[Event "Challengers' League"] [Site ""] [Date "2025.04.24"] [Round ""] [White "M Aylott"] [Black "D Morgan"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2025.04.24"] 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 e6 4.d3 d5 5.Bb3 Nd4 6.Nxd4 cxd4 7.c3 dxc3 8.Nxc3 Bb4 9.O-O d4 10.Ba4+ Bd7 11.Nb5 e5 12.f4 f6 13.fxe5 fxe5 14.Qb3 ( 14.Qh5+ {smashes through.} 14...g6 15.Qxe5+ Qe7 16.Nc7+ Kd8 17.Bg5 {and black has to play} 17...Qxg5 18.Qxg5+ Kxc7 19.Qe5+ {and white wins the rook in the corner with a massive advantage.} ) 14...Qe7 15.Nc7+ Kd8 16.Nxa8 Nf6 17.a3 ( 17.Bxd7 {is best.} 17...Kxd7 18.Bg5 Rxa8 19.a3 h6 ( 19...Bd6 {drops the rook to} 20.Qxb7+ ) 20.Bxf6 gxf6 21.axb4 {and white is a full rook up.} ) 17...Bd6 18.Qxb7 {This gives up a bishop.} 18...Bxa4 19.Qa6 Qd7 20.Rb1 ( 20.Bh6 {is difficult to spot but keeps a big advantage for white.} 20... Bb5 ( 20...gxh6 21.Rxf6 {is great for Mason.} ) 21.Qa5+ Ke8 22.Bxg7 Qxg7 23.Qxb5+ Qd7 24.Qxd7+ Nxd7 25.Rac1 Kd8 26.Rc6 Ke7 27.Nc7 {and the knight escapes.} ) 20...Bc6 21.Nb6 axb6 22.Qxb6+ Ke7 {Now it's equal but the momentum has shifted in Dave's favour.} 23.Bg5 Bb5 24.Bxf6+ gxf6 25.Rbd1 Rb8 26.Qa5 Ba4 27.Rc1 Rxb2 28.Qe1 ( 28.Rf3 {should hold the draw.} ) 28... Qg4 29.Qg3 {This leads to a very favourable ending which Dave wins cleanly.} 29...Qxg3 30.hxg3 Rb3 31.Rf3 Rxa3 32.g4 Bb5 33.Rf5 Bxd3 34.g5 fxg5 35.Re1 h6 0-1
[Event "Competitors'League"] [Site ""] [Date "2025.04.24"] [Round ""] [White "M Hussey"] [Black "R Randhawa"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2025.04.24"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 d5 3.e3 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Bd3 Qb6 6.Qc2 e6 7.Nd2 c4 8.Be2 Be7 9.Ngf3 ( 9.b3 {attacking the advanced pawn looks better.} 9...cxb3 10.axb3 O-O 11.Ngf3 {and white will have the better pieces and more central control.} ) 9...O-O 10.h3 Qd8 11.Bh2 Bd6 12.Ne5 Bxe5 13.dxe5 Nd7 14.f4 {A committal decision which blocks in the dark-squared bishop, and weakens e3.} 14...b5 15.O-O Qb6 16.Rf3 b4 17.Raf1 Bb7 18.Rg3 {The rook does nothing here. Maybe, } ( 18.Bg3 {trying to reactivate the bishop was better.} ) 18...Ne7 19.Bg4 h5 {A nice temporary sacrifice to gain the powerful f5 square for the knight.} 20.Bf3 ( 20.Bxh5 {was better.} ) 20... Nf5 21.Re1 Nxg3 ( 21...Nxe3 {was more clinical.} 22.Rxe3 Qxe3+ 23.Kf1 b3! 24.axb3 cxb3 25.Nxb3 h4 26.Rg4 Ba6+ 27.Be2 Qxe2+ 28.Qxe2 Bxe2+ 29.Kxe2 Rfb8 {and black is the exchange up with a strong attack.} ) 22.Bxg3 g6 23. Bf2 Qa5 {Maybe an oversight from Ronit.} ( 23...Nc5 {keeps everything under control.} ) 24.Nxc4 dxc4 25.Bxb7 Rab8 26.Bf3 ( 26.Be4 {threatens an attack on g6, so might have been worth a punt.} ) 26...Nc5 27.Be2 Qxa2 28. Rb1 Rfd8 ( 28...bxc3 {wins straight away.