[Event "Challengers' League"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2025.02.27"]
[Round ""]
[White "L Foy"]
[Black "AD Pratt"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2025.02.27"]
1.e4 e5 2.f4 d6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Bd7 6.Bb5 Nxd4 7.Bxd7+ Qxd7 8.
Qxd4 Ne7 9.O-O Nc6 10.Qa4 d5 11.exd5 Bc5+ 12.Kh1 Qxd5 13.Nc3 Qd4 ( 13...
Qd7 {is safer. Now Lee takes advantage of black's open king.} ) 14.Re1+
Be7 15.Qxd4 Nxd4 16.Nd5 {This makes things difficult for Adrian.} 16...O-O
( 16...O-O-O {is best} 17.Nxe7+ Kd7 18.Bd2 Nxc2 {gets the exchange back
but white is still better.} ) 17.Nxe7+ Kh8 18.Re4 c5 19.c3 f5 20.Re5 Nb5
21.Rxf5 Rfe8 22.Re5 Rad8 23.Be3 b6 24.f5 Nd6 25.g4 Nc4 26.Re6 h6 27.b4
cxb4 28.Bd4 bxc3 29.Bxc3 Rd3 30.Rxh6# {A very nice mate!} 1-0
[Event "Champions' League"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2025.02.27"]
[Round ""]
[White "J Wills"]
[Black "A Brusey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2025.02.27"]
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.e3 e6 6.Nbd2 Bd6 7.Bg3 Bxg3 8.hxg3
Qd6 9.Bd3 e5 10.Bb5 e4 11.Ne5 O-O 12.Bxc6 bxc6 13.Qa4 cxd4 14.cxd4 c5 15.
Qa3 Rd8 ( 15...Qb6 {saves the pawn. Now Jack gets a plus.} ) 16.Qxc5 Qxc5
17.dxc5 Ba6 18.Nc6 Re8 19.Nb4 Bc8 20.O-O Rb8 21.Nc6 Rxb2 22.Nb3 Ba6 23.
Rfd1 Bc4 24.Rdb1 Rxb1+ 25.Rxb1 Kf8 26.Ncd4 Rc8 27.c6 Ne8 ( 27...Rb8 {
preventing the knight move to c5 keeps white's advantage to a minimum.} )
28.Nc5 {Now the rook penetrates and Alan is in trouble.} 28...g6 29.Rb7 a6
30.a4 ( 30.Nd7+ Kg7 31.Nb6 Rc7 32.Rb8 Nd6 33.Rd8 Nf5 34.Ne6+! fxe6 35.Rd7+
{is even stronger.} ) 30...Nd6 31.Rd7 Ne8 32.Nb7 Nf6 33.Rxf7+ {A neat
sacrifice which nets a pawn.} 33...Kxf7 34.Nd6+ Ke7 35.Nxc8+ Kd8 36.Na7
Ne8 37.Ne6+ Ke7 38.c7 Nxc7 39.Nxc7 Kd7 40.Na8 {Jack's only problem is the
position of his 2 knights. As soon as he sorts these out the win won't be
in doubt.} 40...Bb3 41.Kf1 Kd6 42.Nc8+ Kc6 43.Nab6 a5 44.Ke1 Kc5 45.Kd2
Kb4 46.Ne7 Kc5 47.Kc3 Ba2 48.Nec8 Bb1 49.Nd7+ Kc6 50.Nf8 Bd3 51.Nxh7 Bf1
52.Ne7+ {With another pawn falling Alan resigns.} 1-0
[Event "Competitors' League"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2025.02.27"]
[Round ""]
[White "S Pasupulety"]
[Black "K Middleton"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2025.02.27"]
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 e6 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.O-O Bd6 5.d3 O-O 6.Nbd2 Nbd7 7.Re1 c6 8.e4
dxe4 9.dxe4 Bc7 10.b3 b5 11.Bb2 e5 12.c4 a6 13.Qc2 Re8 14.Rac1 Bb7 15.c5
Nf8 16.b4 Qe7 17.Nf1 a5 18.a3 axb4 19.axb4 Red8 20.Rcd1 Bc8 {Now Shreyas
can win a key pawn.} 21.Rxd8 Qxd8 22.Bxe5 Bxe5 23.Nxe5 Qe8 24.f4 Bb7 25.
Rd1 N6d7 26.Nxd7 Nxd7 27.e5 g6 28.Rd6 Ra6 29.Qd2 Nf8 30.Bh3 Bc8 31.Rd8 (
31.Bxc8 {is cleaner.} 31...Qxc8 32.Rd8 Qc7 33.Qd6 Qxd6 34.exd6 Kg7 35.d7 {
and the threat of 36.Rxf8 means that black has to sacrifice his knight.} )
31...Qxd8 32.Qxd8 Bxh3 33.Nd2 Ra2 34.Kf2 Rb2 35.Qd6 Be6 36.Qd4 Ra2 37.Qc3
Bd5 38.h3 Ne6 39.Ke3 Nc7 40.Ne4 Ne8 41.Nd6 Nc7 42.h4 Ra4 43.g4 Be6 {The
last few moves haven't been the most accurate - now there's a big threat.}
44.f5 ( 44.Kd2 {gives up the g-pawn but white is still better.} ) 44...
