Hodgson Wheels to Victory

Julian Hodgson is a man of many surprises. At the British, the first surprise he unleashed was that he had brought his own chair to sit on during the games. A touch of arrogance or perhaps just good old-fashioned common sense? Some of the players found the small school chairs a bit uncomfortable, but then again, do comfort and concentration necessarily go hand in hand?

His next bombshell was hardly intentional. The top seed experienced a brutal first round encounter with the young and talented Indian player Mahesh Chandran which finally ended in a draw. Hodgson didn't look so lordly, wheeling his executive chair away to the lower boards. A lower board perhaps, but hardly poorer opposition. The vagaries of the swiss system paired Hodgson with fellow first round drawer Jon Speelman. The number two seed won the game convincingly with Black, leaving the defending champion licking his wounds with a score of ½/2. As I thought to myself at that stage, "I must be doing well, I'm a point ahead of Julian!"

The rest, as they say, is history. Hodgson stormed through with an 8/9 finish and retained his crown. Not that it was easy; Ward, Summerscale, Hebden, Speelman and Miles all had their chances and contributed greatly to an exciting championship. But as Hodgson came down the final straight, there was an air of inevitability about the ultimate result.

The British Women's title went to the talented thirteen-year-old from India, Humpy Koneru, who won her last game to finish on a creditable 6½/11, just ahead of Harriet Hunt. The Indian would be the first to admit, however, that this was slightly rough justice on the former World Girls Champion, who had been prominent throughout the tournament, holding her own against many of the top players.

What about me? The less said the better. Ah well, there's always sunny Scarborough next year!

The British - A View from the Ranks

by James Vigus

Entries at all levels were down this year, a symptom partly owing to unfortunate perceptions of the venue. Millfield School is not a seaside resort, and its relatively high accommodation costs mean that it is not the ideal place to bring a large family. Word got round before the event that this year's British would be a rip-off staged in the middle of nowhere, and so it was not surprising that Millfield's well equipped playing hall sometimes seemed quite empty.

But this was in my opinion the best British venue I have ever seen. Accommodation, playing area and sports facilities were all conveniently located on a single site - and you won't find better sports facilities anywhere in the country. If you play tennis, table tennis, badminton, golf, squash, weights, football, cricket, etc, and you were not at Millfield, then you missed out. This year's sporting highlight was the electrifying run chase by the BCF cricket team to snatch a shock last over victory. Andrew Martin's unorthodox but aggressive batting flourished on a county-standard wicket: his 49 not out was a unique innings in every way. The sport and the excellent meals made the accommodation excellent value for money. Music for a variety of tastes (Abba tribute band, a piano recital by Francis Rayner…) was also on offer some evenings.

I should mention the chess too - reluctantly, as you will appreciate if you have perused the lower end of the tournament crosstable. Julian Hodgson proved yet again that playing uncompromisingly for a win in every game and winning tough tournaments are not incompatible virtues. Chris Ward scooped second place convincingly, and he also learned a valuable lesson - "The Trompowsky is a very good opening", he admitted after beating Danny Gormally with White and losing to Hodgson with Black. The battle for the Championship saw an encouraging new trend. The most experienced GMs, notably Speelman, Miles, Hebden and even Hodgson himself, did not have things all their own way. McShane, Gormally, Hunt, early leader Summerscale and a rejuvenated Chandler were hitting the headlines. Their willingness to take risks led to some nail bitingly tense games, and Martin (this versatile IM is not just a cricketer) had his commentary room audiences enthralled. It is no exaggeration to say that the younger IMs and GMs have now ushered in a new era of British Championships.

Next year the tournament returns to a more traditional venue, Scarborough. The coast is a good place for it, but Glastonbury and Somerset generally are attractive too, and I strongly hope that Millfield is used again.

Millennium Bug Attacks Grading System

The 2000 Grading List was produced on time but there was a bug in the program that caused most results dated 1999 to be excluded. Consequently a significant number of players were excluded from the printed list. The BCF apologize for this and have resolved to republish the list having sorted out this particular problem.

The new list will not only contain the missing results but will also contain additional results that arrived too late for inclusion in the original printing. Assuming no more major problems coming to light, it is hoped to have this list at the printers by the 13th September with copies available for distribution the following week. Anybody who purchased the original copy will be eligible to receive a copy of the revised list.

Having struggled with the new system introduced by my predecessor and encountered a whole raft of problems, I wish to return to the old system which Ie used when last in office and I will be proposing this to the BCF meeting on 23 September. With all the current problems, I feel it is essential to return to a stable environment.

