[Event "S Hams v Bishops"] [Site ""] [Date "2025.03.27"] [Round ""] [White "P Brooks"] [Black "J Schofield"] [Result "1-0"] [EventDate "2025.03.27"] 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.e3 Nbd7 7.c5 c6 8.Bd3 b6 9.b4 a5 10.b5 {Paul decides to complicate.} 10...bxc5 ( 10...cxb5 11.Nxb5 bxc5 {is only a slight advantage for white} ) 11.bxc6 Nb6 12.c7 Qe8 13.Rb1 Nfd7 14.Nb5 {Not the best way forward.} ( 14.Qc2 f5 15.Bb5 Ba6 16.Qe2 Bxb5 17.Qxb5 c4 18.O-O {and white is clearly for choice.} ) 14...c4 {This move turns the tables.} 15.Bc2 Bb4+ 16.Kf1 g6 {A strange move. Maybe James saw ghosts on the b1-h7 diagonal. } ( 16...Nf6 17.Nc3 Ra6 18.Ne2 Ne4 19.h4 {is better for black but there's still plenty to play for.} ) 17.Bh6 Ba6 18.a4 Qc8 19.Bxf8 Qxf8 20.h4 {Now Paul has a clear plan to try to generate a kingside attack.} 20...Bxb5 21.axb5 Be7 ( 21...h6 {(or 21...h5) is better to stop the h-pawn advance.} ) 22.h5 a4 {James put his faith in the passed a-pawn....} 23.hxg6 hxg6 24.Ne5 {....but now Paul's attack becomes really dangerous.} 24...Nxe5 25.dxe5 a3 26.Qg4 a2 27.Ra1 Qg7 ( 27...Bc5 {is a slightly better move, but} 28.Bxg6 Qg7 ( 28...fxg6 29.Qxg6+ Qg7 30.Qxe6+ Kf8 ( 30...Qf7 31.Rh8+ {wins the queen.} ) 31.Rh5 {is a savage attack.} ) 29.Bh7+ Kf8 30.Qh4 Ke8 31.Rxa2! {keeps white well on top.} ) 28.Qd4 Bc5 { Maybe James thought this couldn't be taken because of the threats on the long diagonal, but} 29.Qxc5 Qxe5 30.Qd4 {blocks the attack on the rook.} ( 30.Rxa2! {is even better as} 30...Rxa2 31.c8=Q+ Nxc8 32.Qxc8+ Kg7 33.Qh8# {is mate.} ) 30...Qxc7 ( 30...Qxd4 31.exd4 {is hopeless, so James takes the troublesome pawn.} ) 31.Rh8# {The only move made by the h1 rook, but it's a good one!} 1-0
[Event "Competitors' League"] [Site ""] [Date "2025.03.20"] [Round ""] [White "R Brenton"] [Black "K Middleton"] [Result "1-0"] [EventDate "2025.03.20"] 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 e6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nxd4 6.Qxd4 Qa5+ 7.Bd2 Qc5 8. Bc3 Qxd4 9.Bxd4 Ne7 10.Nc3 a6 11.a4 Nc6 12.Bb6 Bb4 13.O-O Bxc3 14.bxc3 O-O 15.f4 Ne7 16.Bc5 Re8 17.Rfd1 f5 {Black must play } ( 17...d5 {here to give himself a chance of activating his bishop.} ) 18.e5 Nc6 19.Bb6 Ne7 20.Rd3 g6 21.Rad1 Kg7 22.h4 h5 23.Rd6 {Look at the pieces - those on black's queenside have almost no moves.} 23...Kf7 24.a5 Nc6 25.Bb3 Re7 26.Kh2 Ke8 27.R6d3 Rh7 28.Rg3 {Richard looks to break through on the g file.} 28... Kf7 29.Ba4 Rg7 30.Rdd3 Kg8 31.Rg5 Kf7 32.Bb3 Ke7 33.Bc4 Kf7 34.Rdg3 Rb8 35.Be2 {After some manoeuvering the stage is set.} 35...Ne7 36.Bxh5 Nd5 37.Rxg6 Rxg6 38.Rxg6 Ke7 39.Bc5+ {It's checkmate in a few moves.} 1-0
