[Event "NA A v NA B"] [Site "?"] [Date "2022.03.10"] [Round "?"] [White "G Darling"] [Black "T Thynne"] [Result "1-0"] [EventDate "2022.03.10"] 1.d4 d5 2.e4 {George shows his aggressive intent by playing the Blackmar-Diemar Gambit.} 2...dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bg4 5.f3 exf3 6.Nxf3 e6 7.Bc4 Be7 8.h3 Bh5 9.g4 Bg6 10.Qe2 O-O 11.O-O-O c6 12.Bxf6! {A good move - removing a key defender and creating space for George's pawns to advance.} 12...Bxf6 13.h4 b5 14.Bb3 b4 15.h5! {Again the most aggressive move.} 15...Bxc2 {This allows white's bishop and queen to form a battery attacking black's king, so the unlikely looking 15.....Bd3 was better.} 16.Bxc2 bxc3 17.Qd3 Bg5+ {Trefor tries to stem the tide but maybe the more straight-forward 17...g6 might have given him better prospects of staving off the attack.} 18.Kb1 f5 19.gxf5 exf5 20.Rdg1 h6 21.Rxg5 {Sacrificing the exchange!} 21...hxg5 22.h6 g6 23.h7+ {Relentlessly keeping up the pressure.} 23...Kg7 24.Ne5 Nd7 25.Nxg6! {Another sacrifice, but this one can't be accepted.} 25...Nc5 ( 25...Kxg6 26.h8=Q Rxh8 27.Qxf5+ Kg7 28.Qg6+ Kf8 29.Rxh8+ Ke7 30.Rh7+ Kf8 31.Qf7# {would be curtains, but 25....Qf6 might have prolonged the game.} ) 26.Nxf8 Qxf8 27.dxc5 Qxc5 28.h8=Q+ Rxh8 29.Qd7+ Kf6 30.Rxh8 Qg1+ 31.Qd1 Qb6 32.Qd6+ {It's mate in 3. An excellent attacking performance from George.} 1-0

[Event "NA A v NA B"] [Site "?"] [Date "2022.03.10"] [Round "?"] [White "M Goldschmidt"] [Black "A Brusey"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2022.03.10"] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.cxd5 Qxd5 4.e3 e5 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 exd4 8. cxd4 Nf6 9.Ne2 Ne4 10.Nf4 Qa5+ 11.Bd2 Nxd2 12.Qxd2 Qxd2+ 13.Kxd2 {We have quickly reached a late middlegame where white will be aiming to make something of his central majority.} 13...Bd7 14.Bc4 Na5 15.Ba2 O-O 16.Rhc1 c6 17.Nd3 Rfe8 18.Rc5 b6 19.Rc3 Be6 20.Ke2 Rad8 21.Ne5?! {This allows black to break open the centre to his advantage.} 21...Bxa2 22.Rxa2 c5 23.f4?! {23.Nf3 is better though it leaves black with a small advantage.} 23...cxd4 24.Rc7 f6 25.Nf3 Nb3 26.Rb2 Rxe3+ 27.Kf2 Nc5 28.Nxd4 Rxa3 {The smoke has cleared and black has a winning position which Alan converts smoothly.} 29.Re2 Nd3+ 30.Kf3 Ne5+ 31.Ke4 Ra4 32.fxe5 Raxd4+ 33.Kf5 fxe5 34.Rxe5 g6+ 35.Kg5 R8d7 36.Re7 R4d5+ 37.Kg4 Rxc7 38.Rxc7 a5 39.Ra7 h5+ 40.Kf4 Rf5+ 41. Ke4 Rf2 42.Ra8+ Kg7 43.Rb8 Rf6 44.Rb7+ Kh6 45.Ke5 Rf5+ 46.Ke4 b5 47.h4 a4 48.g3 Rc5 49.Kd4 Rc4+ 50.Kd3 Rb4 51.Kc3 Rb3+ 52.Kc2 Rxg3 0-1

