[Event "Competitors League"] [Site ""] [Date "2023.02.02"] [Round ""] [White "P Ruszelak"] [Black "D Morton"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2023.02.02"] 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.e4 e5 4.g3 Bc5 5.Bg2 d6 6.Nge2 Ng4 7.O-O h5 {Black throws his pawn forward to attack the newly castled king.} 8.h3 h4 $1 9.d3 ( 9.hxg4 Bxg4 {completely paralyses white.} ) 9...hxg3 10.Nxg3 Nxf2 $6 ( 10...Qh4 {demolishes white. The h-pawn is pinned, and the best white can do is} 11.d4 Nxd4 12.Nf5 Nxf2 13.Nxh4 Nxd1 14.Rxd1 Nf3+ 15.Kf1 Nxh4 {when black has won 2 pawns and is still attacking.} ) 11.Rxf2 Bxh3 12.Qf3 Bxf2+ 13.Qxf2 Bxg2 14.Kxg2 Qh4 15.Be3 Qg4 {Now black has only a slight advantage.} 16.Rh1 Rxh1 17.Kxh1 Nd4 18.Nd5 $6 {Peter misses a chance to simplify into an equal endgame.} ( 18.Bxd4 exd4 19.Nb5 O-O-O ( 19...Qh4+ 20.Kg2 Qe7 21.Nxd4 {is better for white.} ) 20.Qf5+ Qxf5 21.Nxf5 {and it should be level.} ) 18...Qd1+ 19.Kg2 O-O-O 20.Bxd4 exd4 {A big opportunity to turn the tables.} 21.Qxd4 $2 ( 21.Qxf7 $1 {leaves Doug helpless.} 21... Qd2+ 22.Kg1 Qd1+ 23.Kf2 Qd2+ 24.Ne2 Qa5 25.b4 {and black is forced to give up queen for knight in order to avoid mate.} ) 21...Rh8 22.Qxg7 Qd2+ 23. Kf3 Qxd3+ 24.Kg2 Qd2+ 25.Kf3 Qd3+ 26.Ne3 Rd8 27.Qxf7 c6 {This ending should be slightly better for white, but with Doug's queen active, Peter needs to watch out for tactics.} 28.Qf6 Qb1 29.a3 a6 30.Qf5+ Kc7 31.Qa5+ Kc8 32.Qf5+ Rd7 33.Qf8+ Kc7 34.Qf6 Qc1 35.Ngf5 Qh1+ 36.Kf4 Qh2+ 37.Ng3 $4 {This is the losing move.} ( 37.Kg5 Qg1+ 38.Ng4 {and everything is safe.} ) 37...Qf2+ 38.Kg5 Qxe3+ {Doug has won a knight for nothing.} 0-1

[Event "Competitors League"] [Site ""] [Date "2023.02.02"] [Round ""] [White "P Brooks"] [Black "A Brusey"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [EventDate "2023.02.02"] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.cxd5 Qxd5 4.e3 e5 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 Nf6 8.c4 Qd6 9.d5 Ne7 10.a4 {In this line, white gets lots of space, but it looks like he is neglecting development. Alan's pieces aren't on their best squares, however.} 10...O-O 11.Ba3 c5 12.Ne2 Nd7 13.Nc3 f5 14.Be2 e4 15. O-O {Now white has caught up in development and has good prospects. Black has real problems with his white-squared bishop.} 15...a6 16.a5 Rf6 17.Rb1 ( 17.Na4 {immediately is more accurate.} ) 17...Qc7 18.Na4 Rh6 19.g3 g5 $6 {This is too weakening. Black is going to suffer on the dark squares.} 20. Qd2 g4 21.Rfd1 Rd6 22.Nb6 ( 22.Nxc5 {is very strong.} 22...Nxc5 23.Qb4 { wins the piece back with a dominant position.} ) 22...Rb8 23.Nxd7 Bxd7 24. Bb2 Ng6 25.Qc3 {Now black's pieces are almost paralysed because of the threat of mate on the long diagonal.} 25...Ba4 26.Rd2 b5 27.cxb5 ( 27.axb6 {is better} 27...Rdxb6 28.Qa5 {and black will struggle to keep his weak pawns.} ) 27...Bxb5 28.Ba1 Rb7 {Paul misses an excellent final chance. 