Roger Edwards

FIDE Insist on Drug Testing

Players at the forthcoming Chess Olympiad in Istanbul will be subjected to random drugs tests, according to International Director David Anderton in his report to the BCF Council. The report reads, "The other major issue on the FIDE front is the issue of Dope Testing. This arises because of the recognition of FIDE by the International Olympic Committee and their requirement for the introduction of a Dope Testing regime as a condition of recognition. In the long run this should bring benefits to Member Federations including participation in major international sporting events. In the United Kingdom we have the additional problem of non-recognition as a sport. FIDE set up a Medical Commission of which both David Jarrett (FIDE Treasurer) and Dr Jana Bellin are members. At its first meeting in August the Commission resolved not to test for cannabinoids or alcohol as all available evidence is that they do not improve performance. Caffeine is a prohibited substance but the advice of the Commission is that it would take about 8 cups of coffee to breach the limits so this should not cause any problems in practice. Testing without sanctions will take place at the Istanbul Olympiad and thereafter a full-scale regime with sanctions will be introduced. The regime will include exemptions for prescription drugs taken under medical supervision which are declared in advance of competition. Over the counter drugs taken for minor ailments require careful selection and Dr Bellin has agreed to advise BCF on these issues and in particular to advise on an approved drugs bag for representative events."

Also mentioned in the report is FIDE's proposal for commercialisation: "FIDE put forward in February 2000 proposals for its commercialisation which would have involved an attempt to regulate chess activities currently within the jurisdiction of member federations. The initial proposals attracted substantial opposition. At the London FIDE Presidential Board in May 2000 a committee was set up to examine the proposals on which I was asked to serve along with representatives of a number of other major federations including the USCF and German Federation. The offending proposals have been removed and what remains is in my view both reasonable and acceptable. One significant proposal which has long-term implications is the reduction of the rating level for a FIDE rating to 1000."

In the BCF Chairman's Report to the BCF Council, Gerry Walsh notes that "terms have been agreed with the University of Kent at Canterbury for the Federation's library collections to be stored there on the basis of full public access. There is to be a web site listing of the collections and a postal copying service. This arrangement is for 5 years and thereafter terminable on a year's notice on either side."

More good news is the establishing of another venue for chess tournaments. "Terms have been agreed with English Heritage at Battle Abbey for the use of a splendid venue for chess events. The first event is to be the Ampleforth Junior Masters for the leading under 16s to be held over the Autumn half term. Ampleforth College are putting up a prize fund of £2000 and a scholarship for the winner and they have also agreed to host the 2001 event in Yorkshire."

The annual Council Meeting of the BCF takes place at 1.30 p.m. on 23rd September at Francis House, Francis Street, London. The full reports of both David Anderton and Gerry Walsh can be found at the BCF website (www.bcf.org.uk).

Jovanka Captures Gold

European Junior Championships Avilés, Spain 16th-27th August

Jovanka Houska produced a performance of a lifetime to capture the gold medal at the European Junior Championships in Avilés, Spain. Houska, who came third in the same event two years ago, stormed ahead by winning her first four games, before steadying down to a draw-win-draw-win sequence which finally took her to 9/11. This left her a whole point ahead of her nearest rivals. Indeed, going into the last round, Houska was already assured of the gold medal due to her favourable tie-break of "sum of progressive scores". Her rating performance, at 2519 one of the best ever by an English woman, was easily enough to secure a WGM norm, and the toughness of her pairings is reflected by the fact that she played everyone who occupied the top six places.

"I just went there to play chess", reflected Houska, who put her success down to "a good coach" (Stuart Conquest) and her feeling much more relaxed than normal. Houska starts her second year at London University this autumn, but returns to chess when she represents England in the Olympiad in Istanbul in October. She will join Harriet Hunt, Susan Lalic and Heather Richards to form one of the strongest English women's teams ever.

England earned more success in the Open section, which was won by the Hungarian Adam Horvath. Adam Hunt became the second International Master in his family when he secured his title with another impressive performance. England's top performer in this section was former World Under-18 Champion Nicholas Pert. He started brightly with 3/3, but a long string of draws effectively ended his chances of claiming another medal. Karl Mah would perhaps be a little disappointed with his final score. One of his highlights was a hard fought draw with the top seed Moiseenko, but his tournament suffered when he fell into a mating trap from a winning position in round 7.

The players were ably assisted by coach Stuart Conquest, whose many forms of relaxing the players included taking them to see an Oasis concert at the nearby city of Gijon. He commented that in general the organisation was good, except for a mix-up in the accommodation arrangements, which led to players having to share rooms with three other people.

