[Event "Competitors' League"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2024.02.15"]
[Round ""]
[White "A Brusey"]
[Black "M Abbott"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2024.02.15"]
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.e3 Bb7 6.Nc3 e6 7.dxe6 fxe6 8.Nf3 g6
9.bxa6 Nxa6 10.Bb5 Bg7 11.O-O O-O 12.Re1 Bxf3 {A good move from Mark which
forces Alan to damage his pawn structure.} 13.gxf3 ( 13.Qxf3 {allows the
nasty discovered attack} 13...Nd5 14.Qe2 Bxc3 15.bxc3 Nxc3 16.Qb2 Nxb5 17.
Qxb5 Qf6 {and Mark is on top.} ) 13...d5 14.e4 {Alan tries to create space
for his pieces, but this leaves his kingside pawn structure even weaker.}
14...Nc7 15.Bf1 Nh5 16.Bg2 Qh4 {Mark sacrifices another pawn with this
aggressive-looking move, but the queen does not achieve much on h4. In
fact it ends up becoming a target for white's rook.} ( 16...d4 {keeping
the centre closed looks better.} ) 17.exd5 exd5 18.Nxd5 Rad8 {This allows
Alan to take the initiative and he never lets go.} ( 18...Bd4 {seems
better.} 19.Nxc7 ( 19.Ne7+ Kg7 20.Be3 Nf4 {keeps things complicated.} )
19...Qxf2+ 20.Kh1 Ng3+ 21.hxg3 Rf5 {leads to a dangerous attack. eg} 22.f4
Rh5+ 23.Qxh5 Qxe1+ 24.Kh2 gxh5 25.Nxa8 Bg1+ 26.Kh3 Qe6+ {and it's mate.} )
19.Re4 {Now it's definitely better for white.} 19...Nf4 20.Bxf4 Rxd5 21.
Qc1 Bd4 22.Bg3 Qd8 23.Qc4 Rf7 24.Rae1 Kg7 25.Bh3 Qf6 26.Rf4 Bxf2+ {In a
difficult position, Mark goes kamikaze, hoping Alan takes with the bishop,
but...} 27.Kxf2 Qxb2+ 28.Re2 {it's now hopeless.} 28...Rxf4 29.Bxf4 Kf6
30.Bxc7 Rd4 31.Qxc5 1-0
[Event "Challengers' League"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2024.02.15"]
[Round ""]
[White "R Randhawa"]
[Black "E Manning"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2024.02.15"]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Qh4 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Qd3 Ne5 7.Qe3 Nf6 8.Nb5
Kd8 9.a3 Bxc3+ 10.Nxc3 Re8 {Ronit has negotiated this tricky opening well,
and has a clear advantage.} 11.Qg5 Qxg5 12.Bxg5 c6 13.f4 Ng6 14.Be2 ( 14.
Bc4 {was more aggressive.} ) 14...h6 15.Bxf6+ gxf6 16.Rf1 d6 17.O-O-O Kc7
18.Bh5 f5 19.exf5 Bxf5 20.g4 Bd7 21.f5 Ne5 22.Rfe1 Rg8 23.h3 Rae8 24.Re4 (
24.Ne4 {wins the pawn on d6, due to the knight fork threat.} ) 24...Re7
25.Rde1 Rg5 26.Ne2 {This allows a tactic.} 26...Bxf5 27.Ra4 Nf3 28.Rf1
Bxc2 {This doesn't work - instead} ( 28...Rxe2 {looks good eg} 29.Rxf3
Rxc2+ 30.Kd1 Rc5 {and black is two pawns up for insufficient compensation.
} ) 29.Kxc2 Rxe2+ 30.Kd3 Rxb2 ( 30...Ng1 31.Rxg1 Rge5 {gives drawing
chances due to black's active rooks.} ) 31.Rxf3 Rb3+ 32.Ke4 d5+ 33.Kf4
Rxf3+ 34.Kxf3 c5 {and Ellis sportingly resigned.} 1-0
[Event "Competitors' League"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2024.02.15"]
[Round ""]
[White "T Thynne"]
[Black "J Blackmore"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2024.02.15"]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.f3 Bg7 7.Be3 O-O 8.Qd2
Nc6 9.O-O-O Nxd4 10.Bxd4 Be6 11.Kb1 a6 12.g4 b5 13.a3 Qc7 14.h4 Rfb8 15.g5
{This allows Joshua to block the kingside. The computer likes } ( 15.Nd5 {
but it's very complicated.} ) 15...Nh5 16.Nd5 Bxd5 17.exd5 a5 18.Rh2 b4
19.a4 Qd7 20.Bb5 Rxb5 {A good exchange sacrifice from Joshua, which keeps
the game in the balance.} 21.axb5 Qxb5 22.Bxg7 Nxg7 23.Qd3 Rb8 24.b3 Nf5
25.Qxb5 Rxb5 26.Rd3 Kg7 27.f4 a4 28.bxa4 Ra5 29.Kb2 ( 29.h5 {immediately
looks better.} 29...gxh5 30.Rxh5 Rxa4 31.Rdh3 {and Trefor wins the h-pawn
for limited compensation.} 31...b3 32.Rxh7+ Kg6 33.Rh8 bxc2+ 34.Kxc2 {and
black can't take the f-pawn because of } 34...Rxf4 35.Rg8+ Ng7 36.Rh6+
Kxg5 37.Rh7 ) 29...Rxa4 30.Kb3 Ra1 31.h5 gxh5 32.Rxh5 Rf1 33.Kxb4 Rxf4+
34.Kc3 Kg6 35.Rdh3 Rg4 36.Rxh7 Rxg5 37.Kd3 e6 38.dxe6 fxe6 {There's too
little material to make it worth playing on.} 1/2-1/2
[Event "Competitors' League"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2024.02.15"]
[Round ""]
[White "P Brooks"]
[Black "J Wills"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2024.02.15"]
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 c6 4.Qc2 Nbd7 5.g3 g6 6.Bf4 Bg7 7.Bg2 O-O 8.O-O
dxc4 9.Na3 Nd5 10.Nxc4 Nxf4 11.gxf4 {An uninspiring opening has left Paul
with a slightly damaged pawn structure. It's still level though.} 11...Nb6
12.Nxb6 Qxb6 13.e3 Bf5 14.Qe2 Be4 15.Rac1 Rfd8 16.b3 a5 17.Qc4 Qb4 18.Ne5
Qxc4 19.bxc4 Bxg2 20.Kxg2 Bxe5 21.fxe5 e6 22.c5 Rdb8 23.Rb1 {This ending
should be better for white, as he has more space and control of the only
semi-open file.} 23...Ra6 24.Rb3 b5 25.cxb6 Rbxb6 26.Rfb1 Rb4 27.a3 Rc4
28.Kf3 {Paul misses his chance. 28.Rb8+ Kg7 29.R1b7 gives him a dominant
position. He can attack Jack's pawns from behind and double his rooks on
the seventh rank, with excellent winning chances. Perhaps because the game
had been so sleepy, he wasn't alive to this possibility.} 1/2-1/2