticise this natural move, but if the improvement noted on
the following move really does lead to a satisfactory position for Black, then
one might make a case for the alternatives of} (20. Re2 $5 {, making a small
improvement in the centre, or}) (20. a4 $5 {, preparing to chip away at the
black queenside.}) 20... cxd4 $2 {This is where Black's problems really begin.}
(20... c4 $1 {was better, and would have led to a complex situation with
problems for both sides. Black's light-squares bishop is a sorry sight, but
his knight will find an ideal home on d6, and White will not be able to obtain
the same kind of activity that he does in the game.} {One idea is} 21. d5 $5 {
, hoping for} cxd5 ({but} 21... c5 $1 {intending ...Nd6 keeps the game unclear.
}) 22. Bd4 Rg7 23. Re6 {with excellent compensation,}) 21. Bxd4 c5 {Black has
no choice but to accept doubled f-pawns, as Rxe7 was threatened.} 22. Bxf6+
exf6 23. Re7 Nd8 (23... Nd6 {also fails to equalize after} 24. Rd1 {, for
instance} Rae8 $5 (24... Ne4 25. Nxe4 Bxe4 26. Rdd7 {is also better for White})
25. Rxe8 Nxe8 26. Rd7 {and White maintains the pressure.}) 24. Qe2 Rb8 25. Rf2
Nc6 $2 {[Diagram]} ({Allowing a simple though elegant refutation.  The lesser
evil was} 25... Bxf3 26. Qxf3 (26. Rxf3 $2 Nc6 {attacks the rook on e7 while
threatening ...Nd4}) 26... Qxf3 27. Rxf3 Nc6 {when Black is obviously worse,
but nevertheless keeps some chances to survive.}) 26. Ng5 $1 Rxg5 ({Forced, as
} 26... Qxe2 27. Rxh7# {is mate.}) 27. fxg5 Qxe2 28. Rexe2 fxg5 {Black is the
exchange down for minimal compensation, and the remaining moves require no
comment.} 29. Rd2 Nd4 30. Ne2 Be4 31. Nxd4 cxd4 32. Rxd4 Rc8 33. Rfd2 Kg7 34.
Rd7+ Kf6 35. c3 Ke5 36. Kg1 h5 37. Rxa7 Kf4 38. Rg7 h4 39. Rf2+ Ke3 40. Rxg5
Rd8 41. Rgxf5 Bxf5 42. Rxf5 Rd1+ 43. Kh2 Rd2 44. Rb5 1-0

[Event "4NCL"]
[Site "Barcelo Hotel, Hinckley Islan"]
[Date "2011.05.01"]
[Round "10.16"]
[White "Pinter, Gabor"]
[Black "Jirka, Jiri"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2363"]
[BlackElo "2425"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[PlyCount "41"]
[EventDate "2011.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2011.04.28"]
[WhiteTeam "Cambridge University 1"]
[BlackTeam "The AD's"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 ({Jirka is a specialist in the Bird Defence,
and usually prefers} 3... Nd4 {immediately.}) 4. O-O ({Pinter decides not to
find out what his opponent has in mind against} 4. c3 {.}) 4... Nd4 {Jirka
cannot resist the temptation to transpose to what seems to be his favourite
pawn structure against the Ruy Lopez.} 5. Nxd4 exd4 6. d3 c6 7. Ba4 (7. Bc4 {
can be met by} d5 $1 8. exd5 cxd5 {when Black equalises.}) 7... Ne7 {[Diagram]}
8. Nd2 ({I consider the immediate} 8. f4 $1 {, as recommended in my 2006 book
"Play the Ruy Lopez", to be slightly more accurate. White intends to launch an
attack similar to that seen in the game, but by leaving the knight on b1 for
the moment, he obtains the additional option of developing the c1-bishop to a
suitable square should the opportunity arise.}) 8... O-O 9. f4 $1 {The
thematic attacking plan of f5-f6 is as effective as it is simple.} a5 $5 10. a3
{The inclusion of these two moves is unlikely to make much difference in the
ensuing battle.} b5 ({Another game continued} 10... d5 11. f5 f6 (11... dxe4 $2
12. Nxe4 Bd6 13. f6) 12. Bb3 a4 13. Ba2 g6 $2 14. exd5 cxd5 15. Ne4 Bb6 16.
fxg6 {and Black was already busted in Kotronias-Kofidis, Karditsa 1995.}) 11.