White:Jovanka Houska
Black: Regina Pokorna
European Junior Avilés
2000 Four Knights C47

1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Nf3 Nc6 4 g3
This fianchetto has been popularised by the Russian GM Igor Glek.
4...Bc5 5 Bg2 d6 6 d3 Be6 7 Na4 Bb6 8 Nxb6 axb6 9 0-0 Qd7 10 Re1 Bh3 11 Bh1
11 Bg5 or 11 d4 look stronger.
11...Bg4 12 Be3 h5 13 h4 d5! 14 exd5 Nxd5 15 c4 Nde7 16 Qb3 0-0
Pokorna's active play in the opening has assured her of at least an equal position.
17 Qc3 f6 18 Nh2 Bf5 19 Rad1 Rxa2?
Both Houska and Conquest felt that this move was a mistake, after which the game swings White's way. Black should keep a grip on the d4-square with 19...Rad8 or 19...Rfd8.
20 d4! exd4 21 Bxd4 Rd8 22 Nf3 Bg4 23 Qb3! Bxf3 24 Bxf3 Nxd4 25 Rxd4 Qxd4 26 Qxa2
Black is a pawn up, but faces problems both down the e-file and the a2-g8 diagonal. Pokorna's next move tries to cover both, but she overlooks a very strong reply.
26...Qc5

27 b4! Qxb4?
27...Qf5 is Black's only way to stay in the game.
28 c5+ Kf8 29 Qe6 Nf5
29...Qxc5 30 Bxh5! wins for White.
30 Bxh5
Threatening both Qf7 and Qe8. Black is forced to give up her queen.
30...Qxe1+ 31 Qxe1 bxc5 32 Qe4 Nd6 33 Qh7 Nf7 34 Bxf7 Kxf7 35 Qh5+ Kg8 36 Qxc5 c6 37 Qe7 Rd1+ 38 Kg2 Rc1 39 Qxb7 c5 40 Qb2 Re1 41 Qc3 1-0

Results:

Open 1 Adam Horvath (Hungary) 8½/11; 2-4 Francisco Vallejo Pons (Spain), Florian Jenni (Switzerland), Pawel Blehm (Poland) 8/11; 5-8 Emanuel Berg (Sweden), David Navara (Czech Republic), Teymur Radjabov (Azerbaijan) 7½; 9-10 Nicholas Pert (England), Fabian Doettling (Germany) 7; 12-19 Adam Hunt (England) 6½...20-33 Karl Mah (England) 6 (71 Players).

Girls 1 Jovanka Houska (Eng) 9/11; 2-3 Victorija Cmilyte (Lithuania), Ana Matnadze (Georgia) 8; 4-5 Sopiko Khukhashvili (Georgia), Eugenia Chasovnikova (Russia) 7½; 6-7 Regina Pokorna (Slovakia), Iulia Ionica (Romania) 7 (40 players).

The Ron Banwell Mind Sports Olympiad Masters

The tournament was the main chess event at the Mind Sports Olympiad, and took place at Alexandra Palace in North London, from 20th-28th August 2000. The event was sponsored by the British Chess Federation, the London Chess Association, FIDE and the Friends of Chess. There were 62 contestants from 10 different federations.

Gormally playing black against Mark Hebden (Photo by John Emms)

In any sporting activity everybody wants to see a nail-biting finish. At first glance this seemed not to be the case here. Danny Gormally took the lead by winning his first five games (although he was totally lost at one stage in a very bad game against Graeme Buckley in round 4). He then drew in rounds 6 against Hodgson, round 7 against Rahman, beat Mark Hebden in Round 8 and had a quick draw in the last round with Aaron Summerscale. However Danny has played a large number of events where he failed to gain a GM norm by half a point. Thus there was considerable tension in the hall when he played Mark, and a collective sigh of relief when he won. Not that this is any reflection on the Midland GM. This meant Danny had his norm with a whole round to spare. His 7½/9 was an impressive 2664 performance. This counts as 40/40 in the Terence Chapman British Isles Grand Prix.

Aaron Summerscale ensured himself second prize by his last round draw. Julian Hodgson must have been disappointed to score only 6½/9. He came looking for a Terence Chapman Grand Prix maximum. His score was not good enough to achieve this. Still, he managed to beat micro-monster, David Howell. The nightmare scenario is to lose to the child and find oneself plastered all over the newspapers - as Dr John Nunn, in a 5 minute game, discovered to his cost last year.

Eddie Dearing has hardly played chess for the last year. That he found himself on Board 3 against Mark Hebden in the last round, demonstrates that the young Scot has considerable potential.

Alexander Cherniaev and Amon Simutowe managed to eke out wins in the last round to join the prize money group. The young Zambian has made a good impression in England in the last month. If he can get good opposition, there is little doubt he can make considerable progress.

Heather Richards was the only player other than Danny to secure a norm, in her case a woman international master result. There can be no doubt we are in a golden age of female chess in England currently. Jovanka Houska has just won the European Girls Championship. This all presages well for our female team in the Istanbul Olympiad.

The tournament was unique in offering financial conditions not only to GMs, but also disabled players. Only 6 out of 62 qualified, but even so this was a far higher proportion than we normally see at chess events. The whole Mind Sports Olympiad was arranged at very short notice. The decision to go ahead only came in the middle of July. The BCF immediately made their key decision to support this event. However it was extremely late in the day. The Braille Chess Olympiads clashed and this took off all our blind international players.

Let us hope the event can be repeated next year and that other organisers will imitate the financial structure, favouring disabled players. This would then be a most fitting tribute to Ron Banwell, himself a haemophiliac. It was most touching at the closing ceremony that Mrs Banwell presented the prizes. Several past Islington Club members and close friends of Ron attended the event.

