[Event "Competitors' League"] [Site ""] [Date "2025.05.15"] [Round ""] [White "R Brenton"] [Black "T Bonds"] [Result "1-0"] [EventDate "2025.05.15"] 1.d4 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.Bd3 e6 4.Nf3 c5 5.b3 Nc6 6.a3 a5 7.Bb2 cxd4 8.exd4 Bd6 9.Nbd2 O-O 10.Ne5 Qb6 11.Ndf3 Ne4 12.O-O {Up to now Tom has played the opening sensibly, but in the next couple of moves, he puts his knight on the queenside, when it is needed to defend his king.} 12...Bxe5 13.dxe5 Nc5 {Here's a classic situation for the 'Greek Gift' sacrifice on h7. White's pieces are pointed at the kingside which has no pieces defending it.} 14.Bxh7+! Kxh7 15.Ng5+ Kg8 {This leads to a forced mate - but } ( 15...Kg6 16.Qg4 {also wins. eg} 16...f6 ( 16...f5 17.Qh4 {is even worse.} 17...Ne4 18.Qh7+ Kxg5 19.Qxg7+ Kh5 20.Qh7+ Kg5 21.h4+ Kf4 22.Qh6+ {and black will be mated quickly.} 22...Kg4 23.Qg6+ Kxh4 24.g3+ Nxg3 25.Qxg3+ Kh5 26.Kg2 {and the rook comes across.} ) 17.Nxe6+ Kf7 18.Qxg7+ Kxe6 19. Qxf8 {and white has a winning attack.} ) 16.Qh5 Rd8 17.Qxf7+ Kh8 18.Qh5+ Kg8 19.Qh7+ Kf8 20.Qh8+ 1-0
[Event "Competitors' League"] [Site ""] [Date "2025.05.15"] [Round ""] [White "R Santos"] [Black "K Middleton"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2025.05.15"] 1.d4 d5 2.Bg5 Nf6 3.Nf3 e6 4.e3 Be7 5.Nbd2 Nbd7 6.Bd3 c5 7.c3 O-O 8.Rc1 b6 9.Bb1 Ba6 10.Qc2 g6 11.Bh6 Re8 12.h4 Ng4 13.Bg5 Rc8 14.Bxe7 Qxe7 15.h5 { Rodel is attacking the kingside, but, it's dangerous because his king is in the centre, and the centre can be opened. Keith chooses the classic response - Open the Centre!} 15...cxd4 16.hxg6 fxg6 17.exd4 e5 {Rodel's position is already critical. There really is no escape. Notice that the a6 bishop stops him from castling.} 18.c4 exd4+ 19.Ne4 Rxc4 20.Qd2 Rxc1+ 21.Qxc1 Nc5 22.Ng5 Nf6 23.f3 dxe4 24.f4 Nd3+ {If Rodel takes the knight he will be mated quickly eg 25.Bxd3 exd3+ 26.Kf2 Qe2+ 27.Kg3 Qg4+ 28.Kh2 Re2 29.Qf1 Bb7 and there's no escape, otherwise he loses his queen, so he resigns.} 0-1
[Event "Champions' League"] [Site ""] [Date "2025.05.15"] [Round ""] [White "A Brusey"] [Black "A Kinder"] [Result "1-0"] [EventDate "2025.05.15"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 d6 7.Be2 O-O 8.Be3 Nc6 9.O-O Bd7 {The opening has transposed into a Maroczy Bind, where white has more space. It is up to black to find counterplay.} 10.f3 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 e5 {This doesn't look right - it weakens the d-pawn and makes the dark-squared bishop worse. Andrew is hoping to get an attack with f5 at some point, but this is still a little way off.} ( 11...a6 {looking to expand on the queenside might be better.} ) 12.Be3 Bc6 13.Qd2 Ne8 14.Rad1 f5 15.c5 {White's attack on the centre comes first.} 15...f4 16.Bf2 Qd7 17.b4 a6 18.cxd6 Rf6 19.Bc5 {Alan has won a clean pawn and Andrew's attack is still in its infancy.} 19...b6 20.Bxb6 Rxd6 21.Qc2 Nf6 22.Bc5 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Qe8 24.Bc4+ Kh8 25.Qd3 Nd7 26.Bd6 Bf8 27.a3 Nb6 28.Bxf8 Qxf8 29.Bxa6 {Another pawn falls and Alan is winning - he finally wraps things up with a mating attack.} 29...Na4 30.Nxa4 Bxa4 31.Rd2 Qf6 32.b5 Qb6+ 33.Kf1 Rxa6 34.Qd8+ Kg7 35.Rd7+ Kh6 36.Qh4# 1-0