Bb3 a4 12. Ba2 d5 {[Diagram]} 13. f5 $1 {This crude but effective attacking
plan also has some positional justification, as it severely restricts the
movements of the e7 knight and c8 bishop.} f6 {This is virtually forced, as
Black can hardly live with the threat of f6 hanging over his head at every
turn. The problem is that Black now has only a single pawn shielding his king
from the deadly glare of the a2-bishop.} 14. g4 $5 {It is possible to go for a
more patient kingside build-up, but Pinter simply decides to try and bludgeon
his way through.} Kh8 15. Nf3 Bb6 {[Diagram]} (15... dxe4 16. dxe4 d3+ {
achieves nothing:} 17. Kg2 dxc2 18. Qxc2 Bb6 19. Bf4 {With Rad1 coming next,
White is fully mobilized with a powerful attacking position.}) 16. g5 $6 {
White continues to bulldoze ahead on the kingside, but in doing so he allows a
powerful counterattacking idea.} ({Objectively White should have preferred the
prophylactic} 16. Kh1 {, when play might continue} dxe4 17. dxe4 c5 {with an
unclear position. White certainly has some attacking chances, but Black is
planning ...c4 to shut the bishop out of the game, and after a subsequent ...
Bb7 the white king might also start to feel uncomfortable on the long diagonal.
}) ({Another idea is} 16. e5 $5 {, with the idea of 'sacrificing' the
a2-bishop in order to obtain a dangerous kingside pawn wedge.}) 16... Qe8 ({
Black could have obtained an excellent position by means of} 16... dxe4 17.
dxe4 {, and now the key idea is} Nxf5 $1 18. exf5 Bxf5 {. With two pawns for a
piece, better-developed pieces and a much safer king, Black has the advantage.}
) 17. Nh4 {[Diagram] White continues his 'route one' approach, and threatens
g6 with a decisive attack.} fxg5 $2 {Black prevents the main threat, but pays
too high a price in allowing another enemy piece to join the attack.} ({The
correct approach was} 17... dxe4 $1 18. dxe4 (18. g6 {can be met by} e3 19. Qh5
h6 {, when the e3-pawn blocks any Bxh6 sacrifice,}) 18... d3+ 19. Kh1 Nxf5 $5 (
19... dxc2 20. Qxc2 Qh5 {is also quite playable}) 20. exf5 Qe4+ 21. Ng2 dxc2
22. Qf3 Qxf3 23. Rxf3 fxg5 {The endgame is murky, but it looks as though Black
should have at least enough compensation for the piece.}) 18. Bxg5 dxe4 $2 {
This loses quickly, but Black's position was already extremely difficult by
this stage.} 19. Bxe7 $1 e3 ({No better is:} 19... Qxe7 20. Qh5 Bxf5 21. Rxf5
Qd6 22. Bf7 $18) 20. Ng6+ $1 hxg6 21. Qg4 1-0

[Event "4NCL"]
[Site "Barcelo Hotel, Hinckley Islan"]
[Date "2011.05.02"]
[Round "11.13"]
[White "Conquest, Stuart C"]
[Black "Hawkins, Jonathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2529"]
[BlackElo "2429"]
[Annotator "Greet,Andrew"]
[PlyCount "38"]
[EventDate "2011.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2011.04.28"]
[WhiteTeam "Guildford A&DC 1"]
[BlackTeam "Cheddleton 1"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. e3 {True to his style, Conquest opts for a somewhat
unorthodox handling of the English Opening, hoping to pose his opponent
problems at an early stage.} Nc6 4. Nge2 Be7 5. a3 d5 {Hawkins decides on a
reversed Sicilian structure.} 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Nxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3 Qd6 9. Bc4 O-O
10. b4 Be6 11. Nb5 Qd7 12. Bxe6 {[Diagram]} fxe6 (12... Qxe6 $5 {was risky,
but not out of the question:} 13. Nxc7 Qg6 14. Nxa8 (14. O-O Rad8 {is unclear})
14... Qxg2 15. Rf1 Rxa8 {and Black has some compensation for the exchange,
although objectively the sacifice is probably not completely sound.}) 13. Nc3
Qd3 14. Bb2 $4 {[Diagram]} (14. Qg4 {would have kept the game unclear. After
the game continuation Black already has a forced win. Can you find it?}) 14...
Nd4 $1 15. Rc1 ({The main point behind Black's last move is that} 15. exd4 Rxf2
$1 16. Kxf2 Rf8+ {is crushing:} 17. Ke1 Bh4+ {leads to mate, and also reveals
why it was necessary for Black to begin his combination with 14...Nd4, as the
reply 15 exd4 opened the third rank.}) 15... Bh4 $1 {[Diagram] Now White will
have no good way of dealing with the attack on the f-pawn.} 16. Rf1 Qf5 $1 17.
g3 (17. exd4 Bxf2+ 18. Ke2 e4 {is conclusive.}) 17... Nf3+ 18. Ke2 Rad8 19. d3
{[Diagram]} {And now for a final flourish to end White's brief resistance.}
Ng1+ $1 (19... Ng1+ 20. Ke1 Rxd3 21. Qc2 Rxe3+ $1 {leads to mate.}) 0-1

