Jonathan Levitt has a lot to smile about

Levitt-ation is what you need!

Wood Green have won the BCF National Club Championship for the second year in a row, following their victory over Maidstone in the final. GM Jonathan Levitt gave the team's best performance over the season, according to manager Bob Turnham. Levitt, 35, has another reason to celebrate - in mid-July, if all went according to plan, he married Aditi Nan ('Tinni') from Calcutta.

Turnham said the final in Leicester was an "extremely nerve-wracking experience" and towards the end he couldn't stand the tension, so he had to leave the room and watch the Wimbledon men's final instead of the chess. "I find it impossible to stay in the room when the game is absolutely critical," he added.

"Once Paul Littlewood lost fairly early in the match, the pressure was on", said Turnham, who has been in charge of the National Club side for the past six years, and a Wood Green captain on and off for 35 years. "Peter Sowray in his attempts to win [against Chris Howell, Maidstone's manager] finally dropped off. He had to try and win it because it was not clear that Jon Levitt was winning. He had a very complicated game, and we were 3-2 down." Levitt did manage to defeat Ian Watson as White on board 2 in the end, and with a score of 3-3 Wood Green won on board count.

"Jon Levitt makes a speciality of winning very long, difficult games which go right to the wire," said Turnham. "Flags hovering, adrenalin flowing, he seems to have the temperament to hold himself together better than other players." Unlike the rival competition, the 4NCL, where teams can nominate anyone to play for them, the rules are stricter in the National Club Championship. To represent a team, you also have to play in local league matches. Wood Green's top board, GM John Emms, played about 16 matches for the club last season, including several in the London League, and Levitt played a similar number, according to Turnham. Levitt won all his games.

Both Wood Green and Maidstone were lacking key players in the final, although this was more serious for Maidstone. Wood Green had to do without IM Malcolm Pein, whose wife, Philippa, had just given birth to her third child. But Maidstone were missing GMs Matthew Sadler and Chris Ward, who were away playing in tournaments. "Maidstone played really well and I felt very sorry for them," said Turnham.

Wood Green's route to the final this year was fairly easy, in sharp contrast to their bitter dispute with Slough last year over the eligibility of players. The team had no problems winning their other matches, and the only team which might have put up a fight in the quarter-final, John Henderson's Scottish team Crowwood, withdrew because their top three boards suddenly pulled out. One of the difficulties of the competition is travelling and arranging fixtures, which is the responsibility of the team captains. In the 4NCL, everyone plays in the same place at the same time. The rewards for the National Club Championship are not too dazzling, either. The winning team receives a trophy and £100, which "we very wisely spent on an Indian meal," Turnham said. "We're eaters rather than drinkers."

Wood Green has "terrific team spirit," according to Turnham, even though many of the players live a long way away. Graham Lee, who teaches at Oakham School in Leicestershire, travels to London regularly for matches. Wood Green club itself is not based in the eponymous district of north London, but a few miles away in a shabby Hornsey YMCA which the leading players hardly ever visit, as most of their matches take place at the more salubrious Bishopsgate Institute in the City.

Big bang for BCF

The BCF now has its own site on the Internet, courtesy of Webmaster Denis Walker and several enthusiastic contributors. Visitors are treated to an introduction by BCF chairman Stewart Reuben, plus his report on the Management Board meeting of June 20. They can also see the front page of ChessMoves and read about the latest developments in the Smith & Williamson British Championships.

The address of the Web site is http://www.bcf.org.uk.

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