Stewart Reuben

White: Mark Hebden
Black: Danny Gormally
MSO Ron Banwell Memorial 2000
Kings Indian Defence D00
(Annotations by John Emms)

1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 Bf4 Bg7 5 e3 0-0 6 Be2 c5 7 Ne5 Nc6 8 0-0 cxd4 9 exd4 Qb6 10 Nxc6 Qxc6
This looks like a new move, but it's debatable whether it's any better than the normal 10...bxc6, which has occurred in numerous Hebden games, for example 11 Na4 Qa5 12 c3 Nd7 13 b4 Qd8 14 Qd2 e5 15 Bh6 Bxh6 16 Qxh6 and White may have the tiniest of edges.
11 Re1 Bf5 12 Bb5 Qb6 13 a4 Qd8 14 Na2 Ne4 15 c3 Nd6 16 Nb4
White can also consider keeping the bishop with 16 Bf1 but this way White obtains a semi-open a-file for his rooks.
16...Nxb5 17 axb5 Qd7 18 Qb3
After the game Gormally suggested 18 Qe2 Rfe8 19 Qf1! when Black has no real counterplay and White can simply carry out the plan of doubling on the a-file.
18...e6 19 Qa4 Rfc8 20 h3 h5 21 Qa5 Rc4
Accompanied by a draw offer, which if accepted would have meant Gormally requiring a draw in the last round for his GM norm. Hebden decided to play on, although by now White's advantage has slipped away.
22 b6 a6 23 Qa4?
This move allows Black to begin serious operations on the kingside. After the game Hebden mentioned that 23 Re3, planning to regroup on the kingside, would have been more sensible.
23…Qd8! 24 Bc7 Qg5 25 Re3 Be4 26 g3 Qf5 27 Qd7 Bh6!
Hebden missed this move. 27...Qxh3 28 Rxe4 dxe4 29 Bd6 is not so clear.
28 Rae1 Bxe3 29 Rxe3 a5

30 Na6!?
An astonishing move, and probably White's best try in a bad position. Now 30...Rxa6? loses to 31 Qd8+ Kh7 32 Be5, 30...bxa6 31 b7! is unclear, as is 30...Bf3 31 Rxf3 Qxf3 32 Nb8!. Gormally, however, sees through all the complications.
30…e5! 31 Qxf5 gxf5 32 Rxe4
White is forced to give up more material, as 32 Nc5 loses to 32…exd4, when 33 cxd4 allows 33…Rc1+ 34 Kh2 Rh1 mate.
32...fxe4 33 Nc5 exd4 34 cxd4 Rc8
White is two exchanges down and not even Hebden can save this position.
35 b3 Rxd4 36 Nxb7 Rd1+ 37 Kg2 Rxc7 38 bxc7 Rc1 39 Nxa5 Rxc7 40 Kf1 Rc2 41 Ke1 Kf8 42 b4 Ke7 43 Nb3 h4 44 gxh4 Rc3 45 Nd4 Rxh3 46 f3 Rh2 47 b5 Kd6 48 fxe4 dxe4 49 Nf5+ Ke6 0-1

Results: 1 Danny Gormally (Eng) 7½/9 (£1000, gold); 2 Aaron Summerscale (Eng) 7 (£ 500,silver); 3-6 Alexander Cherniaev (Rus), Mark Hebden (Eng), Julian Hodgson (Eng), Amon Simutowe (Zam) 6½ (£187.50 each; Cherniav received bronze).

Disabled: 1 James Plaskett (Eng) 6/9 (£200,gold); 2 Alfred Pfeiffer (Ger) 4½ (£100,silver); 3 Simon Warman (Eng) 4 (bronze). Under-16 1 Gawain Jones (Eng) 5/9 (£50, gold); 2-3 Thomas Rendle (Eng) 4½ (silver), David Howell (Eng) 4½ (bronze).

British Championship Roll of Honour

* by virtue of performance in the 2000 British Championship proper

** by virtue of performance in the 2000 Major Open

Games from the British

The two games I've selected come from the two most impressive performers in the top section; winner Julian Hodgson and second placed Chris Ward. Both players were not afraid to play attacking chess throughout the tournament and both thoroughly deserved their success.

