[Event "4NCL Division 1a"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2014.03.22"]
[Round "7.113"]
[White "Tan, Justin"]
[Black "Van Kampen, Robin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2351"]
[BlackElo "2603"]
[Annotator "Saunders,John"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2014.03.22"]
[WhiteTeam "Oxford 1"]
[BlackTeam "Guildford 1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. g3 a6 7. Bg2 Nf6 8. O-O
h5 9. h3 Bc5 10. Nb3 Ba7 11. Bf4 Ne5 12. Qe2 d6 13. Rad1 Bd7 14. Nd4 Rc8 15.
Nf3 Bc5 16. Nxe5 dxe5 17. Bg5 b5 18. Nb1 Ng8 19. Kh1 h4 20. Qg4 Nf6 21. Qf3 Nh7
22. gxh4 Be7 23. Qg3 Nxg5 24. hxg5 Rh5 25. g6 f6 26. Rd2 Kf8 27. Rfd1 Rd8 28.
Bf3 {[diag] White is a pawn up but it's not a decisive advantage as things
stand. Black now makes a serious oversight.} Rg5 $4 29. Qh4 Rxg6 30. Rxd7 $2 ({
White sees a way to draw but he can do much, much better:} 30. Qh8+ Kf7 31. Qh5
$1 {is a murderous pin. Black can try} Be8 {but} 32. Rg1 Kg8 33. Rxg6 Rxd2 34.
Nxd2 {doesn't get him off the hook, e.g.} Qxc2 35. Rxg7+ $1 Kxg7 36. Qxe8 {and
there are no tricks or perpetual check chances. Maybe both players fixated on
bishop pin ideas (which don't work) and overlooked the less juicy looking
queen pin.}) 30... Rxd7 31. Rxd7 Qxd7 32. Qh8+ Kf7 33. Bh5 Qd4 34. Nc3 Qxf2 35.
Bxg6+ Kxg6 36. Qe8+ Kh6 37. Qh8+ Kg6 38. Qe8+ Kh6 39. Qh8+ Kg6 1/2-1/2

[Event "4NCL Division 1a"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2014.03.22"]
[Round "7.122"]
[White "Colovic, Aleksandar"]
[Black "Rendle, Thomas E"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2493"]
[BlackElo "2392"]
[Annotator "Saunders,John"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5r1k/p6p/8/8/3q4/1P3BP1/r4P1P/2R2QK1 w - - 0 30"]
[PlyCount "2"]
[EventDate "2014.03.22"]
[WhiteTeam "Cheddleton 1"]
[BlackTeam "Grantham Sharks 1"]

{[diag] Black has pressure on f2 so it seems logical to support the f3 bishop..
.} 30. Kg2 $4 ({... but actually it's a disaster. The right way to defend was} 
30. Rd1 {or the tricky 30.Qe1!? when White is probably just about OK.}) 30...
Qe3 $1 {Game over. It shouldn't happen to a grandmaster.} 0-1

[Event "4NCL Division 1a"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2014.03.22"]
[Round "7.124"]
[White "Williams, Simon K"]
[Black "Williams, Samuel G"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2458"]
[BlackElo "2263"]
[Annotator "Saunders,John"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2014.03.22"]
[WhiteTeam "Cheddleton 1"]
[BlackTeam "Grantham Sharks 1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Be2 e6 3. f4 {Ah, the Reversed Dutch, of course.} d5 4. d3 g6 5.
Nf3 Bg7 6. O-O Ne7 7. Qe1 b5 8. Nc3 b4 9. Nd1 Bb7 10. Nf2 Nbc6 11. a3 a5 12.
Rb1 Qb6 13. Be3 Rc8 14. c3 O-O 15. Kh1 Ba6 16. h4 Rc7 17. h5 d4 18. Bd2 dxc3
19. bxc3 {The computer gives this as equal but you have to keep reminding
yourself that Simon Williams is playing White, and he doesn't really do
'equals'.} Rb7 ({The computer wants to play} 19... gxh5 {but you would have be
brave ro risk that against the Ginger GM.}) 20. hxg6 hxg6 21. Ng4 Rfb8 ({Again,
the computer comes up with something a bit sketchy-looking:} 21... f6 {- no,
that kingside looks too vulnerable.}) 22. Qh4 Qd8 ({Suddenly the computer
wakes up to the danger and wants to run away with} 22... Kf8 {but it could be
too late.}) 23. Ng5 {Now it's game over.} bxc3 {[diag] Stand by for the pretty
finish.} 24. Nf6+ $1 Kf8 {Black clearly has a fine aesthetic sense and allows
the GM an elegant tableau on which to finish.} 25. Ngh7# 1-0