[Event "Challengers' League"] [Site ""] [Date "2025.05.15"] [Round ""] [White "R Pratt"] [Black "S Santos"] [Result "1-0"] [EventDate "2025.05.15"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 O-O 6.Bg5 Bg4 7.Be2 Nbd7 8.Qd2 c5 9.Bh6 {This natural move is a mistake worth noting.} ( 9.d5 {first is necessary.} ) 9...Rc8 ( 9...Bxh6 10.Qxh6 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 cxd4 12.Nd5 e5 {and black has won a pawn for nothing.} ) 10.d5 Ne5 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.Nxe5 Bxe2 { Now white wins a pawn.} ( 12...dxe5 {is better.} ) 13.Nxg6 fxg6 14.Qxe2 Nd7 15.O-O e5 16.Nb5 ( 16.dxe6 Nb6 17.f4 {would soon give white a protected passed pawn.} ) 16...Qb6 17.a4 Rf6 18.a5 Qa6 19.Qg4 {Richard penetrates with his queen and it's soon all over.} 19...Rf7 20.Qe6 Rcf8 21.Nxd6 Rf6 22.Qxd7+ R6f7 23.Nxf7 Rxf7 24.Qe8 Qf6 25.Qe6 Qg5 26.Rad1 Re7 27.Qd6 Kh6 28.Qxc5 Rd7 29.Qe3 Rc7 30.Qxg5+ Kxg5 31.d6 Rd7 32.c5 Kf6 33.f4 Ke6 34.f5+ gxf5 35.Rxf5 h6 36.Rd5 Rg7 37.Rdxe5+ Kd7 38.Rf6 Kc6 39.Re7 Rg8 40.d7+ Kc7 41.Re8 1-0
[Event "Champions' League"] [Site ""] [Date "2025.05.15"] [Round ""] [White "P Brooks"] [Black "B Sturt"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2025.05.15"] 1.d4 e6 2.c4 d5 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nf6 7.Nc3 cxd4 8.Qxd4 Qxd4 9.Nxd4 e5 10.Ndb5 Na6 11.Be3 Bb4 12.O-O-O {A mistake -} ( 12.f3 { gives white a nice advantage.} ) 12...Bg4 13.Nd6+ Ke7 14.Nf5+ Bxf5 15.exf5 Rac8 16.Bxa6 bxa6 17.Kc2 Ne4 18.Rd3 Nd6 19.a3 Bxc3 20.Rxc3 Rxc3+ 21.Kxc3 Rc8+ 22.Kb3 {Maybe the losing move - Paul puts his king on the queenside where it becomes trapped.} 22...Nxf5 23.Bxa7 Rc7 24.Be3 Nxe3 25.fxe3 Kf6 26.Rd1 Kf5 27.Rd6 {The wrong idea - the rook also goes to the queenside. Paul has dreams that he will be able to mobilise his queenside pawns but it never happens. In the meantime, Ben's king becomes really active.} ( 27.Ka4 Rc2 28.b4 Ke4 29.Ra1 Kxe3 30.Ka5 Rc6 31.Re1+ Kd4 32.Rd1+ Ke4 33.a4 {and with the pawns moving, Paul has hopes of a draw.} ) 27...Ke4 28.Rxa6 Kxe3 {Now it's easy.} 29.Ra4 e4 30.Ra8 Kf2 31.Re8 e3 32.Re5 e2 33.Rf5+ Ke1 34.Rd5 Rc1 35.a4 Kf2 36.Rf5+ Kg2 {The pawn queens next move.} 0-1
[Event "Competitors' League"] [Site ""] [Date "2025.05.15"] [Round ""] [White "L Jarman"] [Black "S Pasupulety"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2025.05.15"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.h3 e5 7.d5 Nc5 8.Nd2 a5 9. Qc2 O-O 10.Nb3 Nfd7 11.Be3 Nxb3 12.Qxb3 f5 13.f4 {Len must have missed the coming check.} 13...Qh4+ 14.g3 Qxg3+ 15.Bf2 Qxf4 16.Qc2 fxe4 17.Nxe4 Nf6 18.Nc3 Bf5 19.Bd3 e4 20.Ne2 Qe5 21.O-O-O exd3 22.Rxd3 Bxd3 23.Qxd3 Qe4 24. Qd1 Qxc4+ 25.Kb1 Nxd5 26.Qd2 Rxf2 0-1