White: Simon Knott
Black: Chris Ward
British Championship (Millfield) 2000
English Defence A10

Chris Ward making a crucial pen decision (Photo by Christine Higgins)

1 c4 b6
The English Defence, so named because of its usage by English players such as Keene and Miles in the late seventies. These days the trend is continuing, with Speelman, Hodgson, Ward and others taking up the mantle.
2 Nc3 Bb7 3 e4 e6 4 Nf3 Bb4 5 Qb3 Na6!
More than one has fallen for the nice trick 5...Bxc3?! 6 Qxc3 Bxe4? 7 d3! Bxf3 8 Qxg7 Qf6 9 Bh6! and surprisingly White wins material.
6 Be2
And now it's White's turn not to slip: 6 a3?! Nc5! Qxb4?? a5 8 Qb5 Bc6 and White's queen is trapped.
6...Ne7 7 0-0 0-0 8 d3 Ng6
Ward is first to vary from a previous game between the two, which continued 8...d5 9 exd5 exd5 10 d4 dxc4 11 Bxc4 Bxf3 12 Bxa6 Bxc3 13 bxc3 Bc6 14 Bd3 Qd7 15 Qc2 Bxg2 and the players agreed a draw in Knott-Ward, 4NCL 1999/2000, as 16 Kxg2 allows perpetual check with 16…Qg4+ 17 Kh1 Qf3+ 18 Kg1 Qg4+.
9 a3 Nc5 10 Qc2
Once again 10 Qxb4?? loses the queen after 10…a5 11 Qb5 Bc6.
10...Bxc3 11 Qxc3 a5 12 Be3 a4 13 Nd4?!
This move blocks the d3-pawn and thus makes it difficult for White to hassle Black's knight on c5. In round 7 Knott improved on his play with 13 Nd2! and after 13…f5 14 exf5 Nh4!? 15 f3 Nxf5 16 d4 Qf6 17 Bf2 Na6 18 Ne4 White held a slight advantage, although Hodgson went on to win.
13...f5 14 f3
I don't really like this move, although it's difficult to suggest an alternative, so it's really White's previous move which is at fault. White would like to keep the position semi-open with 14 exf5, but then 14…Nh4!? 15 f3 exf5!, planning …f5-f4, looks promising for Black.
14...f4! 15 Bf2 e5 16 Nf5 Nb3 17 Rae1 c5

Black has managed to block both sides of the board and thus neutralise White's bishop pair. However, White still has a pawn break with g2-g3 (or g2-g4).
18 g4! fxg3 19 hxg3 d6 20 Bd1?
After this mistake the game swings heavily in Black's favour. In general White would like to ask the question of Black's knight on b3, but in reality there is just not enough time for this extravagance. White should aim to play f3-f4 as quickly as possible with 20 Be3!. Now 20…Nd4 21 Bxd4! exd4 (21...cxd4 22 Qb4! is annoying) 22 Qd2 Bc8 23 f4 is not clear at all, as White has good play for the pawn after 23…Bxf5 24 exf5 Rxf5 25 Bf3.
20...Nd4 21 Nxd4 cxd4 22 Qc1 h5!
An important move, preparing for ...h5-h4. White just isn't allowed the time to break with f3-f4.
23 f4?
Of course this is what White wants to play, but here it fails tactically. The best White has is 23 Kg2 h4 24 Rh1 hxg3 25 Bxg3 Nf4+ 26 Bxf4 Rxf4, which admittedly is not that appetizing.
23...exf4 24 Bxh5 Ne5 25 gxf4
After this White drops the exchange and his position collapses completely. 25 Qd1 would keep White hanging in there, but it's clear that Black is in total control.
25...Nxd3 26 Qd1 Nxe1 27 Bxe1 Qf6 28 Qd3 Qh6 29 Qf3 Bxe4 30 Qxe4 Qxh5 31 f5 Qg5+ 32 Kh1 Rae8 33 Qd5+ Rf7 0-1

White: Julian Hodgson
Black: Aaron Summerscale
British Championship (Millfield) 2000
Queen's Gambit Declined D35

1 c4 e6 2 Nc3 d5 3 d4 Be7
Summerscale adopts this move order in order to escape some of the more critical lines of the Exchange Variation (4 cxd5 exd5) where White plays Bg5, e3, Bd3, Qc2 and Nge2.
4 cxd5 exd5 5 Bf4 Nf6 6 e3 Bf5 7 h3
Hodgson plays to annoy the black bishop on f5 with the lunge g2-g4. In contrast, normal development with Ng1-f3 would leave Black with a comfortable game.
7...0-0 8 g4 Be6 9 Bg2 c6 10 Nge2 Nbd7 11 0-0
It may seem strange to castle kingside after advancing pawns on this wing, but White's structure is extremely solid and White has enough pieces on the kingside to cover any weaknesses.
11...Nb6 12 Bg3 Re8 13 b3 Rc8
During the next few moves Black starts to drift into an inferior position, although alternative plans are hard to come by. In the commentary room Andy Martin suggested 13...Ba3!?, keeping the White rook out of c1, while Black could also consider 13...a5, preparing an eventual ...a5-a4.
14 Rc1 Bd6 15 Bh4 a6?! 16 Rc2 Rc7 17 Qc1 Bc8 18 Nf4 Na8
This looks very ugly and I'm sure Aaron didn't enjoy playing this, but something had to be done about the threat of 19 Bxf6 Qxf6 20 Ncxd5. Perhaps Black should have played 18...Bxf4 19 exf4 Qd6.
19 Nh5 Be7 20 Bxf6 Bxf6 21 Nxf6+ gxf6
Black is forced to accept the pawn weakness, as 21...Qxf6 loses a pawn to 22 Nxd5.
22 Ne2!
This knight will join the action on the kingside, going to h5, via f4 or g3.
22...f5 23 f3 Qg5 24 Nf4 Rce7