} ) 29.Be1 bxc3 30.Bxc3 Nd3 31. Kh2 a5 32.Bd4 Nb4 33.Qc1 Rdc8 34.Ra1 Qb3 35.Rxa5 Nd5 ( 35...Qc2 36.Qxc2 Nxc2 37.Bc3 Nxe3 {would lead to a winning endgame.} ) 36.Ra3 {Mike is back in the game now.} 36...Qb4 37.Qc2 ( 37.Bf3 {with the idea of swapping the powerful knight is correct.} 37...Rd8 38.Bxd5 Rxd5 {and it's difficult for black to break through.} ) 37...c3 38.Bd1 ( 38.Bxc3 {is the only move.} 38...Qb6 39.Qd2 Qxe3 40.Qxe3 Nxe3 {is better for black but there's still lots to play for.} ) 38...cxb2 39.Qxc8+ Rxc8 {Black has too much material. } 0-1
[Event "Champions' League"] [Site ""] [Date "2025.04.24"] [Round ""] [White "P Brooks"] [Black "J Blackmore"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2025.04.24"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.Qc2 d6 5.e4 bxc4 6.Bxc4 g6 7.Nc3 Bg7 8.Nf3 O-O 9.O-O Nbd7 10.h3 Nb6 11.Be2 Nfd7 12.Be3 a5 13.a4 Ba6 14.Nb5 f5 {This weakens the white squares and Paul takes immediate advantage.} 15.Ng5 Qc8 16.Ne6 fxe4 17.Nxf8 Qxf8 {Paul has won the exchange for a pawn, but the position is complicated. and over the next few moves he can't find good squares for his pieces. } 18.f3 {Trying to open the f-file for the rooks.} 18...exf3 19.Rxf3 Qd8 20.Rd1 Ne5 21.Rff1 {Maybe } ( 21.Rf2 {hoping at some point to double rooks on the f-file was more logical.} ) 21...Bb7 22.Nc3 Rb8 23.b3 Nbd7 24.Bc1 Qb6 25.Bb5 {Paul decides to block the b-file but 25.Be3 or 25.Bc4 might have been more promising.} 25...c4+ 26.Kh1 cxb3 27. Qxb3 Ba6 {Joshua's pieces are moving onto excellent squares.} 28.Rfe1 Qc7 29.Bb2 Nc5 30.Qa2 {The position is critical and } ( 30.Qc2 {is the only move. } ) 30...Ned3 31.Bxa6 {A miscalculation.} ( 31.Bxd3 {is better though after } 31...Nxd3 32.Nb5 Nf2+ 33.Kh2 Qc2 34.Qb1 Qxb1 35.Rxb1 Bxb2 36.Rxb2 Nd3 37.Rbb1 Nxe1 38.Rxe1 Kf8 {leaves black with a very good ending.} ) 31...Rxb2 32.Nb5 {This makes things worse.} 32...Qb6 33.Qa3 Nf2+ 34.Kh2 Nxd1 35.Rxd1 Be5+ 36.Kh1 Ne4 37.Bc8 Nf2+ {38.Kg1 Nxh3+ 39.Kh1 Qg1+ 40.Rxg1 Nf2# is a pretty variation on a smothered mate.} 0-1
[Event "Competitors'League"] [Site ""] [Date "2025.04.24"] [Round ""] [White "T Bonds"] [Black "L Jarman"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [EventDate "2025.04.24"] 1.c4 f5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O d6 7.d4 Nc6 8.e3 Re8 9.Qb3 e5 10.c5+ d5 11.Nxe5 Nxe5 12.dxe5 Rxe5 13.f4 Re8 14.Nxd5 Nxd5 15. Bxd5+ Kh8 16.Rd1 Qe7 17.Bxb7 Bxb7 18.Qxb7 Qxc5 19.Rd7 Red8 20.Rxc7 Rd1+ 21.Kg2 ( 21.Kf2 {preventing the check on d5 is much better.} 21...Qd5 22. Rxg7 {wins a piece.} ) 21...Qd5+ 22.Qxd5 Rxd5 23.Rb1 a5 24.b4 axb4 25.Rxb4 Rxa2+ 26.Kf3 Rd8 {The players agreed a draw here, though white could definitely play on. 27.Rbb7 looks strong though there are still a few tricks in the position.} 1/2-1/2