[Event "Champions' League"] [Site ""] [Date "2025.03.20"] [Round ""] [White "B Sturt"] [Black "A Brusey"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2025.03.20"] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Nxe4 {This fork trick is worth noting - it happens in quite a lot of openings.} 5.Bxf7+ {Not the best response.} ( 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Bd3 {is close to equal.} ) 5...Kxf7 6.Nxe4 d5 7.Neg5+ Kg8 {It looks as though black's king might be uncomfortable, but his excellent central control and easy development are more important.} 8.d3 h6 9.Nh3 Bg4 10.c3 Qd7 11.Be3 Bxh3 12.gxh3 Qxh3 13.Rg1 Be7 14.Rg3 Qd7 15.Qd2 Bf6 16.O-O-O Kh7 17.Qc2 d4 18.cxd4 exd4 19.Bf4 Rhf8 20.Rdg1 Rf7 21.Qb3 a5 22. Qb5 Nb4 23.Qc4 b5 24.Qb3 c5 {Black is being squashed.} 25.Ne5 Bxe5 26.Bxe5 c4 27.dxc4 bxc4 28.Qxc4 ( 28.Qf3 {is safer (although still much better for black)} ) 28...Rc8 {Alan has calculated this well and ends with an extra piece.} 29.Rxg7+ Rxg7 30.Rxg7+ Qxg7 31.Qxc8 Qxe5 32.Qb7+ Kg6 33.Qb6+ Kh5 34.Kd1 d3 35.Kd2 Qe2+ 36.Kc3 Nd5+ 0-1
[Event "Champions' League"] [Site ""] [Date "2025.03.13"] [Round ""] [White "A Kinder"] [Black "T Thynne"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2025.03.13"] 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.cxd4 Nc6 6.Nf3 e6 7.Nc3 Qd8 8.Bc4 Nf6 9.O-O Be7 10.Bg5 O-O 11.a3 a6 12.Qd3 b5 13.Ba2 Bb7 14.Rad1 b4 15.Ne2 bxa3 16.bxa3 Qa5 {The game is level but Andrew's next move allows Trefor to put more pressure on his isolated d-pawn.} 17.Bxf6 Bxf6 18.Bb1 g6 19. Ng3 Rad8 20.Qe3 Bg7 21.Ne4 Ne7 22.Nc5 Bd5 23.h3 Rfe8 24.Ne5 Nf5 25.Bxf5 exf5 26.Qg3 {This must be an oversight.} ( 26.Qc1 {keeps white in the game.} ) 26...Bxe5 27.dxe5 Qxc5 28.Rc1 Qe7 29.Rfe1 Be4 30.h4 Rd3 31.f3 Rxa3 32.Qf2 Bd5 33.h5 Ra2 34.Qb6 Qg5 35.g4 Bxf3 {It's mate in a few moves. } 0-1
[Event "Competitors' League"] [Site ""] [Date "2025.03.20"] [Round ""] [White "S Pasupulety"] [Black "T Bonds"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2025.03.20"] 1.e4 c5 2.c3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.cxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.Nge2 e6 8.O-O Be7 9.a3 Qc7 10.Be3 O-O 11.f3 b5 12.b4 Bb7 13.Rc1 Rac8 14.Qe1 Qb6 15.Qf2 Qc7 16.Rc2 Qd7 17.Rfc1 Rc7 18.Ng3 Rfc8 19.d5 Ne5 20.Bf1 Nc4 21.Bxc4 Rxc4 22.dxe6 fxe6 23.Nf1 Rf8 24.Nd2 Rcc8 25.Qg3 d5 {The game is equal but Shreyas' next move puts his queen into jeopardy.} 26.Qe5 ( 26.e5 {was better.} ) 26...Bd6 27.Qd4 e5 28.Qd3 d4 {Shreyas is losing a piece.} 29. Bxd4 exd4 30.Qxd4 {Ooops!} 30...Bxh2+ {The queen is lost.} 0-1