25 e4!
White can reach a superior ending with 25 Nxd5 cxd5 26 Rxc8 Qxe3+ 27 Qxe3 Rxe3 28 Rxe8+ Rxe8 29 f4, but this move is more powerful.
25...dxe4 26 fxe4
Here White can win the exchange instead with 26 Nd5 Qxc1 27 Nxe7+ Rxe7 28 Rfxc1, but Julian prefers to play for the attack.
26...fxe4
After 26...fxg4 White does play 27 Nd5! as 27…Qxc1 28 Nxe7+ Rxe7 29 Rfxc1 gxh3 30 Bf3 gives White a very pleasant endgame.
27 Rc5 Qh4 28 Nh5 f5 29 Qh6 Rf8
Or 29...Kh8 30 Rcxf5! Bxf5 31 Rxf5 Rg8 32 Rf8! and Black has no good defence to Nf6!.
30 g5 Qg3
A strange end, although of course Black is lost in any case.
31 Nxg3 1-0

The British Land UK Chess Challenge

Lorin D'Costa receives his prize from chief organizer Mike Basman (Photo by John Emms)

Lorin D'Costa, of John Henry Newman School Hertfordshire, became the winner of this year's British Land UK Chess Challenge after a breathtaking climax to an event which initially attracted over 40,000 schoolchildren from all over the country.

On 20th August the Alexandra Palace, London staged the Giga-Final, in which 920 national finalists played six rounds before being whittled down to 24 section winners. Amongst the winners were the Girls' under 8 champion Katie Hale and her five-year-old sister Stephanie, who became the youngest player to win a national title when she captured the Girls' under 7 crown.

Sabrina Chevannes played the "game of the tournament" (Photo by John Emms)

A week later at the same venue these 24 players (16 boys and 8 girls) competed in the Tera-Final. Five rounds were played on 26th and 27th August, but these were not enough to decide an overall winner. In the final round D'Costa and Jonathan Lappage, both on 3½/4, went head to head in a decider, which for the most part seemed to heading in favour of D'Costa. However, complications in the quickplay finish saw both sides miss opportunities before a hard fought game finally ended in a draw with bare kings.

This left a four way tie for first place on 4/5 between, D'Costa, Lappage, Christopher Dorrington, who had drawn quickly with David Howell, and Richard Jones, who had caught the others up by beating under the 13 Girls Giga-Final winner Sabrina Chevannes. The harsh tie-break system of "some of progressive scores" relegated Lappage and Jones to 3rd and 4th places, leaving Dorrington and D'Costa to play a blitz game to decide who would take the first prize of £1000.

D'Costa, who had the white pieces, nurtured his advantage into a rook ending, eventually winning a pawn. Dorrington, however, fought back tenaciously and a draw seemed to be within his reach before he fell for a wicked trap

D'Costa-Dorrington
Tera Final Play-off

Black can draw with 1...Rg1! 11 Rxh5 Ke6!, but in the scramble there came instead 1…Rh3? 2 Rxh5 Rxg3+ 3 Kf4+! and D'Costa went on to win, leaving Dorrington the "consolation prize" of £500.

Favourite to land the girls' title was Rosalind Kieran, of James Allen's Girls' School, Kent. She experienced a major scare in the fourth round when she was defeated by Chevannes in the "game of the tournament" (see below). However, Kieran fought back in the final round, defeating Alexander Wilson and leapfrogging back over Chevannes to take the title and £500 with a score of 3½/5. David Howell also performed admirably to score 3½/5 and take the under11 prize.

White: Sabrina Chevannes
Black: Rosalind Kieran
UK Chess Challenge Tera-Final 2000
Torre Attack A47

1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 Bg5 c5 4 e3 cxd4 5 exd4 b6 6 Nbd2 Bb7 7 Bd3 Be7 8 Bxf6 Bxf6 9 Be4 d5 10 Bd3 Nc6 11 c3 0-0 12 0-0 Ne7 13 Ne5 Ng6 14 Nxg6 hxg6 15 Nf3 Qd6 16 Re1 a5 17 Qe2 Rab8 18 Ne5 Bxe5 19 dxe5 Qd7 20 Qg4 Qc7 21 Re3 g5 22 Qh5 g6 23 Qh6 g4 24 Rg3 f5 25 Qxg6+ Qg7 26 Qxe6+ Kh8 27 Bxf5! Bc8 28 Rxg4! Bxe6 29 Rh4+ Kg8 30 Bxe6+ Rf7 31 Rg4 Qxg4 32 Bxg4 Re7 33 e6 Rf8 34 g3 Rf6 35 Rd1 Rg6 36 Bf5 Rg5 37 Rxd5 Kg7 38 f4 Rh5 39 g4 Rh3 40 Kg2 Re3 41 Rb5 Rb7 42 g5 Re2+ 43 Kg3 Re3+ 44 Kf2 1-0