[Event "4NCL Division 1c"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2014.03.23"]
[Round "8.114"]
[White "Wadsworth, Matthew J"]
[Black "Hansen, Eric"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A26"]
[WhiteElo "2185"]
[BlackElo "2587"]
[Annotator "Saunders,John"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2014.03.23"]
[WhiteTeam "Guildford 2"]
[BlackTeam "Guildford 1"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. d3 d6 6. e4 e5 7. Nge2 Nc6 8. O-O
Nh5 9. Be3 Nd4 10. Bxd4 (10. Qd2 {is the usual choice here.}) 10... exd4 11.
Nb5 c5 12. h3 a6 13. Na3 Rb8 14. g4 Nf6 15. f4 b5 16. b3 bxc4 (16... Qa5 {
seems a more natural way to pursue Black's slight initiative.}) 17. Nxc4 d5 18.
Ne5 Bb7 19. Ng3 dxe4 20. dxe4 Re8 21. g5 Nd7 22. Nc4 Nb6 23. Nxb6 Qxb6 24. e5
c4 25. Bxb7 d3+ 26. Kh2 Qxb7 27. bxc4 Qb2+ 28. Kh1 Qd4 29. c5 h6 30. gxh6 Bxh6
31. Qf3 Rb4 32. Rad1 Bxf4 33. Rxd3 Qxe5 {Matthew has put up a great to here
but now the analysis engine thinks he's a bit worse. But he continues playing
optimistically.} 34. c6 Qe6 (34... Rc4 {seems the logical way to keep an eye
on the c-pawn.}) 35. Qg2 Be5 36. Re3  Rb2 $2 ({Unexpectedly, Black
starts to crack.} 36... Reb8 $5 {is playable, answering} 37. c7 {with} Rc8 38.
Rc1 Rb5 {and Black is in good shape.}) 37. Qxb2 $1 Bxb2 38. Rxe6 Rxe6 $2 ({
Black makes another more serious error. He should play} 38... fxe6 39. Rb1 Be5
{, though the edge has now passed over to White.}) 39. c7 Re8 $4 ({A third,
and this time fatal, error.} 39... Rc6 {allows Black to fight on after} 40. Rb1
$1 Rxc7 41. Rxb2 {although he could well lose.}) 40. Rd1 $1 (40. Rd1 {Well
spotted! This is the only move to win and easily overlooked as it looks like}
Bf6 {might be a defence, but then} 41. Ne4 $1 Be7 42. Rb1 $1 {wraps things up.
It is one thing to find the winning move but to find it on move 40 requires an
extra helping of sang froid.}) 1-0

[Event "4NCL Division 1c"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2014.03.23"]
[Round "8.143"]
[White "Franklin, Samuel GA"]
[Black "Speelman, Jon S"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2299"]
[BlackElo "2496"]
[Annotator "Saunders,John"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/3Npk2/4npp1/7p/1r5P/3R1PPK/8 w - - 0 65"]
[PlyCount "12"]
[EventDate "2014.03.23"]
[WhiteTeam "Barbican 4NCL 2"]
[BlackTeam "Wood Green HK 1"]

{[diag] With the pawns all on the one side, it could be a long and sweaty job
to win this endgame, depriving both Jon and me of our much-cherished chat in
the bar. For which reason I am deeply grateful to White for playing} 65. f3 $2
{, which is a mistake, although it might have been intended as a trap:} Rxf3 $1
66. Re2 $5 {Now, hang on - has Jon fallen for a trap? As well as gxf3, White
threatens Ne8+, followed by Rxe5, and when the king captures the knight on e8,
White has Rxe6+ and the draw is just around the corner.} Rc3 $1 {Black puts a
stop to White's little dream. The game continues:} 67. Ne8+ Ke7 68. Rxe5 Rc6 $1
{Black overprotects the e6 pawn and now the knight can't escape capture.} 69.
g4 (69. Ng7 Kf6 {forks rook and knight.}) 69... hxg3+ {White is undone by the
en passant rule.} 70. Kxg3 Kxe8 0-1

[Event "4NCL Division 1d"]
[Site "Hinckley Island ENG"]
[Date "2014.03.23"]
[Round "8.151"]
[White "Turner, Matthew J"]
[Black "Wallace, John Paul"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2497"]
[BlackElo "2401"]
[Annotator "Saunders,John"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2kr3r/p5p1/2n2bp1/q1pp1p2/8/2PP1Q1P/P1BB1PP1/2KRR3 w - - 0 22"]
[PlyCount "15"]
[EventDate "2014.03.23"]
[WhiteTeam "Barbican 4NCL 1"]
[BlackTeam "Kings Head 1"]

{[diag] Neither king looks particularly safe. White decides to start the fun
with} 22. Re6 $5 Nb4 $5 ({A highly enterprising reply but the beady-eyed
Hiarcs spots} 22... Qxa2 $3 {and now} 23. Rxc6+ Kb7 $1 24. Re6 Qa3+ 25. Kb1 Rb8
$1 {, ingeniously setting up the mating attack down the b-file which Black so
signally failed to do in the game. Computers, eh?}) 23. Bb3 Bxc3 {Looks great
but unfortunately it doesn't really work.} (23... Nxa2+ $1 24. Kc2 Bxc3 {looks
survivable for Black.}) 24. Bxc3 Nxa2+ 25. Bxa2 Qxc3+ 26. Kb1 {Now Black is
aching to get a rook onto the b-file but there is no good way to arrange it.}
Rd7 (26... Kc7 {fails to a queen check on the h2-b8 diagonal, of course.}) (
26... Rh4 27. g4 $1 {shuts the door on a rook switch across from the kingside.
Now} Rxh3 $5 28. Qxh3 Kd7 {nearly works but runs into} 29. Rb6 $1 axb6 30. gxf5
{and White wins.}) 27. Bxd5 Rh4 (27... Qb4+ 28. Kc2 {and the king escapes to
the kingside.}) 28. Re8+ Kc7 29. Qg3+ 1-0