[Event "NA A v NA B"] [Site "?"] [Date "2022.03.10"] [Round "?"] [White "J Blackmore"] [Black "P Ruszelak"] [Result "1-0"] [EventDate "2022.03.10"] 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.Bd3 Bxd3 8. Qxd3 Qa5+ 9.Bd2 Qa6 10.Qxa6 Nxa6 11.O-O-O e6 12.Rhe1 c5 13.Ne4 Nxe4 14. Rxe4 cxd4 15.Nxd4 Bc5 16.Bc3 O-O-O 17.f3 {Peter has manged to obtain a fairly equal position from the opening, but his next move gives Josh a tactical chance. Relocating the knight to d5 via c7 was a better idea.} 17...Nb4?! 18.Bxb4 Bxb4 19.Nxe6 Rxd1+ 20.Kxd1 Ba5 21.Rc4+ Kb8 22.Nd4 {Josh is a clear pawn ahead and from here to the end of the game shows very good technique to bring home the point.} 22...Re8 23.c3 Rd8 24.Kc2 Re8 25.Kd2 Rd8 26.Ke2 Re8+ 27.Kf2 Bb6 28.a4 a6 29.Kf1 Rc8 30.Rxc8+ Kxc8 31.Nf5 Bc7 32.Nxg7 Bxh2 33.Nf5 Bf4 34.Ke2 Kd7 35. Kd3 Ke6 36.Ke4 Bc1 37.b3 Bb2 38.c4 Bc3 39.g4 Bb4 40.Nd4+ Kd7 41.Kd5 f6 42. Nc2 Bd6 43.b4 b6 44.c5 bxc5 45.bxc5 Bc7 46.Nb4 a5 47.c6+ Ke7 48.Na6 Be5 49.Nc5 Kd8 50.Nb7+ Kc7 51.Nxa5 Bc3 52.Nc4 Bb4 53.a5 f5 54.a6 Bc5 1-0

[Event "Spring League Challengers"] [Site "?"] [Date "2022.03.10"] [Round "?"] [White "B Stephens"] [Black "P Anderson"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2022.03.10"] 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e6 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Bg5 Be7 8.Qb3 h6 9.Be3 Nc6 10.Be2 Qb6 11.Nxd5?! {Brooklyn misjudges the exchanges - it looks like he will win a pawn but Patrick will win the pawn back with a better structure.} 11...Qxb3 12.Nxf6+ Bxf6 13.axb3 Bxd4 14.O-O-O Bxe3+ 15.fxe3 O-O 16.Bc4 Re8 17.Re1 Be6 18.Nf3 Nb4 19.Re2 Rac8 20.Ne5? b5 {Patrick exploits the pin and wins a piece.} 21.Rf1 bxc4 22.Ref2 Nd3+ 23.Nxd3 cxd3+ 24.Kd2 Red8 {With another pawn dropping, Brooklyn resigns.} 0-1

[Event "NA A v NA B"] [Site "?"] [Date "2022.03.10"] [Round "?"] [White "P Brooks"] [Black "C Howard"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [EventDate "2022.03.10"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.Nd2 Be7 4.e3 d5 5.Bd3 Nbd7 6.f4 c5 7.c3 a6 8.Ngf3 b5 9.Ne5 Bb7 10.Qf3 Qc7 11.O-O O-O {White has a small advantage here. 12.Qg3 is a better way to keep it.} 12.Nxd7 Qxd7 13.f5 exf5 14.Bxf5 Qc6 15.Qh3 Bc8 16.Bxf6?! ( 16.dxc5 {is a better idea, because black cannot easily recapture.} 16...Qxc5 ( 16...Bxc5 17.Bxf6 Bxf5 18.Rxf5 gxf6 19.Raf1 {gives white a very strong attack.} ) 17.Bxf6 Bxf5 18.Bxe7 Bxh3 19.Bxc5 {wins a piece, so 16...Bxf5 17.Rxf5 Re8 18.b4 is best when white retains an extra pawn.} ) 16...Bxf5 17.Rxf5 Bxf6 18.Raf1 Rae8 19.R1f3 cxd4 20.exd4 Re6 21.Rh5 Rfe8?! ( 21...h6 {would leave black in charge as white's kingside attack is going nowhere.} ) 22.Nf1 b4 23.Rxh7 Kf8 24.Rh8+ ( 24.Ne3 {makes black's life much more difficult eg} 24...g6 25.Qh6+ Ke7 26.Qf4 bxc3 27.bxc3 {and black is struggling for moves. If he tries } 27...Rh8 {to swap off white's active rook, he is hit by } 28. Nxd5+ Qxd5 ( 28...Kd8 29.Qxf6+ Rxf6 30.Rxh8+ Kd7 31.Nxf6+ {is no better.} ) 29.Qc7+ Qd7 30.Rxf7+ Kxf7 31.Qxd7+ {with an easy win.} ) 24...Ke7 25.Rxe8+ Kxe8 26.Re3?! {Too timid.} ( 26.Qh8+ Ke7 27.Qb8 {keeping the queen active is better.} ) 26...bxc3 27.bxc3 Ke7 28.Rxe6+ fxe6 29.Qd3 Qa4 30.Qd2 Qa3 31.Qc2 Kd6 32. Ng3 {Time pressure was looming so the players agreed the draw.} 1/2-1/2