Results

Tera-Final
1 Lorin D'Costa (U15 Herts) 4/5; 2 Chris Dorrington (U13 Lincs) 4; 3 Jonathan Lappage (U13 Oxon) 4; 4 Richard Jones (U18 Wales) 4; 5-7 David Howell (U9 Sussex), Rosalind Kieran (U18 Kent), Bruce Tinton (U13 Lancs) 3½; 8-11 Sabrina Chevannes (U13 Warks), Sarah Hegarty (U11 Surrey), Henry Kingston (U10 Cambs), Peter Roberson (U11 Hants) 3; 12 Aly Wilson (U15 Surrey) 2½; 13-19 Alexei Chernikov (U11 Surrey), Anton Chernikov (U11 Surrey), Eugene Geidelberg (U8 Hants), Tom Harbour (U10 Beds), Selina Khoo (U9 Surrey), Naomi Miller (U10 Oxon), James Peet (U10 Middx) 2; 20-21 Denis Chvetsov (U9 Middx), George O'Toole (U7 Essex) 1½; 22-23 Michael Boulton (U8 Middx), Katie Hale (U8 Essex) 1; 24th Stephanie Hale (5, Essex) 0.

Challengers Section
1 Matthew Basey (Notts U18) 7½/9; Simon Fowler (Shrops, best U11 prize) 6½; 3-9 Oliver Coddington (Hants U15), Catherine David (Oxon, U15, best girl prize), Matthew Harborne (Hants U13), Robert Heaton (Surrey U11), Josiah Lutton (Essex U13), Andrew Navias (Berks U15), Rachael Wilkinson (Somerset U18, best girl prize) 6 (34 players).

LITTLEWOOD'S CHOICE

Luke McShane - England's most recent Grandmaster (Photo by John Saunders)

I had no problem choosing this month's personality; our latest Grandmaster, and a worthy one at that, 16 year old Luke McShane. On reading his mum's interesting article about him in the Sunday Express, I was struck by her confirmation of the feeling I had about Luke from the start: "… sitting at a chess board he becomes terrifyingly cool … cooler than any teenager has a right to be. It throws other players off balance; it's quite magnificent." In fact, alongside 'Planet' Shirov and 'Emergency' Ward, why not now 'Cool-hand' Luke?!

To celebrate his Grandmaster title, I have deliberately chosen a game that has little of conventional brilliance but reveals a positional understanding of which his coach must be very proud:

McShane v Golod
Politiken Cup, Copenhagen, 2000

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Nxe4 6 d4 b5 7 Bb3 d5 8 dxe5 Be6 9 Nbd2 Bc5?!
In my ignorance, I confess to never having seen this move before, nor could I find it in my old Suetin book on the Lopez. However, as Keith Brown rapidly confirmed from his database, there is already a substantial amount of theory on it! In fact, I'm sure that Luke was well prepared, since he now follows the fine game Adams-M.Pribyl, Bundesliga 1995/6, which White won in 57 moves. The sensible aim is to settle for a definite positional advantage by posting the King's knight on the beautiful e4-square in front of Black's isolated e-pawn.
10 Nxe4! dxe4 11 Bxe6
The alternative 11 Ng5!? has been used successfully by Wang Zili, but Golod had managed to hold the position against Khalifman in 1999 after 11…Qxd1 12 Rxd1 Bxb3 13 axb3 0-0 14 Nxe4 Bb6 15 Bf4 Rfe8 16 Nc3 Nd4 17 Rd2 Ne6 etc.
11…Qxd1 12 Rxd1
12 Bxf7+ Kxf7 13 Ng5+ Kg6 14 Rxd1 e3! complicates the game unnecessarily.
12…fxe6 13 Ng5 0-0 14 Nxe4! Bb6 15 Kf1 Nxe5
15…Rf5 looks strong but White has 16 f4! Nxe5 17 g3 with good play.
16 Ke2 Nc4!
Better than Pribyl's choice of 16…Ng4 because Golod's knight is heading for d6.
17 f3 Rad8 18 Rxd8 Rxd8 19 Bg5 Rd5 20 b3 Nd6! 21 Bf4 Nf5?!
Black should exchange knights.
22 c3 h6