29.Rdb2 is winning. He didn't play this, because it looks odd to put the rook in the line of the bishop, and it looks as though he is losing a pawn. But 29...Rxd5 loses to 30.Bc4, 29...c4 loses to 30.Bxc4, and otherwise white will win a pawn on b5, or c5.} 29.Rbd1 {Now it's much more equal, and as Paul couldn't see a way to break though and both players were short on time, Paul offered a draw which Alan immediately accepted.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Challengers League"] [Site ""] [Date "2023.02.02"] [Round ""] [White "S Howard"] [Black "B Stephens"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2023.02.02"] 1.c4 f5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Bb4 5.d3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Nc6 7.e3 b6 8.Ne2 Bb7 9.O-O Qe7 10.Qa4 Nd8 11.Bxb7 Nxb7 12.Ba3 c5 13.Rab1 O-O 14.Qd1 Qf7 15. d4 d6 16.d5 e5 {Simon has blocked the centre, but this limits his chances of activating his pieces. Just compare where Brooklyn's knights can get to with the lack of prospects for Simon's bishop and knight.} 17.Qc2 Qh5 18. f3 Na5 19.Qa4 {It would be better to sacrifice the c-pawn, and bring the bishop back with 19.Bc1.} 19...g5 20.Kh1 e4 21.Ng1 exf3 22.Nxf3 Ng4 23. Rbe1 Ne5 {Brooklyn releases the pressure.} ( 23...Rae8 24.Bc1 Re4 {was much better.} ) 24.Nxe5 dxe5 25.Bc1 {Now Simon misses a chance.} ( 25.Bxc5 {wins a pawn and leaves things equal.} ) 25...Qg4 26.Qd7 Nxc4 27.Qe6+ ( 27.e4 {taking advantage of the pin on the f-pawn was a good idea.} ) 27... Kh8 28.Rd1 Qe4+ 29.Kg1 Nxe3 30.Bxe3 Qxe3+ 31.Kh1 Rae8 32.Qd7 Rd8 33.Qe6 Rde8 34.Qd7 Qe4+ 35.Kg1 f4 {Brooklyn is breaking through gradually.} 36. Rfe1 Qf5 37.Qxa7 ( 37.Qxf5 {holds out for longer, but the ending is still much better for black.} ) 37...fxg3 38.hxg3 Qf2+ 39.Kh1 Rf6 {and white must give up his queen for a rook to avoid mate.} 0-1

[Event "Newcomers Tournament"] [Site ""] [Date "2023.02.02"] [Round ""] [White "D Morgan"] [Black "I Freestone"] [Result "0-1"] [EventDate "2023.02.02"] 1.c4 c6 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.e3 d5 4.g3 Bf5 5.Nge2 e6 6.Bg2 Bg4 7.O-O Bd6 8.cxd5 exd5 9.h3 Bf5 10.b3 O-O 11.Bb2 Nbd7 12.d4 Re8 {Now the pieces are developed it's time to come up with a plan. Dave gets his pieces in a bit of a tangle. Maybe a good idea is 13.a4 h6 14.Ba3 trying to exchange the inactive bishop, or at least move it to a better diagonal.} 13.Na4 b6 14. Nec3 h6 15.Bc1 b5 16.Nb2 Ne4 17.Nxe4 dxe4 18.a3 Nf6 19.g4 Bg6 20.b4 Bc7 { Black is much better as his pieces are more active and he has chances of a big kingside attack.} 21.f3 Qd6 ( 21...exf3 {not allowing Dave to block the key diagonal seems better.} ) 22.f4 Rad8 23.a4 Qxb4 24.f5 {Dave attacks the bishop, but fatally opens the h2-b8 diagonal. Iain takes advantage.} 24...Bh7 25.axb5 Qd6 26.Rxa7 ( 26.Rf4 {was the only move to stop the mate.} ) 26...Qh2+ 27.Kf2 Bg3+ 28.Ke2 Qxg2+ 29.Rf2 Qxf2# 0-1