Nd5+ {The tables are turned!} 45.Kd4 Nxc3 46.fxe6 Nd5 47.exf7+ Kf8 48.e6 {
Shreyas keeps fighting but this should be easily winning for Keith.} 48...
Rxb4+ 49.Ke5 Rxg4 50.Nc8 Ne7 {Black blockades the pawn, but this is a
fatal error! Instead} ( 50...b4 51.Na7 b3 52.Nxc6 b2 {and it's all over.}
) 51.Nb6 {and there's nothing Keith can do against the deadly check on d7.
} 51...Nd5 52.Nd7+ {It's mate in one - chess can be a cruel game. But you
have to admire Shreyas' fighting spirit.} 1-0
[Event "Champions' League"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2025.02.27"]
[Round ""]
[White "E Manning"]
[Black "P Brooks"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[EventDate "2025.02.27"]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 a6 8.Qd2 b5 9.
Be2 Qb6 10.O-O cxd4 11.Nxd4 Bc5 12.Rad1 O-O 13.Bf3 ( 13.a3 {stemming the
white pawn advance is probably better.} ) 13...Nxd4 14.Bxd4 a5 15.Kh1 Bxd4
16.Qxd4 Qxd4 {Paul has played the opening well and has an advantage. } (
16...b4 {immediately is slightly better.} ) 17.Rxd4 b4 18.Nd1 Ba6 19.Re1
Rfc8 20.Ne3 Nb6 21.b3 Rc3 22.f5 {Ellis is under a bit of pressure and
'goes for it' with his f-pawn, but this shouldn't work.} 22...exf5 23.Nxd5
Nxd5 24.Bxd5 Re8 25.Rd2 {After the game, the players spent some time
looking at } ( 25.e6 {here coming to the conclusion that it was white's
best try, but the computer is unimpressed.} 25...Kf8 {and in the
post-match analysis Paul found} 26.Bc4!? {with the idea} 26...Bxc4 27.e7+
Rxe7 28.Rd8+ {but it doesn't work. 27....Kg8 is good enough and if 28.Rd8
then 28....Bb5 holds everything.} ) 25...g6 ( 25...Kf8 {gives black a
solid advantage.} 26.Kg1 Rc5 27.e6 Bc8 {and the e-pawn will be lost.} )
26.e6 Kf8 27.Kg1 fxe6 ( 27...Bc8 {is best.} ) 28.Rxe6 Rxe6 29.Bxe6 Ke7 {
Here, black still has a small advantage. eg 30.Bg8 h5 and if 31.Bh7
(31.Rd5 is better) chasing the pawns 31...Rc6 looks good. The backward
c-pawn remains a problem for white. But with time pressure looming, a draw
was agreed.} 1/2-1/2
[Event "Competitors' League"]
[Site ""]
[Date "2025.02.27"]
[Round ""]
[White "I Henry"]
[Black "M Hussey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "2025.02.27"]
1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nd4 4.e3 Nxf3+ 5.Qxf3 e6 6.d4 Nf6 7.d5 e5 8.e4 d6
9.Bg5 Be7 10.h3 O-O {Here, and in the next few moves,} ( 10...Nxd5 {wins a
pawn - a tactic worth noting.} ) 11.Be2 a6 12.O-O Bd7 13.b3 Rb8 14.a4 Ne8
15.Bxe7 Qxe7 16.Qg3 f5 17.f4 Rf6 18.Kh1 Rg6 19.Qf3 Nf6 20.Bd3 exf4 21.exf5
Rg3 22.Qd1 Qe3 ( 22...Re3 {taking firm control of the only open file gives
black a big advantage.} 23.Rxf4 {loses to } 23...Qe5 24.Ne2 Rxd3 25.Qxd3
Qxa1+ ) 23.Rf3 Rxf3 24.Qxf3 Qxf3 25.gxf3 Nh5 26.Kg2 Ng3 27.Ne2 Nxe2 28.
Bxe2 Bxf5 29.Ra2 Re8 ( 29...a5 {is an excellent move - it makes white's
bishop very bad, and completely stops his queenside pawn play.} ) 30.a5
Re3 31.Rb2 Bd3 {This gives away all black's advantage. There's no reason
to give up the good bishop. Patiently improving the king's position with }
( 31...Kf7 {followed by Kf6 and Ke5 would put white under lots of
pressure.} ) 32.Bxd3 Rxd3 33.b4 cxb4 34.Rxb4 Rc3 35.Rxb7 Rxc4 36.Rb6 Rc5
37.Rxa6 Rxd5 38.Ra7 Rb5 39.a6 d5 {Even in simple positions you have to be
careful.} ( 39...Rb2+ 40.Kf1 Ra2 {and it's completely drawn.} ) 40.Rb7 Ra5
41.a7 {Mike has to give up the rook so he resigned.} 1-0