From now till the end, Luke plays magnificently, giving us an instructive example of piece coordination.
23 a4! bxa4 24 Rxa4 Rb5 25 g4! Ne7 26 c4!
A difficult move to calculate, because it involves his opponent giving up a piece for two connected passed pawns. This demands high skill from Luke to build up pressure with his extra piece.
26…Rxb3 27 c5 Nd5 28 Bg3 a5
The alternative 28…Ba7 29 Rxa6 Bb8 30 Rxe6 leads to excellent play for White.
29 cxb6 cxb6 30 Be5! Kf7 31 Rc4!
Although at the moment this rook is preventing …b5, White dare not play passively. He must continue to achieve maximum power from all his pieces by launching a direct attack on Black's king, even if this allows Black's pawns to advance. Centralization is the key!
31…b5 32 Ke7 33 Nc3! a4! 34 Kd2!
But not 34 Nxb5?? Re3+ or 34 Rxb5?? Nxc3+.
34…Nb6 35 Bxg7
35 Rxb5?? loses a piece to 35…Rxb5 36 Nxb5 Nc4+.
35…b4 36 Ne4 Rxf3 37 Rc7+ Kd8 38 Rc6!
It is vital to control Black's pawns.
38…Nd7 39 Rc4! Rh3 40 Rxb4 Rxh2+ 41 Ke3 a3 42 Ra4 a2

Black must have been feeling confident about saving this game, now that he had eliminated all but one pawn. However, Luke's fully coordinated pieces finally triumphed after the dramatic finish.
43 Nf2! h5 44 g5! Rg2 45 Bf6+ Kc7 46 Kf3 Rg1 47 Rxa2 h4 48 Rc2+!! Kb7
After 48…Kd6 we witness a delightful 'knight-wheel' as follows: 49 Ne4+ Kd5 50 Nc3+!! Kd6 51 Nb5+ Kd5 52 Nc7+ Kd6 53 Ne8+ Kd5 54 Rd2+! Kc6 55 Rd6+ winning the knight.
49 Ne4! h3 50 Nd6+! Ka8
50…Ka6 51 Ra2+! Kb6 52 Bd4+ and 53 Bxg1.
51 Rc8+! Nb8
Or 51…Ka7 52 Bd4+ again
52 Rh8 1-0
After 52...Rh1 53 g6 only giving up the rook can stop the pawn. An aesthetically 'cool' finale!

Letters to the Editor

Dear Mr Emms

In the National Club Knockout Championships, both the members of the winning team and the members of the runners up team receive a trophy. There are 5 or 6 players in each team.

In the National Counties Knockout Championship only the members of the winning team receive a trophy. There are 16 players in most teams and 12 in the under 100 team. The runners up leave without a trophy - and indeed without even a clap!

If a team reaches the final, the team has had a very successful season and I believe deserves a remembrance of that season.

I write as captain of the Surrey under 100 team, which was fortunate enough to win each of the last two years. I feel very sorry for the Lancashire and Merseyside under 100 teams, especially for Merseyside who only lost on board count. Neither team has anything to show for this effort and success in reaching the final.

As the club finalists receive a trophy whilst the county finalists do not, it cannot be a matter of principle but only of cash. Surely this cannot be right?

Richard G Davey

Dear Mr Emms

I was interested to spot in the latest BCF ChessMoves (the July edition - ed) that Angus Dunnington had described 1 f3, followed by 2 Kf2 as an unorthodox opening!

Of course it is. However, you may be interested in the enclosed description of that exact opening which I "created", probably as many as seven years ago, to pad out one of the South West Sussex Chess League (Chess Nuts) bulletins.

I even used it in knock-about games against opponents as weak (or weaker than) myself with a success rate of probably over 50%.

"Abdicate - or play 'The Abdicatalan'

A revolutionary opening devised going through a swing door into another world...

You can abdicate with any colour... you will be surprised with the result...

So why don't you forget everything anyone ever taught you about how to open a game of chess and abdicate...it is so easy!

Surely you have got the idea by now...all these variations are making my head hurt.

The success of this opening is often due to your opponent completely overestimating his or her ability to wipe you out quickly with sacrifices and sloppy play. If you are lucky enough to be someone who is extremely cautious (or very weak) you will be amazed at the success of this opening. If you are unlucky enough to be playing another abdicator then you could be in for a very difficult game."

Keith Davies
Bognor and Arun Chess Club

The "Oxford Companion to Chess" calls 1 f3 the Barnes Opening, but it doesn't mention 2 Kf2. Amusingly, the index of "Unorthodox Chess Openings" by Schiller (Cardoza), gives "1 f3 e5 2 Kh2 - the Barnes Opening, Hammerschlag". Ten points if you have spotted the deliberate error! In the text of the book it gives "2 Kf2 is a bit of madness known as the Hammerschlag." According to Schiller, 1 e4 f5 is called the Fred Defence.

If you want to voice any questions, opinions or moans please send to: ChessMoves Editor, The Watch Oak, Chain Lane, Battle, East Sussex, TN33 0YD, or e-mail jemms@ukgateway.net.

Also in ChessMoves, September 2000, paper edition * Congress and Team Results * Obituaries * Reviews * Congress Diary * Terence Chapman Group Grand Prix * Batsford Competition

ChessMoves, September 2000, was edited by John Emms

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